So I’ve been on this cleanse that doesn’t allow me to have sugar, dairy, or gluten (among other things.) You know I have a sweet tooth – hence the name minimalist BAKER? Well, to say the least, it’s been a STRUGGLE. A fruitful, eye opening struggle, but a struggle nonetheless.
So what’s a cleansing girl to do when she has a mean ice cream craving? Make a super healthy substitute that’s perfectly acceptable in moderation. Still trying to get the whole ‘moderation’ part down, but I’ll give you an update after my next ice cream recipe (next week!).
This recipe turned out far better than I expected, considering that it contains no dairy or refined sugar. Rich, full-fat coconut milk and unsweetened almond milk marry together to create a thick, creamy base. Honey and dates add a natural sweetness. And green tea (we used matcha powder) provides both vibrant color and flavor.
What is Matcha?
Matcha is a powdered green tea containing 137 times more antioxidants than brewed green tea (like, whoa). Both come from the tea plant (camellia sinensis), but with matcha, the entire leaf is consumed. It has traditionally been consumed as part of Japanese tea ceremonies for centuries, but has become more widely known and popular in recent years and is now enjoyed around the world in tea lattes, smoothies, desserts, snacks, and more! Learn more about the fascinating history of matcha here.
This recipe is customizable if you don’t have dates or prefer not to use honey, if you’re vegan. You can sub raw sugar, and you can omit the dates altogether and replace them with honey. You can also cut the sweeteners back for a less-sweet, more vibrant green tea flavor. The cool thing is the batter contains no eggs so you can dip your finger in and taste it as you go. Also, no heating required – just a blender or food processor. Simple simple simple. But you must – MUST – use high quality coconut milk, not the generic kind that’s $1 cheaper. It won’t be nearly as ice creamy. I went for an organic brand and you can tell it’s high quality when you open the can because a thick almost 3-inch layer of coconut cream has settled over the milk portion. That’s when you know it’s the good stuff.
I loved how present the green tea flavor was, almost earthy and grassy at moments. It reminded me of a recent trip to a sushi restaurant when they brought out fried green ice cream for dessert, only mine is healthier. Sorry, but it is.
Green Tea Coconut Ice Cream
Ingredients
- 1 14-ounce can quality full-fat coconut milk (splurge on the good stuff)
- 1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
- 2-3 Tbsp matcha green tea powder
- 1/4 cup pitted medjool dates
- 1/4 cup honey (or maple syrup for vegan)
- 1/4 tsp xanthan gum
Instructions
- Place coconut milk, almond milk, matcha, dates, and honey in a blender and blend until well combined. Add xanthan gum and mix again. Taste and adjust flavor as needed, adding more green tea powder, dates, or honey.
- Transfer to a mixing bowl and let chill for at least a few hours. Then pour into a pre-chilled ice cream maker and operate according to manufacturer's instructions.
- Once finished churning you can either eat it as soft serve or transfer it to a freezer-safe container and let harden for 4-6 hours.
- Be sure to set out 20-30 minutes before serving to allow to soften.
- If you don’t have an ice cream maker, simply pour the “batter” into a freezer-safe container, cover, freeze, and stir/whisk every hour or so to aerate.
- Will keep in the freezer for a week or so. Best when consumed fresh. I’m sure it would be lovely with pomegranates, fruit compote, or cacao nibs.
kayleen says
Hello minimalist baker, may i know how many grams is your cup? Thank you
Hi Kayleen, are you referring to a specific ingredient or the serving size?
Tgrady says
Can the almond milk be replaces with oat milk?
We haven’t tried it with oat milk but we think it could work! Let us know how it goes if you try it! xo
Unforgettable says
Thanks for sharing. I hope i can make this. I luv green-tea ice-cream. But everyone makes it different.
is there other things i can put instead of these
medjool dates & xanthan gum???
Hi, you can replace the dates with honey. You may be able to substitute xanthan gum with corn starch or arrowroot powder, but we haven’t tried it. Let us know if you do!
Jeanna says
Hi! If I am not using an ice cream maker do I place the mixture directly in the freezer, stirring every hour? For about how long should I stir for? Thank you!!! Recipe looks amazing!!!
We’d recommend putting it in a parchment-lined loaf pan and stirring for ~30-60 seconds.
LEAH C LIKIN says
When you say “let chill” do you mean in the fridge or freezer?
