Monday, March 5, 2012

Perfect Coconut Milk Vanilla Ice Cream

coconut milk vanilla ice cream

If you feel like making something delicious, try this! I've experimented with a lot of different ice cream recipes, both vegan and dairy, and despite tasting great fresh out of the ice cream maker, they all froze solid when stored in the freezer. They were not at all the fluffy, creamy rich consistency of store bought ice creams. With the intention of not buying packaged foods anymore, I needed a really good replacement.

Well, I finally found the secret of fluffy homemade ice cream that keeps it's consistency even in the freezer, and I discovered it after making a batch of eggnog with raw eggs. Not wanting to waste the leftovers, I poured my homemade eggnog in the ice cream maker and had the most amazing eggnog ice cream. It was totally perfect and, for the first time, my ice cream didn't freeze rock hard. Since then I've tried several other flavors, always using the same technique, and it's worked great every time!

farm fresh eggs easter eggers
Fresh and beautiful eggs from heritage chickens

I used to be absolutely sure we'd all contract salmonella and die if we ate raw eggs, which the eggnog was made with, but then I started researching it and have come to the conclusion that I, personally, feel completely safe eating the raw eggs of healthy chickens. It's certainly something we all have to decide for ourselves. Before we had our own chickens, I would just choose the store eggs that seemed the healthiest, but I feel much better knowing the actual condition that my chickens were raised in, and knowing those eggs are super fresh.


stiff eggwhites for ice cream
Whipped egg whites may just be the secret to amazing soft and creamy ice cream.

With this in mind, here is the recipe for this totally delicious ice cream:

6 eggs, separated
1/2 c sucanat or sugar
2 t vanilla (try making vanilla extract yourself!)
3 c coconut milk (I blend one can with a bit of water to thin and smooth it out. If you are using a thinner coconut milk, you may need two cans instead of using any water. You want to end up with a thick, rich liquid similar to heavy cream after blending. Canned coconut milk can really vary, so use your judgment, and have an extra can of coconut milk around in case the one you open is watery.)


To begin, whip the egg whites on their own until stiff, like in the above picture, and set aside. 


how to make ice cream
Yolks and sugar, beaten until creamy
In a separate bowl, beat the yolks and sugar together until "pale and ribbony" (basically until the sugar melts). Mix in your coconut milk and vanilla, and then blend in the egg whites. When it's all mixed up, I stick it in the fridge to chill for an hour or so, and then pour into a very frozen ice cream maker. This recipe fits perfectly in my 1.5 liter ice cream maker; if you have a smaller version, or end up with extra liquid, the mix can be poured into popsicle molds, ice cube trays, or just enjoyed as is. 

coconut milk vanilla ice cream

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71 comments

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March 6, 2012 at 10:25 AM

This looks amazing!! Definitely think I need to try it! :)
http://fromnyccorporatetosuburbmamas.blogspot.com

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March 6, 2012 at 12:00 PM

Thanks for linking your great post to FAT TUESDAY. This looks fabulous!! Hope to see you next week!

Be sure to visit RealFoodForager.com on Sunday for Sunday Snippets – your post from Fat Tuesday may be featured there!
http://realfoodforager.com/fat-tuesday-march-6-2012/

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March 12, 2012 at 8:33 PM

This looks so very, very good! Can't wait for the temperatures to get a little higher outside so I feel like eating ice cream. This is a keeper!

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Anonymous
March 16, 2012 at 3:58 PM

I finally got around to trying this-- just wanted to say thank you! It worked great and my
daughter who has never had ice-cream was thrilled with the results. Thanks so much! Julie

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March 16, 2012 at 8:12 PM

Oh I'm so glad! Thanks for letting me know how much you & your daughter liked the ice cream.

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March 17, 2012 at 10:37 AM

I love the idea of separating he yolks and whites!! Makes sense that it would make the ice cream softer. CNt wait to try on my next batch!

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Anonymous
April 9, 2012 at 3:06 PM

Hi~
This looks great. I wonder if one were to use Stevia or Erythritol, it would stay as soft? Any thoughts on this?
Thanks!

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April 9, 2012 at 5:45 PM

I would definitely try it with your alternative sweeteners. It seems like it would work fine. Please let me know how it goes!

