Homemade Coconut Ice Cream

Let me preface this post by saying I’m not a huge ice cream fan. Besides the whole dairy thing, I really only like cold treats when it’s steamy hot out. So once or twice a summer, I crave a trip to the ice cream shop. And even then, my taste buds usually gravitate towards sorbet with sprinkles on top. But when the people at CSN stores offered me a giveaway from their store, I immediately decided I wanted an ice cream maker. I always thought ice cream makers were one of those random kitchen appliances you put on your wedding registry and never actually use, and wanted to see what all the fuss was about. Funk has been loving the new fro-yo place in our neighborhood, and I figured it’d be more fun and healthier to have a DIY version at home. And, on those days I DO crave creamy ice cream, I’d rather have a dairy-free version.

Temps this weekend in Boston were unusually warm, so it was a perfect time to break open the ice cream machine. I had to start earlier in the week by freezing the bowl, and come Friday it was ready to go. Most of the recipes I found for ice cream machines called for heavy cream and whole milk, but I wanted to go dairy and soy free, and almond milk seemed too watery to whip up a batch of creamy ice cream. So, I went with reduced fat coconut milk and hoped for the best. I did some research on coconut ice cream online and most people advised to use the full fat coconut milk (which Trader Joe’s doesn’t even have) to get the ice cream nice and creamy, but I found the reduced fat version worked perfectly.

Ingredients:

• 3 cups reduced fat coconut milk
• ¾ cup sugar
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon vanilla

That is it. No stabilizers. No heavy cream. I whisked together the mixture and set it in the fridge for an hour before pouring it into the frozen ice cream machine. I turned it on and watched in amazement (serious, jaw-dropping amazement) as my liquid turned into the most beautiful bowl of creamy ice cream. I even topped mine off with a few bits of dark chocolate.

Funk and I took our first bite. Woah. This is better than ice cream. This is heavenly, roll-your-eyes-back, pure, creamy perfection. We couldn’t get enough! Well, we could. It was very rich and creamy. Funk said, “This is one of the best things…EVER.” A few days later I asked if he really meant that. Really the best ever?! I asked if it was even up there with the Red Sox winning the world series and he said yes. It was that good. Three days later we’re still talking about our amazing dessert, and we have plenty leftover to eat it for weeks to come. I have a feeling I’ll now be one of those people who can eat ice cream long after summer has ended, if it’s going to be this delicious coconut creation. If you’re wondering, it doesn’t actually taste like coconut. It has the faintest hint, but it tastes just like pure vanilla ice cream, so it’ll go well with any mix-ins. We’ve already started talking about what other flavors we want to make (next on the list is cookies and cream!). I never thought I’d say this, but if you’re an ice cream fan, get this machine. Sorry Ben and Jerry. Sorry Haagen-Dazs, JP Licks and Breyer’s. You don’t hold a candle to our homemade coconut ice cream.