Strawberry Ice Cream — Dairy Free (Coconut Milk)

Post published:July 23, 2020
Post category:Recipes
Post comments:10 Comments
Post author:Melissa

I finally got around to making some homemade ice cream for the summer and this new strawberry ice cream I came up with does not disappoint! It is creamy and absolutely delicious. The flavor is not like your typical strawberry ice cream. I definitely believe the custard base I use is what brings this ice cream to the next level.

My husband’s eyes popped right out of his head after he tasted it. This homemade ice cream is more than worth the effort.

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I made this ice cream with a custard base that has to be cooked because it has egg yolks, so you should aim to make this the day before you actually plan to churn it and eat it. If you really want to blow people out of the park, you could make your own jam too which is what I used in this recipe.

Make the Custard Base

All you will need for the custard is a can of full-fat coconut milk, sugar, vanilla and some egg yolks. I don’t recommend using light coconut milk just because it won’t be as creamy and thick. If you’re in a pinch or really don’t want the higher fat content, you could still use it though. Just remember the higher the fat content, the creamier your ice cream will be.

This custard comes together pretty quick. You need to put your egg yolks and sugar in a large bowl and beat it with a hand beater until it’s a light yellow color. While your beating, the coconut milk and vanilla should be heating up in a pot on the stove on medium heat.

Once the milk is simmering you can pour a little bit into the egg yolk mix and whisk thoroughly. Then pour the egg yolks into the pot on the stove while whisking. Continue to whisk frequently for a few minutes until it’s thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.

Then the custard has to cool down and be refrigerated at least 8 hours so it’s ice cold for the ice cream machine. This is why I recommend making this the day before.

Add in the Strawberries

I used homemade strawberry jam I made last week to add in the strawberry flavor for my ice cream. Since my jam is chunky, I just blitzed it with my immersion blender to get it smooth before I mixed it into the cold custard base.

You can make some jam as well, it only takes about a half hour or so to cook and then you need to let it set overnight in the fridge. Store bought strawberry jam is perfectly fine too if you’re not up for the extra work. A third option would be to just use chopped up fresh strawberries and blend them. The ice cream may not be as sweet though since the jam has added sugar.

After the custard has chilled, you can mix in the strawberry jam and it’ll be ready to churn into ice cream!

Churn into Ice Cream

You will need an ice cream maker for this recipe. I have an ice cream churner that attaches to my kitchen aid mixer. I actually decided on which ice cream maker to buy after reading David Lebovitz’s blog post on the best ice cream machines.

To prep, I just had to put the ice cream bowl in the freezer the day before I planned on churning.

So the next day I just mixed my strawberry jam into the custard and poured the mixture into the ice cream bowl. It took about 20 minutes for it to churn into thick, creamy ice cream. Then it went right into the freezer to get a little more solid.

Immediately out of the ice cream maker, it’s like super soft serve consistency. It needs a couple hours in the freezer to get even thicker.

Eat!

Then eat it!! Ice cream is so easy to make. Once you have the base ready, you just throw it in the ice cream maker and it does all the work for you and it’s way better than store bought, as always.

If you really want get fancy, you could swirl in some more jam so you have chunks of strawberry in the ice cream too.

You also may want to hide it under a bag of frozen fruit in the freezer, otherwise the gremlins might take it (they know the good stuff when they see it).

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If you’re not into coconut milk, try my almond milk strawberry ice cream instead!

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Strawberry Ice Cream (Dairy Free)

With Love, Melissa

This decadent strawberry ice cream is worth every calorie. This makes about 4 servings of ice cream which disappears awfully quick, so if you want more I recommend doubling the recipe.

Print Recipe

Prep Time 30

Chilling Time 8

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 4

Ingredients

1 (13.5oz) Can Coconut Milk (Full Fat)
¼ Cup Granulated Sugar
2 Tsp Vanilla Extract
3 Egg Yolks
1 Cup Strawberry Jam

Instructions

In a small to medium sized pot, pour the entire can of coconut milk and mix in the vanilla. As the coconut milk heats, the chunky pieces of fat that separated from the liquid will melt.* Bring to a simmer.
While the milk is heating up, in a medium sized bowl, beat the egg yolks and sugar until it is pale yellow in color, it should take a few minutes. Then pour about a 1/4 cup of the simmering milk into the egg yolks while whisking vigorously.**
Then pour the egg yolk/milk mixture back into the pot and continue to whisk frequently over medium low heat for a few minutes. The mixture should thicken slightly and be able to coat the back of a spoon. You can alternatively check the temperature, it should reach 165°F, then it is done. Pour into a bowl and let cool, then refrigerate for at least 8 hours or overnight.
Place your ice cream maker bowl into the freezer if it needs to freeze overnight.
The next day, take out the custard from the fridge. Measure out the jam and blitz with an immersion blender if it is chunky (you can leave the chunks if you want). Then mix the jam into the custard.
Take out the ice cream bowl from the freezer and prepare your ice cream maker. Pour the strawberry custard into the maker and churn about 20 minutes or follow your ice cream maker's instructions. Scoop out the finished ice cream and enjoy it as soft serve or let it thicken in the freezer for a couple more hours.