Lime Coconut Ice Cream
Lime Coconut Ice Cream is the ultimate healthy summer treat. It's a super creamy, 3-ingredient, vegan ice cream that has just the right tartness from the lime. It's so easy to make and delicious that you'll want to make it all summer long!
Lime Coconut Ice Cream is going on heavy repeat here this summer! This is all the good things wrapped up together in each bite. You're going to want a lot of it.
Here's why you'll want all the Lime Coconut Ice Cream:
- Super creamy, luscious ice cream that makes you want to eat more and more and more.
- It's healthy, so you can eat more and more and more.
- Tangy lime tastes extra refreshing on a hot summer's day.
- It's ridiculously easy to make.
- You can use your ice cream maker OR opt for the no churn ice cream method. Your choice!
- It's dairy-free ice cream so you can feel good even after eating the entire batch to yourself.
Original post date: May 20th, 2012
This lime coconut ice cream doesn't taste anything like what I thought it would. I was going for a coconut sorbet with a hint of lime. What I got was the opposite, a lime sorbet with a hint of coconut. Not that I'm complaining, it's delicious.
The bright flavor of the lime is kept perfectly in check by the creamy coconut. It's a flavor match made in heaven.
This is all about summertime ice cream magic.
Bring on the vegan ice cream!
We've got a bit of a thing around here for dairy-free ice cream. This lime coconut ice cream is the 9th vegan ice cream recipe on the blog. And with summer beginning, I guarantee it won't be the last.
Even though I cook with more butter than I care to admit and sprinkle cheese on my pasta, when it comes to ice cream, dairy-free is the only way to go. Regular ice cream leaves me feeling pretty terrible. #truth!
Are you the same way?
I love that I can eat a big bowl of vegan ice cream and feel great afterward.
Looking for some more healthy ice cream recipes to cool down with this summer? Check out:
- Healthier Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Ice Cream
- Dreamy Almond Chocolate Nice Cream
- Black Pepper Pistachio Ice Cream
- White Balsamic and Roasted Strawberry Ice Cream
- Boozy Cherry Garcia Ice Cream
- Peanut Butter Banana Ice Cream
All of those recipes are vegan and most are paleo. Give it up for healthy, dairy-free ice cream!
Popular vegan ice cream recipes
- 3 Ingredient Chocolate Banana Ice Cream
- Peanut Butter Banana Ice Cream
- Lime Coconut Ice Cream
- Healthier Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Ice Cream
- Dreamy Almond Chocolate Nice Cream
Lime Coconut Ice Cream
If you love this recipe as much as we do, let us know with a 5-star rating!
Ingredients
- 14 ounce can coconut cream, see notes
- 2 limes, juice and zest
- ½ cup coconut sugar, honey, or granulated sugar
Instructions
- Whisk all the ingredients in a medium-sized bowl until the sugar has dissolved.
- Pour the lime coconut cream into your ice cream maker and process according to the manufacturer's directions. Transfer the sorbet to a freezer-proof container and freeze until solid, about 2 hours.
Kristen,
How do I make this without an Ice Cream maker?
Rick
You can find more detailed instructions in this post: https://www.theendlessmeal.com/coconut-lemon-ice-cream/
But basically, you pour the ice cream into a shallow dish, put it into your freezer, then take it out every half an hour and scrape it with a fork to mix it up. It takes a few hours and doesn’t get as creamy but it is still very good.
It’s just like that because it is cold. You should be able to whisk it together, but if not then you may need to warm it slightly.
In my canned coconut milk/cream, the fat separates out. How do you get it to emulsify in the ice cream?
That happens when it’s quite cold. You should be able to whisk it together but if not then simply warm it slightly and the coconut cream will melt.
What do you mean by 1 14 ounce coconut cream? I am used to the metric system and am having trouble understanding the conversion charts online. What would it be in millilitres? Thanks!
You’ll want to look for a 400 ml can. 🙂
better than ice cream. a little less sugar and a little extra lime juice made this perfect.
I’m so looking forward to making this! I just looked at what canned coconut cream options are available at my local store and see some of hay are sweetened (like for Piña Coladas) and some that are unsweetened (like used for Thai recipes). Which is the right one to get for this ice cream? Thanks!
