4 Ingredient Paleo Ice Cream (Vegan)

I love ice cream but prefer dairy free. Most vegan ice creams available in stores have sugar and ingredients I prefer not to eat. This summer I played around with a lot of vegan ice cream recipes using cashews, tahini and coconut. I found coconut milk and coconut cream sweetened with maple syrup and vanilla created the creamiest ice cream with the best texture, not icy at all. It’s also a pure, simple recipe I feel good about eating.

Since it’s made with coconut milk it has a mild sweet coconut flavor. If you don’t want the taste of coconut you can use it as a base to make some of the flavors listed below in the variations.

Do I have to have an ice cream maker?

I highly recommend using an ice cream maker (I like this brand) if you want the smoothest, creamiest homemade dairy free ice cream possible. It is possible to churn it by hand (instructions below). Without an ice cream maker, the ice cream won’t be quite as creamy but it will still be good!

For years I resisted getting an ice cream maker but now that I have this Cuisinart, I am thrilled to discover how easy it is to make perfectly sweet, ultra creamy paleo ice cream. One of the best parts of having an ice cream maker is having delicious homemade ice cream in less than 1 hour.

Ingredients

There are only 4 ingredients in this paleo ice cream. This is what you need:

Coconut Milk – Selecting a good quality brand of coconut milk is important to the success of this ice cream. I find Aroy-D makes the creamiest ice cream, but you have to buy it online. I also like 365 Whole Foods Organic Coconut Milk and Native Forest Organic Classic which are easier to find.

Coconut Cream – Coconut cream yields a creamier ice cream due to it’s higher fat content. But the recipe can be made with just coconut milk if you want less fat. Let’s Do Organic is a good brand and easy to find. Savoy is another good one but is only available online.

Pure Vanilla Extract – Vanilla gives the ice cream a rich vanilla taste. The alcohol lowers the freezing temperature creating a creamy less icy texture.

Maple Syrup – I like the rich caramel flavor of maple syrup but honey will also work. It will give the ice cream a honey flavor.

How To Make

Here are the steps to make paleo ice cream and process photos to go with it. You will find full instructions and measurements in the recipe card below.

Step 1: Put Coconut milk, coconut cream, maple syrup and vanilla into a blender and blend on low until evenly combined.

Step 2: Pour the mixture into your chilled ice cream maker and start churning. It will begin to thicken after about 20 minutes.

Step 3: Keep churning until you get a soft serve consistency. It usually takes about 40 minutes in total. Scoop out and enjoy! If you would like thicker ice cream, transfer to a freezer safe container and freeze for 1-2 hours.

How to Make Without an Ice Cream Maker

If you don’t have an ice cream maker, you can still make this recipe. It will be good just not as creamy.

After blending the mixture in the high speed blender, transfer to a freezer safe container or bowl and freeze for 4-6 hours.  The key is stirring every 30 minutes -1 hour, especially the first 3 hours, to “churn” by hand.

Toppings

Serve alone or with your favorite toppings. Here are a few of my favorites:

• raspberry or strawberry sauce – blend fresh or frozen berries with a few tablespoons of maple syrup
• melted chocolate – melt chocolate chips with a little coconut oil in a double boiler, drizzle over your ice cream
• chocolate chips, cacao nibs, chopped nuts

Variations

Coconut Almond Butter Ice Cream – Add 1/4 teaspoon almond extract to the coconut milk mixture when blending. Stir 2-4 tablespoons creamy almond butter by hand into the ice cream once it’s fully churned before storing in the freezer. Don’t churn with the almond butter. Do this when it’s at the soft serve stage .

Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream – Add 1¼ teaspoons pure peppermint extract to the coconut milk mixture. Reduce the amount of vanilla to 1 tablespoon. Add 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips to the ice cream maker the last 10 minutes and continue to churn until ice cream thickens.

Chocolate Ice Cream – Add 1/4 -1/2 cup cacao powder to the coconut milk mixture when blending. Taste to adjust sweetness. Add more cacao for a more chocolaty flavor.