Strawberry Coconut Ice Cream
What to do when the weather gets warm? Make ice cream. We've been making "ice cream" quite often lately. Last week the temperature lingered in the low 80's for most of the week. This week has been beautiful too...in the 70's.
Last week my daughter, Lily, concocted her own ice cream using cashews, water, agave nectar, frozen bananas, cherries, and raspberries. She also added a half of an avocado, a few spoonfuls of raw coconut butter, and a splash of vanilla. I wrote the recipe down somewhere. She made it in our Vitamix and it was delicious!
Today I wanted to share with you a dairy-free ice cream made in an ice cream maker. I have a Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker that works beautifully and won't break the bank. Making ice cream in a Vitamix or food processor certainly works, but the end product lacks that creamy, ice dreamy mouth feel of true ice cream.
Last September, Tom made a white nectarine ice cream using the ice cream maker that was so good I wanted to hide the container and eat it all myself! I have that recipe scribbled down somewhere. Maybe later in the summer I will share it. And now, the strawberry ice cream....
Strawberry Coconut Ice Cream
This ice cream needs to be made in an ice cream maker. It can also be made into popsicles. If your ice cream maker container is too small to fit the strawberry-coconut cream, pour the remaining into popsicle molds. Serve ice cream with sliced fresh strawberries and fresh mint leaves for a cooling summer dessert.
- Place all ingredients into a blender or Vitamix and blend until smooth and creamy.
- Immediately pour the liquid into your ice cream maker. Churn for about 25 to 30 minutes and then transfer ice cream a container and place into the freezer.
- It needs to chill for about 2 hours before serving.
Use this recipe in our Meal Planner
About the Author
Ali Segersten
Alissa Segersten holds a Bachelor's of Science in Nutrition from Bastyr University and a Master’s of Science in Human Nutrition and Functional Medicine from the University of Western States. She is a Functional Nutritionist, the mother of five children, a whole foods cooking instructor, professional recipe developer, and cookbook author. She is passionate about helping others find a diet that will truly nourish them. Alissa is the author of two very popular gluten-free, whole foods cookbooks and guidebooks: The Whole Life Nutrition Cookbook and Nourishing Meals. She is also the co-author of The Elimination Diet book. Alissa is the founder and owner of Nourishing Meals®.Nourishing Meals Newsletter
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How many servings does this recipe make?
I made the ice cream! Absolutely heavenly! I only used full fat coconut milk and strawberries. No sweetener at all! Excellent!
Hey Ali,
First of all, I love your cookbook! It has literally saved my life/sanity. We have at various times had 3 to 4 different diets going in the house and I've had to make multiple meals for one evening. It was depressing. But your cookbook is usually a safe for everyone and we love everything we've made from it, and that's quite a bit!
My question is about your ice cream though...I've made the mint chocolate chip many times and will be trying this one very soon. It's great right out of the ice cream maker but the next day, it's like a rock...you say to thaw it for 2 hours before serving -- would that be in the fridge? Is there any way to make a servable right out of the freezer ice cream that is made from a coconut base?
And yes, we use canned full fat coconut milk...I've even tried modifying the recipe by using only the cream from one can and discarding the water -- it didn't help though!
I am on a Sugar restricted diet, and it has been in the 90's here and i am craving ice cream , but can't have it..i tried this recipe, and it is Great! i already made it twice, and so happy to be able to cool off with ice cream again! Thanks Very Much!
FIVE STARS!
Brian :-)
Hi, Ali, I just bought a Vita-Mix and have been searching for ice cream recipes. I have used your recipe in my Cuisinart Ice Cream maker, but am experimenting to see if I could get rid of it. I was wondering if I froze the coconut milk from one of the cans, if I could just make it in the Vita-Mix. That would approximate the 1 part liquid, 3 parts frozen fruit/liquid they suggest. Do you think the ice cream maker makes a superior tasting ice cream? Pam G.
Hi, I was wondering how much granulated sugar and milk you would acutally use in the non dairy and sugar free version of this ice cream. Thanks so much! Btw I made this ice cream and it was amazing!
I wasn't sure I needed an ice cream maker. I guess I do! Looks divine. Can't wait to play with recipes this summer. Thank you!
It certainly is strawberry season and I cannot think of a better way to use this fresh and delicious fruit! This recipe is so simple - we now have NO excuse to skip on the ice cream! Thank you! :)
I've made this recipe using strawberries, but have also tried it with raspberries and mangoes. I can't figure out which one I enjoy the most! This is such a simple and satisfying recipe, and is a perfect summer treat. I make 1/2 a recipe, which seems to vanish in 1-2 days :)
Hi, I'll be attempting to make this yet again soon, but using cherries instead. question for you (since I checked and no one asked): I've read on other sites (and have experienced it) that using light coconut milk will create a less creamy ice cream. But, I am worried about calories per serving when I make this for others. I know coconut milks can be pretty heft. I do understand that the creamier it is the less you'll need of it to satisfy. I don't know that other will be willing to do 1/4 or 1/2 of a cup though, LOL! :)
So my question is have you tried it/would you recommend diluting the full fat coconut milk by even 1/3 with water? Any suggestions you have would be great!
