Have I ever told you I used to subsist on ice cream as a child? Because I totally did.
Imagine 7-year-old me sneaking in a twist cone every chance I got (and believe me, I got a lot of chances).
The funny thing is I was lactose intolerant for the better part of my early childhood, which means somewhere along the line I decided I was going to eat dairy anyway and I don’t think my parents had the heart to tell me no. So ice cream it was, until several years ago when my body shut the whole operation down. Sad day.
Good news, though – I don’t even miss it anymore! Especially not with dairy-free alternatives like vegan parmesan cheese, coconut whipped cream, and ice creams like this one that are classic, creamy, and undetectably vegan!
I’ve been wanting to make a vanilla coconut ice cream for a long time now, seeing as I’ve only done flavors up to this point (see all of them here).
This version is so simple and quite possibly my favorite yet! It requires just 5 basic ingredients and simple methods. There’s even an option for those of you who don’t own an ice cream maker in the notes.
I went cashew-less here to highlight the coconut flavor and stuck to the basics:
Coconut milk
Vanilla bean
Vanilla extract
Organic cane sugar
Sea salt
This ice cream just screams vanilla, infused with both vanilla bean and vanilla extract. Not only does this combination add more flavor, the extract (which typically contains alcohol) helps prevent ice crystals.
The result is the perfect creamy, dreamy coconut ice cream.
You’re going to LOVE this vegan ice cream. It’s:
Super creamy
Coconutty
Vanilla-infused
Perfectly sweet
Simple
Classic
& Delicious
This is the perfect ice cream to make when you want a basic non-dairy ice cream. It pairs well with cake, pie, would make a killer ice cream sandwich, and makes the ultimate base for vegan milkshakes.
If you try this recipe, let us know how it goes! Leave a comment and rate it, and don’t forget to take a picture and tag it #minimalistbaker on Instagram. We’d love to see what you come up with. Cheers, friends!
*Recipe updated June 22, 2017
Vanilla Bean Coconut Ice Cream
Ingredients
- 2 14-ounce cans coconut cream* or full-fat coconut milk (see notes for brand recommendations)
- 1/2 cup organic cane sugar (sub up to half with agave nectar or maple syrup)
- 1 pinch sea salt
- 1 vanilla bean pod (split and scraped // or 1/4 – 1/2 tsp vanilla powder per 1 pod)
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- The day or night before, place your ice cream churning bowl in the freezer to properly chill (see notes if you don’t have an ice cream maker).
- The following day, add coconut milk, organic cane sugar (sub up to half with natural sweetener), sea salt, scraped vanilla bean and vanilla extract to a high-speed blender and blend on high until completely creamy and smooth for 1-2 minutes to fully dissolve the sugar. Add more cane sugar or agave if it needs more sweetness, or more vanilla if it needs more vanilla flavor.
- Add mixture directly to chilled ice cream maker and churn according to manufacturer’s instructions – about 45 minutes. It should look like soft serve (see photo). See notes if you don't have a churner.
- Once churned, transfer the ice cream to a large freezer-safe container (such as a loaf pan) and use a spoon to smooth the top.
- Cover securely and freeze for at least 4-6 hours or until firm. Set out for 5-10 minutes before serving to soften – a hot ice cream scoop also eases scooping.
Video
Notes
*Because some readers had trouble with the coconut oil separating when chilled, I’ve updated the recipe to exclude it. I also recently retested to include the option to use coconut cream instead of coconut milk, and agave for up to half the cane sugar. These changes are reflected in the current recipe.
*If you don’t own an ice cream maker, you can add chilled mixture to a freezer-safe container and freeze. Once every hour, remove from freezer and stir /whisk to incorporate air. Repeat until mostly firm – 6-8 hours. Then continue freezing until completely firm before serving. It won’t yield as creamy results, but it should still work.
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated with Savoy coconut cream.
Jenny says
Hi,
First off, thanks for the recipe!!
I tried this just before midnight. I made some modifications to the recipe and tried to follow it as much as I can..and it’s not freezing? I don’t have an ice cream maker so I have been mixing every hour so far.
Info: I used 14-15 oz of Kara’s natural coconut cream (there are some stabilizers in the ingredients), added some water because I wanted to make coconut milk then later added 14-15 oz of Silk’s unsweetened almond milk into the mixture along with some (1-2 tbsp) tapioca starch/flour for thickening + 1 banana for creaminess + plenty of mini chocolate chips.
I also used 1/2 cup of maple syrup, a whole vanilla bean pod, and a little more than 2 tsp of vanilla extract. I used some regular table salt since we didn’t have sea salt on hand.
Will it ever freeze eventually?? So far it looks very creamy, smells amazing 😍, but is too liquidy.. soup like consistency. I didn’t chill the coconut cream beforehand (decided to make this recipe last minute). And also..I’m not sure if coconut cream can be used past its expiration date? Last day to use was yesterday. :( I used half of it for another dessert before I decided to make ice cream.
Also I completely forgot to chill the mixing bowl before shoving the ice cream mixture in. Is the bowl not cold enough or is it missing fat content?
I’ll definitely have to try the recipe again or any other ice cream recipe some other time. Looks very promising and delicious! Would love to make it into a healthy treat. I saw your other recipe that uses dates as a sweetener, we have plenty of those lying around. :)
Jenny says
If the ice cream doesn’t work out, I’ll have a yummy smoothie by noon. ☺️ This is a lovely base for a milkshake or smoothie.
Hi Jenny! Your mixture should freeze fully eventually, but with the addition of water, almond milk, and maple syrup we aren’t sure if the results will be as creamy as this recipe. It doesn’t sound like the fault of the coconut cream, but unfortunately the cane sugar is an equally important ingredient for the right final texture. We’d love to know what the final results are like, though!
Jenny says
Hi,
So it froze eventually, although it looks like there are more ice crystals than I would like. Texture wise isn’t really creamy but icy. Flavor on the other hand, you can definitely taste the coconut and maple syrup. There are bits of banana throughout and the chocolate chips are all the way at the bottom because the bowl is deep. 🙃 Maybe next time I’ll use an ice cream maker or try to use cane sugar!
joan reden says
Hello!
I am excited to try this dairy free ice cream tomorrow. I would love to be able to add some strawberries to it. I have frozen berries. Can you give me an idea?
Thanks,
Joan
Hi Joan! You can probably add strawberries to this recipe with success if you just stir them in at the end, but we also have a strawberry ice cream recipe you could check out. Hope this helps!
marcus says
Tastes amazing! But it is not churning very well in the ice cream maker. Perhaps was too warm putting directly from blender into the ice cream maker (which was definitely cold enough!). Is a refrigeration period required like other ice cream recipes, perhaps?
Hmm, it shouldn’t require chilling before going into the ice cream maker, but it might take a bit of time to become soft-serve texture. How did it turn out?
maddie says
hii i used coconut cream and everything else exactly as described but i ended up with a strange chunky texture? it still tastes delicious but id love to try again to get that creamy texture! could use some tips!
Hi Maddie, What brand of coconut cream did you use? That’s most likely the issue! You can find our favorite brands in the notes.
Yumna Islam says
Love this recipe so much, for the simplicity, the taste, and clean pure vanilla flavour! I love all your ice cream recipes and was wondering if, with this base or perhaps your cashew one, you could experiement with a date-sweetened version? Or perhaps have any tips for how I could recreate something like that!
We’re so glad you enjoy this recipe Yumna! Thank you for the lovely review and suggestion! We’d suggest this recipe as a guide.
Lorraine Zucker says
Absolutely perfect. Have made it twice, once plain vanilla and once strawberry/vanilla, no separation at all.
