Vanilla Coconut Ice Cream
Vanilla Coconut Ice Cream is easy to make and INSANELY delicious. It's made with only 3 ingredients (no refined sugar!) and you probably have them all in your pantry right now. What are you waiting for?
I don't mean to brag, but … Ok, I'm going to brag a little. This vanilla coconut ice cream is as good as it gets. It's super creamy and full of rich vanilla flavor and just a hint of coconut in the background. You'd never guess it is dairy free.
This is a recipe that I've been making for years. When I ran an underground restaurant, I would often serve it as part of dessert if any of the guests were vegan. After serving it one evening, a guest wrote me to say that she “was almost in tears the dessert was that good.”
Even though it's February (and a mighty strange time to be sharing an ice cream recipe) I couldn't help myself. This coconut ice cream recipe had to be shared.
Another must-try ice cream is our homemade strawberry ice cream. That one is made the traditional way with cream and eggs. If you eat those things then you should totally try it!
Why you'll love this coconut ice cream
- It is the creamiest coconut ice cream ever! By using the highest fat coconut milk (more on that in a minute) you can make absolutely luscious dairy-free ice cream.
- It's made without any refined sugar. I adapted the recipe a little to bring it in line with the times. Instead of using white sugar, I now use coconut sugar. It makes the ice cream the most gorgeous light caramel color and gives it a richer flavor.
- 3 little ingredients. That's right, this coconut milk ice cream is made with only 3 ingredients and the chances that you have them all in your pantry right now are high.
- So what are you waiting for?
The trick to making the best coconut milk ice cream
Making the best coconut milk ice cream is not difficult or time-consuming, but you do need one little thing. High-fat coconut milk. This is not the place to skimp and buy a jar that has low-fat written anywhere on the label.
- Low-fat = icy ice cream
- High-fat = unbelievably creamy ice cream
While the recipe will technically work with any coconut milk, you'll only get to put “The Best” bragging rights in front of the title if you use high-fat coconut milk.
Look for canned coconut milk with a minimum 60% coconut extract and no additives. If you can find coconut milk with a higher percentage, use it. When I can get my hands on a can of 90% this coconut ice cream is literally out of this world delicious.
Do I need an ice cream maker to make this coconut ice cream recipe?
Nope! Although that is a picture of an ice cream maker up there. If you have one, use it. It's the easiest.
But if you don't have one, don't worry.
To make no-churn coconut milk ice cream:
- Pour the ice cream into a shallow pan and put it into your freezer.
- Every half an hour take the pan out of the freezer and use a fork to scrape and mix the ice cream. Do this at least 3-4 times.
- That's it!
Favorite Dairy-Free Ice Cream Recipes:
- Healthy Chocolate Banana Ice Cream
- Lime Coconut Ice Cream
- Coconut Cherry Ice Cream
- Dreamy Almond Chocolate Nice Cream
- Black Pepper Pistachio Ice Cream
- Peanut Butter Banana Ice Cream
- White Balsamic and Roasted Strawberry Ice Cream
Vanilla Coconut Ice Cream
If you love this recipe as much as we do, let us know with a 5-star rating!
Ingredients
- 3 15-ounce cans of additive-free coconut milk, see notes
- 1 cup coconut sugar
- 2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract
- Optional: flaked or shredded coconut, to serve (toasted, if you'd like)
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a medium-sized pot and heat over medium-low heat until sugar has completely dissolved. (Do not bring to a boil)3 15-ounce cans of additive-free coconut milk, 1 cup coconut sugar, 2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract
- Put the pot in your fridge to cool. Once it is completely cold, process it according to your ice cream maker's directions. (See the blog post for making this without an ice cream maker.)
- Either serve immediately (my favorite!) or scoop the ice cream into a container and cover with a piece of parchment paper directly on the ice cream to help prevent any ice crystals from forming.
- Store in your freezer. Allow the ice cream to sit for 10 minutes at room temperature before serving.Optional: flaked or shredded coconut
YUM! We just got the kitchen aid ice cream maker and have been trying lots of recipes. I’m keen on the dairy free ones for my tummy, and I love coconut so this was a win for me! I had some toasted coconut and pineapple on hand to throw in and it was incredible. Super easy. Thank you!
Could I use 3 cans of coconut CREAM? Or will it solidify too much while chilling in the fridge?
Thanks!
Cream should work well. The higher the fat content the better!
Hi! This recipe sounds so delicious! I do not have an ice cream maker but do have Vitamix. Can I make this by freezing the mixture of all the ingredients and mixing the frozen mixture with Vitamix instead of no-churn method with fork? Please let me know. Thank you!
