Heat your oven to 300°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Toss the hulled and sliced strawberries with 1/4 cup sugar and balsamic vinegar in a bowl, ensuring they're evenly coated. Spread them in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet and roast for 30 minutes, stirring halfway through—this concentrates their flavor and creates a beautiful syrupy base. After roasting, transfer the strawberries and all their juices to a bowl and let them cool to room temperature, then refrigerate for at least 1 hour. I like using balsamic vinegar because it adds depth and a subtle tangy sweetness that makes the strawberries taste more intense without being overwhelming.

While the strawberries roast, prepare your ice cream base so it's ready to chill. In a blender or food processor, combine the cream cheese, 1/2 cup sugar, milk, heavy cream, lemon juice, corn syrup, salt, vanilla extract, and ground cinnamon. Blend until completely smooth and creamy—this usually takes about 1-2 minutes. The cream cheese needs to be fully incorporated so there are no lumps in your final ice cream. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes; this chill time allows the flavors to meld and helps the mixture freeze more efficiently in your ice cream maker.

While your base is chilling, place the graham crackers in a sealed bag and crush them into roughly 1/4-inch chunks using a rolling pin or by hand—you want varied texture, not fine crumbs. Set the crushed crackers aside. After the roasted strawberries have chilled for at least 1 hour, gently mash them in their bowl to break them down slightly while keeping some texture; you want a chunky compote, not a smooth purée. This gives you multiple strawberry textures in the final ice cream.

Pour the chilled cream cheese base from Step 2 into your ice cream maker and churn according to the manufacturer's instructions—this typically takes 20-30 minutes until the mixture reaches a soft-serve consistency. About 5 minutes before the churning is complete, add the roasted strawberry compote and crushed graham crackers, mixing gently so they're distributed throughout. I like to reserve a few graham cracker pieces to sprinkle on top when serving because they stay crunchier and look beautiful.

Transfer the soft ice cream to a freezer-safe container and smooth the top gently. Freeze for at least 2 hours, or until firm. This final freeze solidifies the ice cream and allows all the flavors to fully integrate, creating that perfect scoopable texture.