Used Ralph’s Simple Truth Coconut Milk (“Rich and Creamy”) Second strawberry/raspberry (heavy on the vanilla) now churning in Cuisinart Ice cream maker. Husband (ice cream lover) cannot have ANY milk products..We are both thrilled, so easy recipe. Thanks a bunch
Amazing! So happy to hear you both enjoy this ice cream, Lorraine! Thanks so much for the lovely review and brand recommendations!
Morgan says
Made it over Thanksgiving. Flavor? DELICIOUS! Presentation… ugh! Like many readers who had trouble our coconut cream separated. True, we did not use one of your recommended brands – we used Thai Kitchen. After reading through the comments and your responses, it seems that there are two, maybe three things we should do next time. 1. Use your recommended brand 2. Only use the cream portion, not the liquid, and 3. Perhaps chill the can the night before?
I noticed in some of your comments you say that for the cream we DO need to strain the liquid out for this to work, however, that is not noted in the recipe.
Please update the recipe to include this very important instruction, as well as chilling the can if you recommend it.
Thanks so much for the thoughtful and honest review, Morgan! We will definitely check out the instructions on this recipe and adjust.
Nikki Ostrander says
What happened here!?
It taste delicious but the fat and the coconut milk curdled when I put the salt in?!
Hi Nikki, sorry that happened. We’re not sure why salt would cause it to curdle. Did the salt have any additives in it?
Nini says
good points, thank you. I’m getting ready to try it.
Dustin says
Made this but haven’t tried this yet. It’s in the freezer after the stand mixer right now. Looks good though. I noticed that the water from the coconut milk seemed to seperate and stick to the side of the mixer. I didn’t add vanilla been because I couldn’t find any at the store so it’s just canned full fat coconut milk, pure vanilla extract, and monk fruit for a sweetener. It eventually got to a point where it just got solid enough to where it just latched on as one cohesive glob to the paddle and was done way ahead of time. Is there any way to get it not to seperate?
Hmmm, different brands of coconut milk vary quite a bit in texture and some have stabilizers that help with separation, perhaps that’s the issue? Hoping it tastes good! Thanks for the review, Dustin!
Dominique says
I just made this ice cream as I am newly lactose intolerant and I love it. I also love the simplicity of the recipe. I have looked on your site and see some really great flavors like the salted bourbon caramel but it uses a different base (I strongly dislike cashews and almonds). Do you think this base would work with the other recipes — obviously with some adjustments? I guess I am just asking if you have tried the other flavors with this base?
Hi Dominique, we’re so glad you enjoy it! Yes, it will work!
James says
Can’t even read the recipe for more than 15 seconds before the ads switch and scroll the page all over the place. So annoying, going to another site.
Hi James, Sorry for the inconvenience. We always try to optimize for user experience, while also having ads to keep the content free.
david says
Can you give a recipe with guar gum or xanathan or other stabilizers to get a real creamy effect?
Have no luck with such a small amount of alcohol for a creamy texture.
Hi David, sorry to hear it didn’t turn out as creamy as you were hoping. That usually has more to do with the brand of coconut cream used. What brand did you use? You can definitely add xanthan gum for more creaminess – see this recipe for guidance. Hope that helps!
david says
TJ coco cream– it wasnt bad actually– but looking for more creamy.
Thanks !
Shereen says
Unpopular opinion but I can’t stand coconut base ice creams. I love most coconut products/recipes, but for some reason when it comes to ice cream, I have a hard time with the strong coconut taste/smell overpowering the ice cream and the film it leaves on the roof of my mouth. I haven’t tried this recipe yet because I’m nervous and didn’t find any reviews addressing this. How strong is the coconut flavor and is there anything I can substitute in its place? I know coconut is favored because it helps give it the ice cream consistency and not just a frozen slush with the ice crystals… I’m lactose intolerant so a vegan option is ideal and trying to get as close as possible to the real thing! thanks in advance for any input!
Hi Shereen, It will have a coconut taste, so we wouldn’t recommend this one if you’re not a coconut fan. Homemade cashew cream would be the closest sub without compromising texture. Hope that helps!
Jodi says
We love this recipe! My kids have requested mint chocolate chip. How would you alter it to make mint chocolate chip? (I know you have a mint brownie chunk recipe with a cashew base, but we’d like to stick with a coconut milk base.) I’d love to hear your thoughts, especially about how much mint extract to use!
Hi Jodi! We haven’t tried it with the coconut milk base but we’d suggest doing similar measurements to the Mint Brownie Ice Cream. Maybe 1/2 cup fresh mint and 1/2 tsp peppermint extract? The amount of chocolate chips is up to you, we’d suggest starting with ~1 cup! Let us know how it goes!
Isa says
Hi. I just made this with teh Native Forest coconut milk but the moment I added the vanila extract, the whole thing curdled :( should I have used the powder type ?
Oh no! Sorry to hear that happened, Isa. Other readers have reported Native Forest doesn’t work well and curdles. Liquid vanilla extract is correct. For best results, we’d suggest using one of the creamy coconut milk mentioned in the notes section.
Lila says
I was so looking forward to vegan homemade ice cream but unfortunately it does not work at all – the ice cream ceased to be cream and became an ice block in the freezer; even after 30 minutes of room temperature I cannot spoon it anyhow. Why? I used the full fat coconut cream and an ice cream maker .. :(
Hi Lila, so sorry to hear that was your experience. Have you used that ice cream maker before with success? It almost sounds like it wasn’t churning properly.
Lynn says
I made this for the first time a couple of weeks ago and it is fantastic! And delicious. I’ve been searching for a dairy-free, ice cream recipe for a while, and this is the best I’ve found yet!
Woohoo! We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Lynn. Thank you for the lovely review! xo
Natalia Hayden says
I fully agree with your notes to avoid TJ’s coconut cream. Last few times we tried this, it came out extremely grainy due to the additional coconut oil that Trader Joe’s added into this new formula. We had one recipe that came out okay after extracting all the chunks out with a cheese cloth, but every recipe following were complete fails!! : (
We are attempting to try a number of new coconut creams we’ve found in local stores.
Have you ever tried Native Forest’s premium unsweetened organic coconut cream? If so, what are your thoughts or tips? We are testing this one soon and are really hoping it won’t be a total fail.
Another coconut cream that looks promising (fingers crossed) that we will be trying out is Let’s Do…Organic unsweetened organic coconut cream. It comes in a box package, vacuum sealed and the oil and cream seem to be nicely separated. It also only contains one ingredient, organic coconut! : D
Hoping we get a nice fluffy and creamy consistency!! Will let you know how it comes out.
Just as a side note for everyone looking for Vegan coconut products, always Be sure to read all the ingredients on the back of your coconut cream/milk/powder products.
We recently picked up Chaokoh Coconut Milk Powder at a nearby specialty grocer to test out and didn’t read it closely enough.
I got home and noticed it contained milk protein and was definitely NOT vegan! Did not expect it to contain dairy, but it did. Just glad we noticed it before sharing with our non-dairy and vegan family and friends.
Thank you for sharing your experience, Natalia! We reviewed several brands (including Native Forest) here. We haven’t tried Let’s Do Organic. Hope it’s helpful!
Kate says
Made this and added mangoes and a little bit of cooked sticky rice pudding to make an ice cream inspired by Thai Mango Sticky Rice, it turned out SO GOOD. My family keep sneaking it from the freezer, the dog fought my brother to lick the spatula.
BTW a useful hack from Thai style coconut ice creams to make it freeze smoother is to add a tiny bit of coconut oil into the cream for extra fat content! More fat = smoother freeze.