I always buy unsweetened so that I can control the sweetness. 🙂
Hi Kristen, Thanks for your reply. I’m still a little confused because the recipe says Coconut CREAM, but I find Cream of Coconut is clear and sweetened, but Coconut MILK is white (and unsweetened), like the ice cream you show. I opened a can of each and am actually going to mix them and see what come of it. 🙂
The cans that I used to buy to make ice cream look like this one here. To be honest, I haven’t been able to find them since moving out of the city to a small town. But I have used Aroy’d coconut milk with success. The biggest keys are to look for cans of coconut milk with the highest percentage of coconut extract AND to make sure that there are no additives. Lots of brands add guar gum and other additives to make the milk appear creamier, but it gives the coconut milk a funny texture. 🙂
So good. Served it with key lime pie and everyone loved it. Thank you for the recipe!
Hi there, any advice on how to make this without an ice cream maker?
If you pour it into a baking pan and stir it with a fork every half an hour as it freezes that will work. It will take about 2 hours to freeze (as long as you use a larger pan so it’s not deep) and it won’t be as creamy. But it will still be really tasty. I’ve done this method many times with ice cream before I bought an ice cream maker. 🙂
I’m a personal chef and served it as palate cleanser at a recent dinner party. The guests were asking for seconds. I think they enjoyed it more than my main dessert.
That’s so wonderful to hear!!
Sounds yum and the pre frozen version tastes great. Just waiting I. It to freeze and then we’ll be enjoying! Thank you!!
So happy to hear it tastes great! I think so too. 🙂
Hi ,could you add some white rum?if so I’m wondering how much ,or would it affect ability to freeze?
Asking for friend…!!?
Haha! Yes, I think rum is a great idea. It will affect the freezing, but not in a bad way. It should help it to not freeze so solid. I would try ¼ cup!
This ice cream turned out great! My coconut milk was a little lumpy so I blended the mixture in a blender first. I also used agave as the sweetener. Amazing.
I’m so happy the ice cream was a hit!
I have a question and hopefully you’ll see this before I make this recipe. I’m making it 3x and I’m guessing 3 42oz cans of coconut cream? Is that correct? OR?
No it should be 3 – 14-ounce cans of coconut cream. I’ll contact my recipe card provider about that glitch. 🙂
Does this keep in the freezer for a few days? Having a 4th of July cookout, but I need to make the ice cream ahead of time. Some recipes get really icy.
It does get a bit icy after a few days but softens if you leave it out of the freezer for 10 minutes or so. 🙂
I split between 1 can of coconut cream and 1 can of coconut milk (which had more fat than the cream version). Also used unrefined coconut sugar as the sugar of choice. I doubled up on the lime juice.
Impressions- coconut sugar is dark. I did add one drop of green food coloring. Final color was nice. It was very sweet. Next time, I’ll use half the amount of sugar. But besides that, it was very tasty and it had a very nice mouthfeel/consistency.
Happy to hear you liked the recipe!
This is the best ice cream ever!
I’m happy to hear you think so, too!
I’ve never heard of coconut cream, but it looks like I need to go out and find some!
You should totally look for it! If your store carries it, it will be next to the other cans of coconut milk. If they don’t, pick the can with the highest percentage of coconut. That will be the richest!
I can’t believe you make this with only 3 ingredients 🙂 Looks so dreamy!
Sometimes simple really is the best, isn’t it?!!
This is such a refreshing and lovely treat! Ice cream is a serious weakness of mine. The coconut and the lime probably pair so perfectly–add a little graham crackers on top and you got key lime pie ice cream!
Graham crackers on top? Girl, you’re amazing! So brilliant!!
I make this but always add a pinch of salt. I serve it with grilled carmelized bananas and top it off with Thai Basil. It’s delicious and refreshing.
That is a brilliant combo! I think I’ll borrow your idea next time I make this. 🙂
Thanks for the recipe,
I Just whipped this one up, and let’s just say it’ll be lucky to last until tomorrow.
So with desert sorted, my better half is cooking up a hand made massaman curry for mains….
It’s a tough life, but someone has to do it…
The curry sounds awesome! I’ll be right over 😉
Could I use coconut cream for the recipe?
Cheers
Hi Trish,
I haven’t tried it myself but my hunch is that it would work just fine. Just make sure you use the highest fat coconut milk you can find (definitely not low fat!) so that it doesn’t turn icy 🙂
I made this today and it’s excellent!! My son and I both love it just the way it is and my husband can’t wait to try it. I used low fat canned coconut milk and it still turned out creamy.
Now I just need to find a good recipe for peanut butter ice cream.
