Coconut Ice Cream
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My coconut ice cream is sweet and creamy, made with coconut milk. Made with just 3 ingredients, there is NO ice cream maker required!
Turning coconut milk into ice cream- it works!
One of my favorite frozen dessert hacks is using a can of coconut milk to make my creamy coconut milk ice cream. It skips the dairy completely and yields the creamiest, richest ice cream ever… and it’s SO easy to make.
I’ve made many ice creams with heavy cream before, but I never expected coconut milk to replicate the same texture. Seriously, it is so creamy and sweet, and it melts in your mouth. This is why I make it on repeat:
- Ice cream maker or not. I’ve tested this recipe both ways, and it works beautifully whether you use an ice cream maker or a blender.
- No overpowering flavor. If you are worried it will taste strongly of coconut, don’t be. The flavor is subtle and easy to mask with mix-ins or extracts. Just ask my partner, who can never tell the difference.
- Wholesome ingredients. No dairy, no egg yolks, and no heavy whipping cream.
★★★★★ REVIEW
“Best coconut ice cream recipe EVER! SO creamy!!” – Katrina
Ingredients needed
- Coconut milk. Use full-fat coconut milk and chill it beforehand. I don’t recommend carton milk, as the ice cream won’t set. If that’s all you have on hand, coconut cream works just as well. In terms of brands, I really like the flavor of Native Forest, and it has a clean ingredient list (just coconut milk – no fillers, thickeners, or gums!).
- Cashew OR almond butter. I enjoy using cashew butter, but almond butter works as well (though the ice cream will be darker in color). If you’d like this recipe to be nut-free, you can use tahini or sunflower seed butter.
- Maple syrup. Adds sweetness without any refined sugar. Honey will also work, though I find it a little overpowering.
- Vanilla extract. Optional, but I recommend adding this to prevent any overpowering coconut flavor.
- Salt. Optional, but a pinch elevates the sweet flavor.
Find the printable recipe with measurements below.
How to make coconut ice cream
Step 1- Prepare ice cream. Add all your ingredients into a high-speed blender and blend until smooth.
Step 2- Let it set. Transfer into a loaf tin or freezer-friendly container. Place the coconut milk ice cream mixture into the freezer and stir it every 10-15 minutes for the first hour. After the first hour, let it freeze for a further 3 hours.
Step 3- Serve. Remove the ice cream from the freezer and let it sit at room temperature for 15 minutes to thaw slightly before scooping and serving.
How to make this in an ice cream machine
If you have an ice cream maker, you can definitely make this coconut milk ice cream in it.
Follow the blender directions and freeze the mixture for about 45 minutes. Once it has frozen slightly, transfer it to the ice cream maker. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions and churn until thick and creamy. Transfer to the freezer and allow to freeze for an hour.
Arman’s recipe tips
- Freeze your loaf pan before adding the ice cream mixture. I find this helps the ice cream mixture freeze quickly and also prevents freezer burn.
- Stir regularly. I recommend stirring the ice cream mixture (yes, from the freezer) every 10 to 15 minutes for the first hour (so 3 to 4 times). This prevents the ice cream from solidifying too quickly and makes the end result nice and scoopable.
- My trick for scoopability. Adding 1 ounce (1 standard shot) of vodka helps prevent the ice cream from freezing rock hard. Since alcohol doesn’t freeze completely, the texture stays smoother and easier to scoop.
3-Ingredient Coconut Ice Cream
Video
Ingredients
- 13 1/2 ounces canned coconut milk chilled
- 3/4 cup cashew butter or almond butter * See notes
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
Instructions
- Place a freezer-friendly container or loaf pan in the freezer.
- In a food processor or high speed blender, add the coconut milk, cashew butter, and maple syrup, and blend well, until thick and creamy. Ensure you regularly scrape down the sides to ensure the mixture is fully combined.
- Pour your coconut ice cream mixture into the pre-frozen container and place in the freezer. For the first hour, stir the ice cream mixture every 15 minutes, before allowing to freeze completely.Allow the ice cream to freeze for at least 3 hours.
- Let the coconut ice cream thaw for 15 minutes, before scooping into bowls, using a slightly wet ice cream scoop.
Notes
Nutrition
Flavor variations
The beauty of this coconut ice cream recipe is how easy it is to change up the flavor! Here are some of our favorites:
- Peanut butter: Swap out the almond butter for creamy peanut butter.
- Cookie dough: Fold through 1/2 cup of edible cookie dough and 1/4 cup of chocolate chips.
