Vegan Strawberry Ice Cream
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First choose how much fruit you want to add. 6oz. of fruit will make a creamier less sweet ice cream. 10 ounces will make a sweeter, more icy confection.
And, place a glass pie plate in the freezer to chill.
Ingredients:
about 1 cup full fat coconut cream from 1 can of coconut milk
1 1/2 cups-2 ½ cups (6-10 ounces) frozen strawberries
1-3 Tablespoons pure maple syrup (optional)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 -5 Tablespoons coconut water, from the same can of coconut milk
Make the ice cream:
Place a can of coconut milk in the refrigerator overnight. When ready to use, remove the top lid and the hardened cream will have risen to the top. With a knife or small spoon, cut a hole down through the cream, and pour off the coconut water into a small container. Scoop out all of the cream into a high speed blender container or bowl of a food processor. Add your chosen amount of frozen strawberries, maple syrup, the vanilla and 2 Tablespoons of the coconut water.
For the blender, slowly increase the speed, and use the tamper to push the fruit into the blade. For the processor, use short pulses. If you are having trouble blending, add more coconut water, one tablespoon at a time. Don’t add more than the 5 Tablespoons because it will become too soft. In the blender, it should take around 30-40 seconds, and 4 sections will form. So it doesn’t melt--Don’t overblend!
It’s best served immediately. But if it’s a little too soft, it can be chilled in the freezer for 30-45 minutes. It can also be stored in the freezer for up to 2 weeks. Cover the top with plastic wrap to keep ice crystals from forming. Re-soften before serving. The mixture can also be poured into pop molds and frozen.
Makes 4 servings. YUM!
LESSONS Learned:
1. Get full fat unsweetened coconut milk, not lite, and not Coco Lopez. I like the organic Thai Kitchen brand. It seems to have to most coconut cream in the can.
2. Once the can is chilled overnight, the easiest way to get the cream out of the can without alot of squirting coconut water, is to remove the lid and poke a one inch hole thru the hardened cream (which will have hardened and risen to the top). Pour out the liquid, and then scoop out the cream.
3. To insure a thicker consistency, use as little liquid as possible to get it to blend. no more than 5 Tablespoons. And blend JUST until creamy to keep it as cold as possible.
4. For a quick freeze to firm it up alittle more, spread the ice cream into a glass pie plate that’s been chilled in the freezer for an hour. Freeze for 30- 60 minutes to get a thicker, scoopable consistency.
5. Any unused ice cream can be made into ice pops or stored in a freezer container. Make sure to cover the top with plastic wrap or parchment to prevent ice crystals from forming. Pops can be eaten right away, scoops will need to soften first.