In the fridge!
Jana says
Excellent recipe! I actually purchased an ice cream maker after seeing this recipe. I followed the instructions as written minus the xanthan gum. I used 1/2tsp of ground flax seed which I blended in the vitamix along with the other ingredients. The sweetness was perfect. It took only 10min to churn.
I’d love to see another cookbook! ?
This is my most favorite website for vegan recipes. Thank you!
Thanks for sharing, Jana!
malala says
this was freaking amazing and i love it so much it taste even better than store bought regular dairy matcha icecream it’s insane. it only took 10 minutes to churn and there was no need for the xantahan gum and as much matcha as was called for. i can also say that the amount of dates and honey can be easily reduced to make it less sugary as i tried (i used half the amount of each) this is a must make trust me you won’t belive how good it is
Yay! thanks for sharing, Malala!
Ashley Steinberg says
Hi! so excited to try this! do i use the whole can of coconut milk, including the water, or just the rich cream that sits at the bottom? Also, should the can be refrigerated before use?
thanks so much!
Jana says
Don’t refrigerate the can. I used room temperature coconut milk, shook the can before opening and then poured the whole can including the water in there.
Tille del Negro says
Hi!
I would love to make this but my husband is allergic to xanthan gum, any substitute I could use? (Cornstarch/gelatin?)
Thank you!
T
Jana says
You can skip it altogether or I used ground flax seed.
lynn says
what about using coconut cream instead of coconut milk?
Hi Lynn! We have found coconut milk to work best, if you try coconut cream instead, let us know how it turns out!
Spikeygrrl says
You mention replacing the dates with more honey. How much honey TOTAL (including the 1/4 cup already in the recipe) would be required? I’ll be converting the honey to sugar then converting the sugar to liquid sucralose concentrate.
Avery Brown says
I have tried to make a few of your different ice cream recipes. To date, this is the only one that has come out with the consistency of ice cream! The ones previously have come out way too hard, frozen solid like a rock. Good for a popsicle, perhaps, but not ice cream!
I took preventative measures from this happening again and added a splash of vodka. I also spun it around in the blender for a bit again before churning… I think the extra air in there helped fluff it up.
Green tea ice cream was my favorite as a kid and I was glad to eat it once again!
Josh says
This was a very easy to make recipe, but I must admit that I was hesitant to try it at first because there were no instructions to heat the mixture before chilling it.
My fears of making something weird aside, I gave it a try substituting coconut cream for the almond milk, and rice syrup as sweetener. Fantastic results, and I was surprised at how well everything held together. Very creamy indeed.
The resulting ice cream was not too sweet and had a rich hint of coconut. This was a very intelligent application of the sweet properties of dates, and I applaud your sharing of the recipe. The techniques from this will be useful for other desserts.
tallguy187 says
What if I make my own Coconut Milk which I prefer to any canned stuff (coconut water + flesh blended for 10 minutes and strained through a cheese cloth…or shirt if you are lazy and have a clean shirt to spare ha)
Edi @ SunCakeMom says
This sounds simply cool! :D
Rob says
Wow, this recipe looks so good! Matcha and coconut… too good!
Louise says
Green tea featuring coconut. Can you refuse it? Indeed, I can’t <3
daphne says
Could you use brewed green tea instead of matcha powder?
Faith says
This was a wonderfully rich, creamy flavorful scoop of icecream! I made the mistake of using a can of full fat coconut milk that already had sugar in it and didnt realize it until after i had added the honey and dates–so initially it was way too sweet… i added an unsweetened can of coconut cream in the final mix to the ice cream maker and it came out ok! My second round, i followed the recipe exactly and it was absolutely delicious. Thank you for another great recipe.
Rob says
I am always looking for a new healthy refreshing treat during the summer.
I can’t wait to try this one. Thanks for sharing!
Judith says
Can agave be substituted for the honey or maple syrup? If so, same amount?
Thanks!
Chloe Giles says
Do you know how this would turn out with homemade almond milk? Would it be okay to add vanilla extract to my homemade milk and use that? Don’t want to screw it up! We are trying to be zero-waste, so don’t want to buy a carton :-)
Tania m says
fyi
honey isn’t vegan
only use honey you produce yourself that doesn’t exploit bees (by renting or pimping them out) if you don’t know what i am talking about you need to read up.
Lydia says
Which brand of coconut milk do you recommend?
