A rich and creamy coconut milk ice cream made with just 5 ingredients for an easy and delicious homemade vegan and gluten-free ice cream treat.
Hey friends!
I have returned home from my travels! After two back-to-back trips, first to New York City and second to England, I have to say it is good to be home! Dare I say, there are few better feelings IN THE WORLD than that feeling of falling asleep in your own bed after several adventurous weeks of travel?
As I settle back into my Portland home, I eagerly look forward to summer. This past weekend the kids and I started creating our annual summer bucket list. These bucket lists always look pretty same from year to year: beach trips, camping trips, berry picking, bike riding.
This year, I've added a few new ones to my list. Most notably, or perhaps I should say relevant, making homemade ice cream together. And we're going to start with this creamy coconut milk ice cream.
How to Make Coconut Ice Cream [Video]
Recommended Ingredients & Equipment
This recipe is made with just 5 simple ingredients! Better yet, they are ingredients you likely have on hand.
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Coconut Milk - I have experimented with a lot of different bases for vegan ice cream. When coconut enhances the flavor of the ice cream it is my one of my favorite option for a vegan ice cream base. Full fat coconut milk is rich, thick, and similar in consistency to the heavy creamer. Therefore, it has the most similar texture to that of cow milk ice cream. This recipe calls for full-fat canned coconut milk. Do not mistake this with coconut milk that comes in a carton.
- Granulated Sugar - Check out my guide to vegan sugars and alternative sugar replacements. For a healthier sugar alternative, I recommend coconut sugar.
- Cornstarch
- Vanilla Extract
- Salt
Recommended Equipment
Most importantly, you will need an ice cream maker. I love my ice cream maker. It is compact and makes the perfect creamy ice cream every time! You should also have a 9x5 loaf pan, ice cream scoop, and a set of reusable pint-sized ice cream freezer containers. (<<affiliate links)
Check out the full list of my recommended kitchen tools and gadgets.
How to Make Coconut Ice Cream
Step One - Make the Base
Set aside ½ cup of coconut milk. Heat the remaining coconut milk, sugar, and salt in a small saucepan, whisking until sugar has dissolved.
In a separate bowl, make a slurry with the cornstarch and the reserved coconut milk. Add it to the saucepan and cook, stirring frequently, until the ice cream base begins to thicken, fully coating the back of a wooden spoon.
Step Two - Chill the Custard
Transfer the custard to a shallow container, cover, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, until the custard is chilled all the way through.
Step Three - Churn the Ice Cream
Add the chilled ice cream base to the frozen ice cream bowl and churn according to the manufacturer's instructions. Church until it becomes thick and resembles soft serve. You can serve now or transfer it to loaf pan and store in the freezer until ready to serve. Allow 5-10 minutes to thaw when removing from the freezer.
Serving and Storing
Store the ice cream in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 1 month. I store my ice cream in pint-sized ice cream tubs to keep them fresh and avoid freezer burn.
Serve your ice cream slightly thawed. Allow the ice cream to thaw 10-15 minutes before serving. Serve it in a bowl, in cones, or as part of an ice cream sundae.
Frequently Asked Questions
While I totally recommend getting an ice cream maker ASAP, you can make a creamy custard without the machine.
To do this, make your ice cream base as outlined above. Once it’s ready, transfer it to a baking sheet and place in the freezer. When the ice cream is frozen, break it into chunks and blend it in a food processor until it becomes smooth and creamy. This may take up to 10 minutes. Transfer to a loaf pan refreeze.
You won’t get quite the same creaminess, but it works in a pinch!
Why won't my ice cream thicken?
Every once and awhile I have a reader who cannot get their ice cream to thicken. There are a few reasons your ice cream never gets thick and creamy. Make sure to:
- Boil your coconut ice cream base for at least 2 minutes. The custard should become thick, fully coating the back of a wooden spoon.
- Freeze your ice cream maker base for at least 8 hours before using it. This is to freeze the center of the base which is essential in getting thick vegan ice cream.
- Chill the ice cream base for at least 4 hours before churning. If the ice cream base is too warm, it will melt the center of the ice cream maker and never harden.
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links.
