It has been super hot and sticky here in Toronto so we've been riding our bikes to Delight (a local ice cream shop in town) to cool off and have a treat. The other day, I had their blueberry ice cream and it was so insanely good, it inspired me to create a homemade version without an ice cream machine, because I don't have one. I'm sure glad I did!
This ice cream is dairy-free, refined-sugar free and very easy to whip up!
What you can't see here is that I am salivating just looking at this. It turned out absolutely perfect. I only used a little bit of maple syrup, but if you have nice sweet blueberries, you probably don't even need to sweeten it at all. In the past when I've made ice cream, I add a banana for sweetness and texture but then it kinda takes over the taste, you know what I mean? Also, every time I have a recipe with bananas, I often get asked for a banana-free version!
This Blueberry Ice Cream is ...
- Dairy-free
- Completely plant-based
- Rich in vitamin C and anthocyanins from the blueberries which are well researched for their cancer-preventative benefits, blood sugar balancing, anti-inflammatory and heart health promoting
- Kid-friendly
- Allergen-free (no nuts)
Don't forget to watch the video! Walker had so much filming it. Plus, he added in that classic ice cream truck tune—I love it! I hope it brings you back to fun times as a kid hearing the ice cream truck come down your street. I have to admit though, I don't think I've bought ice cream from a truck my whole adult life haha!
When you're scooping out the ice cream, you'll have to let it sit for a while because if your freezer is anything like mine, it will be frozen into a solid block of deliciousness. Also, don't expect this to scoop out like dairy-based ice cream. It's more icy, and as a plus you don't have any chemical emulsifiers to smooth out the texture. Your microbiome thanks you! (Note: Emulsifiers in common foods especially ice cream, are known to reduce the diversity of your gut microbes).
Here's my recipe video!
Here's my recipe, and remember that my recipe cards are always printable.
Desserts
Dairy-free Blueberry Ice Cream
Print
Ingredients
- 3 cups frozen or fresh blueberries
- 1 can (400mL) full fat coconut milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
- 2-3 tbsp maple syrup
- Optional: 2 spoonfuls of coconut butter/manna
Instructions
- Place all ingredients into a blender. Give a blitz until creamy. Pour into a parchment lined or greased loaf pan or square 8x8 pan.
- Freeze overnight or for up to 4-6 hours. Remove from freezer and let sit for 10-30 minutes before scooping out ice cream depending on how frozen it is. Enjoy!
Notes
Serves 6-8
Coconut butter/manna can be found in the health food store or sometimes it's in the natural foods section of a regular grocery store. It is optional in case you can't find any. I add it for an extra bit of creaminess!
The texture is somewhere between a sorbet and gelato/ice cream. If you want it more creamy, I would suggest using 2 cans of ONLY the full fat cream from coconut milk and NOT the coconut water in the can. This would yield a more creamy texture. You can also remove the shredded coconut but I like the texture it provides.
It's sooooo delicious! I'm excited for you to try it and report back how joyous your taste buds are.
Happy Summer, sweet friends! I gotta get back to my ice cream eating :)
Joy xo
I say ice cream in a cone....your dad agrees with you....ice cream in a cup!
ReplyHaha, cone is definitely way more fun!!
Thank you for this, can't wait to make it! These are all ingredients I have on hand... perfect!
ReplyAwesome enjoy!
Definitely a waffle cone 😋
ReplyCan't wait to try this! Reminds me of that time I made banana ice-cream with just banana and nothing else. It was sorbet-like and icy, as you mentioned your blueberry ice-cream to be, which was cool by me. I made that one by hand, which took more time. But with blueberries, I think I'll use a blender. Did you need to scrape the ice-cream midway of freezing, as I heard is needed to break down the crystals? I found it helped a little with my banana ice-cream, as seen in the difference before and after scraping.
ReplyYes! Love making banana ice cream too, although I typically just do frozen banana and blitz it with some nut milk, cocoa powder or water and then eat it right away!! I didn't do that, but you definitely can!
Cone for sure!
ReplyCONE!!!:-)
ReplyI make a similar chocolate and vanilla ice cream - so yum! To get a smoother texture, I freeze in silicon muffin trays, blend again once frozen, spoon back into silicon muffin trays to refreeze. You can serve it right out of the blender if you like soft serve. And the great thing about the muffin trays, it’s individual portions.
ReplyGreat tips, thank you! Sounds like a great hack to an ice cream machine!
This looks delicious! All I have on hand is cans of coconut cream, not coconut milk. Would those work instead? Thank you!
ReplyYes that should definitely work! It will probably be more creamy which isn't a bad thing. Enjoy!
Just discovered the recipe. Yummm.....I want to make it now, but I only have coconut cream not coconut milk. Will that work?
ReplyYes that should definitely work!
Just about to put it in the freezer, although as is is already yummy! Covering when freezing- important?
ReplyIt may get a little more icy on the top if you don't cover it. But you don't have to. Enjoy!
Hi Joy! Can I use any other berries for this ice cream?
ReplyYes for sure! Any berry like blackberries or cherries or strawberries would work great!
I made this recipe and ice cream froze solid over night. You mentioned to let sit out for 10-15 mins before serving. Had to use a knife to break a piece off and then let it sit for another hour, still frozen solid. Got impatient and chipped away at it to eat. I would like to be able to scoop into a bowl like you did in your pic. Is there something I did wrong?
ReplyHi Connie! You probably just need to let it sit for longer. I will update my post because you're the second person to mention to me that 10-15 minutes was not long enough to let it thaw. Thanks for your comment!
All about the bowl 🥣
ReplyHaha, same!
Putting this in popsicle molds saved trying to scoop it out.
ReplyGreat idea!
If is delicious. Mine came out more icy like a popsicle. Any tips for making it more creamy and not freezing to solid ice? I made it with 30% fat coconut cream.
ReplyI would recommend doing it with full fat coconut milk. So at least half or more of the can should be the coconut cream. Alternatively, you can melt it down and pour it into popsicle molds? Glad you loved the taste!
Yum, I'm definitely a cone person :)
ReplyI forgot to ask can you replace the coconut milk with something else?
Well you need something with fat and flavour. You could probably use goat milk but you'd need to sweeten it.
Is this also known as coconut oil?
ReplyIs what known as coconut oil?
I made the ice cream with a batch of organic berries. and full fat cream from whole foods,its great but i made too much will finished it tho. thanks Joy
ReplyGlad you loved it Glenn!
I'm a cup person I'll try this, thanks
ReplyI made this last night and had it this morning. Its super duper hot here in Ottawa as I'm sure it is everwere this summer. Ihaven't felt like eating anything hot in the morning so this was absolutly perfect. what a treat. Thank you again Joy.
ReplyGlad you're loving it! It's a really nice treat!
yummy !
ReplyThanks for sharing this recipe! Can't wait to make it for my dairy free young grandkids! I like a cone- eat the vessel, but now I must eat gluten free. I've moved to the cup.
ReplyHi Fran! I think the brand Let's do Organic, might be GF. Don't quote me on that though ;) Enjoy!