I love homemade ice cream, especially this Coconut and Vanilla Ice Cream Recipe! The coconut milk creates a light and creamy alternative to dairy while maintaining its delicious tropical taste!
Whether it is savouring a flaky croissant in the heart of Paris or bowl of spicy Nasi Goreng in rural Bali, I tend to recreate the food from my travels after I have returned home. After eating steaming bowls of Pho in Vietnam for five weeks, and finding myself disenchanted with the broth, I returned home and prepared 8 litres.
Perhaps in an attempt to recapture the moment, I recreate the memories on my palate.
Although I believe in the medicinal properties of food and their influence on both illness and health, our meals can be so much more than a source of nourishment. The pairing of textures, flavours and scent can be an art, and the mere scent of a dish can create a wave of emotions transporting you back to a specific moment. The pizzas devoured with friends, the first breakfast prepared by a lover or a specific cheese when “I love you” was shyly declared.
This simple dessert, of course, is no different. The distinct coconut taste takes me back to frolicking in rice-fields, doing “downwards-dog” at yoga barn, eating bowls of delicious fruit and creating memories with my incredible friend, Claire.
In Bali coconut is a staple in most their kitchens – coconut oil is used in much of their cooking, coconut milk in their curries and of course (my favourite) ice cream! What I love about this recipe is that not only is it a creamy dairy-free alternative, it also has a clean finish on the palate making it perfect to pair with tropical fruits like mango, passion fruit or banana. After preparing our first batch, within a day I had to prepare more!
Am I the only one who likes to eat the food from their travels? I would love to hear in the comments section below! 🙂
- 2 x 400g cans full-cream coconut milk, chilled
- 1/3 cup of brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
- pinch of salt
- 1 tablespoon arrowroot starch
- Measuring cups
- Whisk
- Small Saucepan
- Wooden Spatula
- Ice cream machine*
- Freezer container
- Ensure that the coconut milk has been chilled in the fridge for a minimum of 4 hours before you commence this recipe.
- Take the coconut milk out of the fridge and shake to ensure the milk and fat is well incorporated. Pour half of 1 can into a saucepan, and over a medium heat, whisk in the brown sugar until the sugar dissolves and the ingredients are well combined. Turn off the heat and set aside.
- Pour the remaining coconut milk into the saucepan and whisk in the vanilla essence, salt and arrowroot starch.
- Pour the coconut mixture into the ice cream machine and churn for approximately 10 - 20 minutes, or until the mixture resembles soft-serve ice cream.
- Pour the ice cream into a freezer container and freeze for roughly 3 - 4 hours. Serve with your favourite toppings, we loved mango and toasted coconut! Bon Appétit 🙂
- * 24 hours before you churn the ice cream, place the ice cream machine's bowl in the freezer. It needs to be frozen before the ice cream maker will work effectively.
I don’t like fidgeting with recipes too much – chilling, and then not chilling, followed by more chilling and unchilling, and then some more chilling was too much for me!😉
Hey There, I’m Kylie. My passion is plant-based recipes and I want to help you create something gorgeous!
I believe in taking a slow approach to food – to eat locally, seasonally and consciously.
When I’m not taking photos, you can find me wandering the coastal paths of South-East Australia.
Berlin | Momi Berlin says
We also make ice cream at home. We haven’t tried with coconut and this seems worthy to try. All we’ve tried was vanilla flavor with different toppings like cherries, some fruits and nuts, and chocolate chips. Yours is such beautiful to look at. No doubt the taste must be equally satisfying, too.
Maria says
I have never tried making ice cream from home, though it has been buzzing in my mind ever since I read this post!
Though I haven’t tasted or tried coconut ice cream yet.
Your post made me hungry and I can’t help staring at your photos! Aside from being a great photographer, you’re so talented too in the kitchen!
I’m looking forward to more of your recipes!
Kylie (Author) says
Thank you so much for your sweet words Maria – they’ve made my day! 🙂
Mica de Leon says
Waaah! I wish I could try making ice cream at home one day. It looks so yummy!
I love vanilla and I’m a fan of coconut too! Thanks for the Recipe!
Indrani says
I didn’t know you could make ice cream at home?
Your recipe makes it sound so easy and doable. Did you stay in Bali? I was recently there and loved Balinese cuisine very much!
Aica says
One of the many things I love about traveling is trying the other places’ food! Also, I’ve always wanted to try making home-made ice cream!
Man oh man, these photos of yours make me drool. I hope one day I could try your recipe – maybe I’ll ask my dad to buy us an ice cream machine. 😀
Milton says
Wow, this looks so delicious! Vanilla and Coconut are two of my favorite flavors! I think these flavors are very versatile, you can combine them into almost everything.
I never tried making ice cream at home yet but maybe I could this one a shot… It seems like a perfect Christmas treat for Christmas Eve!
Amila says
Wow! This looks so delicious and creamy. I don’t make ice cream at home, however, after reading this recipe, I feel like trying it with my child.
I am sure this tastes heavenly! Beautiful photos too!
Irma says
Am I the only person in the world that is not a big fan of vanilla flavor? But I must admit this ice cream looks amazing. Plus I love coconuts even if they are paired with vanilla.
Very nice photos, they make me wish to try the recipe right away!
Miranda says
We love homemade ice cream, but we have never tried it with coconut milk before. We will definitely be trying this one, we might even add a little mango too (we really love mango).
Your presentation is awesome! No, you aren’t the only to try to recreate food from your travels! Thanks for sharing a tried and true recipe!
Allandale says
Oh, wow! One of my favourite desserts is ice cream! I love your recipe and instructions – I would like to try this at home.
I will return to this post, it will be a very useful guide!
Kylie (Author) says
Thank you for your comment Allandale! I would love to hear how your ice-cream making goes!
Swayam says
I loved the idea behind this kind of ice cream, though I am not sure whether I can withstand the smell of coconut oil.
In India, this oil is used by people from the Southern states. In the north, you won’t need a freezer to freeze it; winters solidify coconut oil on their own.
Bespoke Traveler says
“Perhaps in an attempt to recapture the moment, I recreate the memories on my palate.” I love this! I too seek to do the same, pestering hosts and sidewalk vendors and waiters for ingredients, tinkering for weeks afterwards to get the flavor back which first captured my attention. I agree with you that food is so much more than nutrition. It carries the weight of our emotions and our past with every bite.