I love Whole Foods 365, Native Forest, and Trader Joe’s.
Nancy Franke Wilson says
I’m embarrased to ask this but, for this recipe is “coconut milk” the canned stuff or is it the coconut milk in the carton (similar to soy, oat, almond milk)?
Canned!
Amelia says
I Really want to make this recipe. Only question I have is: Is Xantham gum absolutely necessary ?
Nope!
Mirian says
Can I use chia seeds as a thickener? I’d rather stay away from xantham gum, starches and other gut irritating thickeners.
Che says
Hi, can I grind other tea leaves into powders and use in place of matcha ?
Hmm, we’ve never tried that. But maybe! Let us know if you try it!
M Harris says
I can’t wait to make this for my sister for her birthday! Green tea IC is one of her favorites; I’m sure she’s never had it homemade, though! Where does one get- or how does one make- Matcha green tea powder??
Sounds fun! I don’t think it’s worth trying to make your own Matcha powder as it won’t be the right consistency or flavor. I’d recommend snooping around this post from Lunchbox Bunch! It’s extremely extensive and includes links for purchasing! Good luck.
Lara says
I saw Green Matcha Tea powder at Trader Joe’s but it has milk and sugar in it, so far I have not found green tea powder. Can you suggest where I can get this please? I do have white tea powder but then I sound like a racist because i’d rather have the green tea powder. Thanks
Aryn says
My husband and I just made this together… We sampled it fresh out of the ice cream maker– love it!! Thanks for sharing!! :)
Green Tea Recipe says
Wow, thanks very much for posting this! It is going to help when I research green tea at the store! So Impressive!
Kayla says
Now this looks amazing, I love green tea and coconut! Do you think this recipe would work with the frozen bananas instead of the almond milk and xanthan gum?
It will be much more icy and taste banana-y. But if you’re OK with that, then yes! Hope that helps, Kayla!
Rachi says
What size can of coconut milk/cream are we talking, here?
14 ounce
Rachi says
Thanks! :)
Amber says
I live a sugar-free lifestyle, but this looks like a yummy treat on those days when I feel like something sweet. Dates are such a great sweetener! I’m curious, could you brew up some green tea and add it instead of the powder? Thanks for the great recipes on your site!
Amber, great question! Actually brewed green tea won’t work the same as powder in this instance. It would make it too icy and thin.
Debra says
Argh! Your recipe looks fantastic, I just now put my brand new Cuisenart ice cream bowl in the freezer and sitting here looking for sugar free ice cream recipes. I can’t have any sweetness other than stevia (or similar)
And yours has honey..so you know how I can substitute that for stevia? I’m new at this and would appreciate any help!
Tam says
I make various stevia sweetened coconut milk Ice cream flavors often. 1/2-1 teaspoon of liquid/glycerin NOW Brand Stevia is a good starting point. (any brand or form should work, you will have to taste it. You want the “batter” to be a bit sweeter than you want the finished Ice cream to taste. I also always add a very small pinch of salt to the batter (any flavor ice cream) it seems to help blend the flavors together.
Zairah says
I’m having some difficulty finding xanthan gum. I’ve tried researhing alternatives, but I’ve only confused myself more and I want it to turn out perfectly! What can I do?
You can apparently substitute corn starch or arrowroot powder. Hope that helps. Most health food stores have xanthan gum, though.
Maan says
May I ask what Xanthan gum used for in this recipe? TIA
It is a thickener!
Caitlin says
Green tea ice cream is probably my favorite flavor. Being half Japanese, I’m pretty spoiled when it comes to authentic matcha ice cream. I’m so excited to try this recipe at home!!
Penny says
This looks wonderful!
Being a fellow minimalist, I would rather use something already in my pantry then buy something else (if possible). I have no green tea powder, but I do have green tea bags. Can I sub?
While I wait for your answer, I’m going to make this with chai spice instead! (and no xanthan gum because I don’t have any.)
Penny! Glad you’re a minimalist, too! The simple life is one we can get used to :D on the green tea powder, it’s not easily replaced with bagged green tea. BUT, if you can find a tea or spice shop where you live you can likely guy it smaller more affordable quantities. Hope that helps!
Dhiren says
Looks awesome! However, I was wondering, are any there alternatives to xanthan gum? Some people seem to use chia seeds, but would these work for ice (s)cream? If so, what quantities would you recommend?
