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Learn how to make vegan ice cream with this super simple 3-ingredient 30-minute customizable recipe using coconut milk! No one has to know it’s vegan!
I have been receiving quite a few requests from you guys to post more recipes catering to restrictive diets. Whether it’s dairy-free, gluten-free, sugar-free, or vegan, there seems to be quite a few you lovely readers who need these types of recipes! Don’t worry – this isn’t becoming a paleo or vegan blog or anything, but sometimes it’s nice to change things up. Since I included just one vegan ice cream recipe in my cookbook Cookies & Cream: Hundreds of Ways to Make the Perfect Ice Cream Sandwich, I thought it might be fun to experiment some more with dairy-free and vegan ice cream recipes! So today I’m sharing a ridiculously easy and completely customizable way to make vegan ice cream using coconut milk. Unlike many other non-dairy milk options, coconut milk has enough fat to make for a rich and creamy vegan ice cream that totally satisfies any ice cream craving.
Check out the step-by-step video below, along with some quick tips and flavor ideas to help you make the best vegan ice cream ever! If you like this post, please sign up to receive new recipes delivered by email and receive a free e-cookbook!
Note, if you don’t like the taste of coconut you won’t like this ice cream! Unfortunately I haven’t used any other non-dairy milk options with as good of results. If you’d like to see another vegan ice cream recipe using something besides coconut milk, just let me know in the comments below.
Quick Tips:
- Use full-fat canned coconut milk!
- The recipe provides various sweetener options. For best results, taste the mixture before it goes into the ice cream machine to perfect the sweetness.
- Make this ice cream creamier by adding 1 tablespoon vodka and/or 1 tablespoon corn syrup. Both these ingredients help prevent ice crystals from forming and causing the ice cream to harden.
- If it does harden after sitting in the freezer for a while, just leave it at room temperature for 5 minutes before scooping.
- Although I completely prefer to use an ice cream machine (this one or this KitchenAid attachment), If you don’t have one you can still make this recipe. Pour the blended mixture into a freezer-safe container, cover, freeze, and whisk vigorously every hour or so to aerate. Repeat until the desired consistency is achieved.
- Chill your cans of coconut milk for a few hours or even better, overnight. If you forgot, make sure to chill the blended mixture before adding to the ice cream maker.
Flavor ideas:
Add any solid mix-ins during the last few minutes of churning.
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder for chocolate ice cream
- chopped Vegan Brownie Bites
- vegan chocolate chips
- cocoa nibs
- shredded coconut (toasted or not!)
- nuts
- citrus zest
- fruit puree (added into the blender)
- fresh fruit chunks
- espresso powder
- spices
- peanut butter, or any nut butter
- the options are limitless!!
Do you have any special recipe requests? Tell me in the comments below!
Vegan Coconut Ice Cream
Ingredients
- 2 (13.5 ounce) cans full-fat coconut milk, chilled
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar, raw sugar, or sugar substitute (OR about 1/2 cup agave syrup or 1/2 cup honey)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract OR 1 vanilla bean pod, seeded
Instructions
- Combine all the ingredients in a blender and blend on high speed for 30 seconds.
- Freeze in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturers’ directions, about 25 minutes or until the mixture has increased in volume and resembles soft-serve ice cream. Serve immediately or for a firmer texture, remove to an airtight container with plastic wrap pressed against the surface, and freeze for at least 1 hour.
can i make ice-cream with out a machine?
Hi Marcelle! As Tessa mentions in this post, the best results come from using an ice cream maker – but one of the methods in Tessa’s How to Make Ice Cream Without a Machine post may work just fine. Let us know how it goes 🙂
Thank you!!