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April 11, 2012 at 3:24 PM

Have you ever tried this recipe with raw cream instead of coconut milk?

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April 11, 2012 at 3:35 PM

I think this would be wonderful with raw cream, but no I haven't tried it yet.

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Anonymous
May 30, 2012 at 3:15 PM

Looks amazing! Ice cream is my favorite dessert so I love to have a variety of "go-to" easy recipes...this will definitely make the cut!

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June 4, 2012 at 7:14 PM

This is wonderful! We are so glad you joined our "Strut Your Stuff Saturday". We love to see all of the great recipes and ideas!! Thanks and we hope to see you again next week! -The Sisters

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June 5, 2012 at 3:38 PM

Sounds wonderful! I too have struggled to make healthier ice creams that don't turn rock-hard in the freezer. Are you using full-fat coconut milk or light?

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June 5, 2012 at 5:37 PM

I use the full fat stuff! Heavy cream would also work if you prefer dairy.

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June 7, 2012 at 5:31 PM

this looks fabulous!
thank you for linking up on successful saturdays!

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Anonymous
June 10, 2012 at 12:13 PM

What size can of coconut milk for the recipe? Thanks

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June 10, 2012 at 12:21 PM

Oh gosh, it's a standard size can... I believe they are 14 oz cans. Thanks for asking!

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July 18, 2012 at 11:31 AM

Looks great and amazing pictures! Newest follower via blog via blog hop! Would love for you to follow back!?

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July 18, 2012 at 8:12 PM

YUM!! My three year old said "That looks just perfect for me, lets make it", lol. Thanks for sharing!

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July 19, 2012 at 9:04 AM

Oh this sounds yummy and looks it too! :) great pictures and details to go along with the recipe. We'd love it if you'd come link this up to our Homesteading & Homemaking Link Party- "Home is Where the Heart is". http://www.homesteadsimple.com/home-is-where-the-heart-is-link-it-up-wednesdays-2/

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July 19, 2012 at 4:39 PM

Thank you, I'll definitely check it out!

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July 25, 2012 at 9:23 AM

What a fantastic ice crem! I love that it's dairy free but still resembles ice cream (sorbets are great, but some days you just want ice cream!).

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August 8, 2012 at 9:28 PM

I used honey in place of the sugar and it tastes great. Not sure if it will freeze as well but we're gonna give it a whirl.

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August 9, 2012 at 5:38 AM

Froze very nicely and still has a scoopable texture once completely froze (not rock hard). Thank you for this great recipe! My daughter, and her 4 siblings, will be thrilled with 'real' icecream on Friday!

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August 9, 2012 at 7:42 AM

That's great that it still turn out good with honey. Thanks for letting me know! Did you have any problems getting the honey mixed all the way in, since it clumps when it's cold? I feel like sugar integrates easier.

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August 15, 2012 at 11:13 PM

The illustrations make my mouth water! I wonder if I can find canned coconut milk? I see coconut water, but not the milk. I suppose it's in the specialty aisle.

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August 16, 2012 at 2:55 AM

It sure looks tasty! Love the "green" eggs among the brown. We had some chickens that laid green eggs but now all we have are brown layers. I definitely like knowing where my eggs come from :)

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August 16, 2012 at 6:27 AM

Homemade ice cream is the best! As are eggs from your own chickens (I don't have chickens, but I have friends who do, and they've been kind enough to share eggs with me on occasion).

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August 16, 2012 at 7:25 AM

I think canned coconut milk has been around even longer than coconut water. It should be in the ethnic foods aisle, maybe? But, feel free to use heavy cream instead! It will be just as good ;)

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August 16, 2012 at 7:35 AM

Oh yummy! I'll have to give this a try. I love the coconut flavor!

http://theapels.blogspot.com/2012/08/natures-floor.html

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August 16, 2012 at 10:21 AM

looks and sounds delicious! will have to try this.

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August 17, 2012 at 2:13 PM

Well, so far my son and daughter-in-law are the ones with the ice cream maker, and we tend to eat every bit of their concoctions they've made before needing to freeze it for future...but I'll keep this in mind♫

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Anonymous
August 21, 2012 at 2:27 PM

I just made this recipe and i'll have to say its amazing! I havent been able to eat real icecream for years... i have had the store bought dairy free versions but they DO NOT come close to this recipe.... I did cook the coconut milk, sugar, eggs because i dont have access to farm fresh eggs...

my brother owns a icecream shop and I always felt left out seeing that i couldnt have a simple icecream cone...