Laura says
The xantham gum is a deal breaker for me. I would like to know if there is a substitute for it, too.
Alejandra says
I go on cleanses like this every so often, so I’m always looking out for sweets I can enjoy during those days (I, too, have a major sweet tooth!). This looks gorgeous!
Maia says
OH GOSH!!! I used to splurge on the So Delicious brand of green tea coconut ice cream when I lived in an area that carried it. Now that I don’t, this recipe, with its no refined sugars, is a DREAM COME TRUE! THANK YOU!!
Holly @ EatGreatBEGreat says
I’ve never had green tea ice cream before, but it sounds delicious!
Alanna says
Oh my, these photos are stunning! I LOVE green tea ice cream; this looks like a fantastically healthy take on it. Kudos to you for your cleanse, and for making stellar desserts regardless!
ray001 says
ice cream is considered fat building food in general…but having an ice real with coconut and green tea sounds very interesting….yummy!!! can still have ice cream and be able to lose weight !!! great idea!
Courtney West says
I’m a baker part time so I totally get how hard it is to give up sugar! I’ve been wanting to do a cleanse like the one you are doing but have wondered how I would be able to still do one while having to taste test what I bake. I guess I could just go without baking the items that contain raw cane sugar until the cleanse is over. I’m sure it would be okay as long as I have a batch of this yummy green tea ice cream by my side :)
Holly (@TheHealthyE) says
YOU ARE KILLING IT.
love the falafel, LOVED the grapefruit dranks (need details on how you did that photography) + this ice cream looks delightful. i want to make it with a wee bit of ginger, how’s about that? hope you had a great week. let’s catch up on the phone next week (and yes, i realize i never got to your email…LOVE YOU).
Rosemary C says
“Will keep in the freezer for a week or so” LOL I don’t think there’s much chance of that around here! It looks amazing, and anything with green tea in it has to be healthy, right? ;)
Julia says
In the third paragraph you say that you can replace dates with dates…for those of us who aren’t sugar-free, what’s a good substitute? Thanks! Love coconut ice cream.
I’d use raw or granulated sugar!
Tam says
I make various stevia sweetened coconut milk Ice cream flavors often. 1/2-1 teaspoon of liquid/glycerin NOW Brand Stevia is a good starting point. You want the “batter” to be a bit sweeter than you want the finished Ice cream to taste. I also always add a very small pinch of salt to the batter (any flavor it seems to help blend the flavors together.
Mira says
My two loves in one ice cream! *swoon*
I’m throwing a spring party this weekend and will definitely try this out even though I don’t have an ice cream maker….hopefully they’ll be some left for the guests! :)
Jessica@AKitchenAddiction says
I love green tea frozen yogurt! I can’t to try this ice cream!
dixya@food, pleasure, and health says
i love anything with green tea and now this ice cream is irresistibly delicious looking
Ashley M. [at] (never home)maker says
Would you believe we got a nice ice cream maker over two years ago as a gift and still haven’t used it? This looks really good!
Amanda@ Spiritual Sweat says
This looks amazing! Thank you for providing the non-ice cream maker version. So pumped to make this!
anne@cravingsomethinghealthy says
This looks amazing, and your photographs are beautiful!
Ashley says
I made a matcha tea donut for the book and was kind of shocked at how delicious the flavor was and it turned the donut green! :) I have no doubt this is fantastic! Ever had a matcha tea latte?? SO GOOD!
Katie says
We always get green tea ice cream after sushi! I love this. Can’t wait to make it at home!
Mary @ Veganishy says
Perfect timing! I’m on a refined sugar detox with a crazy sweet tooth. I may have to try it now with the no-ice-cream-maker method.
Tieghan says
That is so healthy delicious looking ice cream!! Good luck the cleanse!!
Kathryn says
Love your description of this as earthy – I’m really digging these kind of flavours at the moment.
Carly Mailly says
I’ve been reading your ice cream recipes and would love to try making one, but I don’t own an ice cream maker. Can you recommend one? I’ve read a lot of reviews but it doesn’t seem like there is a “best” one. Thanks and keep cooking!
john says
Hey Carly!
We actually borrow ours from a friend, so that might be your first option.
It’s essentially this one on Amazon.
Let us know if you make it!
Lori says
We use this one. It works like a charm every time. Turn it on, walk away, and 20 min later you have icecream. Easy clean up too!