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.
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
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Prep Time: 10 mins -
Total Time: 10 mins
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Yield: 1 quart
Print Recipe
Pin RecipeIngredients
- 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.
141 Comments on “Homemade Coconut Ice 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
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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!
does the brand KTC or pride work for can coconut because native forest is not available here to us in the Uk
I’m not sure as I’ve never seen either brand here, but they should work if they’re a full fat canned coconut milk. I hope this helps, and be sure to let me know how it goes, or if you have anymore questions!
So I am loving this thread and the possibilities. I need to not use sweeteners So might i use stevia and if so how much ? powder or liquid?
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You can definitely use stevia, but the texture won’t be quite as smooth without the maple syrup. I would just add either the liquid or powder to your taste.
Hi Kari I,m wondering of lite coconut milk will work as well. I want a low-fat ice cream. I never made ice cream before!! Thanks Linda
I wouldn’t use lite coconut milk because it will produce an icy textured ice cream. I haven’t run the calorie count on this ice cream, but coconut milk is already less calories than a traditional ice cream made with heavy cream.
Linda you do not want low fat. There have never been any studies that show that a low fat diet works. This is a great way to get additional good fats. Please do your research. I am going to try this with Monk Fruit .
Monk fruit is a great idea, thanks so much Lisa! 🙂
Hi Kari,
I’m impressed that you are still answering people on a post from 2015! Someone asked if it can work to use coconut milk from a carton and you wrote back that is will not be as smooth. I’m in rural Spain and we do have the cartons but have not seen the cans. I’m wondering if there is another source of fat that could work to make the coconut milk from the carton richer like the full fat canned version. Maybe heat it up with some coconut oil? Or even with cow’s milk butter? (I’m allergic to the casein in cow’s milk but butter or ghee are fat, not protein, so I tolerate them.) I may try a couple of combinations but I’m not much of an experimenter with food so I thought you might have a better idea of what would work best and how to mix them. Thank you!
Thank you, I always do my best to answer comments! 🙂 I’m not sure what the consistency of cartoned coconut milk is in Spain, (maybe it’s rich enough) I just know it’s a little more watery here. You could try adding some coconut oil or butter, but you would need to make more of a pudding to emulsify the oil with the coconut milk. If you do decided to try that, you could try 1-2 tablespoons cornstarch mixed with the maple syrup, then add the coconut milk and fat of choice, and cook whisking constantly until it comes to a boil, (like a pudding). Then fully chill it in the refrigerator before placing it into the ice cream machine. A simpler fix would be to just add some nut butter to your ice cream base just like it’s written. It will obviously taste like whatever nut butter you use, but it does make a wonderfully rich texture. I hope this helps, and be sure to let me know how it goes, or if you have anymore questions! 🙂
Hi Kari. I’d like for it to have less of a coconut flavour. Can I use 1 can of coconut cream and substitute the other can of coconut milk for almond milk?
You can sub in almond milk for part of the coconut milk, but the ice cream will be more icy in texture because almond milk doesn’t have enough fat in it for ice cream purposes. I hope this helps, and be sure to let me know if you have anymore questions!
Looking to purchase an ice cream maker any suggestion on the best model? I make my own homemade coconut milk so thought making ice cream out of it would be a great treat. thank you.
I have the Cuisinart 2-quart ice cream maker and I really love it! It seems to be the perfect size to do any recipe. I’ve had a 1 1/2 quart before and it was too small for some ice cream recipes, so I’d definitely go with the bigger 2 quart because it’s big enough for every recipe I’ve tried, and it still works for smaller batches. I hope this helps, and be sure to let me know if you have anymore questions! 🙂
I wasn’t sure when to add the vanilla essence or salt, as the instructions didn’t mention them, so I added them with everything else.
You’re definitely right to mix them in with everything else, and thanks for mentioning that, I just corrected the recipe instructions!
I have been looking for a recipe for coconut ice cream, but was disapointed that this one is for an ice cream machine, which not all of us have. Do you ever make it without the machine, and, if so, how?
I don’t make ice cream without my ice cream maker anymore because it does give you the best possible texture. But 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 anymore questions!
I just made this but I used agave (with room temp coconut milk) and some lime juice with that vanilla. Then, in the ice cream maker, I added toasted coconut and crushed pineapple to make a pina colada ice cream. This. Is. So. Good. Very helpful instructions, since I never know when to turn off the ice cream maker. Very good recipe!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, and you’re pina colada version sounds absolutely dreamy!
