Four ingredient Coconut Vanilla Ice Cream – just blend, freeze and scoop! Gluten Free + Paleo + Vegan
Can we just all take a moment to appreciate all the creamy, dreamy decadence going on in this picture above and the fact that it’s all 100% dairy free???
What a time to be alive.
How to Make: Coconut Vanilla Ice Cream
This recipe is incredibly easy requiring just 4 ingredients and a blender to mix it all up.
You need:
✔️two full fat coconut milk cans – use one whole can and then just the coconut cream from the second can
✔️maple syrup (maple will keep this vegan but you can also use honey if you prefer)
✔️vanilla bean or vanilla extract
✔️pinch of salt – to help tone down some of the coconut flavour
Making the ice cream is really just a matter of blending it all up and then storing away until frozen. Every hour or so you just need to check in on the ice cream and stir it around breaking down the large icy bits of the sides which will probably freeze first. After about 6ish hours this should be frozen enough to scoop and enjoy!
Clarification of the Coconut Milk/Cream
In the recipe I list “1 14 oz can full fat coconut milk” twice. The reason I do this is because you need to do slightly different things with each can. You need to add 1 whole can of coconut milk as listed and then with the with the second can you only need to add the thickened coconut cream and not the coconut water. Add the extra coconut cream sans water makes for a thicker, creamier ice cream. Too much added water here and the ice cream tends to be more ice than cream.
Aside from that this ice cream is pretty straight forward and easy to make!
This coconut vanilla ice cream makes a great base for experimental ice cream flavours!
To spruce it up a little bit you can add in all kinds of mix ins and toppings: mixed nuts, broken up brownies pieces, hot fudge sauce – whatever you want! If you really wanna get crazy then I’d also recommend making this homemade chocolate bowls to serve it in. Super fancy. Super easy!
Other Coconut Milk Ice Creams You might enjoy:
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Coconut Vanilla Ice Cream - Paleo + Vegan
Four ingredient Coconut Vanilla Ice Cream - just blend, freeze and scoop! Gluten Free + Paleo + Vegan
Ingredients
- 1 14 oz can full fat coconut milk
- 1 14 oz can full fat coconut milk, - separate the coconut cream from the water
- 5 tablespoon maple syrup (or honey if this doesn't need to be vegan)
- 1/2 vanilla bean, or 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- Add everything to a blender and process until smooth and combined. Taste and add a little more sweetener if needed. Keep in mind that the ice cream won't taste as sweet after it's been frozen.
- If using an ice cream maker then follow the manufacture instructions for making ice cream.
- For a no churn version add the ice cream mixture to a freezer safe container and place in the freezer for 4-6 hours. Every hour or so you'll need to take out the ice cream and mix by hand until it's done.
- When you're ready take the ice cream out of the freezer to defrost slightly - depending on how long it's been frozen it may need about 15 minutes before you're able to scoop and then enjoy!
Notes
How to cut and use a vanilla bean: lay the bean down flat on a cutting board. Use a sharp knife to slice down the centre of the vanilla bean lengthwise - try not to puncture through the bottom of the bean. Gently pull apart the bean exposing the insides and scrape out the inside vanilla bean caviar. The vanilla bean caviar is the only part of the vanilla bean that goes into the recipe.
Sherry says
What shall I do if I want to add strawberries to the flavor of the ice cream? They are frozen strawberries.
Sarah Nevins says
Hi Sherry! I recommend just blending the frozen strawberries with all of the other ingredients. You should be able follow the recipe pretty much as written. You might notice that the ice cream turns out a little more icy but other than that you shouldn’t need to do anything else
Tracy says
Your recipe notes to separate one of the coconut milk cans but the steps say put all ingredients into the blender. Do i remove the separated water and not put it into the blender? Or add the water as well as the separated cream? If so, what is the point of separation?
Thanks!
Sarah Nevins says
Hi Tracy! Maybe I should have worded that better. It’s not just that you want to separate the cream from the water – you want to use just the coconut cream from the can because that’s going to make for a thicker, creamier ice cream. You can include the water and use the entire can but that will make for a more icy ice cream. Hope that helps!
Erica says
I’ve made this twice and both times the coconut cream separated while it was in the ice cream maker. Any idea what I did wrong?
Sarah Nevins says
Hi Erica! Sorry to hear you’ve had troubles with the coconut cream! Have you made sure to blend the ice cream mixture fully in a blender before transferring to an ice cream maker? Blending it really well first is usually prevents coconut milk/cream from separating. Other than maybe just blending the mixture longer I’m not too sure what the problem could be. It might be worth trying a different brand of coconut milk because sometimes that can be a finicky ingredient to work with. Sorry I couldn’t be more help here!
Jan says
The same thing happened to me and I used a blender. I first blended on a #4 speed for a minute and I should have stopped there. Instead I felt the maple syrup needed to mix more so I turned the speed up to a #9 for a minute and I ruined it. Curdled. Maybe the trick is not to use a blender
Andersyn says
I was looking for a healthy, dairy free, gluten free and Paleo ice cream recipe that was simple to make, and did not require me to get out our big ice cream maker. This recipe was more than satisfactory! It was velvety and smooth due to the usage of the coconut cream.
I put my own spin on the recipe for some added flavor:
– salted carmel paleo maple syrup
– rum or bourbon
The result was AMAZING! Thanks for the easy and delicious recipe!
Sarah Nevins says
Hi Andersyn! SO glad you liked it! Your ice cream sounds amazing! Now I need to go make a rum-caramel ice cream ASAP!
Laura says
We here wouldnwe get the paleo Carmel maple syrup? Thanks
Laine says
HI there.
Can I use sugar instead of honey in this? I don’t want a pronounced honey flavor. Also can this mixture e heated up to melt together bit if i don’t have a blender?
Sarah Nevins says
Hi Laine! You can use sugar if you’d like! Though you may need to increase the amount of sugar you use. Maple and honey are naturally sweeter tasting so you need less than you do with standard sugar. I think you’re probably going to need 1/2 -2/3 cup sugar. You can taste as you go and judge for yourself. Keep in mind that your ice cream won’t taste as sweet once its frozen so it might be worth over sweetening it while mixing it together. Also – feel free to warm it up to mix together if you like!
Hope that helps!
Saara Satele says
Hi, how long does the ice cream keep in the freezer?
Sarah says
Hi Saara! This should keep for about 2 weeks!
Steph says
Why does it only keep 2 weeks? If I make it with a blender do i still have to take it our of the freezer ans mix every 4 hours..?
Sarah says
Hi Steph! The main reason I don’t recommend keeping it longer is because the flavour starts to fade after awhile. As for the mixing – you still want to take it out and mix every so often to speed up the freeze time. The sides and bottom will freeze faster since those are tough cold sides while the middle takes longer. Mixing it up just helps it freeze quicker. Hope that helps!
Vi says
Is the picture the result without using an ice cream machine ?
Sarah says
Hi Vi! It’s been awhile since I took these but I think these ones were done with an ice cream maker
ann says
The second ingredient is “1- 14 oz can full fat coconut milk – separate the coconut cream from the water”. Are we to throw out the water?
Sarah says
You don’t need the water in here so you can throw it out if you want or save it to add to smoothies!
Natalie says
YUM! Looks absolutely delicious and perfect for the summer!
Sarah says
Thanks Natalie!
Veena Azmanov says
What a great vegan recipe! It’s always good to see posts like yours.
Sarah says
Thanks Veena!