Thanks for the great feedback!
I can’t believe you just mentioned peanut butter ice cream. I have been searching the web all day to see if I can find a recipe I like!
I haven’t found exactly what I am looking for (I want a dairy free version that doesn’t taste dairy free) but I am going to start experimenting tomorrow. Stay tuned for that post 🙂
I wish you would specify canned coconut milk in your recipe. I just had to throw away a whole pot of curdled ingredients.
Hi Lena,
Did you use fresh coconut milk? I never even thought of that possibility since fresh coconuts are almost impossible to get here. I’m sorry it didn’t turn out for you because of that. Thank you though for letting me know, I do really appreciate it. I’m going to add that into the recipe so other readers won’t make the same mistake.
I’ve been slightly obsessed with coconut-lime anything for awhile now, and this seems to fit the bill! Can’t wait to try it!
Hi. You might want to contact these people: https://www.facebook.com/briimstone
They have taken your great pictures of lime coconut sorbet and are passing it off as their own. It’s not the first time they have done this with other bloggers, including myself.
Thank you so much, Steven for bringing that to my attention. I had contacted them and am now waiting for a reply. I really appreciate you letting me know!
Is there any way to make this withOUT an ice cream maker? Because I don’t have one and this isn’t the first time I’ve been bummed that I don’t. 🙁 This looks and sounds delicious!!
Hey Jennifer,
I’ve definitely read on the internet that it is possible to make ice cream without an ice cream maker. I think the trick is to freeze it for a little while (30-45 minutes) then take it out and whisk it well, then continue that process till it is completely frozen. Hope this helps!
I just whipped this up… I am a huge coconut fan.. and a hint of lime is what I’d prefer, so I juiced 1/2 of a lime and put the zest of 1/2 a lime in. Let’s see if that helps 🙂 I’ll use the ice cream machine tonight and let you know if it resulted in a coconut lime instead of lime coconut sorbet!
Hey Michelle,
Definitely let me know how it turned out!
It came out coconutty with a hint of lime… 🙂 Nice….
That’s fantastic! You’ve convinced me to try this recipe again, only with your alterations 🙂 Thank you!
Ok, I just put the ingredients together and the lime juice curdled the coconut milk!! Did this happen to you? What coconut milk did you use? I used “SO delicious” unsweetened…
Hey Kelly,
I don’t remember what kind of coconut milk I used but that didn’t happen to me. Try straining it through a fine sieve to remove the curdled bits. When I make a custard type ice cream I alway do this and it works well to remove any clumps. I hope that helps!!
You have to use canned coconut milk, not the beverage type. The higher the fat content of your coconut milk, the creamier your sorbet will be.
Hey Therese,
I guess the recipe wasn’t clear enough, it was canned coconut milk that was used. You’re right, definitely want the creamy fat content for ice cream!
I think some are mistaking coconut water with coconut milk. I live in the tropics so all these ingredients are readily available.
You might be right. Here in Canada, coconut milk and cream are sold in cans while coconut water is sold in bottles.
I am definitely going to make this soon. I love the combination of coconut and lime. It’s already crazy hot here in Texas, and this sounds so refreshing!
Hey Natasha,
I’m so jealous that it is already crazy hot for you. Our summer up here is just starting to get going 🙂
Already pinned this one! Looks incredible!
Thanks, Meatballs and Milkshakes!
LOVE the name btw 🙂
Sounds SO good and refreshing. Just found this on Tastespotting, got all excited, and sadly I don’t have all of the ingredients on hand. Lol, but it’s going on my list! 🙂 🙂
OMG this sounds DELICIOUS!! My two favorite flavors wrapped into one. my DH loves anything lime, so he’s be glad to come over and take any leftovers off your hands. I can’t WAIT to try this out this summer!! sounds so refreshing! I’m so glad you posted your results, whether it’s what you were aiming for or not. Funny how sometimes the “accidents” often come out better than the intended though. 🙂
Hey Buttoni,
You’re totally right about accidents sometimes creating great things. And if not at least we can always learn from them 🙂 I’d be happy to share any leftovers with you and your DH!
Love the concept of ice cream Sundays! In fact, I might have to go out and get some now, since I’m totally craving it and don’t have my ice cream maker frozen. Hope your next iteration of this is as coconut-y as you wanted!
Hey Katie,
You should definitely go and get some ice cream for Ice Cream Sundays! Any excuse to eat ice cream is a good one, right? 🙂