Wow, that sounds incredible! Thank you for sharing, Kate!
Mat says
Hey, followed the recipe and used coconut cream and did it in an ice cream maker but it never turned into anything resembling ice cream.
I can’t even get it to freeze fully. At this point it’s just a vanilla coconut flavored syrup. It’s an among tasting syrup and would go great on top of ice cream, but sadly not ice cream itself.
Any ideas on what went wrong?
Thanks.
Sorry to hear that, Mat! We assume you made sure to freeze the ice cream maker base before use? Have you used that ice cream maker before with success?
Helen Wang says
I just made it and it turned out amazing! I used 2 cans of 365 Whole Foods coconut milk. Since I am trying to stay on Keto, I used 3 table spoons of monk fruit sweetener instead of sugar.
Following suggestions of other commenters, I dissolved monk fruit sweetener in coconut milk over low heat. Let it cook in room temperature for a while before placing the mixture in the fridge. Let the mixture stay in the fridge for at least 2 hours.
With chilled churning bowl and frigerated mixture, I churned it for 40 minutes. Added some some berries to the mixture towards the end. It thickened and tasted amazing!
The one question I have is that it is not as thick as in your video. Is this because I used the coconut milk instead of cream? Will churning more time make it thicker?
Thank you very much for sharing this awesome recipe!
Thank you for sharing your experience and modifications, Helen! Coconut cream will make it thicker. Hope that helps! xo
Marielle says
I tried this recipe last night for the first time, the flavor was amazing! but unfortunately the coconut milk curdled as soon as I started blending it with all the ingredients. I froze and ate it anyway but would love to know where I went wrong so I can take another stab at it!
I saw your note about different coconut milk brands and ended up using native forest classic coconut milk. I also tried your recommendation of doing 1/2 sugar & 1/2 maple syrup– any idea why the coconut milk would have curdled?
Hi Marielle, we’re so sorry to hear that was your experience! Usually curdling means it was overblended, but it sounds like from your comment it happened immediately? Our only other idea is the brand of coconut milk being the issue.
Agata says
Happened same to me, 3 seconds after blending it started to separate.
Sorry to hear that, Agata! What brand of coconut milk were you using?
Charlie says
Unfortunately mine curdled while mixing as well and was a disaster. I used Ayam coconut cream and had frozen the bowl for 3 days.
We’re so sorry that happened, Charlie! We haven’t tried that brand but it looks like it’s just coconut so shouldn’t be an issue. How long was it blended? Curdling can be a sign of over-blending.
lea says
Is there anyway this could be adapted for ice lolly moulds please??
Hi Lea, we haven’t tried that, but it might work to blend and pour into moulds. Let us know if you do some experimenting!
Beth says
This might seriously be the most delicious thing I’ve ever put in my mouth. However, mine did not freeze – at all. It thickened in the churner, but after spending 11 hours overnight in the freezer it is still the same consistency. We used a Coco Loco brand of coconut cream as that is the only one available at the store. Do you think this could be the reason??
Bummer! Sorry to hear that, Beth. We aren’t familiar with that brand, but upon searching it looks like it might have some additives in it? We wonder if those prevented it from freezing? Perhaps you could try purchasing coconut cream online for next time? You can find our brand recommendations here. Hope that helps!
Jillian says
will it work the same with Lankato monkfruit sweetener as far as the final consistency goes??? also what if I don’t use an ice cream maker ???
Hi Jillian, We haven’t tried monk fruit in this one, but another reader did. If you press “ctrl+f” on a PC or “command+f” on a mac, a find bar should pop up that allows you to search for specific words (such as monk fruit) in the post and comments. As for making it without an ice cream maker, it won’t be as creamy, but you can take it out of the freezer and stir every hour to help it along. Let us know how it goes!
The Vegan Goddess says
I am planning on trying this but will try subbing coconut sugar for cane sugar. I hope that will be as tasty.
Let us know how it turns out!
nathan says
Very interesting about the Trader Joe’s coconut cream as I am making a batch with it right now and it is not working out and I was trying to find a recipe
thank you for this information
We’re glad it was helpful info!
C. Phillips says
May I ask which ice cream maker you use. Thank you.
Hi! We’ve only ever used this one (which we won in a giveaway), but love it!
Kat says
Hi! I was so excited to try this recipe as I’m new to gluten/dairy free, so I bought a Cuisinart ice cream maker. I followed the recipe exactly, but used Cha’s organic coconut milk from Costco. It’s a premium product. I used one can of coconut milk, one can of coconut cream, a vanilla bean pod and sub’d the sugar for 1/8 cup maple syrup + 1/8 cup honey. I used the Vitamix to blend it together, but it seemed to separate. It didn’t get fluffly in the Vitamix, and texture didn’t change in the Cusinart either. The Cha product doesn’t really separate when chilled, so I used the whole can. Am I supposed to be getting just the hard coconut/milk cream, and draining off the liquid first? Thanks so much.
Katherine Calder-Becker says
Thanks for the feedback. So I’m trying again and getting a better result this time. Used Savoy Coconut Cream, chilled the cans overnight in the fridge and drained off the ‘water’, using only the cream. I have the Cuisinart ICE-30, so it churned nicely within 15 minutes, my question is the ‘residual’ as it doesn’t churn the complete batch. The ‘walls’ of the Cuisinart bowl are left with some of the frozen coconut cream mixture stuck to them. Thought? Thank you, Kat
That’s normal in our experience and just needs to be scraped down and added to the soft serve texture portion before freezing!
Jasmine says
Hi, I like to make a vegan version of Cold Stone Chocolate ice cream. According to their ingredients, they use mono & diglycerides (as emulsifier), guar gum (for thickening), and cellulose gum (to prevent icicles and extend shelf life)… and I’m using acacia gum for a smooth texture.
My question is… to the best of your knowledge… would these agents go into the blender or the ice cream maker?
Hi Jasmine, we’d suggest adding them to the blender to help them mix in. Let us know how it goes!
Nicole says
This is certainly coconut forward so I’ll probably try to blend some different milks next time. But my question was how to get it to scoop as shown. I did let it sit out for 10 minutes as well as used boiling water to warm the ice cream scoop but it just kept falling apart.
We found this one pretty easy to scoop, but as pictured it’s only been frozen for about 4-6 hours? After a hard freeze (12 hrs +) it needs a little bit more time to thaw. Hope that helps!
Shauna Harrison says
What vanilla powder do you recommend? The one we picked up is Cook’s brand and it is white.
We like Wilderness Poets Pure Vanilla Powder. Hope that helps!
Ovi says
Will you prettty please make a recipe for coconut ice cream & coconut yoghurt that requires homemade coconut milk instead of canned coconut milk? And maybe using the fresh meat from the store instead of shredded coconut might work better for this kind of recipe? I made the coconut vanilla bean ice cream from the canned coconut cream today and it’s amazing.. I would just love to be able to make it from scratch and not use a can. :) thank you and let me know if you can make this!
Love, O
Hi there! Yeah that would be amazing. We haven’t tried it but will add it to our list!
Ovi says
can i make this ice-cream with homemade coconut milk?
Hi Ovi, we think you would need to make it really thick (use less water) for it to work, but it might! Let us know if you try it!