I have an ice cream maker but I want to explain how my Mother made delicious ice cream and freezing the chosen custard in ice cube trays.
As soon as chilled almost to solid consistency, she would empty into a bowl and break up mixture. Then either added can of drained fruit cocktail, some minature marsh mellows, few more maraschino cherries. And sometimes folded in whipped cream. And nuts.
Mixture went back into trays to freeze solid.
Delicious and My mom called it her tutti fruiti ice cream.
I will do this in my icream maker by adding extra ingredients at last 5 min of churning. I have a Cusinert machine. Love it!
Thanks so much for writing out your mom’s recipe, I love family recipes like that, they have so many great memories attached to them!
Such WONDERFUL recipe. Thanks for sharing. I was looking for a simple recipe that did not require the stove first. I added a tsp of cinnamon, yummy!!!!!
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That’s how I ended up developing this recipe, I really didn’t want to always have to cook the ice cream base and wait for it to cool first. I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe, and I’m definitely trying some cinnamon next time!
I churned for over half an hour and it still runny, every thing was cold any suggestions what I can do to save it
There’s 2 possible problems: one is that your ice cream freezer container wasn’t fully frozen – they say 8 hours on most machines, but I’ve found at least 24 hours to fully freeze the container. If it’s not fully frozen it won’t turn your mixture into ice cream. Secondly if the coconut milk mixture wasn’t cold when it went into the machine that could also cause it not to freeze. To save your batch of ice cream, take it out of the machine and refrigerate the runny mixture, clean the freezer container and freeze it for at least 24 hours, and then try again. I hope this helps, and be sure to let me know if you have anymore questions! 🙂
Lakanto makes a non glycemic maple syrup and it’s really good.
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That’s great to know, thanks so much for writing with this tip!
I think you sub in rice malt syrup for maple syrup, but I’m not sure how it would affect the flavor since I’ve never tried it myself. I hope you enjoy the recipe, and be sure to let me know how it goes, or if you have anymore questions!
Do I use coconut cream in the can or coconut milk in the milk aisle.
You definitely want to use canned coconut milk, and if you do have access to coconut cream, that makes this ice cream even creamier. The coconut milk in the carton is too watery and won’t make a good ice cream. I hope you enjoy the recipe, and be sure to let me know how it goes, or if you have anymore questions! 🙂
I added toasted coconut chips to add texture. Really delicious, thank you for the inspiration
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I really need to try out the toasted coconut chip variation, it sounds so delicious, and I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Can i put the misture direct to the fridge because i dont hace any machine or not??
An ice cream maker will definitely give you the best texture, but 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 anymore questions!
How much alcohol would you put into recipe?
Usually 1 Tablespoon per batch is plenty. I hope you enjoy the recipe, and be sure to let me know how it goes, or if you have anymore questions!
Can you freeze the leftovers (if there are any!)? I have noticed on other sites that freezing tends to crystallize the leftovers and they have to be re-blended. I wonder if there is a way to stabilize this so that does not occur…
You can freeze the leftovers, but it does crystallize and freeze to be a hard consistency. I just get my leftovers out and leave them on the counter for 20 minutes or so, once it softens stir it, and it’s almost as good as freshly made. Another thing you can do is add some type of hard alcohol which lowers the freezing temperature, and helps to keep the texture smoother. If you don’t want any added flavor, I would suggest vodka, but you could also use any flavor like hazelnut, amaretto, or orange liquor. I hope this helps, be sure to let me know how it goes or if you have anymore questions! 🙂
Thanks Kari – I will let you know. The alcohol addition sounds fun – I will try it!
I hope you enjoy it! 🙂
I know! Coconut ice cream is super duper expensive, agreed! Yikes. I love your spin on it and the better-for-you ingredients in your version. It never ceases to amaze me that I am “surprised” that healthier recipes actually taste better for you than there overly processed counterparts.
I’m the same way, for some reason I’m always surprised when a healthy version tastes better for you! 🙂
Honey want dissolve in chilled products , will it?
I notice honey atthe bottom of my blender when I try to use it as a sweetening agent.
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Honey doesn’t dissolve super well in chilled conditions like you mentioned. I have 2 ways of dealing with it, the first way is to drizzle it slowly into the blender while it’s running so that it gets completely dissolved. The second way is to combine the ingredients together at room temperature, then refrigerate the mixture until it’s cold before freezing it in your ice cream machine. I hope this helps, and be sure to let me know if you have anymore questions! 🙂
Thank you for your reply! Am making again today – this time adding unsweetened organic coconut shreds. First try was a favorite w friends – I topped w toasted coconut shreds.