More Vegan Ice Cream Recipes
- Cookie Dough Ice Cream
- Raw Chunky Monkey Ice Cream
- Vegan Snickerdoodle Ice Cream
- Turkish Coffee Ice Cream
- Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream
Coconut Milk Ice Cream
Ingredients
- 2 (15oz) cans full-fat coconut milk, divided
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 ½ tablespoon cornstarch
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- The night before place the bowl of your ice cream maker in the freezer to freeze all the way through.
- Measure out ½ cup of coconut milk and set aside.
- Add remaining coconut milk, sugar, and salt to a small saucepan. Place over medium heat and whisk until sugar is dissolved. Add the vanilla extract.
- Stir in the cornstarch to the reserved ½ cup coconut milk until well combined.
- Add cornstarch/coconut milk mixture to the saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring frequently.
- Boil for 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until the cornstarch is completely cooked and ice cream base has thickened. Transfer to a shallow container, cover, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.
- Add chilled ice cream base to frozen ice cream bowl and churn according to manufacturer's instructions. Churn until it becomes thick and resembles soft serve.
- You can serve now or transfer to a pint-size container and store in the freezer until ready to serve. Allow 5-10 minutes to thaw when removing from the freezer.
- Serve with toasted coconut, optional
Hi, I’m Sarah. I’m a 14-year (and counting) vegan, professionally trained photographer, former pastry chef, founder of My Darling Vegan, and author of the
Deegie says
Your recipe calls for canned coconut milk. I buy mine in 1/2 gal containers in the dairy/non-dairy section.
Is it possible to use the milk I buy or does it have to be canned (is there a difference?).
If it will work, is it a 1 to 1 ratio, or something different.
I want to learn to make non-dairy ice cream because my daughter-in-law loves ice cream and is lactose intolerant.
Thanks!!
Lisa says
I would like to get back to trying to make non-dairy ice cream with stevia and monkfruit again. I have a Ninja Creami machine and have played around with little success with keto types of ice cream recipes as they do not come out creamy at all. In fact, it is often powdery when I spin it! I'm wondering with the cornstarch could I add xanthan gum and vodka to get the creamy texture I'm hoping for? Anyone have any experience with the Ninja Creami?
Ann Cooke says
Delicious. Easy to make. Will definitely keep coconut milk in the cupboard. I’m not vegan but you can whip this up in no time.
Ann C says
Made this today I swapped out the sugar for maple syrup so good. Going to try Strawberry next time.
Lois says
Looks delicious. Is there a substitute for the corn starch? I have allergies to wheat and corn. Will arrowroot powder work?.if so how much?
Janet says
You can substitute tapioca starch. However, once it is combined with the other ingredients and thickens the base remove it from the heat. Tapioca starch will break down if you continue to boil it.
Jerry says
This recipe barely makes a qt. If you have a 4 at ice cream maker you could easily double or triple the recipe.
Jody says
Are u also using the water part of the can of coconut milk?
Christie says
This recipe is perfect! Everyone in my family loved it--even the omnivores. It turned out so smooth and creamy and is perfect by itself or over vegan blackberry cobbler, which is how we used most of it. Even the leftover ice cream that we froze still tasted great and didn't lose too much of its creaminess. Thanks for such a great recipe!
faye says
this looks really good, and easy! i try to stay away from granulated white sugar when I can. have you tried any other options, like maple syrup? thanks!!
Sarah McMinn says
Take a look at this guide to vegan sugar for some more ideas.
Tbass says
This is an excellent recipe. I made it verbatim but substituted equal parts simple syrup for sugar to avoid heating the mixture. The texture was delightful and the recipe was easy. I added chocolate chips, banana chunks, and chopped walnuts. This will be my go-to ice cream recipe henceforth!
Jenn Cooley says
Perfect ratio, not too sweet. We serve it in little espresso cups to make it last ?
Peggy says
I want to try this recipe but have a quick question. I have an ice cream machine that has a compressor in it. Do I still have to freeze the bowl prior to making this ice cream? The brand is a Wynter ice cream maker. It churns and freezes.
Melissa S Schemenauer says
You do not have to freeze the bowl on your Wynter. I have one as well. All you have to do is turn it on and, as it sits in Standby Mode, it gets ready for you. I've been playing around with running it in Cool Mode (the one with the snowflake) for about 10-15 mins before adding my mix to see if that helps freeze things faster. All in all, 30 mins for homemade ice cream is pretty awesome!