Ovi says
Okay great :) I bought fresh coconut meat from Whole Foods yesterday, any idea how much of that I should mix with water? The container holds .96oz of coconut meat. Or would you suggest that I use shredded coconut as your coconut milk recipe suggests? Thank you so much your recipes are incredible I am inspired by them to cook more and more every day <3
Aw, thanks so much for your kind words, Ovi! Fresh coconut meat is great! We’d say probably a 2:1 ratio of water:coconut
Megha says
Just made this Ice cream and it has literally vanished. Best ever coconut ice cream in terms of flavor and creaminess! Getting ready to make a second batch already..
changes I made;
Melted the sugar in the coconut cream over the stove and chilled for 24 hours.
The ice cream make run was a disaster. Nearly firmed up and melted out again. So I just popped it in a container and froze it. Blended once after 2 hours and froze overnight.
Gonna re-attempt the ice cream maker. Hoping for better luck!
We’re so glad you enjoyed it! Let us know how it goes in the ice cream maker this time!
Lauren says
Hi,
I am looking for a good vegan vanilla ice cream recipe to make and to use as a base for other flavors. However, my daughter is very sensitive to coconut products (they really upset her tummy). Can this recipe be modified to accommodate those who can’t use coconut, and/or do you have another recipe you would recommend?
With gratitude,
Lauren
Hi Lauren, we think other non-dairy milks would end up more icy. But it might be worth a try with a thick cashew cream – we’d suggest adapting this recipe instead. Let us know how it goes!
Mia says
Could you use regular milk or only coconut?
Hi Mia, we haven’t tried with regular milk, but think it would be too thin. Maybe heavy cream?
Natalie says
I’ve made this several times using varying amounts of vanilla, different brands of coconut milk and varying amounts of sweetener- usually a combo of maple and organic cane sugar. Each time it has been so yummy and everyone has loved it! I was nervous it would be a temperamental recipe but it’s been very forgiving for me. I was wondering if anyone has used monk fruit or coconut sugar with any success?
We’re so glad you enjoy it, Natalie! We haven’t tried monk fruit in this one. But a reader did- if you press “ctrl+f” on a PC or “command+f” on a mac, a find bar should pop up that allows you to search for specific words (such as monk fruit) in the post and comments.
Vanessa says
Hello from Canada, I see how important the brand is and wondered if anyone has had success with KOSA brand Coconut cream it contains coconut extract, water and guar gum. It’s solid and heavy in the can! Thank you!
Hi Vanessa, we did a search in the comments and it looks like no one else has mentioned that brand. But since it’s solid and heavy, we think it would work! Let us know how it goes!
Nuno says
I just made this one and it’s super tasty.
I just used a regular coconut milk from a local supermarket (I am in Germany), and it worked well.
Next time I will use more vanilla. I though it was ok after mixing, but when done it could have a bit more.
Thanks for the recipe
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Nuno! Thanks for sharing!
Oren says
Amazing recipe! Easy Breezy also has a good one. It is a huge sucsess in San Francisco. See their recepie here.
https://easy-breezy.com/vegan-ice-cream/
We’re so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for sharing, Oren!
Maria says
Oren, there is no recipe on the link you have attached.
Nicole says
Hello! I have a quick question. I’m making this tomorrow for the first time. I’ve seen people cook the ice cream ingredients first to properly melt and mix everything. Do you recommend this? It seems to make sense – so the sugar can fully incorporate. But I don’t want to mess up the chemistry of this recipe. What are your thoughts? Thanks!
Hi Nicole, we haven’t tried it that way. But let us know if you do!
Devon Wood says
Turned out excellent. Used 1 can coconut cream, another full fat milk, had them both in the fridge overnight and it only took 15 minutes to churn to perfection in my cuisinart maker!
Thanks so much for the lovely review, Devon. We are so glad it turned out well! Next time, would you mind leaving a rating with your review? It’s super helpful for us and other readers. Thanks so much! Xo
Randy Kaplan says
Hi, I want to make this recipe because my favorite ice cream store went out of business due to the pandemic (Cream, they had the BEST coconut ice cream ever!!). Is Savoy coco cream a canned or a fresh product? Where to get it?
I don’t have an ice cream maker, so I will follow the steps for hand mixing, seems like a lot of work, hope it is worth the effort to replace that delectable ice cream.
Do you think adding coconut flakes will enhance the recipe too? Thank you!!
Savoy is a canned product. We typically get it online, but some grocery stores carry it. We haven’t tried adding coconut flakes so we’re not sure. But if you give it a try, let us know!
Laura Neely says
I made a variation of this
yesterday, but since I only had 1 can of coconut milk I substituted an equal amount of macadamia nut milk. At the end of the freezing process in the ice cream maker I added grated chocolate and toasted shredded coconut. Fantastic!
Yay! thanks for sharing, Laura! Sounds so yummy.
Susan says
Hi, This sounds great. I’m trying to eliminate sugar from my diet. Could I use Stevia instead of sugar, agave or maple syrup?
Thanks!
Hi Susan, so the sugar is important for texture as it helps prevents it from being too icy. We’d recommend at least half sugar. Agave or maple would work better over stevia. Or maybe reduce sugar by half and sub stevia to taste?
meg says
The flavor of this was great but the texture was off–more icy than creamy. It took a long, long time to get firm in my cuisine art ice cream attachment, so I think maybe it needs to cool off first after blending, rather than going straight from blender to ice cream maker? Any suggestions would be appreciated!
Hi Meg, we wonder if it also had to do with the brand of coconut milk? If it has a higher water content vs. fat, that could cause it to be more icy. See the notes section for our brand recommendations. Hope that helps!
Laurie says
Hi! I made this vanilla ice cream today and it turned out perfect! In my Cuisinart ice cream maker it only needed 15 min of churning. That’s probably because I used coconut milk cans that had been on my fridge overnight.
We’re so glad it turned out well! Thanks for sharing, Laurie!
Laurie says
Also, my boyfriend loved it and my son couldn’t stop saying, “Its so yummy!”
P.S. It’s lovely on its own in a cone as well as being very nice pared with freshly foraged berries.
Yum!
Suzanne says
Dear Minimalist Baker,
I am attempting to modify your vanilla recipe to get it as close to the vegan coconut flavored ice cream found at Zuccaru in Madrid. I’d like to use your recipe but replace the vanilla bean and vanilla extract with coconut extract and coconut flakes. Does this sound logical? Should I also whip the coconut cream and then add blended cashews to enhance the creaminess? Thank you for any guidance and suggested quantities you may have on the above ingredients !
Hi Suzanne, those sound like good ideas to us (though we’ve never tried it). Let us know how it goes!
Karen says
I just made this and it’s my first dairy free ice cream recipe and really worked and tastes amazing! Thank you for the coconut milk suggestions, I used Aroy-D. And I am getting ready to make your vegan berry crisp and we will top it with this ice cream, yum!
We’re so glad it turned out well, Karen! Thanks so much for sharing! So yummy with crisp =) Enjoy!
Karen says
Ok just wanted to add after I froze it, it didn’t stay as creamy. Maybe it would have if I used coconut cream instead of coconut milk. We still loved it and next time will eat it soft serve out of the ice cream maker.
It’s best as soft serve! But if you leave it out of the freezer to defrost for a bit, that should also help.
Ashley Stauffer says
I’m struggling with my vegan ice cream ending up dry and crumbly even after only churning it for 25 mins.
What could I be doing wrong? I’m using Aroy-D full fat coconut milk and my cuisinart ICE 70 on the ice cream setting if that helps
Hmm, crumbly. A little texture is normal. If you’re looking for a little more creamy texture, might I suggest this recipe? Adding a few soaked cashews makes a world of difference.
Jenny Spencer says
Hi Dana! My name is Raine, I am 11 years old, I live in Portland OR and I LOVE to cook and bake. My mom and I love your recipes and we have your cook book! ( Which we love SO much!).