Great and easy recipe!
I’m glad you liked it, toasted coconut shreds sounds so good right now with a nice big bowl of ice cream – (it’s so hot right now)!
Hi, Thanks for the recipe. I see Native Forest has “Classic” and “Simple” coconut milk – which od you use?
I use the Native Forest Classic, I didn’t even know they had another option since we don’t have it here.:) I hope you enjoy the recipe, and be sure to let me know if you have anymore questions!
I would use my ice cream maker(add a little vodka to keep leftovers soft and use Truvia or stevia to sweeten.
I think a little bit of vodka would really help, especially if you’re using a sweetener like stevia because the maple syrup does help it stay softer. 🙂
Do you have to use ice cream maker for this recipe?
An ice cream maker will definitely give you the best texture, but 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 anymore questions!
I add 1/2 shot of rum to the base, then process in ice cream machine. this way, it is scoopable even right from the freezer. I generally use rum, but have used good quality vodka on occasion. If I add fruit, I muddle it in the rum first. again, it keeps it from freezing too hard.
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Thanks for writing in with your tips Lois! 🙂 A little bit of hard alcohol is the perfect way to keep ice cream scoopable, and I love the sounds of using rum, especially with coconut and vanilla flavors!
Great. I used one can coconut cream, one cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk, 3/4 cup maple syrup, and dropped pistachios and raw coconut in when almost done. All ingredients from trader Joe’s.
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I love the idea of adding pistachios at the end, I used to love that instant pistachio pudding as a child… maybe I should get going on a pistachios ice cream!
This would be amazing with a little cardamom in it! Totally going to try it tomorrow! Thanks for the recipe!
I think a little cardamom sounds fantastic!
Thanks for recipe looks awesome. When you say chill the can overnight. Do u mean allow the water to seperate?
I chill the coconut milk so that you can blend it and then pour it straight into the ice cream machine. Otherwise if the coconut milk is at room temperature, the ice cream base has to be thoroughly chilled before going into the machine. I hope you enjoy the recipe, and be sure to let me know if you have anymore questions! 🙂
Your texture looks great! I often make my own ice cream but didn’t like using coconut milk because it was too grainy–but your tip about taking it out of the machine when it sticks to the spoon is genius. I will have to try that for my recipes! I also add some gelatin or egg yolks to my ice cream to make it creamy too:) Thanks Kari! Great post!
I also like to use the Native Forest brand of coconut milk because it seems to be the most stable. I’ve tried some other brands, and I know what you mean by the grainy texture they sometimes have.
A little too sweet for my taste, but good! I added some toasted coconut and organic desiccated coconut. I think 3/4 cup of syrup may be enough for me. Thanks for sharing!!
Thanks for writing in, I think it really helps to have everyone’s version on record to get an idea of where to start on the sweetness factor. I’ve been thinking I should make a note in the recipe to add to taste, that way anyone in the future can get it right to their taste the first time! 🙂
Hi!
I want to try this recipe. I have a cusinart ice cream maker. Do I need to make an ice cream base and then add these ingredients or are these 2 simple ingredients all that I need to put in the freezer bowl?
The 2 ingredients, coconut milk and maple syrup (or honey but the maple syrup is my favorite), are blended together which creates the ice cream base. Then you freeze it in the ice cream maker according to your machine’s instructions. I sure hope you enjoy the recipe, and be sure to let me know if you have anymore questions! 🙂
This stuff is amazing, so good, hard not to eat the whole batch all at once!
My favorite way to eat it is over a tart fruit crisp!
Does the canned coconut milk need to have a certain amount of fat? I see different brands vary in the grams of fat and the one I tried to make the ice cream with didn’t turn out creamy, but more of a slushy consistency.
I’m not sure how much the different brands might vary, but I’ve always had good success with the Native Forest brand which seems to have a high amount of coconut cream in it!
when you say chilled do you mean i REFRIDGERATE in freezer the can or just put in the fridge overnight. thanks
It means to make sure the ice cream base is thoroughly chilled in the refrigerator before freezing it in the ice cream maker. If the ice cream base is too warm, it won’t freeze properly and it will have an icey texture. I keep both my coconut milk and my maple syrup in the refrigerator, so I can just blend them together and freeze the ice cream right away because the ingredients are already chilled! Hope you enjoy the recipe, and be sure to let me know if you have anymore questions!
