I love ice cream. No, I really, really love ice cream. Especially homemade ice cream made from raw, grass-fed cream, pastured egg yolks, and natural sweeteners such as maple syrup, honey or stevia.
Not everyone can digest dairy. That makes this great for dairy-intolerant folks who still want to enjoy the taste and texture of ice cream. If you’re on GAPS or SCD, you can eat this! (Yes, cocoa is legal on GAPS.)
I’ve been trying to lose weight lately and doing The 4-Hour Body
Why Include Coconut In Your Diet?
Coconut has so many benefits in the diet. It is super nutritious due to its high-quality saturated fat content. It is also such a versatile food. From a coconut you can get coconut water (this is delicious straight from the coconut), make coconut milk (by boiling shredded coconut meat with water), coconut flour (from the leftover pulp from the coconut milk), coconut cream (will rise to the top like dairy cream, separating from the coconut milk if you refrigerate or leave the coconut milk to sit), and of course, coconut oil.
The Benefits of Lauric Acid
Coconut oil is about 50% lauric acid. The only other abundant source found in nature is in human breast milk.
According to Dr. Mary Enig, a Ph.D. nutritionist/biochemist:
“Approximately 50% of the fatty acids in coconut fat are lauric acid. Lauric acid is a medium chain fatty acid, which has the additional beneficial function of being formed into monolaurin in the human or animal body. Monolaurin is the antiviral, antibacterial, and antiprotozoal monoglyceride used by the human or animal to destroy lipid coated viruses such as HIV, herpes, cytomegalovirus, influenza, various pathogenic bacteria including listeria monocytogenes and heliobacter pylori, and protozoa such as giardia lamblia. Some studies have also shown some antimicrobial effects of the free lauric acid.”
Recipe Notes:
If you are on the GAPS or SCD diet, use honey for the sweetener.
If you are eating low-carb or 4 Hour Body, use stevia.
Chocolate Coconut Milk Ice Cream
Ingredients
Cocoa powder, organic if possible (2-3 tablespoons)
Coconut milk, full fat (2 cups) — where to buy coconut milk
Sea salt (pinch) — where to buy sea salt
Honey (1/4 cup) — where to buy honey— or use stevia to taste
Vanilla extract — homemade if possible (1 TBS)
Egg yolks, ideally pastured or at least free-range organic (4 egg yolks)
Equipment
Ice cream maker
Medium saucepan
Whisk
Directions
1. Add coconut milk and cocoa powder to medium saucepan on low heat and whisk to combine.
2. Stir in the sea salt, honey (or stevia) and vanilla extract, and whisk until honey is incorporated. Remove from heat. (Note: If you are using stevia, you don’t need to heat it.)
3. Whisk in the egg yolks.
4. Chill this mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator. (You can skip this step if you’re not heating it.)
5. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions of your ice cream maker. In 30-45 minutes you will have ice cream!
Photo credit: Guinness Milk Chocolate Ice Cream by joyosity, on Flickr
Disclosure: cmp.ly/4 and cmp.ly/5
{ 62 comments… read them below or add one }
Ice cream is one of my very, very favorite things – and I always make it with coconut milk! It adds a subtle sweetness that compliments any flavor, and it is super healthy and rich enough to satisfy my fat loving tastebuds. Thanks for this yummy recipe!
How crazy is that – I just posted a chocolate coconut milk ice cream recently too!
http://divinehealthfromtheinsideout.com/2011/04/chocolate-coconut-milk-ice-cream/
Sounds like a delicious recipe. I’ve never made ice cream with coconut milk before.
Signed up for your newsletter and I get your blog in my feed reader. Please enter me in the giveaway!
i make coffee/chocolate coconut mlk icecream w/ wilderness families coconut mlk powder- it think it makes a big difference to use the powder- so yummy!
My boys love ice cream too so an updated ice cream maker would be a welcome addition to our house!
you have made me hungry and i’d like some now….
Oh that sounds awesome. I think this would be a later stage legal treat for the Body Ecology diet as well, if you use stevia and the extract isn’t alcohol-based.
You could just leave out the vanilla extract
Fantastic! I love using coconut milk for many recipes, especially ice cream, but we haven’t tried chocolate yet- I’ll give this a try
Thanks for sharing!
Yummy — can’t wait to try this one!
Ann Marie, this is the coolest recipe ever!!!!! Thank you ever so much!!!!!
I hesitate a bit to reference Luna & Larry’s Coconut Bliss ice cream as a “quick fix” alternative! It is coconut milk based with real food ingredients (all organic) & their chocolate is awesome…as are all their flavors! They use agave as a sweetner, which may be the only “no-go” for some! http://coconutbliss.com/ I just love it & believe in their integrity, as well!
