A creamy, dairy free coconut ice cream recipe you can make at home, no ice cream maker required!
This coconut ice cream has just FOUR ingredients:
Coconut Milk
Vanilla
Sweetener
Pinch of Salt
In just a few steps, a bowl of luxurious homemade coconut ice cream—with many different flavor options!—can be all yours.
Also try this Keto Ice Cream – Reader Favorite Recipe
Coconut Ice Cream Flavors:
- Coffee Ice Cream: Use the basic coconut ice cream recipe below, adding 2 tsp regular or decaf instant coffee to the liquid ingredients.
- Peanut Butter Ice Cream: Stir 1/4 cup peanut butter into the liquid ingredients, and add some mini chocolate chips if desired.
- Cookie Dough Ice Cream: Use the basic ice cream recipe, and stir in spoonfuls of this Chickpea Cookie Dough Dip or pieces of your favorite eggless cookie dough (or the dough from any of my healthy cookies recipes) into the ice cream after blending.
- Strawberry Ice Cream: Add 1 cup strawberries, stems removed, to the basic recipe before blending and omit the extra 1/2 cup milk of choice.
- Salted Caramel Ice Cream: Swirl in homemade Coconut Caramel and add a quick sprinkle of sea salt—and maybe some shaved chocolate!—to the top of each serving.
Above – Watch the video how to make coconut ice cream!
How To Use A Can Of Coconut Milk
You can make Healthy Pumpkin Pie or my Healthy Chocolate Pudding, you can use it for homemade Vegan Magic Bars, or you can even turn it into Chocolate Frosting Shots – readers especially love those!
Canned coconut milk is one of my favorite ingredients to use in recipes; it’s a fantastic substitute for heavy cream in both sweet and savory dishes such as smoothies, milkshakes, pies, puddings, soups, or curries.
Especially with statistics listing over 60-75% of the world’s population as being lactose intolerant, my guess is that in the coming years, we will start to see more and more products on the market being made with coconut milk instead of dairy.
Extra Coconut Milk? Make Coconut Whipped Cream!
But can you make ice cream with coconut milk?
Yes, you absolutely can! If you have dairy allergies or are vegan, or even if you just want to try something new and delicious, coconut milk is the perfect ingredient to make rich and creamy ice cream without any actual cream.
Many big brands–such as Haagen Dazs, So Delicious, Ben & Jerry’s, and Halo Top–are even getting on the dairy free coconut ice cream bandwagon.
However, by making your own ice cream at home, not only do you control what ingredients go in (less sugar, and no corn syrup, gums, or preservatives), you also get to choose what flavors to make! You can even make multiple flavors from the same base. Have fun experimenting!
*Side Note: If you want a lower-fat ice cream alternative that is also dairy free and vegan, check out the following recipe: Banana Ice Cream – 10 Different Flavors!
Adapted from Vegan Chocolate Ice Cream
Coconut Ice Cream
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cup canned coconut milk
- 1/2 cup additional coconut milk OR milk of choice
- 1/4 cup sweetener of choice, such as sugar or pure maple syrup
- pinch stevia or 1 additional tbsp sweetener of choice
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- optional ingredients for desired flavor
Instructions
- *Be sure to use full-fat canned coconut milk, not lite or coconutmilk beverage. Sweeteners that work include pure maple syrup, regular sugar, coconut sugar, honey, agave, brown sugar, or xylitol for a sugar-free ice cream.Stir all ingredients (minus optional add-ins) together in a bowl. If you have an ice cream maker, simply transfer the mixture to your ice cream maker and churn according to manufacturer’s directions for your specific machine. If you don’t have an ice cream maker, you can freeze the mixture in ice cube trays, then blend the frozen ice cubes in a high-speed blender such as a Vitamix. Either eat the ice cream straight from the machine or freeze a few hours for a firmer texture. While homemade ice cream is best the day it is made, you can technically keep it frozen for up to a few weeks and thaw before eating.View Nutrition Facts
Notes
Have you made this recipe?
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More Ice Cream Recipes
Chocolate Peanut Butter Nice Cream
Megan O'Rourke says
I thought this sounded great so I just made some using organic maple syrup as the sweetener. If you want that white coconut color, don’t do what I did! The base tastes good and I can’t wait to taste the finished ice cream. Next time I’ll use Xylitol. The vanilla also gives it an off-White color, just FYI.
Han says
would you care to share what ice cream maker you used to make the ice cream in the photos?
Jason Sanford says
Hi! Here is the ice cream maker she says in another post that she owns: https://amzn.to/2JOfuqf
But it looks like she made the coconut ice cream with a vitamix, based on the video! https://amzn.to/2ENszvI
T says
This was absolutely delicieuse! I will definitely be using this recipe again for a late Father’s day meal!
Josephine Fusco says
Absolutely delicious!!!!! What a treat!!!
yvonne barnes says
I have made this for some time for a friend who is lactose intolerant, and it is really good. We all eat it now. Just love it.
Kathryn Davidson says
I have made many things with full fat coconut milk, including the whipped cream that the family loves! But, this recipe makes ice cream as hard as brick. Even leaving it out on the counter for half an hour didn’t crack this nut. And you don’t drain any of the coconut water from the canned milk That’s probably why.
Jason Sanford says
It’s hard as a brick after freezing because of the lack of preservatives, that’s all. If you look at any commercial ice cream made with coconut milk (or even ice creams made without coconut milk), they will all have preservatives or things like guar gum, xanthan gum, etc. to stay soft. This ice cream is more natural and therefore is best as soon as you eat it. Or if you want it the same creaminess as when you first make it, you can re-blend the partially thawed brick into ice cream again.
Jason
Belinda Jolie says
Hi Sis, my name is Belinda Coconut ice recipe is very interesting and useful for me. I will try to make it at home. Thank you for the information.
Wendy says
This is such a great simple recipe! I just made the simple coconut recipe and mixed it in my thermomix then transferred it to silicone cupcake moulds. I then blitzed it in the thermomix again when it was frozen! Absolutely delicious! I then put the remaining pieces in a zip bag and they are ready to blitz for our next dessert! Thank you so much for sharing the recipe we have been on the Keto diet for about 9 weeks and both lost over 10kg! We have both been craving ice cream! Thanks again!!
Angela says
Your recipe was on point!!! Thank you so much!!! My 3yr old loved it.I used ice cream maker and just 1/3 of honey.Its perfect!!!
Jaxkie says
Came out a teensy too salty for me but still delicious and so easy to make
Michelle says
Ok, I have to ask…do you only use the solid portion of the coconut milk?
Jason Sanford says
You can use both!
Michelle says
I would really like to see a video of this ice cream being made. Thank you in advance 😉
Jason Sanford says
Hi, there’s a video in this post above the recipe 🙂
Michelle says
thank you!! here goes…fingers crossed 🤞 🙃🙂
Ruby Miller says
Oh my i have some sorting to do…I put 2 cups coconut milk into my blitzer…(Food processor) with erythritol and vanilla stevia…it came out all lumpy hahaha…i just ignored it put it inti ice cream silicon moulds then into the freezer, blitzed it and it as fantastic, put the rest in the freezer and now i have just taken it out and its solid, on the counter turning into liquid…It tastes ood though…haha…I will try again and not blitz it at the 1st off…just mix in the jug then pour into silicone and freeze…got it..thanks anyhow..massive new fan…..Ruby….x
Harvey says
While this recipe is delicious, there are little globs of fat (coconut oil) in the ice cream.
What did I do wrong?