Made this today and it was fantastic!!!! thank you!!!
So glad you enjoyed it! I’ve been working on some new flavors of coconut ice cream for the summer, so let me know if you have any favorites you’d like to see!
Can you use coconut sugar in place of the maple syrup. It has a lower glycemic index.
You can definitely use coconut sugar in place of maple syrup! I’m not sure if it will dissolve into the coconut milk simply by blending, if it doesn’t you may need to melt them together on the stove top and cool the mixture down before freezing it. The only thing it should effect is the color, coconut sugar is so dark it turns everything brown but I think you’ll have a lovely shade of caramel!
Is this ice cream very coconut tasting ? Looking for a dairy free ice cream that tastes like a traditional dairy vanilla ice cream – any suggestions ?
Thanks !
This definitely tastes like coconut ice cream! I’m not sure about how to achieve a more traditional vanilla flavor because anything non-dairy based has it’s own distinct flavor. If you’ve ever bought pints of coconut ice cream from the store and liked them, then you would probably like this recipe but it does taste like coconut!
What is Grade A maple syrup? Would any Pure Maple syrup work? Thanks.
Grade A maple syrup is lighter in maple flavor than Grade B (which is often referred to as pancake syrup because of it’s deep maple flavor). Any pure maple syrup will work, whichever syrup you use will just determine how much maple flavor you’ll notice in the final product, and the Grade B also has a darker color which doesn’t really effect anything other than the appearance. Hope you enjoy the ice cream! 🙂
Could I use agave nectar to Sweeten this ice cream? I am very excited about this recipe. I just finished making it with maple syrup and its hardening in the freezer. I can’t wait to see how it turns out 🙂
You can definitely use agave nectar to sweeten this ice cream, it should turn out exactly the same! I hope you enjoy the first batch! 🙂
I HAVE BEEN REFERRED TO YOUR SITE BY MY CHIRO. DR. SHE REALLY WALKS THE TALK AND I LISTEN. I AM LOOKING FOR THE NO SUGAR CREAM TO MAKE THIS EASY YUMMY ICE CREAM. THANKS SOOO MUCH.
ANITA
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I’m not sure what you mean by ‘no sugar cream’ but hopefully you will find a substitute that will work for your dietary needs. I know a lot of people try stevia or xylitol in place of sugar, the texture might be a little harder and more icy but when the ice cream is softened it should be ok! Best of luck, and let me know if you have anymore questions! 🙂
Can I use a half cup of honey and possibly a tsp of stevia? I am watching my carbs.
I think using a combination of honey and stevia should work. Let me know how it goes, and I hope you enjoy the recipe!
Hi, I don’t have a ice-cream maker. How can I make the texture smooth!
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There’s really no other way to achieve a smooth texture because as a mixture freezes it forms ice crystal which form larger when it’s not stirred constantly, creating that icey texture you can sometimes get. The closet possible way to get a semi-smooth texture is to freeze the mixture in the freezer and stir it every 30 minutes until it’s frozen. If you have a high powered blender, you can freeze half of the ice cream mixture in ice cube trays. Once that’s frozen solid, blend the other half of the liquid ice cream base with the frozen ice cream cubes. It will be really thick and you’ll need to use the tamper that comes with your blender to keep the mixture moving. This blender method makes a soft serve type of ice cream. Hope this helps and be sure to let me know if you have anymore questions! 🙂
would it be a ….good idea to put the cans of un-opened coconut milk in the fridge with the right side -up and when its chilled properly ,turn it up-side down and scoop the cream out levying the water bit for another dish…..I would be glad for your advise….Thanks Querino de-Freitas….
The recipe actually calls for the whole can of coconut milk, but if you want to substitute in some coconut cream for added richness that would be fine as well. I hope this answers your question, be sure to let me know if not! 🙂
The cream of coconut in a can is loaded with sugar. I am excited to find these recipes and can’t wait to try them.
Just recently we started getting a coconut cream from Native Forest in our grocery stores and it doesn’t have any sugar in it – just coconut cream! It’s been really great having just the cream available now for all kinds of desserts. Hope you enjoy the recipe and let me know how it goes!
i dont have ice creame machine can i make this ice creame in vitamix? if yes than can you please guide me how?
