During the summer, I have a permanent craving for smoothies, popsicles, and ice cream, or anything cold that will cool my body temperature from the inside. Last week I took a quick trip to a new, local microcreamery that makes all natural, handmade ice cream in an open kitchen. Although the kitchen crew definitely wasn't afraid to experiment with flavor, the vegan options were limited. There were about 5 different flavors to choose from for vegans, and about 15 for non-vegans. After tasting some of the flavors, I ended up ordering a vegan chai ice cream cone and it was so satisfying. The lack of options inspired me to put my ice cream maker to use and come up with some of my own flavors.
The base of this ice cream uses minimal ingredients and is so easy to make. It includes coconut milk, sugar, salt, and arrowroot powder. Once you have your base, you can experiment with any flavors and add in's that you would like! I would have added vegan chocolate chips to this batch if I had some on hand. Other options to incorporate could be different flavor extracts, fresh fruit, or nuts. This ice cream has the same flavor and texture as dairy ice cream but does so without containing any allergens, is low fat, relatively inexpensive to make, and harms no cows!
YIELDS
4 servings
PREP TIME
COOK TIME
TOTAL TIME
- 2 (15 oz) cans coconut milk, full fat
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 1/2 tablespoons arrowroot powder*
- pinch sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon maple syrup
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 4 tablespoons toasted coconut flakes
Directions
1. Measure out about 1/3 cup of the coconut milk and mix it in a small bowl with the arrowroot powder. Set aside.
2. Add the rest of the coconut milk, sugar, and salt to a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the vanilla extract, maple syrup, and cinnamon until combined.
3. Bring mixture to a simmer. Simmer over medium heat for 15 minutes, then add in your coconut milk/arrowroot mixture you had set aside. This is added in towards the end because the arrowroot acts as a thickener and you don't want to destroy its properties in the high heat.
4. Simmer for another 15 minutes, until the mix starts to thicken.
5. Remove from heat, pour into a large bowl, and let cool to room temperature.
6. Cover and move to fridge for about 4 hours.
7. Pour the ice cream mixture into your ice cream maker as instructed. Store in freezer.
8. To make the toasted coconut, toss the coconut flakes on a pan on the stovetop for a couple minutes until they brown.
8. Top ice cream with toasted coconut and serve. *If you don't have arrowroot powder on hand, this can easily be substituted with equal parts of cornstarch, or 6 tablespoons of flour. If you do use flour, just a heads up that this will take a slightly longer to thicken. Arrowroot is the preferred choice as cornstarch and flour do not freeze as well. It is also hard to find cornstarch that is non-GMO.
2. Add the rest of the coconut milk, sugar, and salt to a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the vanilla extract, maple syrup, and cinnamon until combined.
3. Bring mixture to a simmer. Simmer over medium heat for 15 minutes, then add in your coconut milk/arrowroot mixture you had set aside. This is added in towards the end because the arrowroot acts as a thickener and you don't want to destroy its properties in the high heat.
4. Simmer for another 15 minutes, until the mix starts to thicken.
5. Remove from heat, pour into a large bowl, and let cool to room temperature.
6. Cover and move to fridge for about 4 hours.
7. Pour the ice cream mixture into your ice cream maker as instructed. Store in freezer.
8. To make the toasted coconut, toss the coconut flakes on a pan on the stovetop for a couple minutes until they brown.
8. Top ice cream with toasted coconut and serve. *If you don't have arrowroot powder on hand, this can easily be substituted with equal parts of cornstarch, or 6 tablespoons of flour. If you do use flour, just a heads up that this will take a slightly longer to thicken. Arrowroot is the preferred choice as cornstarch and flour do not freeze as well. It is also hard to find cornstarch that is non-GMO.
Also by Lauren: Open-Faced Fruit Pie
Related: Baked Apple with Peanut Butter Ice Cream
Raw Chocolate Rose and Strawberry Pudding
Get more like this—Subscribe to our daily inspirational newsletter for exclusive content!
__
Photos: Lauren Sacerdote
