This Homemade Coconut Ice Cream has been a staple in our house for so many years, and no one ever knows it’s dairy free!
This ice cream…, it’s silky smooth and so delicious. It reminds me of childhood days getting strawberry sundaes with soft serve at a certain popular chain. Now I know this delectable ice cream bears no real resemblance to my childhood favorite.
But, that’s okay because it’s so much better! Something about the amazingly smooth mouthfeel of this ice cream is so similar to soft serve. Now, all I need is some strawberry sauce.
My specific recipe for strawberry sauce is in the Inspired Ice Creams e-book I wrote, (see photo at the bottom). But you can also make my Triple Berry Sauce from my Fruit and Yogurt Cups with just strawberries for something similar.
This recipe is my all time most popular dessert on the blog! I’ll admit I was a little shocked considering how many chocolate recipes I’ve made! (But I guess everyone likes ice cream as much as I do!)
We make this ice cream often and I’ve received so many questions about different ways to make this. So I knew it was time for an update. I’ve included everything I’ve learned about ice cream making in the recipe + tips for achieving the creamiest texture.
Tips for how to make Homemade Coconut Ice Cream:
Since this ice cream is so versatile, I like to have several cans of coconut milk in the fridge for impromptu Coconut Whipped Cream or this Coconut Ice Cream. If you have chilled coconut milk, you can blend it together with maple syrup, and have your ice cream in about 20 minutes. If the coconut milk is at room temperature, it’s best to chill down the ice cream base in the refrigerator for 2 hours before freezing it.
Just one note about freezing your ice cream:
I take my ice cream out when it starts sticking to the spoon. Using a regular spoon, quickly scoop some ice cream out from the top of the machine when it starts to look thick. If it sits up on the spoon and doesn’t slide right off, it’s done. This sounds a little weird but it really works for the best creamiest texture.
I never used to know when to take my ice cream out of the machine. There were a few times I left it in for too long which makes the ice cream airy, and it becomes icy when it’s fully frozen. All in all, even if your ice cream turns out extra fluffy, nobody is going to care because it’s still totally awesome!
The color of this ice cream is different depending on how dark your maple syrup or honey is. And speaking of sweeteners, my favorite one in this recipe is a Grade A dark amber maple syrup.
Honey can sometimes overwhelm the flavor, and it’s hard to blend it together with chilled coconut milk. If you do use honey, start with just a small amount and work up until it’s sweet enough for your taste. (Also be sure to use room temperature coconut milk for the easiest blending experience.)
The sky is the limit with this ice cream… but I love it with warm Chocolate Fudge Skillet Cake.
Actually pretty much any cake/fruit crisp would work like…
- Apple Pie Skillet Cake
- Grain Free Raspberry Cake
- Cinnamon Blueberry Cobbler
- Strawberry Skillet Shortcake
- Blackberry Cardamom Peach Crisp
- Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp
- Cinnamon Cranberry Apple Crisp
As a further bonus, making your own homemade coconut ice cream is about half the price it is here in our grocery stores. In Montana, a pint of coconut ice cream can run between $5-$6. But when we lived in Calgary, a pint of our favorite coconut ice cream was almost $10!!!
And finally just one more tip:
It seems like the about the amount of sweetener varies with people liking every amount from 1/4 cup to 1 cup. My advice is to start with a small amount of sweetener, and keep adding until it tastes right to you!
Coconut Ice Cream
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Total Time: 10 mins
- Yield: 1 quart 1x
Description
Our favorite dairy free ice cream, perfect for pairing with all sorts of desserts!
Ingredients
- 2 cans (403 ml each or 13.66 oz each) coconut milk, refrigerated
- 1/2 – 1 cup Grade A amber maple syrup, start with a small amount and keep adding to your taste
- or 1/3 – 1/2 cup honey (use room temperature coconut milk for the easiest blending experience with honey)
- pinch of sea salt
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Blend the coconut milk, your choice of sweetener, pinch of salt to taste, and vanilla extract until thoroughly combined. You can whisk it by hand but it’s easier to use a blender, especially with honey.
