Ice cream is, by far, the most popular and delightfully frozen dessert available, but not everyone is a fan. Particularly, there are those who can't enjoy a soothingly cold treat on a hot day due to their veganism. Fortunately, this dessert has come a long way, and has undergone many changes, leading to variations that suit almost every diet, especially that of vegans. Presenting vegan ice cream.

Obviously, this variation to ice cream calls for adjustments to be made in the traditional formula. It requires the removal of eggs, and the substitution of non-dairy milk for regular milk.

However, this revised formula is much simpler than it sounds, as the formula is quite similar to American style ice cream recipe, but with non-dairy milk for the base.

The secret is in full-fat coconut milk. It's just perfect for thickening the base of a non-dairy ice cream, and they're really no exceptions with this. Simply put, other types of non-dairy milk (soy, almond, etc) can't compare to coconut milk, in terms of fat content, as it provides just enough for thickening the base. Instead, the competition would require additional thickeners for the recipe to get the job done.

With that covered, all is left for the base is the sweetener and flavoring. One could get away with plain sugar, but honey is preferred, while the flavoring is simply whatever the confectioner's desire might be.

However, one thing to note about this recipe, is that it will require a whole day's time for preparation. For the best consistency, the bowl for the ice cream maker needs to be frozen overnight in a freezer, while the base itself should be chilled in a refrigerator before it's ready for churning.

The recipe

Ingredients

  • 2 cans (14 oz each) coconut milk, full fat
  • 1/2 cup (6 oz) honey
  • 2 tsp (10 oz) vanilla extract

Directions

  1. Chill the ice cream maker bowl in the freezer overnight before churning the base. Do something similar with the base: Shake the cans of the coconut milk, then pour into a blender or food processor. Add the other ingredients, cover, and process until fully incorporated. Keep the blender jug covered and chill the base in a refrigerator overnight.
  2. The next day, reattach the chilled bowl to the ice cream maker. Pour the base into the bowl and process for 20 minutes or until it reaches the right consistency.
  3. Transfer to a container and chill in the freezer for 3 to 4 hours. Serve.

Serves: 6-8

Variations

  • Chocolate - Add 1 tablespoon of cocoa powder to the base before processing in the blender or food processor.
  • Berry - Add puree of 4 ounces of berry fruit (strawberries/raspberries/blueberries/etc) to the base before processing in the blender or food processor. How about a simple strawberry Bellini sorbet recipe?
  • Banana - Add puree from 1 banana to the base before processing in the blender or food processor.
  • Cookies and cream - Mix in 1 cup of frozen crushed chocolate cookies to the ice cream right before its neatly finished churning.
  • Pistachio - Substitute almond extract for the vanilla extract. Mix in 1 cup of chopped pistachio nuts into the ice cream right before its neatly finished churning.
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