- Mint chocolate chip: Add 1/2 teaspoon of peppermint extract and 1/4 cup of chocolate chips.
- Caramel pecan: swirl through 1/2 cup of caramel syrup and 1/4 cup of finely chopped pecans.
- Strawberry: Add 1-2 cups of frozen strawberries.
- Chocolate: Add 1/2 cup of cocoa powder and 1/2 cup of chocolate chips.
- Lemon Coconut: Add two teaspoons of lemon extract and two tablespoons of coconut flakes.
More dairy free ice cream recipes
Originally updated May 2023
I couldn’t find cashew butter so i used almond butter, even though i only had about 1/3 a cup and it turned out great!
I used almond butter and it taste like almonds 🙁 next time I will leave this step out.
Hi Jessica- I would suggest cashew butter as a first option, as it’s the most mild tasting. I like using Kirkland almond butter, which is the most mild tasting.
Love it delicious trying it with blueberrys
Hy, greetings from Romania! 🙂 i’m Dana
i have a a question… for this recipes you have another picture…
what where the toppings?
thank you
Daniela
From this https://ro.pinterest.com/pin/311311392999834168/
Hi Daniela, that’s just topped with a combo of toasted and desiccated coconut flakes. It definitely packs a coconutty punch 😛
Amazing!!! I used peanut butter and honey. It was so easy to make. I brought it to rosary group for dairy free prayer warriors & all of us liked it more than regular ice cream.
Love to hear that!!
This is my go-to coconut ice cream recipe and ones I feel good serving my kids who have dairy allergies. It’s so creamy and so much cheaper than store-bought dairy free ice creams. I love how you don’t even need an ice cream machine.
I hear you, Eloise- I actually developed this recipe after I had to cut out dairy for a month and paid $11 from Whole Foods for a pint of dairy free ice cream. And it wasn’t even as creamy haha! 🙂
Thank you Arman for sharing this recipe!
I had almond butter and it turned out delicious!! I want to try coconut cream next time instead of milk for even more creaminess. I can’t wait to serve it to my family on their next visit!
🙂 Nelly
Hi, can I use Sweetened condensed coconut milk (and not use maple syrup) or coconut whipping cream? Thanks, Sandra
Hi Sandra- I wouldn’t for this recipe, unless you change all the other ingredients. The condensed milk will affect the overall texture and sweetness.
3/4 cup almond butter is too much. That’s all I taste!
It needs to be 3/4 cup of nut butter for richness. You could use cashew butter, which is what i recommend first, as it’s the least overpowering 🙂
Only taste I get is Almond butter. I might as well just have eaten the almond butter straight from the jar. I even added 1.5 teaspoons of coconut flavoring. What a disappointment!
Hi Ann- I’m sorry to hear that- I do recommend cashew butter as the first option, as it is super mild tasting. If you try it again, I do recommend using cashew butter.
Very good recipe. Coconut is so good for summer!
Your recipe is not explained clearly to a beginner. Is there already prepared coconut milk or one can prepare it at home and you didn’t show what makes the cream to thicken please make things clear and easy for us the beginners if really you want to teach from your heart .
Hi Cynthia, sorry for any confusion. You should be able to find cans of coconut milk in your local supermarket. You want to chill those and then open them. Sitting at the top of those cans should be some thick coconut cream, this is what we want to make the ice cream 🙂 You might even be able to find cans of coconut cream specifically. Hope this helps.
I’d like to live in a world where vegetables taste as good as this dessert. Alas, not the case. This is beyond delicious. It’s crave-worthy.
Hi,
I made this icecream yesterday night using your almond butter recipe. Haven’t tried finishing product but the mixture was tasting yumm. I also added some shredded fresh coconut to it.
Really delicious, give it a try!
Could you add protein powder to this?
I haven’t tried! Feel free to experiment and see!
Arman, your coconut milk ice cream is a game changer- how did I not know that coconut milk would produce a creamy ice cream? Here’s me telling my kids that you can only make ice cream with heavy cream but that is not the case. We can’t wait to try your flavor variations: I think peppermint extract and chocolate chips?
Aw, thanks Melinda. Don’t fret, before culinary school I literally thought the same thing… I would have considered it sorbet haha!
I LOVE mint chocolate chip ice cream and that sounds so good- just be wary that some peppermint extracts are SUPER potent, and they actually intensify in frozen desserts, so start super conservative- I’m talking 1/2 teaspoon for the entire batch. Any more and you risk it being a little medicinal tasting.