Vegan Coconut Sugar Ice Cream
An easy vegan coconut sugar ice cream anyone can make at home!
I’ve got four words that will make your day: homemade vegan ice cream. Vegan ice cream recipes are so much better now than a few years ago. Remember the days when soy milk was the only non-dairy milk option that anyone had ever heard of? Yeah, they weren’t that great. But now, there are so many delicious dairy-free ice creams out there, and the best part is that vegan ice cream is really easy to make at home! Bonus: this coconut sugar ice cream recipe is both vegan and gluten-free.
This vegan coconut sugar ice cream recipe was inspired by a conversation I had with my mom. My mom is from Jamaica, and she told me that in Jamaica brown sugar is much more common than white sugar. I would say that the opposite is true in the States. Both are widely used and readily available, but we generally use white sugar more often and have more of it in our homes. So, I thought it would be fun to make a homemade vegan brown sugar ice cream recipe, but I wanted to make it a little healthier by using coconut sugar instead!
In most cases, homemade vegan ice cream recipes will have one of two bases: soaked, blended cashews, or coconut milk. I’ve made cashew-based vegan ice cream many times, and I find it to be a good base overall for dairy ice cream. However, cashews are way more expensive than coconut milk, and I tend to have coconut milk on hand more often than raw cashews. So, I decided to make this coconut sugar ice cream with coconut milk instead of cashews. Additionally, I really liked the idea of using coconut sugar and coconut milk together as complimentary flavors!
What Ingredients Do I Need?
This vegan ice cream recipe requires only a few ingredients:
Coconut milk: this is the base for our non-dairy ice cream
Coconut sugar: for sweetness
Cashew butter: helps to keep the ice cream creamy
Xanthan gum (optional): to help thicken the ice cream
Vanilla: for that classic vanilla ice cream flavor!
Do I need an ice cream machine?
Nope! This coconut sugar ice cream recipe can be made with or without an ice cream machine. Here is the link to the ice cream machine I’ve been using for years.
But, you can also make this recipe without an ice cream machine, too. After the ice cream custard has been boiled and cooled (recipe below), pour the custard into ice cube trays and freeze. Blend the frozen custard cubes in a blender to get that smooth ice cream consistency.
How long does this ice cream take to make?
You can expect to enjoy this ice cream about four hours after you start making it. It sounds like a long time, but that’s mostly because the custard has to cool before you can put it in the ice cream machine.
What does coconut sugar ice cream taste like?
Imagine vanilla ice cream, but better! The coconut sugar as a richer sweetness that you don’t get from just white sugar.
RECIPE
Prep Time: 10 mins
Active Time: 35 mins
Rest Time: 3+ hrs
Ingredients
2 (15oz) cans coconut milk
1/2 c coconut sugar
1 tbsp cashew butter (sub: almond butter)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp xanthan gum (optional)
pinch of salt
Directions
Measure out 1/4 c of coconut milk and pour it in a small bowl. Add the xanthan gum and mix together until combined.
Add the remaining coconut milk, coconut sugar, cashew butter, vanilla, and salt to a medium saucepan. Lastly, add the coconut milk/xanthan slurry back in.
Heat the saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil. Boil the custard for five minutes, stirring frequently.
Place a sieve over a heat-proof container and pour the custard through the sieve. Use a spatula to push it through, but not too much. We want the custard to stay creamy.
Store the custard in the refrigerator, covered, for about 2-3 hours, or until completely chilled through.
Add the custard to an ice cream machine and churn according to manufacturer’s instructions. {Alternative: if you don’t have an ice cream machine, simply pour the custard into ice cube trays and freeze. Blend the frozen custard cubes in a high speed blender until it reaches soft serve consistency}.
Enjoy the ice cream immediately as a soft serve, or store in the freezer long-term. Allow to soften at room temperature for about 10 minutes to bring it to a scoop-able consistency.