Coconut Chocolate Ice Cream (Dairy-Free, Egg-Free & Cane Sugar-Free Chocolate Ice Cream)

Buying dairy-free ice cream is always a difficult decision.  Should we choose soy-based, almond based or coconut? And most often, it does not taste quite as good as the package described. So why not make some homemade? It tastes better than the grocery store stuff and you can make it with natural ingredients, and exclude the funky junk like glucose, colours, flavours, or modified starches and oils.

Choosing which milk substitute to use in the ice cream is not easy. Soy and almond milks are not as creamy as whole milk, and they often have sugars added to them. And although coconut milk is thick, it always has a strong coconut flavour. But after thinking about it, I realized that instead of trying to minimize the coconut flavour, why not bring it out even more by adding shredded coconut to the ice cream? That way, the person eating the ice cream will instantly visually expect the coconut flavour before consuming it.

This ice cream recipe has a wonderful texture, with a thick and creamy consistency. And yes, the taste of coconut is very strong at first bite, but it fades rapidly with each consecutive bite and the chocolate flavour takes over.  It also freezes quite well, but after a few days in a deep-freeze you may need to let it sit for 5 minutes before scooping, or microwave for 10 seconds or less in order to scoop it.

Enjoy!

Recipe: Homemade Chocolate Coconut Ice Cream
(dairy-free and cane sugar-free ice cream)

You need:

• 2/3 cup Cocoa powder
• 1.5 tbsp. corn starch
• 3 cups of coconut milk
• 1 cup coconut sugar
• 1/2 cup of shredded coconut

Instructions:

1. Whisk all ingredients together cold in a medium pot (or use an immersion blender to blend quickly and smoothly).
2. Bring to a simmer on the stove top on medium heat while stirring constantly.
3. Continue simmering and stirring for 5 to 10 minutes until bubbly and thick.
4. When done, remove from heat and let cool. Cover and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight.
5. Place in your ice cream maker and freeze according to the equipment's instructions.
6. Place in an airtight rectangular container and then sprinkle shredded coconut on top. Freeze immediately for at least 4 to 6 hours for a hard ice cream, or consume as soft ice cream immediately