- If your coconut milk isn’t chilled, chill the mixture for 2 hours in the refrigerator before placing it in the ice cream machine.
- Freeze according to instructions for your ice cream maker, this should take 20-30 minutes. When the mixture begins to look thick and frosty, (you’ll be able to see lines the dasher will make as the ice cream maker turns) spoon out a little and if it sits up on the spoon instead of slipping right off, it’s done.
- The ice cream will be the texture of soft serve when it’s done. You can transfer to a container suitable for the freezer, and freeze and additional 4 hours for a firmer texture. A wooden spoon is the best tool I’ve found for removing the ice cream from the container, spatulas are too flexible and won’t clean out the container well.
Notes
For a Vegan version use maple syrup
If you use honey, try blending room temperature coconut milk together with liquid honey. If your honey is solid, you’ll need to melt it first over low heat. Then chill the mixture before freezing it in your ice cream machine.
The nutrition information is calculated with 3/4 cup maple syrup and 1/2 cup portion per serving.
- Category: Ice Cream
- Method: Blending/Freezing
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: Vegan Coconut Ice Cream, Paleo Coconut Ice Cream, Dairy Free Ice Cream, Easy Coconut Ice Cream
146 Comments on “Homemade Coconut Ice Cream”
Hi! It sounds amazing. Can I make it without an ice cream machiene? Thanks
You can make ice cream without an ice cream maker, but a ice cream maker really does give you the best possible texture. You can just place the blended mixture into the freezer and stir every 30 minutes until it’s frozen. The texture will be a little icy but the flavor will be good. Another thing you can do if you have a high powered blender is to freeze about 2/3 of the mixture in ice cube trays (refrigerating the remaining 1/3), then blend the ice cream ice cubes with the refrigerated mixture until a soft serve forms. I hope this helps and be sure to let me know if you have any more questions!
We are really struggling to get all of the hard coconut cream to blend – we are always left with coconut lumps. Any advice? Also in the can of coco milk there is hard coconut cream and liquid should we be using both? Thanks!
I haven’t ever had trouble with the coconut cream not blending before, but you could try blending all the ingredients with room temperature coconut milk then refrigerate the mixture to chill thoroughly before you freeze it. I wonder if it has something to do with the kind/brand of coconut milk you’re using? I’ve had good luck with both Thai Kitchen and Native Forest. I hope this helps, and be sure an let me know if you have anymore questions!
Are you using creamer coconut and not coconut cream???
I hv made coconut ice cream before to make it super creamy i have added avacodo! Have you tried this before?
Yes and avocado is definitely the best to make it extra creamy, although it does leave a green tinge. I have a recipe on the blog for coconut lime ice cream and a chocolate fudge one that both have avocado in them and they’re nice and rich!
I love coconut ice cream it’s my all time favourite
I want to use this recipe for my food GCSE
For texture I want to add desiccated coconut and dry coconut ..
I am unsure about how much I should use
I would like your opinion
Xx Many Thanks
I’ve never added dried coconut to my ice cream before, but I would just start with a small amount, (maybe 1/4 cup) and then work up from there. Someone wrote once to say they added toasted coconut and it was a huge hit. Also be sure and stir in the dried coconut after the ice cream is out of the machine, if you add anything chunky while the machine is running, it tends to stick. I sure hope this helps, and be sure to let me know how it goes, or if you have anymore questions!
This is definitely a recipe I’d love to try! Perfect for those late night sweet cravings without completely ruining all your self-control for the day haha
★★★★★
Definitely, I love this recipe and all sorts of banana nice creams as well to keep me from getting into too much trouble!
Thank you Kari – beautiful recipe. We folded in chocolate chips and chopped toasted almonds and it was divine.
So glad you enjoyed it, and your additions so fantastic!