Dairy Free Lemon Ice Cream

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Tart lemon ice cream is sure to cool you off on a hot summer day. This recipe is made with coconut milk, so it’s dairy free, and you don’t need an ice cream machine to make it!

Dairy Free Lemon Ice Cream (No Churn) // @HealthyDelish

The theme for this week’s Sunday Supper is “Summer Chillin” and it couldn’t have come at a better time. It’s been in the 90’s here all week and I’ve had more than one kitchen melt-downs. I love the heat – the hotter and sunnier the better – except when I have to cook. We don’t have central air, so our house can get pretty warm. Sometimes even just standing near a burner is just too much to handle.

Ice cream is one of my favorite summertime treats and I love making it at home. I don’t do it very often though because I never seem to have room in my freezer to freeze the canister for my ice cream maker.

There’s a no-churn recipe that’s been floating around a lot lately and that seems to get rave review from everyone who’s tried it. It’s pretty easy: sweetened condensed milk, whipped cream, whatever flavorings you want to add, and a splash of alcohol to keep it from freezing too firmly. Ever since I first saw that recipe, I’ve really wanted to try it with whipped coconut cream instead of regular whipped cream. I decided to go ahead and make sweetened condensed coconut milk as well, to make the whole recipe dairy free.

No-Churn-Lemon-Coconut-Ice-Cream

This recipe is definitely a lot fussier than the original, but it’s pretty fun to make and it tastes amazing. Plus since it’s dairy-free it didn’t bother my stomach like regular ice cream does.

First, you make sweetened condensed coconut milk by simmering a few cans of coconut milk together with some honey until the mixture is thick.

Then, make homemade whipped coconut cream. Hopefully my recipe is easy enough to follow, but there’s also a great tutorial over at Tasty Yummies that I highly recommend checking out.

Last, you mix it all together with some lemon juice and lemon zest and then freeze it overnight. Since coconut milk gets pretty hard when it’s chilled, the alcohol that the original recipe calls for doesn’t really serve a purpose. If you want to add in a few splashes of rum anyway, I won’t tell anyone.

You can eat it straight from the freezer (it will have a crumbly texture, but won’t be icy – it reminds me of dippin dots) or, for a creamier treat that you can scoop into a cone, you can whip it up one last time. Either way it’s delicious!

Dairy-Free-Lemon-Ice-Cream

Dairy Free Lemon Ice Cream 1

No Churn Lemon Ice Cream {Dairy Free} #SundaySupper

For this recipe, it's important to use full fat coconut milk – the light kind just won't work. Look for a brand without any added ingredients or stabilizers (guar gum is ok), since you'll need the coconut cream to separate from the water. I've had the best luck with Thai Kitchen, although Goya also works.
4.78 from 9 votes
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Prep Time: 16 hours
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 16 hours 30 minutes
Servings: 8
Author: Lauren Keating

Ingredients

  • 4 cans full fat coconut milk
  • ¼ cup honey
  • 2 tablespoon white rum optional
  • 2 lemons zested and juiced

Instructions

  • Chill 2 cans of coconut milk in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours.
  • Empty the contents of the other 2 cans of coconut milk into a saucepan. Add the honey and bring to a rapid simmer, stirring frequently. Simmer for 20-25 minutes, or until the milk is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. (After about 10 minutes, you'll notice that the milk will start to turn a golden color – that's ok and is exactly what's supposed to happen.) Remove from heat and let cool completely.
  • Open the 2 cans of chilled coconut milk. The cream should have risen to the top. Carefully scoop the cream into a mixing bowl. (Reserve the water below to use in a smoothie.) With an electric beater, whip the coconut cream until it's light and fluffy, 3-5 minutes.
  • Add the condensed coconut milk, rum (if using), lemon juice, and lemon zest. Whip another 2-3 minutes.
  • Transfer to a lidded container and freeze overnight.
  • You can eat the ice cream straight from the freezer, but because coconut milk solidified when it's cold, it will be pretty hard. For a creamier treat, add the frozen ice cream to a mixing bowl and whip for about 1 minute to soften it up. If it starts to melt, stick it back in the freezer for 10-15 minutes to firm it back up.

Notes

I had a lot of trouble calculating the nutrition information for this recipe – the program I use tripped up over the coconut milk. This definitely isn't low calorie or low fat though; it's on par with premium ice cream in that sense and is definitely a treat to enjoy in moderation.
Tried this recipe?Mention @HealthyDelish or tag #HealthyDelish!

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Hi, I'm Lauren! I'm a certified plant-based cook and enthusiastic omnivore who loves looking for creative ways to make weeknight meals more nutritious. I'm the author of Heathy Eating One Pot Cookbook and Healthy Meal Prep Slow Cooker Cookbook. I also blog at The Busy Foodie.

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