The one thing that surprised me the most was that i expected the coconut flavor to over power the vanilla but it didnt.... thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

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Anonymous
September 18, 2012 at 9:40 PM

I don't buy the can coconut milk. I buy Tropical Traditions coconut creme concentrate so I will have to figure out how to thin it out. And lastly, but most importantly, what is a good brand of icecream maker?

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September 19, 2012 at 7:25 AM

I think the coconut cream has the instructions for how to turn it into the consistency of canned coconut milk. Add a cup of water and let it soak, or something? I've only used that stuff once, years ago.
Our ice cream maker was a gift, so I never did the research about which one we should get. Ours is an Oster, but I don't know if it's the best. It does work fine, and I've never had any issues with it. I would just read some reviews online and choose a brand you trust.
Hope this helped!

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October 9, 2012 at 6:39 PM

I have this on my to make list! YUM, got it pinned and tweeted!

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November 1, 2012 at 11:23 AM

This sounds delicious - I have almond milk instead of the coconut milk and will try it with that and see how it tastes. I put the coconut milk on my shopping list for next time.

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November 1, 2012 at 7:41 PM

I think you might want to use something heavier than almond milk. What I used is the thick, creamy canned coconut milk. This is in place of the heavy cream that is normally in ice cream. If you use almond milk, it might still be great, but it would be like low-fat ice cream, just not rich enough. Let me know if it works for you, and how you like it!

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November 19, 2012 at 7:34 AM

Hi Emily,
This ice cream recipe looks delicious. Thanks so much for sharing with Wednesday's Adorned From Above Link Party last week.
Have a great Thanksgiving.
Debi @ Adorned From Above
www.adornedfromabove.com

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Anonymous
January 13, 2013 at 9:00 AM

I do not leave a lot of comments, however i did a few searching and wound up here "Perfect Coconut Milk Vanilla Ice Cream".

And I actually do have a couple of questions for you
if it's allright. Is it just me or does it look like a few of the comments come across as if they are coming from brain dead people? :-P And, if you are writing on additional sites, I'd like to follow anything new you have to post.
Could you list of every one of your public pages like your linkedin profile, Facebook page or twitter feed?
Feel free to visit my website :: fire branch pipe nozzles

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January 13, 2013 at 9:13 AM

Ha ha, you're funny. Thank you- this is the only site that I write at.

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January 15, 2013 at 6:58 AM

Yep - most of what we call "ice cream" is technically frozen custard. If someone is concerned with the raw eggs (I agree with you regarding your own chickens, but I wouldn't touch the storebought ones raw, with a ten-foot pole), they could cook the custard and just use the coconut milk instead of dairy milk.

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January 15, 2013 at 7:28 AM

Interesting, Rachel. Before we had our own chickens, we did occasionally use raw eggs from the store, but we made sure to buy the best quality, naturally nested, organic eggs we could find- whether we were using them raw or cooked. I really don't think the salmonella everyone expects to get from raw eggs is actually that common of a problem. I used to worry about it, from things like kids eating raw cookie dough, but after a friend encouraged me to do some research I realized it was nothing I needed to worry about. Definitely sickly chickens are more likely to harbor it though, so local, fresh, healthy eggs are way better!

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January 20, 2013 at 2:15 PM

This doesn't just look delicious, it also sounds so so good, I just want to dig in!
Thank you so much for sharing this at Wednesday Extravaganza - hope to see you there again next week - and don't forget the voting is today!

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January 29, 2013 at 8:11 AM

Ooooh this looks so delicious. An ice cream maker has been on my wishlist for a while now, and I think this year I might have to get one! I've been looking for non-dairy ice cream recipes and this sounds so good. I'm pinning it for later :)

Tammy
ourneckofthewoods.net

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January 30, 2013 at 5:37 AM

This looks wonderful! I have chickens so making this is sure to be on my short list of things to do. Please consider sharing your post with us at Eco-Kids Tuesday! http://likemamalikedaughter.blogspot.com/2013/01/a-funky-junky-windchime-at-eco-kids.html

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January 30, 2013 at 7:51 AM

Ha ha, I think you meant this comment for a different post, since I don't think you'll be feeding ice cream to chickens, but thanks for the link party invite ;)

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February 6, 2013 at 11:53 AM

It might not. Sugar is, chemically speaking, one of the elements that keeps things from freezing completely solid. It's definitely worth a try! But I suspect it will be harder.