I signed up for your newsletter! I found your site through links from the paleo solution. I love coconut and chocolate, so this is a wonderful recipe. I’ve recently added whole cream ice cream & butter back into my diet, but this will help me limit my sugar/honey intake. The ice cream freezer is on my wish list!
Just subscribed to your newsletter! Hoping to win the ice cream maker
made this today using roasted carob powder (same amt). the kids loved it and so did i! we used less honey and it was still really yummy. what a great way to get healthy foods into them disguised as dessert! we also use the thai coconut custard recipe for breakfast on occasion-coconut milk, eggs, honey, salt, vanilla!
Great!! I can’t wait to try it with carob
Yum! I haven’t made ice cream in a while, but this may inspire me to try it again.
I’ve been making coconut milk ice cream without an ice cream maker (though the maker would keep the ice cream more smooth, no doubt). I posted about my chocolate coconut milk ice cream and some chocolate coconut pudding recipes on my blog here:
http://realfoodmyway.blogspot.com/2011/02/instead-foods.html
Chocolate and coconut milk, a match made in heaven. Thanks for the post!
Alyss
Thanks, Alyss
I’m intrigued by the idea of using stevia. I know you said “to taste,” but can you give an approximation? Also, how is the flavor different with stevia, as opposed to honey or maple syrup?
I have not tried making it with stevia yet… I’ll let you know when I test it. I would just keep adding it until it tastes right.
Some people do not like the flavor of stevia, but I do.
I’m on GAPS and every resource I have found has said that cocoa is out, and carob is out. I hope I’m wrong, but I don’t think I am! Do you have a cocoa/GAPS source to point me to?
This recipe does sound delicious! I was wondering why you said cocoa was legal on the GAPS diet. It is on the Foods To Avoid list in the GAPS book. What do you have to say on this because I would really like to have some of this!!!!
When can cocoa or cocao be introduced?
Cocoa is SCD illegal. However, I find that many people can start having it occasionally on the Full GAPS Diet, once the digestive symptoms are gone. Find pure organic cocoa powder. Mixing the powder with some honey and sour cream makes a delicious dessert, and you can add it to your homemade ice cream or cakes. After trying it for the first time, observe your patient for any reactions. Cocoa is very rich in magnesium and some essential amino acids and, unless your digestive system is not ready for it, there is no need to avoid it.
Source: http://www.gapsdiet.com/FAQs.html
Well Hallelujah!! I’m not quite ready for this (I’m at almost 2 months on GAPS), but now I can look forward to it! Thanks Ann Marie
Enjoy!!!
Hi,
This is probably a silly question, but is this Dutch processed cocoa powder?
Maybe this baking source isn’t the best to figure it out for ice cream:
http://www.joyofbaking.com/cocoa.html
“Dutch-Processed or Alkalized Unsweetened Cocoa Powder is treated with an alkali to neutralize its acids. It has a reddish-brown color, mild flavor, and is easy to dissolve in liquids.”
“Natural Unsweetened Cocoa Powder tastes very bitter and gives a deep chocolate flavor to baked goods.”
I guess I was leaning toward “Natural” for ice cream, but the “very bitter” is throwing me off. :/
Thanks,
Mark
I can’t have eggs – is there a substitute for eggs? thanks!
You can make this without the egg yolks, but it won’t be as rich. Maybe try adding a little coconut oil.
I personally would do the GAPS diet until you reverse your allergy to egg yolks before I would eat this dessert on a regular basis. Most people find that they can tolerate egg yolks, just not the whites. But perhaps you need to be on GAPS a while longer if you cannot tolerate egg yolks.
Thanks for your reply! I did do the GAPS diet last year for just over 6 months and then had to introduce some starches as my blood sugar levels were going wonky. I’d eat a meal and be hungry right after and felt weak. Post GAPS, I had a food allergy test at my ND and found out that all dairy, eggs (yolks & whites) and gluten were way off the charts. I’m thinking of possibly tackling GAPS again as I have packed on the pounds after bringing starches back in my diet (some potatoes, yams, rice and quinoa)…
This looks amazing, and so so good for you
You can only imagine how EXCITED I was to read this recipe and to discover that quality cocoa is LEGAl…!!!
After reading your recipe, I gave my girls a hot chocolate at snacktime yesterday (we were all so excited! Pure cocoa, raw honey and coconut milk) as winter has set in early here in Australia… it was delicious! Now to make the ice cream. 
PS how would you alter the recipe to make vanilla coconut milk ice cream? Simply omit the cocoa?
Aww Sherian that is great!
Yes for vanilla add more vanilla extract and omit the cocoa. But if you are on GAPS please be sure to use only homemade vanilla extract with only vodka (use the recipe on my blog but use vodka). Even better, use real vanilla beans!