I have been wanting to make this recipe for AGES, but I never have full fat coconut milk. Finally my dad got full fat coconut milk and I made this yesterday! It was so easy, so good and it turned out AMAZING!!!! It was my first ever ice cream that I have made and it was so good.
Thank you!
Raine :)
P.S. I gave you my moms info, not mine. :)
Way to go, Raine! We’re so glad it turned out well! Thank you so much for the lovely review!
Ellie K says
This recipe needs to be updated. Not “fully baked”, as it really depends on the coconut milk and it needs to say specifically what you need to use in the ingredients list… not hidden among the images, ads and whatnot. Read the comments ahead of time – people have tried multiple kinds of coconut milks with varying results. I tried this, the fat became almost plastic-like. I took it out of the ice cream maker, microwaved it to soften the fat, then put it on the stove top to see if that would help, but still putting it back in the ice cream maker, no go. I unfortunately added chocolate chips and organic cherries so a very expensive mistake.
Ellie, thanks for sharing. We’ve actually retested this since publishing and didn’t find any issues with it. However, I think the varying brands / types of coconut milk remains the issue. What type of coconut milk did you end up using? They vary greatly in quality and consistency.
James says
I just tried this recipe, and the mixture did not change at all from when I put it in the ice cream maker to when the 45 minutes was up. I used Whole Foods organic coconut cream.
Something I’m noticing is that in many of the comments you tell people to only use the solids if they want it creamy, but you don’t say anything about that in the recipe. This probably wouldn’t have mattered in my case, because it seems that due to the guar gum in the Whole Foods coconut cream, it probably wouldn’t have separated anyway.
You mention Whole Foods coconut *MILK* in your “best brands” writeup, so I thought I’d just try the *CREAM* since you seemed to trust Whole Foods as a brand. Maybe that was my downfall. Next time I’m going to just try the Savoy, since it seems like there are no additives whatsoever!
Hmm, a few questions: was your ice cream maker properly chilled? Was the mixture warm or hot before adding it to the ice cream maker? Did you modify anything else?
James says
Hi!
Yes, the ice cream maker was properly chilled (more than 24 hours in the freezer). The mixture did seem a little warm after running it in the blender on high for a minute — it’s a Vitamix so that thing cranks hard and is known to be able to heat things, like soup. The only modification I made was that I used brandy (in place of vanilla since I had just run out), but after some research I thought it should be fine because they have the same alcohol content.
OK thanks for clarifying. I think the coconut cream may have been the issue, but I’d be surprised if it was. The difficult thing about coconut milks / creams is they vary not only from brand to brand but also batch to batch. I’ve had cans of my favorite WF coconut milk not be as thick and fresh as I’m accustomed to. In any case, if you give it another try, let us know how it goes!
Ellie K says
I used Trader Joe’s coconut milk and coconut cream and that appears to be the culprit. I would suggest adding a notation on brands in the recipe Itself so others don’t use the wrong brand.
Hi Ellie, sorry to hear that happened! We do include brand recommendations in the notes section of the recipe with an asterisk next to coconut cream to direct readers there. Perhaps it would be helpful if we added “(see notes for brand recommendations)”?
Kati says
Question, I’ve made this recipe tons of time with success and my family LOVES it!! However this time while blending it became chunky and separated like curdled milk. Any ideas what could cause that? Like I said this has always come out beautifully for me every other time. And I don’t want to scrap it since this batch used the last of my vanilla :(
Hmm, it sounds like it was the coconut milk. Is it possible you used a different brand this time?
Lisa O'Daly says
When this happened to me, I put it on low on the stove and it melted smooth and could be blended. Don’t ask me why!
Interesting! Thanks for sharing!
Kyle says
Amazing! So good!
I don’t have an ice cream maker, and I’m not taking 5 hours of on/off churning hahahaha.
I did it the lazy way and it turned out perfect. Mixed everything up as directed in my high speed blender, then froze in ice cube trays. Once frozen, I put the cubes in my blender and blended till smooth. Spatula’d it back to the middle, one more blend, absolutely amazingly creamy and delicious!
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Kyle! Thanks for sharing your tricks!
Janelle Pollock says
I made this for the 4th of July because our family tradition was to make vanilla ice cream in our hand-churned ice cream maker. This ice cream is good and the recipe was very easy, but I can only taste the coconut, even though I added more vanilla and vanilla powder than called for. I understand the use of coconut for the fat content, but isn’t there another way?
Hi Janelle, you could do a blend of cashews and coconut milk for a more mild coconut flavor. Such as in this recipe.
KIMBERLY ANNE AKSAMIT says
This is by far the best vegan ice cream recipe I have made. Usually I find that there are (a) way too many ingredients in vegan ice cream recipes and (b) they are overly sweet. This was perfect. I used 0.25 sugar and 0.25 maple syrup (well, brown rice syrup). I also used my homemade vanilla extract, and the seeds from the pods that had been soaking in it. Both the maple-y and vanilla-ey flavors came out!
My only words of advice/my opinion: soft-serve is best with coconut cream based recipes. Once it “firmed up” it really did take 5-10 minutes to get loose enough to handle and want to eat. I was happy that I had planned ahead and put the soft serve in individual mason jars ahead of time for my dinner guests so I didn’t break my scoop trying to get it out. Next time, I think I’ll make the base ahead of time, and just start the ice cream maker when we start dinner, so that we can eat soft serve right away. :-)
Thanks so much for sharing, Kimberly! We’re so glad you enjoy this recipe! xo
Ilaria says
Hi there,
The coconut milk in my can is half liquid and half cream:What shall i do? Shall i just use the solid part?
Thank you
Just use the solid part for the creamiest texture. Add some of the liquid if you’re OK with it being less rich.
Amy says
it turned out great! I have used 1 can each of whole food 365 coconut milk and cream, 1 tsp vanilla paste and 1 tsp vanilla extract, less than 1/2 cup caster sugar (they are very fine) but I forget about the salt but still taste good. I probably will try to freeze the mix a bit to cut down the churning time. thank you for the recipe and like the simpleness of it.
Yay! Thanks for sharing, Amy! xo
D says
Made this without an ice cream maker and it was ready by the fifth hour! It basically took 4 ingredients to make because I omitted the vanilla bean pod (didn’t have it). I used Savoy coconut cream and 2.5 teaspoons of vanilla, which was the last of my vanilla. I did what was recommended (for no ice cream maker) and stirred every hour for 5 hours.
We’re so glad it turned out well! Thanks for sharing!
Hayley says
I have attempted this recipe 3 different times now and have yet to get it to work. Is there a specific brand of coconut milk required? Every time it just freezes to the sides of my icecream maker, rock hard like ice, as if there was no fat in it at all. I will try one more time with a different brand and then I’m throwing in the towel.
Sorry to hear it hasn’t worked well for you, Hayley! Our favorite coconut cream is Savoy, and our favorite full fat coconut milk is Aroy-D. See our other top picks for coconut cream and milk here. Coconut cream tends to yield creamier results due to the higher fat content. Also, is it possible it is the ice cream maker? Have you made ice cream in it successfully before?
Nicolle Silano says
Hi, i’m actually from Brazil and i’m struggling on understanding what sub up means, a guess its a slang? maybe?
This parto over here: 1/2 cup organic cane sugar (sub up to half with agave nectar or maple syrup)
does it mean I should and half to the original amount ou decrease half? So if I use maple syrup for example the measurement would be 1 cup maple syrup or ¼ cup?
Thanks in advance :)
Hi Nicolle, it means that you can either use 1/2 cup cane sugar OR use 1/4 cup cane sugar + 1/4 cup maple syrup or agave. Hope that helps!
