No-churn roasted strawberry and cardamom ice cream

This no-churn roasted strawberry ice cream is a revelation. It’s creamy, it’s sweet, it’s a cinch to whip up and requires no special equipment. To my surprise, it also happens to be a variation of a dessert that people from the entire Indian subcontinent have been making for generations.  

While I’m not typically a fan most of Indian desserts because they’re often so incredibly sweet, I have learned to love a few that have now become favorites. Kulfi is one of those. Described as “traditional Indian ice cream,” it’s basically made up of homemade sweetened condensed milk (which takes hours) mixed with heavy cream and then flavored with spices, nuts and dried fruits. It’s pretty damn delicious.

I wasn’t setting out to make kulfi when I created this recipe. I was searching for no-churn ice creams, because I love homemade ice cream but can’t justify buying another new specialty piece of kitchen equipment at the moment. I’ve tried dozens of no churn ice creams made with a variety of weird ingredients and the problem is always the same: they get icy, hard and don’t have the creamy melt-in-your-mouth texture of traditional custard-based whipped ice creams.

Then I stumbled upon a Martha Stewart video proclaiming that she had found the secret to no-churn ice cream. That secret is condensed milk and coconut oil, which keeps ice crystals from forming. As my husband quickly pointed out after taking his first bite of what is now his new favorite homemade dessert, he said, “Oh yeah, this is basically kulfi…Martha Stuart learned how to make kulfi.” Truth.

I made my own version of this no-churn ice cream (a.k.a. kulfi) with cardamom (because cardamom should be in every dessert) and roasted strawberries from our recent family trip to a strawberry farm. The sweet and tart flavors of the roasted strawberries are essential to cutting the richness of the heavy cream and sweetness of the condensed milk. While it’s mostly creamy and smooth, it has a lovely little bite from the chunks of strawberries. It takes 10 minutes to prep, required minimal cleanup and then some chill waiting time as it freezes. It’s truly the perfect dessert for summer.

Creamy, sweet, tart and a cinch to whip up, this no-churn ice cream requires no special equipment and hardly any prep. It’s a perfect, simple homemade dessert to enjoy all summer long.

COOKING NOTES

Be careful not to whip the cream past the stiff peaks, or it will start to fall apart and give the ice cream a different texture. When roasting the strawberries, cut the larger ones into quarters so that they all roast at the same rate.  

MAKES 1 ½ QUARTS

INGREDIENTS

1 pound strawberries, sliced in half and tops removed
1 tablespoon cane sugar
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
1/4 cup unfiltered coconut oil, melted
¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
¼ teaspoon coarse salt
2 cups heavy cream

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Heat the oven to 350°F.
2. Place the strawberries on a parchment-lined baking sheet and sprinkle with the cane sugar. Toss well to combine.
3. Transfer to the oven and roast until soft and jammy, 25 to 30 minutes.
4. Remove from the heat and toss with the apple cider vinegar. Set aside.
5. In a large bowl, whisk together the sweetened condensed milk, coconut oil, cardamom and salt.
6. In a separate bowl, beat the cream on high until stiff peaks form, about 2 minutes.
7. Whisk half the cream into the condensed milk mixture. Fold in the remaining cream. Then, swirl in about a quarter of the strawberries and their syrup. Transfer to a 4 1/2-by 8 1/2-inch loaf pan. Freeze until firm, at least 4 hours, and up to 2 weeks.
8. Serve with the remaining strawberries spooned on top.