Wonderful, thanks for that Ann Marie! I’ll be looking up your vanilla extract recipe (great way to use the hubby’s vodka – I’m not a fan! Heh heh) and trying that next time. I made the choc ice cream last night (real vanilla beans… mmm) and the girls enjoyed it and so did my hubby. YAY!
Wow! Seems very delicious. I am on diet too, so this definite is very useful information for me. Thanks for sharing!
I made this ice cream this week and LOVED it! Thanks for the recipe…
Made this on Monday and it is truly fantastic!
I’m going to try it today with a vanilla bean instead of cocoa…I sure hope it works!
Nathan
I just finished making this and now I’m left with all these organic egg whites. Any suggestions as of what to do with them? It’ll be a real pity if it ends up in the garbage.
Thanks again for the delicious recipe!
You can freeze them and use them later. I like to use egg whites for coconut macaroons, meringue, frosting or marshmallow fluff
oh my goodness…I was literally just talking about wanting to make ice cream out of coconut milk but wasn’t sure how it would turn ou! Perfect!
Me and my daughter tried making this icecream today, but for some reason it would’t turn into ice… I put it in the icemaker and after an hour it still was runny and extremely sweet for my taste. I now have it in the freezer for several hours, and it is starting to become a bit more solid, but still… We will see tomorrow morning what happened. About 2 weeks ago I made an almost similar recipe, but with raw milk and cream and no salt, that turned out excellent. Do you think it is the salt, why it won’t freeze? Or too much honey? Maybe my daughter didn’t measure the honey well, I’m just thinking. She did that on her own….
What kind of ice cream maker are you using? I’m guessing maybe the bowl of the ice cream maker was not cold enough. You need to put the bowl in the freezer for at least 12 hours prior to making ice cream.
I just found out what happened, when I said 1/4 of a cup, she understood 1 1/4, so way too much honey… because I didn’t have any coconut milk anymore, I added cream. It turned out rather well, fortunately:-)
I have a Midas ice cream maker (http://www.3lltd.com/) which has been in the freezer for days, so that couldn’t be the problem.
That explains it!
I am wondering if this could just be made with whole eggs? I just hate separating eggs.
Curious the purpose of yolks only? Sounds yummy though!
Raw egg white is not really recommended for consumption. If you want to use the whole eggs, you should cook the coconut milk with the eggs and make a custard.
http://www.cholesterol-and-health.com/Egg_Yolk.html
Oh! I always assumed people have trouble with eating the entire egg raw.
I haven’t done much of it but since my eggs are from my yard I don’t worry the same as if they came from elsewhere. Thanks for the info!
Wow, this looks like an excellent recipe! It is hard for me to get raw milk, so this will be perfect!
Oh my yummy-ness. Will have to wait a bit to make this but it looks awesome.
I’ve made this twice now and it is delicious! It tasted just as good as store bought ice cream. I couldn’t find part of my ice cream maker so it came out a bit icy. Good news is I found the missing piece, so next time it should be creamy as well as tasty.
What is the amount on the coconut milk? One can?
This looks delicious!
The kids loved it – I could kiss you! Just made this in my new ice cream maker. I’m not that keen on coconut milk but the richness of the coco masks it. I thought that it might be just acceptable but it tastes like proper restaurant ice cream really rich.
I’m on GAPS and when I can I try to introduce stuff to the kids. It’s slow going, most stuff they’ll try but because it doesn’t taste like the regular version there’s a barrier to get through…..not tonight they wolfed it down.
Has cheered me up no end. Going to try with sour cream next.
Thank you.
Do you use coconut milk from a can (like are usually used for cooking), or the kind that is usually used for drinking?
I use coconut milk in a can.
Thanks so much! I’m excited to try this.
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This is by far THE BEST ICE CREAMY RECIPE EVER! I loved the creaminess textire & the taste was JUST LIKE REAL ICE CREAM! I used the vanilla base (no chocolate) & used 1′ 5 packets if coconut milk powder with the 2 cups of watee, & used real vanilla bean with the recommended vanilla extract. After churning it for 30 mins in my ice cream maker, I topped it off with fresh Strawberries. What a delight! I LOVED this recipe! Thank you so much for sharing! I’m gluten-free & dairy-free, & can now enjoy something I Loved so much! THANK YOU!!!!
sorry for the spelling, my cell phone is acting up. That was:
Texture*
1.5 packets (one and a half)* – (Grace brand coconut milk powder- each packet is 1.76 oz)
Water*
So your saying if I use Stevia I do not need to cook the mixture at all?
This would mean the egg yolks would remain raw. Is that safe?
We have recently gone dairy free and I love that I can still have homemade ice cream with this recipe. Thanks for sharing
You are so welcome!
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