Anon- I have never used silk coconut milk so not sure how it would work. We use the 14.5 ounce cans for this ice cream recipe. I like the brand Native Forest organic coconut milk, but whatever you can find will surely work. The fat at the top of the can is what helps to make the ice cream "creamy."
Enjoy! :)
I can't wait to try this recipe. I'm pregnant and allergic to milk and live in the sticks so I don't have access to stores that sell things like coconut ice cream! It's a very unfortunate combination! But this sounds wonderful. I'm kinda new to coconut milk though and limited on options. I can get the Silk coconut milk (it has very recently become available in my area!!) and I can get small cans of coconut milk that has the thick cream on top. What size can did you use? Does the Silk coconut milk work just as well?
We made this last night using mixed berries, but my ice cream maker wasn't as cold as it needed to be, so it didn't freeze correctly. So, instead of ice cream, we had delicious smoothies!
After sitting in the freezer all night, we are enjoying it as ice cream today and it's delicious!
Darrell, we use the Cuisinart 16406 Ice Cream Maker. :)
can you tell which model of the ice cream maker you have, they have several
I just made this ice cream and it's absolutely delicious!!!! I didn't have 2 cups of frozen strawberries, but I did have 2 cups of frozen mixed fruit (peaches, mangoes, strawberries, and pineapples). The combination of the coconut milk and the pineapple are the best! Thank you so much for this easy recipe. I will definitely be using it a lot.
Hi! So I tried it as the strawberry ice cream recipe and used tapioca flour to thicken...this was not good...ended up reusing this conglomeration as a basis for muffins.
Tried again, the ice cream recipe again but used gelatin to thicken it. Was very good and tasted good and passed the daycare test :-)
Sarah - you could look at this recipe for my Mango Pudding and then somehow combine the recipes. I am sure it would work.
http://www.nourishingmeals.com/2010/02/mango-coconut-pudding.html
I use kudzu to thicken and create dairy-free pudding. I have a few recipes in my cookbook for vegan pudding as well, some use cashews though.
Let me know how it turns out. -Ali :)
This sounds amazing! I will make the ice cream for sure! I stumbled across this searching for a strawberry coconut milk pudding for my daughters. They can't have dairy, soy, or gluten and are starting preschool. They aren't allowed nuts there either.
Do you think I could add some kind of thickener to this and make it like a pudding, yogurty type thing they could eat? Worth a try anyways....YUM!
We made this tonight, and had to improvise as we only had one can of coconut milk. We used Coconut beverage (like soy milk), we had this on hand as we have 3 of us dairy free. We did use the agave, and I added the seeds from a real vanilla bean as well as dark chocolate chips from Whole Foods. All of us loved it, even those in our family who can eat the "real" stuff! Thanks for a fabulous recipe that is a great base for any type of coconut ice cream we want to make.
Yummy !
Great recipe - thank you! I added 1 tablespoon of Chambord the second time I made it made the texture even better.
Any word on the nectarine recipe? I'm wondering if it's the same as this one just subbing nectarines for strawberries, or if the coconut will overwhelm the nectarines. Thanks!
I just made your ice cream recipe to break in my new ice cream maker. It was an unmitigated success! Here's the link:
http://glutenfreegidget.blogspot.com/2009/07/slow-cookin-curry-and-coconut.html
Made this yesterday. SUPER YUMMY! My husband and I are so excited to be able to eat ice cream again. YAY! Thanks Ali. I used raspberries instead of strawberries and low-fat coconut milk because that's all I had. Instead of lemon flavoring I added lemon zest. I also threw in some ground flax seeds just because I throw ground flax seeds into pretty much anything I can.
I have now made this recipe two times and am doing it again today for our 4TH of July party tomorrow!! It is much more cost effective than purchasing the small coconut milk ice cream containers from the store. Thanks for sharing this!
Just made this...delicious!
I actually added some shredded coconut because I wanted to make that flavour pop. I chose not to add the lemon, and now I'm curious, what does it do for the recipe?
Thanks so much!
Alison - I am sure you and the girls will enjoy this one!
Lauren - Have fun experimenting!
Kristen - Yes, cheers to healthy ice cream!
-Ali :)
Sounds wonderful. Love the pictures. :)
Cheers to Healthy Ice Cream,
Kristen
That looks so delicious! I love the all natural ingredients. Might try subbing in stevia for the honey to make it low carb. It looks perfect for the summer season!
I am so excited -- just bought an ice cream maker on Amazon... should be here next week. This will be the first ice cream I make for my girls!!!!!!
oops, looks like I forgot to reply to you Shirley:
Yes, Lily does seem to take on the kitchen and its contents in wild abandon! She made a beautiful "raw" dessert last weekend while I was upstairs nursing the boys. It was an oat, honey, chocolate chip, and fruit pie - all in a gorgeous presentation. I can't say it actually tasted good though. I know it will eventually though! CoconutGal's ice cream looks fabulous too! I should have added a link to it here. :)
Wow - it has been a crazy last few days here! This was the last week of school for the girls and there was much to do, especially today! Phew, summer break now!
