This No-Churn Mascarpone Ice Cream is exactly what your Summer time needs. Made with only 7 ingredients, it's rich, smooth and creamy and the subtly swirl of roasted strawberry sauce throughout is the perfect fruity flavouring.
It's hot outside and the sun is shining. That calls for all the no-churn ice cream recipes to be made. Short on time, then these simple recipes made with no ice cream maker are exactly what's needed. My Coffee Oreo Ice Cream, Brownie Caramel Ice Cream and Pecan Praline Ice Cream are all no-churn favourites.
This Mascarpone Ice Cream is unreal. The mascarpone adds the perfect rich and creamy taste and texture to this vanilla-flavoured ice cream. It's perfect left as is or forms the ideal base for other flavourings. It's also made in under ten minutes. Winning!
Today, I've added a roasted strawberry sauce swirled throughout. The subtle swirl doesn't overpower the mascarpone flavour, rather the sweet strawberry sauce compliments it by adding the perfect amount of fruitiness.
❓ What is Mascarpone?
Mascarpone is an Italian milky-white soft-cream cheese made from cream and citric acid, typically lemon juice. This cream content produces a fat-rich consistency that is smooth, creamy and thick with a mild buttery flavour.
It's traditionally used in tiramisu but as mascarpone is not sweetened, it's perfect for adding to savoury dishes such as pasta and risotto.
🌟 Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Uses basic ingredients. All the ingredients are basic pantry or fridge staples. You'll find them all in your local grocery store.
- The best creamy taste. Add mascarpone to the ice cream making for the ultimate creamy frozen dessert. It's a pure and luxurious flavour that you can't beat.
- No ice cream maker is needed. I wanted to create a recipe that everyone could make. This one is no churn meaning it's super easy. If you can whip cream, then you can make this recipe.
- Create your own adventure. The Mascarpone Ice Cream form the perfect base for any flavouring. You can add any type of stone fruit or berries, sauce or jam. You pick. Or leave it plain!
🧾 Ingredients Needed
Whilst the list of ingredients is short, I'm made a couple of notes that are worth reading before you make this ice cream with mascarpone.
- Mascarpone - Make sure this is at room temperature so that when whisked it becomes smooth and creamy. I find when whisking it cold, it becomes lumpy.
- Condensed milk - I've used regular condensed milk as that's what is more readily available to the UK market. However, you can use sweetened condensed milk, the overall ice cream will taste a little sweeter, but will still be delicious.
- Cream - Use double or heavy cream as it has a higher fat content. This creates that smooth creamy texture.
- Vanilla and Salt - These two ingredients help layer the flavour of the Mascarpone Ice Cream. The salt helps cut through the richness.
- Strawberries - pick the ripest, juiciest strawberries that you can find. They'll add way more flavour when roasted.
📖 Variations
- Mascarpone Olive Oil Ice Cream: Go the whole way with Italian flavours. Add a couple of tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil to the mixture. Even drizzle a little over the top once scooped.
- Lemon Mascarpone Ice Cream: Use star-bought or Homemade Lemon curd and swirl lots through the ice cream before freezing.
- Strawberry Mascarpone Ice Cream: Add all the strawberry sauce into the ice cream base and mix until fully combined. The taste of Summer right here!
- Serve Ice Cream topped with Sauce: Salted Carmel Sauce or Hot Fudge Chocolate Sauce drizzled over the top of this ice cream would be insane!
👩🏻🍳 How to Make
This recipe is split into two, roasting the strawberries and making the sauce, and then making the mascarpone ice cream. Both parts are super simple!
*Be sure to see the recipe card below for the full ingredients list & instructions!*
Make the Strawberry Sauce
STEP 1. Cut strawberries. Hull and quarter the strawberries (Image 1).
STEP 2. Roast: Place chopped strawberries onto a small baking tray and sprinkle the sugar over the top, then toss them lightly so that the sugar coats the strawberries (Image 2).
Pop the tray into the oven and roast for 20 to 25 minutes. Toss the strawberries halfway through the roasting time. The strawberries should still be holding their shape but are soft and the juices thickened around the edges of the pan (Image 3).
STEP 3. Blend: Spoon the strawberries and all the delicious juice and sticky bits from the bottom of the pan into the cup of a blender and leave it to cool for five minutes or so, then pulse until totally smooth (Image 4). Add in a tablespoon of water if you need to make it easier to blend and thin it out.
At this point, you can pass the puree through a fine-mesh sieve and discard the seeds, but I don't bother with this. Pour the puree into a shallow bowl and pop it into the fridge or freezer (Image 5). This will help speed up cooling it down whilst you make the ice cream.
TIP: If you don't want to roast the strawberries, then place them in a saucepan on the stovetop along with the sugar and 1 tablespoon of water. Heat on medium to low until the strawberries have softened and broken down. Blend as per the recipe.
Make the Mascarpone Ice Cream
STEP 4. Whip condensed milk and mascarpone together. Add the condensed and the mascarpone cream to a medium-sized bowl and using a hand-held electric whisk, whip until smooth and combined (Images 6 & 7).
STEP 5. Add remaining ingredients. Add the cream, vanilla extract and salt into the bowl and whisk on medium speed until soft peaks form (Images 8 & 9).
Assemble
STEP 6. Add ice cream mixture to bowl and swirl in strawberry. Pour half of the ice cream mixture into a freezer-safe dish. Then spoon over some of the strawberry puree. Swirl it into the ice cream base with a chopstick, skewer or knife (Images 10 & 11).
Pour the remaining ice cream mixture over the top. Then spoon more strawberry puree in dollops and swirls through (Image 12 & 13).
