Last week I was craving creamy, fluffy homemade ice cream; the kind you’d want to scoop onto a slice of warm berry pie or freshly baked brownies. I wanted it to be maple-sweetened and flecked with vanilla beans, and to essentially taste like extra sweet frozen whipped coconut cream.
So, I did the only thing that felt right at noon on a Tuesday: I made some.
My sister Heather was home when I was making this ice cream, and after sampling a bite of the freshly-churned, soft serve-esque creamy goodness, asked “so, can we just eat this all right now?”.
The answer was no, I had to let it firm up in the freezer to take pictures later, but I felt the exact same way. We could have just taken a couple spoons and eaten the whole batch of ice cream ourselves, and you wouldn’t have known the difference.
But, then you wouldn’t have this super simple, perfectly sweet, faintly coconutty vanilla bean ice cream recipe. And that would just be tragic.
After telling me I clearly care more about my blog than I do about my own sister, Heather sulked off to snack on some homemade fig bars and impatiently await the ice cream photo shoot to be over.
By the way, I can’t wait to share my fig bar recipe recipe with you: think fig newtons but way, way better.
This ice cream has only a few ingredients, but they are all important to it’s overall taste and texture. Canned coconut milk lends the thick, rich texture and faint background flavor of coconut. Maple syrup makes it sweet, and using a liquid sweetener means you don’t have to melt sugar then wait for the ice cream base to chill before churning it.
The faster the better, when it comes to homemade ice cream; less time waiting means more time eating ice cream.
It’s simple ice cream math, people.
Vanilla extract adds flavor and, importantly, alcohol to keep the ice cream from turning into a rock. Vanilla beans send the whole thing over the top with their tiny black specks and extra deep flavor. You could skip them if you have everything except vanilla beans at home right now- just add extra vanilla extract and I won’t tell anyone. Promise.
Finally, a pinch of salt helps balance out the sweetness.
While this coconut vanilla bean ice cream happens to be entirely dairy-free/vegan, I think it’s great for anyone in your life who happens to:
1. Love ice cream
2. Like coconut (even just a little bit)
3. Crave cold, creamy vanilla-flavored goodness, either by itself or on top of fruity or chocolaty baked goods.
I hope you’ll give this simple, 4-ingredient homemade ice cream a try! I’ve been eating the leftovers with a drizzle of peanut butter and melted chocolate after dinner on these outrageously hot, sticky days, and it’s been absolutely perfect.
I’m also envisioning a big scoop sandwiched between two chocolate chip cookies, which might happen if it’s ever cool enough to turn on the oven this summer.
As always, let me know how your ice cream turns out! Comment below or tag me #bakedgreens on Instagram so I can see your creamy, vanilla creations. Stay cool, friends!
Coconut Vanilla Bean Ice Cream (Vegan)
Ingredients
- 2-14 ounce cans coconut milk*
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 2 Tablespoons vanilla extract yes, really, 2 Tablespoons!
- Seeds from 1 vanilla bean
- A pinch of salt
Instructions
- 1. Make sure the bowl of your ice cream maker is fully frozen (mine recommends freezing overnight before using).
- 2. Whisk all ingredients in a bowl or large measuring cup (the pour spout makes it easier to transfer) then pour into ice cream maker.
- 3. Churn according to manufacturer's directions, or until ice cream is thick and creamy. It will still be at soft-serve consistency when done. Eat immediately, or transfer to a freezer-safe container and freeze for 2 hours to help it firm up. Ice cream frozen for more than 1 day will need to soften at room temperature for 10 minutes to make it easier to scoop.
Notes
*Whole Foods' store brand of full-fat coconut milk works best here, as it's consistently thick + creamy. Alternately, heavy cream can be used instead, but will obviously negate the vegan/dairy-free nature of this recipe, and will eliminate any coconut flavor.