Thanks for all of your lovely comments! :)
Jill - so glad you are enjoying our cookbook and that your picky-eating husband likes the food!
L - Yes, this recipe is very easy! Hope you enjoy!
Diane - I thought about trying it with blueberries once they come into season here; another month at least for that! :)
Jennifer L. - Ahh yes, the Cherry Apple Pudding. I haven't made that in a while. My boys sure loved it when I first gave it to them though! What a great "first dessert" huh! Yes, a gluten-free restaurant should be in the works huh, but not by me - I don't have that kind of time! I am happy to donate recipes! :) A cookbook list would be helpful that's a great idea. :)
Yogamama - I think my boys were most thrilled with this. They just can't seem to get enough of it. :)
Alisa - Thanks! :)
Ellen - Oh, I am sure you will enjoy it!
CoconutGal - LOL - yes hiding the container is a good idea with ice cream that can taste as good as this! :)
Melissa - Yes it is Lily holding the bowl with her messy hands full of markers. :) I will see if I can dig up Tom's white nectarine ice cream - it was amazing. I did a peach cashew ice cream a few years ago when we first got our ice cream maker and it was delicious!
Meghan - Yes - summer goodness! :)
Thanks! -Ali :)
That looks amazing! Creamy summer goodness!
I love homemade ice cream. I think peach is my favorite, but your strawberry looks amazing. Although it hasn't been that warm around here this spring, I'm always up for ice cream and you've inspired me to start experimenting.
The photo series on this post is wonderful. I especially like Lily (I assume it's Lilly) holding the bowl, which I'm guessing is the bunny bowl. Aaaahhh, very cute!
Melissa
xo
You know I like this recipe :-)
Ali, in my humble opinion, all homemade ice cream is so good that I want to hide the entire container and eat it all myself!! This sounds soooo yum!!
Congrats to T Watson too!
I love how Lily at such a young age is following your spirt of creating great recipes!! Those photos are so lovely. Love that cute bowl! I made Coconut Gal's ice cream last night and it was delicious. Now I need to start making your (and Lily's!) ice cream recipes. :-) I need to investigate the ice cream maker you mentioned, too. Ours is old and we only use it like every five years. LOL
Shirley
How totally cool to use coconut milk to make ice cream! I can't wait to try this recipe - thank you!
~Ellen
That ice cream looks positively perfect, and I love how it uses so few ingredients!
Oooh-La-la! Ice cream! This looks like a fantastic recipe. I can tell from the photos! I bet your kids loved this, and mine will too. Thanks for the link to the ice cream maker. I am going to see if I can find one locally. Can't wait to give this recipe a whirl!
Mmmm. I've been wondering what to do with the ice cream maker now that I am not eating dairy products. We truly have no shortage of sweet things to enjoy.
I made the cherry apple pudding for D. a few days ago and shared it with some friends with the cashew topping and they couldn't stop raving about it. They insisted that I should sell it! I explained that these fabulous recipes are not my own, but that I'd gladly share the recipe. One friend explained that she had neither the time nor the culinary expertise to whip up such yummy food, but that she would certainly love to just go out and get it somewhere.
I cook for anyone who comes near our house and they all love, love the things that I make from your cookbook.
You have a lot of people here who are fans of the finished product, and a lot of them are simply not going to cook their own food, for whatever reasons (two common excuses are lack of time and lack of culinary inclination). In addition to a third cookbook, I see gluten-free restaurants in your horizon :-). Wouldn't that be fabulous (a gluten-free restaurant--not you starting them)!
Another neat idea I had was for stores like Whole Foods and our local co-ops to start listing their cookbook sources on their Deli foods and feature different cookbooks each month. It'd be a good way to sort of get a taste of the possibilities from various cookbooks and I imagine it would boost sales :-).
Your fans here will be floored by this strawberry ice cream, I can already tell by looking at the ingredients that it's going to be a treat!
That looks great. Now I need to dig out that ice cream maker I have. I wonder where the insert is? Thanks, now I have to clean out my house. :-) I wonder how this would turn out with blueberries? Probably need to mix the berries. Time to experiment. Thanks for the ideas!
I have an ice cream machine that I bought at a garage sale last summer. Now I finally have an excuse to use it! I like the simplicity of this recipe - it looks so easy, can't wait to try it today. Thank you so much for giving us this recipe!
Oh my goodness, that sounds fabulous! I'm making this tonight! And yes, please, please do share the white nectarine ice cream recipe. That sounds so good! By the way, I absolutely love your cookbook! It's probably the one I've used the most in the past year or so, and I have a lot of cookbooks! Everything I've made has been delicious - even my husband likes it and he's really picky! :-) My daughter loves the smoothies!