I think you can make this in the Vitamix, I believe they have a method where you would freeze part of the ice cream base in ice cube trays, and then blend it in the Vitamix with the rest of the liquid ice cream base. Be sure to check out their cookbook for more details, I’m pretty sure there’s some tips in there about making ice cream in a Vitamix. Best of luck, and I hope this turns out for you! 🙂
Hello
This sounds delicious and so easy but 1 cup of maple syrup sounds like a lot would you say it was very sweet with 1 cup Im wondering if I could half the amount? Also have you tried making it with one can of coconut milk and 1 carton of heavy cream, Im wondering if it would still be as good?
You could definitely try half the amount of maple syrup! Just taste it after blending the mixture together and see if it’s sweet enough for your taste. I think substituting a carton of heavy cream for some of the coconut milk would be good both texture and flavor wise, but it would have slightly less coconut flavor. Hope you enjoy the recipe, and be sure to let me know how it goes! 🙂
Hello,
I was wonder if I can use cream of coconut instead of the milk…?
Thank you!
Cream of coconut is quite a bit thicker, so I’m not sure if it would work. As long as it’s the kind of coconut cream that comes in a can, you can probably substitute it for a richer ice cream, just be sure you don’t use the dehydrated kind that comes in a box – even reconstituted it’s not the right texture. Hope this works out for you, and be sure to let me know how it goes! 🙂
Will this recipe work in a high powered blender if I don’t have an ice cream maker? Thanks!
It should work if you freeze part of the ice cream base in ice cubes trays and blend it with some of the liquid base, (the Vitamix method from their book will give you a few more detailed tips if that’s the blender you have). If you try it this way, the texture will be best right out of the blender or frozen for a few more hours. It will likely have an icier texture after it’s been frozen solid. Let me know how it goes if you decide to try it! 🙂
Hi Kari, This is definitely simple to make. I have it working now, and it is almost done. I have tested it, and I have to say that the (and I am searching for a word here) greasiness? of the coconut milk is kind of off-putting. Maybe it is the brand I used? I used Thai Kitchen unsweetened coconut milk, and had them in the fridge. I almost wonder if using 1 can of coconut milk, and one cup of heavy cream would be better?
Having said that, I did use sugar-free maple syrup as I am a diabetic. Maybe that changed something?
I do appreciate the simplicity of the recipe though!
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I’ve found over time that I prefer the Native Forest brand of coconut milk, (as an added bonus it’s BPA free)! I’ve never had any issues with greasiness and we’ve made this recipe a lot – I’m not sure what might have wen wrong for you – the sugar free maple syrup might have had something to do with it but I wouldn’t think so. You may have just gotten a weird batch of coconut milk – try it again with the Native Forest, or write me again with more info about your ice cream maker and maybe I could help! Let me know how it goes!
What about using coconut milk made from coconut flakes, will it be as good as canned milk?
I’m not sure it would be thick enough, and the success of ice cream depends on the right amount of fat content. My best suggestion would be to make the homemade coconut milk with twice the amount of coconut flakes to make a thicker milk. Just guessing on this, but I hope it works out for you!
Just tried this using about 3/4 cup pure maple syrup and it was the perfect sweetness! It is the first time I’ve used my new cuisanart ice cream maker and it was delicious!!! I’m now wondering if it would turn out if I used light coconut milk for a lower-fat version. Any thoughts?
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A light coconut milk wouldn’t have the same creaminess and would probably get icy when it’s completely frozen. It might be okay if you eat it right out of the ice cream maker, but my experience with lower fat ice creams is that they’re never as good!
In the ingredients you said ‘2 cans of coconut milk’. What size cans? I can buy 400ml cans, and 225ml cans….
I use the 400ml size cans, I’ve never seen smaller ones so I didn’t think to put that in the recipe but I’ll make a note!
Does this have a strong coconut taste? Could you add vanilla and make vanilla ice cream?
It does taste like coconut, but I don’t find it overly strong. Vanilla extract makes for a tasty ice cream but it’s not a pure vanilla flavor like a regular dairy ice cream. Also, try using honey instead of the Grade A maple syrup because it’s a stronger flavor!
We’ve been researching and testing various ice cream makers. I would like to have a 2-qt maker that has the option of purchasing 1 or 2 extra canisters (so I can always have one in the freezer). I would really appreciate anyone w/experience making various types of dairy-free ice creams/sorbet/frozen desserts –using a ice cream maker (portable, electric, old fashioned crank, etc.)
