Homemade {Dairy-free} Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

Name: Dairy-free Vanilla Bean Ice Cream
Prep time: 15 min
Total time: 15 min
Ingredients: 4 egg yolks; 2/3 cups cane sugar; 2 13.5-ounce cans full-fat coconut milk; 1/4 teaspoon salt; 1 whole vanilla bean; 2 tablespoons vodka

May 17 By Renée ♥ 30 Comments

The Richest, Creamiest Dairy-free VANILLA BEAN ICE CREAM Ever ~ Made with Coconut Milk!

Mr. B loves ice cream, and last year I splurged and bought him a new ice cream maker for his birthday. (Well, to be perfectly honest, it was more for “our” birthdays – he’s only three days older than me.) It was definitely a great purchase!

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Our oldest daughter is on a dairy-free diet right now, so when she came over for dinner the other night, I whipped up this delicious coconut milk-based ice cream. It never made it from the ice cream maker into the freezer – it was gone too fast! And it was scrumptious with the fresh berry compote I made last week!

5 from 3 votes

Dairy-free Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

Course Dessert

Prep Time 15 minutes

Total Time 15 minutes

Author Renée B. ♥ The Good Hearted Woman

Ingredients

4 egg yolks
2/3 cups cane sugar
2 13.5-ounce cans full-fat coconut milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 whole vanilla bean
2 tablespoons vodka

Instructions

Combine egg yolks, coconut milk, sugar, and salt in a blender and process until smooth.
Pour mixture into a medium sauce pan, and heat over medium low just until steamy. DO NOT BOIL.
Slice vanilla bean down the middle, and scrape the inside into the hot coconut milk mixture. Whisk to combine. (I also put the vanilla bean pod in and fish them out before I put the ice cream mixture into the ice cream maker.)
Continue to cook until the mixture has thickened to the consistency of a thin custard.
Remove from heat and whisk in the vodka. (This keeps the ice cream from getting too hard in the freezer. For alternative preparation, see note below.)
Refrigerate mixture about 2 hours, or until completely cold.
Pour mixture into ice cream freezer and prepare according to manufacturer’s directions.

Recipe Notes

Alternate "vodka-free" Preparation: 2 tablespoons of vanilla extract can be substituted in place of the vanilla bean and vodka.

Note that, if you are concerned about alcohol in your ice cream, vanilla extract contains as much alcohol as vodka. Either way, the vanilla extract or vodka MUST be added AFTER the mixture is taken off the stove. The alcohol helps to keep the ice cream from getting too hard.

For soft-serve style ice cream, serve immediately. For a harder scoopable ice cream, place in the freezer for 2-3 hours. Take out and place on the counter for 10 minutes to soften for serving.

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About Renée ♥

Renée is writer, music maker, artist, and storyteller. In her spare time, you can find her writing love songs about cowboys, exploring the moss-covered nooks and crannies of the Pacific Northwest, and making music with her talented singer-husband.

Comments

Susannah says
June 8 at

This looks so good! I really need to get an ice cream maker!!! 🙂

Reply
- Renée ♥ says
  June 8 at
  
  I bought ours after I fell in love with the one I got for my raffle basket for the Chevy Shop Social last month. It works like a dream and is very quiet.
  
  Reply
  - Natalia says
    June 13 at
    
    Hi renee,
    
    Great recipe, I’ve never actually tried making ice-cream myself, i wonder do you think it needs step 7 in the maker? Hows the consistency after 2 hrs of refrigeration? Do you think i could make it work without this step?
    
    Thanks
    
    Reply
    - Renée ♥ says
      June 13 at
      
      The ice cream freezer is what introduces air into the mixture and gives it loft. You can put it into the freezer as it is, but it comes out like more like a block of ice than ice cream.
      
      Reply
      - Natalia says
        June 22 at
        
        Renee, I successfully pulled it off without the ice-cream maker, just took a lot of whisking frequently, thank you!
Meredith {MarthaChartreuse} says
June 8 at

I love making ice cream! Filing this recipe away.

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Pech says
June 8 at

I’m with you, I got a feeling these wouldn’t make it to the freezer!

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Danielle says
June 8 at

This looks lovely! I am so excited to have a great recipe for vanilla ice cream now (its my husband’s favorite)! Thanks for sharing, cheers! 🙂

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Catherine says
June 8 at

This looks scrumptious! Don’t be surprised if I pop over for some dessert one of these nights. 😉

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- Renée ♥ says
  June 8 at
  
  You are most welcome to stop in, Catherine!
  
  Reply
kelsey says
June 9 at

this, with fresh berries, looks amazing!

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Erin says
June 9 at

Yum. This is when I wish I had an ice cream machine! I also was excited to see there wasn’t much sugar in that recipe. Looks delicious!

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Bonnie says
June 9 at

Yum! I need to make this asap.

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Shelby says
June 10 at

Looks amazing! I love coconut milk ice cream but I’ve never made it myself… You’ve got me considering an investment in an ice cream maker.

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- Renée ♥ says
  June 10 at
  
  A good ice cream freezer is so worth it, Shelby.
  
  Reply
chelsea @ the new wifestyle says
June 16 at

wow. i really need to get a darn ice cream maker! i’m lactose intolerant and this looks AMAZING! maybe i can borrow a friend’s to try this out during a fun summer night because it looks so refreshing!

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- Renée ♥ says
  June 16 at
  
  No one in our house is lactose intolerant; however, since I made this the first time, everyone keeps asking for it! The coconut milk gives it such a luxurious texture, and the slight coconut flavor of the coconut milk combines with the vanilla to create an ice cream with a lot of depth.
  
  Reply
Alicia says
May 17 at

Look delicious! I’m going to have to try this!

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- Renée ♥ says
  May 17 at
  
  Thank you, Alicia! Honestly, I was very surprised at how creamy and “not dairy-free” it tasted the first time we made it.
  
  Reply
Edward Anderson says
May 17 at

I need to try this recipe! It looked delicious

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Laura says
May 17 at

oooohhh this sounds all kinds of amazing!!!! I am lactose intolerant so this is PERFECT!

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- Renée ♥ says
  May 17 at
  
  You won’t even miss the dairy – it’s actually almost surprising how creamy it turns out.
  
  Reply
Alice Huang says
May 17 at

This recipe looks amazing! I’m starting to have issues with dairy as I grow older, I have to carry around some Lactaid pills in my purse just in case. Would love to try this!

xo, alice / T Y P E N U

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- Renée ♥ says
  May 17 at
  
  It’s so good, Alice. You won’t even miss the dairy!
  
  Reply
Tess says
May 17 at

This looks so delicious, and I love that you used coconut milk! This really makes me wish that I had the ice cream maker attachment for my KitchenAid!

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- Renée ♥ says
  May 17 at
  
  This is definitely the time of year to buy an ice dream maker – they all go on sale for the summer season.
  
  Reply
soniya Saluja says
May 17 at

This looks so delicious !! Yum 😛

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Charlotte says
May 17 at

Never thought of using coconut milk in ice cream, but it sound delicious! Will definitely have to make this as my sister is also on a dairy-free diet 🙂

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Kim Beaulieu says
May 17 at

I love ice cream made with coconut milk. This is sheer perfection!

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Pam says
May 17 at

I have never tried to make homemade ice cream before but this recipe is really straight forward. Thank you for sharing!

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