Ice Cream Roundup

Instant Ice Cream (Frozen Bananas)

My first recipe roundup is…ice cream! I am posting links to all of my recipes because ice cream is by far my most successful adventure of the food project and I can’t pick a favorite one!

I love making my own ice cream, which we call “Ice Cream Shmice Cream,” because (a) I know what is in it (b) I make the flavors we love and it’s fresh (c) it is so much fun to have people over and hear them say, “You made this?!”

When I first started making ice cream in 2011, it was early in the vegan food project. I didn’t really know what I was doing and after my first five attempts, I shut down my ice cream maker and relegated it to the back of the cabinet.

Last year, I decided to break it out again and use coconut milk as the base. All of a sudden I was making extraordinary homemade ice cream that is easy, delicious and impressive.

All of my ice cream recipes start with two cans of organic coconut milk, which makes it easy to remember when shopping, and then the procedure is the same. Mix the coconut milk, vanilla, and sometimes extra add-ins and chill the mixture for two hours before churning in the ice cream maker. Store in a freezer safe container with a piece of wax paper on top or in a Tovolo ice cream tub. Thaw for 10 minutes before serving.

The instant ice cream shown above is just frozen bananas processed in the food processor. I always have frozen bananas in my freezer and they make the perfect quick ice cream in case, you know, you need ice cream instantly.

The rest of this post contains links to all of the flavors I have posted so far plus remakes of the first five ice creams. What’s your favorite?

Strawberry

Fresh Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

Peaches & Cream

Salted Maple Toasted Pecan 

Rocky Road

Blueberry

Salted Caramel Brownie

Brownie

Salted Pistachio

S’mores

Ice Cream Cake with Vanilla Ice Cream

Fresh Mango Coconut Ice Cream

Chocolate Chip Cookie-Chocolate Ice Cream Sandwich

Ice Cream Shmice Cream #1: Vanilla Chocolate Chip
I got this one almost right but I guess I didn’t realize it at the time. The biggest issue with this was that the little chocolate chips were too cold to chew. Instead of little chips, I process them in my food processor into shavings. Kind of like old school Baskin Robbins.

New Recipe
2 cans coconut milk
3/4 cup vegan sugar
2 teaspoons raw vanilla powder
1/2 cup vegan chocolate chunks

Whisk together the coconut milk, sugar and vanilla. Chill for at least 2 hours. Process the chips in the food processor and set aside. Pour the mixture into the ice cream maker and churn for 10 minutes. Pour the processed chips in and when they are mixed well, the ice cream is ready.

Ice Cream Shmice Cream #2: Cookies ‘n Cream
For the original recipe, I used soy milk. It was good but not as good as coconut milk. Put the O’s into a ziploc baggie and break them up into pieces that are as big or as small as you like.

New Recipe
2 cans coconut milk
1/2 cup vegan sugar
6 Newman O’s (wheat free, dairy free)

Whisk together the coconut milk and sugar. Chill for at least 2 hours. Process the cookies in the food processor and set aside. Pour the mixture into the ice cream maker and churn for 10 minutes. Pour the cookies in and when they are mixed well, the ice cream is ready.

Ice Cream Shmice Cream #3: Frank’s Vanilla-Almond-Chocolate Chip-Cranberry Surprise

My friend Frank challenged me to make ice cream with almond milk but at the time I didn’t know that almond milk doesn’t has enough fat to make ice cream creamy nor did I know about guar gum or other emulsifier. Instead of even trying again, I have adjust this recipe to include almonds and of course the coconut milk base. Wonderfully fun combo! Toast the almonds first and then place them into the processor with the chips and process until crumbly.

New Recipe
2 cans coconut milk
3/4 cup vegan sugar
1 teaspoon raw vanilla powder
1/4 cup chopped toasted almonds
1/4 cup vegan chocolate chips
1/4 cup chopped dried cranberries

Whisk together the coconut milk, sugar and vanilla. Chill for at least 2 hours. Chop the almonds and process the chips in the food processor and set aside. Pour the mixture into the ice cream maker and churn for 10 minutes. Pour the almonds, chips and dried cranberries in and when they are mixed well, the ice cream is ready.

Ice Cream Shmice Cream #4: Double Chocolate Peanut Butter
This one was great with soy milk but I want to be consistent so it is just a simple coconut milk swap. So technically it is not “double” anymore but whatever…

New Recipe
2 cans coconut milk
1/2 cup cacao powder
3/4 cup vegan sugar
1 cup smooth peanut butter, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Whisk together all of the ingredients. Chill for at least 2 hours. Pour the mixture into the ice cream maker and churn for 10 minutes.

Ice Cream Shmice Cream #5: Vanilla-Banana-Chocolate Chip
I originally added the banana to my recipe for Vanilla Chocolate Chip because I used hemp milk in the original recipe. This version is more bananery with the addition of another banana. I also processed the chocolate chunks because I like the texture of chocolate shavings.

New Recipe
2 cans coconut milk
3/4 cup vegan sugar
2 very ripe bananas, mashed
1 teaspoon raw vanilla powder
1/4 cup vegan chocolate chunks

Whisk together the coconut milk, sugar and vanilla. Mash the bananas and add to the mixture. Chill for at least 2 hours. Process the chips in the food processor and set aside. Pour the mixture into the ice cream maker and churn for 10 minutes. Pour the processed chips in and when they are mixed well, the ice cream is ready.

Enjoy!