STEP 7. Freeze. Cover the ice cream mixture with baking paper then wrap well in plastic wrap or seal with a lid. This prevents ice crystals from forming.
Freeze the Ice Cream for 6 hours. To be honest, I just make it the day before and freeze it overnight. Then scoop and enjoy!
💭 Recipe Pro Tips
- The temperature of the ingredients. The mascarpone is easier to whip until smooth if it's at room temperature. However, the cream whips to better peaks if it's cold.
- Whip the cream for long enough. Make sure to whip the mixture when the cream is added, to a soft peak or even firm peak stage. This aeration is what gives the resulting ice cream its creamy lightness.
- Cover the ice cream well. Not only does covering the ice cream prevent the formation of ice crystals, but it also prevents other smells from the freezer from permeating into it.
📋 Recipe FAQs
Whilst it's they are both soft cream cheese, Philadephia is made from whole milk and mascarpone is made from whole cream. The mascarpone cheese, therefore, has a much higher fat content (almost double) making it richer and creamier than cream cheese.
Mascarpone is readily available in most main grocery stores in refrigerators alongside ricotta and cream cheese. Whilst Italian imported mascarpone can be on the pricey side, look out for mascarpone made within your country for more cost-effective options.
Yes, you can, however, the taste will be a little different. Cream cheese is tangier and has a thicker consistency and lower fat content. Plus a mascarpone ice cream wouldn't be the same without mascarpone!
❄️ Freezer Instructions
Store the Italian Mascarpone Ice Cream in a freezer-safe container, cover it in parchment paper, and then wrap it well with plastic wrap or cover it with a tight-fitting lid. This will prevent any freezer smells from getting into the ice cream and the formation of ice crystals. It's best eaten within 1 week but can be frozen for up to 1 month.
🍦 More Gelato Recipes
If you tried this Mascarpone Ice Cream Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how you go in the 📝 comments below. I love hearing from you!
📖 Recipe
Mascarpone Ice Cream swirled with Strawberry Sauce
Equipment
- Electric hand-held beaters with the whisk attachment
Ingredients
Strawberry Sauce
- 200 g strawberries, hulled and halved
- 15 g sugar
Mascarpone Ice Cream
- 397 g condensed milk (1 can)
- 240 g mascarpone cream, room temperature
- 360 ml double cream (heavy cream), cold
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon fine salt
Instructions
Strawberry Sauce
- Prep. Hull and quarter the strawberries.
- Roast. Preheat the oven to 180℃/350℉. Place the strawberries onto a half-sheet baking tray. Sprinkle over the sugar and toss lightly. Place in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until the strawberries are softened, and juices have thickened and gone sticky. Toss the strawberries halfway through the cooking time.
- Blend. Remove from the oven and scrap strawberries and their juices into a blender or Nutri Bullet. Make sure to scrape in all the sticky bits too. Pulse until the strawberries are pureed. Add a tablespoon of water to loosen the puree if necessary. Pour into a bowl and refrigerate or freeze whilst making the ice cream, to cool the puree down.
Mascarpone Ice Cream
- Combine the condensed milk and mascarpone. In a large bowl, beat the condensed milk and mascarpone until combined and smooth.
- Add remaining ingredients. Add the cream, vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt. Beat until soft peaks form.
Assemble
- Layer components. In a freezer-safe dish, pour half of the mascarpone ice cream base. Spoon half of the strawberry sauce over the base, then swirl throughout the base with a spoon.
- Repeat the process. Pour the remainder of the ice cream into the dish and spoon more strawberry sauce on top. Again, swirl the mixture together.
- Freeze. Cover the ice cream with a sheet of baking paper touching the surface. Wrap well in plastic wrap or with a sealable lid. Freeze for 6 hours before serving. Scoop and enjoy.Optional, once the ice cream has been scooped into bowls, spoon any remaining strawberry sauce over the top of the scoops.
All recipes are developed and tested in Metric grams. I strongly recommend that you bake using digital scales for a more accurate result. I have provided a conversion to US customary in the recipe but please note that I haven’t tested using this method.
Notes
Nutrition
This post was originally published in August 2019 but has been updated with new photos, new content and a revised recipe.
gillian bertie
This looks a lovely recipe!, can’t wait to make it!
Please can you tell me- what is the brown paper you used to line the mould?
I wondered if it was baking parchment, oiled brown paper, or waxed paper?
Thanks Gilly Bertie
Emma
Hi Gilly, It’s such a great recipe as the ice-cream base is such an easy simple one to make and you can add in anything your like! Yes, the brown paper in the images is a brown greaseproof paper. I used it so that I could pull the ice-cream out of the brownie tray that I had used as a mould. xx
Nanda
Hi Emma,
You write that I can roast the strawberry’s in the oven, but at what temperature? I can’t find it in the recipe.
Emma
In the recipe card- you roast them at 180C for 20-25 minutes. Thanks
Diane
Hello, thank you a lot for this recipe, I can’t wait to try it. I would like a minor precision -does it call for sweetened condensed milk or unsweetened ?
I have both and are not interchangeable ( learnt it at my own expense).
Your recipes look awesome and tasty!
Emma
Hi Diane- I mention about the difference in the Ingredients section of my post - I use regular condensed milk when I make it. If you use the sweetened version it will make the overall taste much sweeter. But you can use both - I've created this recipe using unsweetened and have not tested it with the sweetened version. Thanks, Emma
Karen Veal
Excellent no churn ice cream, I use 2 tsp of vanilla
Emma
Hi Karen - thanks so much for your comment- its simple to make and delicious- win win!