Nicolle Silano says
LOL, in other words, none of the above!!! See, I really wasn’t understanding…thanks for the reply! Will be making this recipe today!! can’t wait!!!
Jess says
Sub is short for substitute :)
Megan McArthur says
I just finished churning the ice cream, but it was a lot more soupy than the ice cream in your video, and ice crystally. For the coconut milk, do you use the entire can or just the white part? (I saw for the No-Churn Chocolate Ice Cream recipe on here, you just used the white part.) I used the whole can. Maybe I just need a better ice cream maker?
Regardless of texture, it tastes good at least :)
Hi Megan, we wonder whether it was the brand of coconut milk? Using just the cream portion should help if you decide to give it another try! Or see our coconut milk/cream brand recommendations in the notes.
Carla says
I made the coconut ice cream. We thought it was very good. We borrowed an ice cream maker and it was not the best. Our ice cream was not as firm as it should have been even after putting it into the freezer for a couple of hours. We will probably look into purchasing an ice cream maker because it is cheaper to make our own non-dairy ice cream. I will have to research which machine to purchase.
We’re glad you enjoyed it, Carla! We like this ice cream maker. Hope that’s helpful!
Tara says
Thank you SO much for this recipe and sharing your beautiful and creative ability with healthy food! I have a question – I would like to use a mango puree as an addition in this recipe, and I was wondering about your thoughts on when to add the puree. I have the same ice cream maker as yours which is awesome! I appreciate any advice you can give. Cheers and thank you!
Thanks so much for your kind words, Tara! We’d suggest adding it to the blender in step 2. You may also want to check out this recipe: https://minimalistbaker.com/raspberry-coconut-mango-sorbet/
Lisa Vaughn says
#QuarantineSweets
Trying this again. Attempted to post earlier, but looks like it is not there. I improvised with the ingredients I had. I used two cans of Thai kitchen coconut milk. When I opened it the fat was separated from the liquid. I followed another poster’s advice and warmed the coconut milk on the stove, with organic coconut sugar (from Whole Foods), Mexican vanilla extract, and salt. I have an ice cream maker, luckily had the bucket in the freezer, I too have little ones that were anxious to make ice cream. After about 20 minutes, we were done! Came out like soft serve. Kids threw some chocolate chips on top and loved it! Plotting with my husband how we can make other versions. Thanks for sharing this recipe, helped us break in our ice cream maker for the first time!
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Lisa! Thanks so much for the lovely review!
Lisa says
#QuarantineSweets
Making this now. I have an ice cream maker (already in the freezer), improvising with my ingredients: 2 cans Thai Kitchen unsweetened coconut milk. I opened it, and it did separate (fat and water). I followed another poster’s recommendation and am warming the two cans over the stove (added salt, coconut sugar, and Mexican vanilla) right now. Will follow-up with results. Again, like someone else posted, kids were excited to make ice cream so I am using what I have. *prayers up*
Let us know how it went!
Margaret says
Delicious! I used Imperial Dragon full fat coconut milk. Sooo good! I’m baking up black bean brownies from this site to go with the ice cream. Thank you for the recipes!
Lisa says
It did post! So, posted a comment twice. Either way, recipe was great!
Kia says
I don’t have an ice cream maker but really want to give this a try. My oldest is allergic to dairy. Any other method I can use?
Hi Kia, If you don’t own an ice cream maker, you can add chilled mixture to a freezer-safe container and freeze. Once every hour, remove from freezer and stir /whisk to incorporate air. Repeat until mostly firm – 6-8 hours. Then continue freezing until completely firm before serving. It won’t yield as creamy results, but it should still work.
Jesse says
Has anyone tried this recipe with a sugar substitute such as Swerve or Lakanto? First I’d assume granulated is the way to go. I know those substitutes say they are 1:1, but was curious to hear others’ experience.
Hi Jesse, we haven’t tried it, but we do think a granulated sugar substitute would be best. Let us know if you do some experimenting!
India Tucker says
Kids been begging me to make ice cream for days I decided to go with this recipe. I used coconut cream , sugar the salt and vanilla extract I think I might’ve added a little agave too. I blended it for about two minutes. I don’t have an ice cream maker and after reading these reviews I prob won’t buy one. I’m doing the freeze and stir every hour on my fourth hour and it’s coming out great very tasty and pretty no separation at all
So glad it’s working well! Thanks for sharing!
Jasper says
The blender got hot and curtuled the coconut milk I’m so confused
Hi Jasper, hmm, we wonder if it was the type of coconut milk? What brand did you use? Not sure why the blender would get hot though- what type was it?
Zach says
Making this as we speak, lets hope its yummy. I am a fellow dairy lover whose body shut that down. Wish me luck!
(adding oreos at the end)
Let us know how it goes, Zach!
Ann says
Hi; could I use monk fruit as a substitute for organic sugar?
Hmm, I don’t think so taste and texture-wise, but let us know if you try it!
derek says
um, just made this and it’s the most delicious coconut ice cream i’ve ever had! i tried a different recipe last night, and it was kind of a failure. we used full fat coconut milk both last night and tonight. i think the quality of the coconut milk plays a big part with the recipe succeeding or not. last night we had a can that (though not expired) had been in the pantry for a while. it had separated, and i found it difficult to smooth out all the little chunks. today’s cans were creamy from the start. as for the recipe: i used only one teaspoon of vanilla and no vanilla bean or vanilla powder. the flavor was perfect (again, the coconut milk we used was tasty all by itself). aside from that, we followed the recipe verbatim. oh, we did not freeze it at all; we ate it as soon as the machine was finished mixing — and the texture was perfect.
Rachel says
Needs to be heated in a pan on the stove first, to melt the coconut fat. Otherwise, you get separated fat bits. Trail and error.
Thanks for sharing! We didn’t find that necessary. But if it helped with the texture that’s great! But yes, the coconut oil should be melted.
Laura says
I just ate my first serving of homemade ice cream using a different recipe. I used refrigerated Trader Joe’s coconut cream (which I notice this recipe says is not recommended) and I didn’t heat it at all and I got all the little fat bits. Also, the cream was so hard that I had to microwave it for a couple of minutes just to scoop it! I will try this recipe next time and hope for a better outcome. :)
Daryl says
I’ve now confirmed that the only dairy-free ice cream that I really love is made of a combination cashews and coconut milk. Flavor-wise, this ice cream is great, but the texture was more ice than cream. I also generally use honey as my sugar since it doesn’t freeze, so decided I would sub in half maple syrup as the recipe suggested because I liked the idea of maple flavor with vanilla. That being said, I’m not sure if the lack of cashews or the lack of honey was the main culprit in the texture issue, but I’ll probably never make ice cream again without either so hoping I never find out. But again, the flavor was quite nice.
Thanks for the review! I must say this is my favorite ice cream to date, which is a combination of cashew and coconut. In any case, thanks for the review! Also, I do think honey would’ve worked well here, too!
Jacquie says
How do I make this chocolaty?
Hi Jacquie, we’d suggest this recipe: https://minimalistbaker.com/vegan-chocolate-ice-cream/
Sara says
Very tasty! Though I bumped it up a notch and added toasted coconut and chopped up milk Chocolate before serving and that was truly amazing:) 2nd time I didn’t have vanilla beans so just used a lil extra vanilla, and about 5min before it was done, I added the chocolate and toasted coconut Directly to the icecream maker. Tho upon eating it, I decided it could use more and added a lil extra on top :) made it prettier too!