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February 6, 2013 at 12:22 PM

That's a good point, Rachel. Thanks for the reminder! I never use either one so I'm not really familiar with how they might react differently.

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February 16, 2013 at 12:38 AM

That looks really tasty!

Thanks for linking to The Sunday Showcase.

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February 19, 2013 at 9:15 AM

This sounds delicious ~ I'm going to try it this week. Thanks for sharing. I found you at the Mix it up Mondays link party. Have a great day.

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February 22, 2013 at 6:56 AM

I am definitely going to try this! Thanks for sharing:)

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March 25, 2013 at 4:31 AM

Mellow, this looks very tempting, we're gonna have to give this a try! Thanks for sharing with us on Seasonal Celebration Wednesday!

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April 7, 2013 at 10:06 PM

Just pinned this for the warmer weather ahead! :)

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April 18, 2013 at 11:04 PM

Oh wow. I am definitely going to try this! Sounds amazing!!

~Jen @ Yummy. Healthy. Easy.

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May 7, 2013 at 6:50 PM

This looks and sounds delicious! Thanks for sharing at Fluster's Creative Muster Party!

Robin
Fluster Buster

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May 8, 2013 at 1:42 PM

Oh, this is wonderful! I'm trying this as soon as I get an ice cream maker. I can't have dairy, so this looks amazing!

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May 14, 2013 at 8:48 AM

Looks delicious! I featured your recipe this week at Eco-Kids Tuesday! Hope you stop by again today!

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May 20, 2013 at 6:49 PM

This looks absolutely amazing! Thanks for linking up with "Try a New Recipe Tuesday!" I can't wait to see what you'll share this week. :-)

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May 26, 2013 at 8:00 AM

Wishing you a peaceful Memorial Day Weekend and thank you so much for sharing with Full Plate Thursday.
Come Back Soon!
Miz Helen

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June 3, 2013 at 7:36 PM

This sounds and looks absolutely fabulous! Thanks for sharing at Project Inspire{d} ~ pinning to my party board.

Hugs, Mary Beth

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June 3, 2013 at 9:07 PM

Ooooh, I have to try this...as soon as I find my ice cream maker :) I hate paying $6.00 for a pint of coconut ice cream at the grocery store!!! I've never died from eating cookie batter, so I'm willing to give it a try :)

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Anonymous
June 3, 2013 at 10:56 PM

Appreciate this post. Will try it out.

Here is my page Justin Sather

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June 28, 2013 at 3:59 PM

I tried this today and have to say I'm disappointed. It was not creamy at all. I am wondering if I misinterpreted your coconut milk instructions. I used one can of coconut milk and added enough water to make 3 cups? This meant adding over 1 cup of water, which seems like a lot more than 'a bit'?

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July 1, 2013 at 6:54 AM

That does seem like more than "a bit"!
What I'm thinking is that your coconut milk was more watery to start out with. There are certain brands that are very solid, with only a tiny bit of liquid at the bottom, which is what I usually work with. Then some varieties only have a tiny bit of solid at the top with most of the can liquid, and with this kind you wouldn't want to add much water.
I'm so sorry it didn't work out- I'll update the article. It really seems like with those more watery coconut milks, you might not want to add any water at all. When you blend the coconut milk with water, you want to end up with something thick and rich like heavy cream, which is what we're replacing in the recipe.

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July 1, 2013 at 6:54 AM

And thanks, Christy, for letting me know you had a problem with the recipe!

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July 12, 2013 at 5:50 PM

We just made homemade ice cream today! We will have to give it a try with coconut milk next time. Thanks for sharing on Tuesday Greens!

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Carol
October 20, 2013 at 12:22 AM

This coconut milk vanilla ice cream is just really one of the perfect ice cream recipes you can make.

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