We have the 2-qt ice cream maker from Cuisinart and I love it! Some day I would like to get an extra canister too, but so far it’s been ok if I get the freezer bowl back in the freezer right away after I make ice cream.
Hi!
I made this yesterday using my thermomix. It tastes beautiful but is not creamy in texture and more like a sorbet than creamy like yours is. I beat it all together first, then froze it and then beat again and froze again but it still came out icy. What can I do to fix this for future recipes? I also added dessicated coconut and roasted almond flakes. As I said, tasted beautiful just not a creamy texture.
I’m not sure if a thermomix will create the same creamy texture as an ice cream maker. Also, did you use coconut milk out of the can? It’s much creamier than the carton variety and is the key to making this ice cream rich and creamy. Let me know if have anymore questions that I might be able to help you with!
This is great! It came out well. i think I will reduce the honey next time because it was a little too sweet for my taste and the honey flavor dominated the coconut. I added some shredded coconut as well. Delish!
★★★★
I’ve started reducing the honey to 3/4 cup, so I think I’ll put an update in the recipe! I love Grade A maple syrup in this recipe because it doesn’t have a predominant flavor.
Would it be possible to make this without an ice cream maker?
The texture might not be as good – First, mix together the coconut milk and sweetener and then whip the coconut milk in an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Transfer to a container and freeze, stirring every 30 minutes or so until the ice cream freezes. Whipping the coconut milk adds air to the mixture so that it won’t be as icy. Let me know how it goes!
Hi, recipe sounds so easy. I followed your directions butfor some reason, it themilknever thickened. I had it in the chilled ice cream maker for over 20 minutes and it was still liquid.what should i have done differently?
A couple of things come to mind:
1. Make sure your coconut milk is the canned variety because it’s much thicker than the kind from the carton.
2. It’s absolutely essential that the ice cream base is thoroughly chilled before you put it in the ice cream machine. (Also, my ice cream freezer bowl takes a full 24 hours in the freezer to be completely frozen for ice cream making).
I made this Coconut Ice Cream to fill mini fillo cups as “dessert hors’douvres,” (and then topped them with a dab of lo sugar homemade jam).
OMG!!!! My 4th of July guests kept wanting more!
Even my carnivorous meat and potatoes guy loved this. In fact my 82 year old guests loved it and they never vary from what’s familiar!!!
I even made a little mistake that turned out great.
I chilled the 2 cans of coconut cream and 1 cup of pure maple syrup… separately. This was my mistake. Should have premixed the ingredients, and then chilled.
But, anyway, I whisked the ingredients to break up all the cold coconut fat lumps to bits and to combine with the maple syrup.
Mixing in my ice cream maker (KitchenAide ice cream attachment) took about 20 minutes to soft serve, and then I added about 3/4 cup unsweetened dessicated coconut.
Remember all those little coconut fat bits? Everyone thought they were tiny coconut chips, so I didn’t fess up to my error because they all loved it like this. It added a chip-like-melt-in-your-mouth texture.
Now, 4 days later I took my box of coconut ice cream out of the freezer where it was very hard. I left it on the counter for a few minutes, and was then able to serve it. Still delishus!!
Thank you so much for this recipe. This is actually an Atkins friendly recipe in Phase 4, with approximately 10 net carbs in a 1/2 cup serving, made as I made it.
What size ice cream maker do you use? We tried a 2 can recipe in our 1 1/2 qt and I’m wondering if it was too much for that machine.
I have a 2 quart ice cream maker. You can always make half of the recipe or keep some back to make coconut whipped cream.
Can I use coconut cream instead for a richer texture?
Yes, but I would still use some coconut milk because it is already rich. I like your idea to use the cream though – I think I need to try it that way!
Hi, I added one third cup of Baileys Irish Cream sothat it wouldn’t set as hard. Put the ice cream onto blueberries for a dinner party – everyone loved it!
Glad to hear it was a success! I’m working on one with Amaretto for the same reason, and I love it with berries.
We have vanilla coconut milk in the carton. Can we use that rather than the canned?
You can use coconut milk from the carton but your ice cream won’t be as smooth. The canned coconut milk is richer and gives the ice cream a better texture.
Hey Kari, I don’t have an ice cream machine. Can I blend in the blender and freeze it? Add ice?
glad you put it on chocolate – perfect match
Ah your killing me 🙂