At first I was bummed when I tried to go for the leftovers the next day as it was frozen bloody solid. Left it on the counter for 30-45min, and it was the perfect texture again :)
Thanks so much for the recipe!!
Sara says
Oh and I used the heaviest/Most dense feeling cans of Chaokoh brand coconut milk. Some of them have a more milk /liquidy feel when you shake them, and with the extra creamy ones you can hardly feel like there’s liquid at all in there (cause there’s pretty much just cream :) I also stuck the mixed up coconut goodness in the fridge to chill for a bit before adding to the ice cream maker. (I have a cuisinart ice cream maker w the ice cream bowl that literally lives in my freezer unless I’m using it… just in case I get that random craving:) and no substitutes for good ol fashioned sugar used here :)
Joseph says
To mimic an ice cream maker, I want to fill a bowl with ice and put the bowl with the ice cream mixture on top while mixing. will this work or is it better to take it out of the freezer every hour and mix?
Hm, we aren’t sure- never tried it! Let us know if you give it a try!
Winnie says
As long as you managed to get to the soft serve consistency it should be fine. That said, I’ve tried hand churning in an ice bowl but it just wasn’t chilled enough to produce that consistency required for ‘freeze and forget’. You could perhaps keep changing/adding ice every 5 minutes but that’s a lot of ice to keep in a home freezer, also, this setup will be loosing a lot of “chilled energy” through the holding ice cream bowl by hand and through the ice bath.
Sam says
This was amazing!!! I made this and even subbed ALL cane sugar with pure maple. I have a nostalgia 1 pint ice cream maker so I had to cut the recipe in half. I used 1 can of Aroy-D, 1/4 cup of maple, half a vanilla bean, 1 tsp of vanilla extract and boom! I see a lot of peoples problems with the consistency. It HAS to be your ice cream maker. I tried this recipe several failed times in my other nostalgia ice cream maker that requires ice and salt and maybe I was not refilling the ice fast enough but it would not thicken no matter what. I’m telling you. Get a double insulated ice cream maker like the Cuisinart. If you’re strapped for cash the nostalgia 1 pint works so good and cost me $20 at Meijer. Just get a double insulated ice cream maker and also be sure to scrape the cream from your coconut milk. I went to a local asian market and got the aroy-d for $1.99 so all in all this recipe is amazing! It has helped get me off my addiction to SoDelicious ice cream which cost me $5 a pint and has double the processed sugar. I hope someone sees this and it helps. So good and creamy.
Joanie says
Thanks
Casey Cannon says
I tried several other recipes, instructions, and coconut milks (Trader Joe’s coconut cream is def trash for ice cream, can confirm). I was about to sell my $250+ ice cream maker in a fit of rage until I discovered this recipe. I made this with the Aroy-D coconut milk, and it turned out PERFECT. The consistency is smooth and creamy and melt-in-your-mouth delicious. The second time I made it with black sesame paste and vanilla for the best black sesame vegan ice cream I’ve ever had. My next experiment will be matcha :)
We’re so glad it turned out well for you! Thanks for sharing! Let us know how it goes goes with the matcha!
Christina says
I made this recipe with my cuisinart machine. I did substitute the sugar for grated palm sugar and used essence in stead of extract and vanilla paste instead of the vanilla bean pods. I used 1 can of pure coconut cream and the other can with was a coconut cream with guar gum. It churned up beautifully but by morning (after been the in the freezer over night) was hard as a rock. Even after leaving it out for 15 min at room temp and using a scoop in hot water, it did not scroll well. Of course I’ve got many variables to work out what caused this, just wondering if you successfully used maple as a less refined sugar option? And if anyone had a similar experience when deviating from the recipe.
We think there’s some chemistry with granulated sugar that keeps it creamy and fluffy somehow. For the maple, we think it might work, but likely won’t be as creamy. Could be the same thing that happened with the palm sugar, perhaps? Hope that helps!
Sandra says
HI. I too have a cuisinart ice cream maker. While I don’t like the soft serve it produces, I simply freeze it all and it turns into perfectly good ice cream. My question is, do you think you could simply substitute the amount of whole milk and cream in each recipe with that quantity of coconut cream, and continue as per the recipe?
Hmm, I’m not sure! If you try that let us know how it goes!
Jena says
It tases so good
xo!
Lisa says
So disappointed. Followed the recipe, but it hasn’t thickened. I made a vegan mocha ice cream yesterday with fabulous results. I will freeze and whip, and hopefully end up with an edible product. (Used one can milk one can cream)
Hi there! Sorry Lisa. What brand of coconut milk / cream did you use? The quality / fat content varies greatly between brands.
Christina Oliva says
Hi
I recently purchased a Cuisinart ice cream machine. I live in Australia so I’m not familiar with the coconut cream brands you’ve recommended or suggested to avoid.
I’d just like to know if the coconut cream you recommend has any other ingredients in it beside coconut extract and water (the brand I plan to use is from Absolute Organic). Do you recommend a coconut cream with or without stabilisers such as gar gum?
Hi Christina, the brands we like do not contain any stabilizers or other ingredients. They are just coconut extract and water. Hope that helps!
Christina Oliva says
Thank you so much!
I can’t wait to give this a go.
Carla Cram says
Hi Christina, I’m also in Australia. Have you used your machine yet? I’m planning to buy one too
Christina says
I have but not with this recipe yet.
Worked well with another recipe which was coconut and cashew cream base
KELSEY MOORE says
Hi Christina,
I live in Australia too and can usually find Aroy D at most good Asian grocers!
Looking forward to trying this!
Caroline says
Thanks Kelsey, I’m in Australia too so will try find this brand at an Asian Grocer. Have you tied it with any other brands? I bought the Woolworths Macro Coconut Milk today – hoping that will give a good result. ??
Mia says
This turned out great despite the fact that I used Trader Joe’s reduced fat coconut milk, skipped the vanilla bean, and substituted half the sugar with TJ’s agave nectar/maple syrup blend. The coconut milk separated when I started blending everything, but I was able to fix it by heating the mixture up in a saucepan for about 3 minutes and stirring until the chunks of coconut cream floating on top dissolved back into the mixture. Since it was warm at this point, I chilled it in the freezer for about 10 minutes and then churned it in my ice cream maker. It was done in about 15 minutes! Texture was more like sorbet than ice cream, but that’s probably because I blatantly did not follow the recipe—I’m assuming that using full-fat coconut milk will make it creamier. Great overall. I’ll definitely make again.
Thanks for sharing, Mia!
ama says
do you have an ice cream maker to recomen?
thanks
Hi Ama, yes- we like this one.
Daniel Brown says
Used the exact ingredients as called for and a cuisinart ice cream maker. The finished product tasted pretty good but was not creamy in either texture or taste. If you ate this after being marooned for several years you might consider it a substitute for ice cream. It’s closer to a sorbet
but not as good.
Hmm, and can you clarify which sugar you used and which brand of coconut milk? Sorry to ask more details but you’d be surprised how vastly brands of coconut milk can vary in texture and quality.
Jenny says
Holy easy recipe. My 4 year old made this. Was so rich and creamy. Perfect consistency…so good…we added a few drops of food color for fun. Turned out great. Thanks. Next time I’m throwing in some frozen strawberries.
Wonderful! Thanks for sharing, Jenny!
sarah says
This is terrible. I used the coconut milk (not traders joes) and it separated. It looks like curdled cream or ricotta floating around in my ice cream machine.
What’s the trick here???? Am I missing something????
Can you rewrite an exact recipe of what you use and step by step??? I’m so frustrated. I want my money back at the store lol.