That would probably work. I’d recommend whisking or blending it halfway through freezing and then again afterward otherwise you’re going to end up with a solid block of cream that will be hard even on your Vitamix.
It looks yummy. So…I mixed everything last night and put it in fridge . This morning I have a hard top layer of cream, then milk, then water. What should I do to mix it all together? Thank you. 🙂
Coconut milk will do that when it’s really cold. Just let it warm a touch then whisk it back together. 🙂
what are the directions with no icecream making machine?
TO MAKE NO-CHURN COCONUT MILK ICE CREAM:
Pour the ice cream into a shallow pan and put it into your freezer.
Every half an hour take the pan out of the freezer and use a fork to scrape and mix the ice cream. Do this at least 3-4 times.
That’s it!
I’m curious-i’ve got vacum packs of frozen white peaches. how do I incorporate that into my ice cream?
Fresh (or frozen) fruit will often make ice cream icy. For really creamy ice cream, I recommend roasting the peaches to remove some of their moisture then blending them into the coconut milk. It will be delicious!
When you are using the full fat coconut milk, do you use only the creamy solid part or the whole can, including the liquid? This looks delish!
The whole can! I usually give the can a shake first to mix it up. 🙂
Have you tried making coconut ice cream from coconuts? I’m looking for a recipe that uses coconuts
Do you mean the water that is inside coconuts? I don’t think it would make good ice cream as it is much too watery. You want the high fat content so that it is creamy. 🙂
Gmorning
So not one can of coconut cream or milk had the percentage of extract … is it the fat percentage on the nutrition label your looking for ???
If you look at the ingredients, it should tell you the percentage of extract there. Here’s a picture of a can with 60% coconut extract:
Do you have a favorite easy to use ice cream maker that you can suggest buying?
This is the one that I have and I love it! https://www.theendlessmeal.com/amazon-ice-cream-maker
Please tell me what brand of coconut cream to buy and where I can find it.
I have been to many stores and cannot find any with the fat content that you mention in your recipe (vanilla-coconut ice cream).
I buy Arroy’d coconut and try to find the cans that say 90% coconut extract. 🙂
Where’s the blog post that tells you how to make it without an ice cream maker? I want to make this SOO badly, but I don’t have an ice cream maker and I’m not exactly sure on what steps I’d need to go through for this specific recipe (I really don’t want ice crystals to form all because I froze it wrong or something small like that). Thanks in advance!
The instructions are in the blog post, just below the picture of the ice cream in the ice cream maker. The most important thing is to make sure to use the highest fat coconut milk you can find. 🙂
OMG, this looks absolutely PERFECT! I love a deliciously creamy and decadent coconut milk ice cream. What a beautiful treat to enjoy any time of the day!
I do too! I hope you love this one like I do!
How much fat do you consider high fat? I have 3 different brands of coconut milk and all of them are 12%.
Check the ingredients. You’ll want it to say at least 60% coconut extract. 🙂
Do you think this recipe will turn out if honey or agave nectar is used as the sweetener?
Both would change the flavor slightly but I think it would still be really tasty either way!
Hi! I was wondering how many ounces of coconut milk will this recipe need? Because at the store the amount of onces per can vary per brand…for example, one brand have 15 oz per can while other have 12 oz. I want to make the recipe right. Thanks!
Hi Joan,
I use a few different brands that are all 400 ml (which I believe is 13.5 oz.)
The most important thing is to buy the brand that has the highest fat content so that the ice cream is creamy and does not turn icy. If you buy the 15 oz cans just taste the cream before you churn it to see if you need to add a little more sugar or vanilla 🙂
Omg made this this afternoon and it is amazing…so simple…and incredibly delicious. Thank you so much for this recipe. Definitely something that will be in my freezer from now on.
No problem at all, Jessica. So happy you loved this ice cream!
I think I’ve found the only vegan ice cream I will ever need again. Great recipe!
Thank you so much, Terry!
I’ll have to try this one! I bet it was great with grilled peaches!
Hey Riley,
My father brought me a whole box of beautiful organic peaches the other day. They’re fabulous on their own, grilled and served with this ice cream, or just about any which way 🙂
Oh rats! I wish I had an ice cream maker!! Hmmm, I bet I could find one to borrow. I’m on it!
I bought an ice cream maker this year and I swear I use it more than almost any other small appliance I have. I love it!
that sounds good.
gonna try it this weekend
Awesome! Hope you love it 🙂
Fantastic. Making this tonight.