Ah! SO sorry, Sarah! Which brand of coconut milk did you use? Sometimes the formulations can change (as we experience with Trader Joe’s). Let us know – would love to help troubleshoot!
Liana Percoco says
This also happened to me and I’m so sad! I did use trader Joe’s coconut cream, but that’s because I did a test batch with one can of TJs coconut milk and it came out fantastic. But yes, looks more like vegan ricotta. I used all Maple syrup instead of mix of cane and maple. But I used all Maple with the half batch with the milk and it worked so I thought the cream would work better. Anyway to save this batch????
Not that I know of, unless you use it as a pie filling of sorts? I’d steer clear of TJ’s brand for coconut from now on.
Michael says
One thing in the recipe isn’t very clear to me. In the recipe you say to use 2 14oz cans coconut cream or full-fat coconut milk. Since these two options vary quite a bit in it’s consistency, thickness, fat, calories, do you really need 2 14oz of coconut cream? If you use the same amount as the milk, that makes me think there would be a pretty big difference in the final results. Since these ingredients are not always cheap, and I would hate to guess only to wind up having to throw away the entire batch (and miss out on ice cream all together that day).
Most coconut creams we can even find only come in 5.4oz cans, only the coconut condensed milk comes in the 14oz cans. 2 14oz cans would equal to around 5 3/16 of the 5.4oz cans. So it’s not so easy to put the same quantity with these differences. This leaves me unsure on how much to use of the coconut cream.
If you could clarify these differences a little better, it would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!
As a side note, we have used the coconut condensed milk, and it turned out great. :)
Thanks for sharing and for the insightful questions, Michael! I’d say coconut cream is preferred here (the higher the fat content the better in our experience), but full fat coconut milk will work well, too!
Michael says
How much of the 5.4oz cans should I use? It’s not easy to convert that to 14oz exactly.
Approximately 3.
Caitlin says
Was still runny in ice cream maker. Try a different recipe people
Hi Caitlin, sorry to hear it didn’t work for you! Did you make sure to put the churning bowl in the freezer before use? Also, would you mind sharing the brand of coconut cream or milk that you used? Perhaps that was the issue!
Cassandra says
I had the same issue, we froze it for 2 days and it was still runny, like slime (delicious slime) but definitely not ice cream. We used goya brand coconut cream, do you know why this might be?
It was delicious, super sweet, but we paired it with a dark chocolate tart and it was a perfect match!
So strange. I’ve never used Goya brand but it could have some preservative that prohibits it from freezing? Did you use cane sugar?
Brittany says
Hi! Have you tried this with all coconut sugar?
I haven’t! But if you do let us know how it goes!
shehnai says
My canned coconut milk separates and would not blend in blender or in ice cream maker machine.
I followed all the directions. What is going wrong?
Sounds like the brand might be giving you trouble. Here are our top favorites. Which brand did you use?
AnnieK says
I only had Mexican vanilla and it turned out great. I plan on making this my base for caramel swirl, coffee toffee, chocolate chip, etc. Living in Alaska, this is the economical way to go! Thanks!
Deb says
Sorry, one more question. If I wanted to take this recipe and make it chocolate or mint chip, etc. how could I do that?
Maybe try these recipes instead?
Mint Chocolate
Chocolate
Deborah Zak says
Yum on your dessert! I never heard of vanilla powder. Where do you get that and can I sub vanilla liquid form?
Thanks in advance for all of your hard and delicious work!!!
Both extract and powder form will work – powder form can be found online or in most grocery stores :D
Natalie says
I used this recipe as a guide for the first batch of ice cream in my new cuisinart maker. I did not have a vanilla bean or powder on hand. I used a Tbsp of real vanilla extract instead. This recipe is dangerously easy and delicious. It reminded me of snow cream but richer and creamier. Not my last batch of ice cream!
Lovely! xoxo
Michelle says
Super delicious! Thank you for this recipe. I wanted to practice before having my family over for a little ice cream party, and this turned out so well. Looking forward to making it for them and adding mix-ins like crumbled Oreos :)
Thanks so much for the lovely review, Michelle. We are so glad you enjoyed it! Next time, would you mind leaving a rating with your review? It’s super helpful for us and other readers. Thanks so much! xo
Marsha Scott says
This recipe was awful!! The fat in the Trader Joe’s coconut milk and cream(I used 1 of each) clumped together and made a very unappetizing mess. I wasted a very expensive vanilla bean. I’m going back to my almond milk recipe.
Marsha, I apologize for any trouble here. I just updated the note in this recipe as, unfortunately, since creating this recipe Trader Joe’s coconut cream has reformulated their product / begun sourcing it from an different place and it’s no longer one we reach for. See our new recommendations in the notes! Again, sorry for any inconvenience!
jelly says
Hello,
This might be a weird question – but – my partner has recently been reacting very harshly to sugar. Of other sweeteners, it seems that she can only handle maple syrup (I had really been hoping xylitol would work too, but, alas, it still gave her a migraine).
She loves ice-cream and since her birthday is in the summertime, I’d like to make it for her as a birthday treat. Do you think the recipe would hold up if I subbed all of the sugar with maple syrup?
So I think there’s some chemistry with granulated sugar that keeps it creamy and fluffy somehow. Maybe it’s the density of a liquid sweetener. So while I do think it will work, it likely won’t be as creamy. But might I suggest this recipe instead for a slight flavor variation?
Rona says
Try stevia or monk fruit based ”sugars”. Make sure that there is no Aspartame or sucralose added or anything with weird chemical names.
Tammy says
Made this for the 4th of July to go with the berry crumble. It is excellent. I followed the recipe exactly but had a hard time getting it to set up in my icecream maker. Not to worry, after about an hour, I just put it into the loaf pan in the freezer and it turned out terrific.
Julia Hadley says
Just made this, using an organic full-fat coconut milk from Safeway (it has guar gum as a stabilizer, which I read helps with the separating problem) and it turned out good. The other time I made coconut milk ice cream in my ice cream maker, I used TJ’s brand and it did separate. However, I poured the separated mixture into a saucepan, simmered it, chilled it fully, and then it worked. I have made it with half cane sugar and half maple syrup, and all maple syrup, and it worked both ways.
Hazlehurst Kanel says
I used fresh coconut milk and added about 2 cups of frozen banana’s ! Turned out great and it taste like banana cream pie!
I love your recipes, everytime I need some diner inspo, you’re my go to blog. Thank you for all of your amazing vegan recipes (:
Aww, thanks so much! So glad you enjoy our recipes!
Ashley Castaldo says
DO NOT BLEND.
Blended for 30 seconds, separated and curdled. What a waste of ingredients and time.
Strange! Can I ask what brand coconut milk you used? Trader Joe’s is usually a culprit for separation…would love to help troubleshoot! Blending shouldn’t make it curdle…
Nima says
I’ve noticed it totally depends on coconut milk brands. I tried Native Forest for a while but it always curdled and separated. I now only use Thai Kitchen and it’s perfect every time.
Jamie says
I was recently diagnosed with a plethora of food allergies, one of which is dairy. Giving up ice cream was hard! I sampled a number of non-dairy alternatives being offered in stores, and while many of them are very good, their price tag makes them eligible only for rare treat status. And for some reason no one does just a plain vanilla version.
I found this recipe while browsing for other alternatives, and it looked so easy, I decided to give it a try. I don’t have any vanilla beans, so I just added vanilla extract until the taste was right to me, and it turned out wonderful. Very glad I won’t have to give up ice cream now, and will still have the versatility of a just plain vanilla to add to other desserts I enjoy making!
Thank you so much!
Thanks for sharing!