Dairy-Free Mint Chip Ice Cream {gluten and egg-free, too}

Pin It

This hot weather has inspired me to play with my ice cream maker and the results have been fun and yummy!  Plus, our grocery store seems to have stopped carrying dairy-free ice cream (sad, but true!), so homemade it is.  Last summer I made some soy-based ice cream and, while it was pretty good, I didn't love how the soy flavor tainted the ice cream flavor (you know what I'm talking about).  But with the use of coconut milk, all my dreams of frozen creaminess have been met!  If you have an ice cream maker, get it out!  If you have a dairy allergy and don't own an ice cream maker, you really must get one!  I have this simple Cuisinart model which does a wonderful job.  Gone are the days of dry ice and rock salt.  With this, you simple store the inner part of the ice cream maker in the freezer.  When you're ready to make ice cream, you just pull that freezer bowl out of the freezer and pop it into your maker. Pour in your ingredients and 20 minutes later . . . voila!  Plus you can use it to make sorbet, slushies, frappacchinos and more (more on those ideas later).

For this recipe, I chose to leave the mint ice cream white, but if you'd like yours green you can do it without artificial food coloring.  Check out Jennifer's recipe at The Unrefined Kitchen for a green spinach-ified mint ice cream.

So on to the recipe . . .

Mint Chip Ice Cream {gluten, dairy and egg-free}

2 (13.5 oz) cans full-fat coconut milk (about 3 1/4 cups) - *To ensure a creamy texture, use the cans of coconut milk and not the coconut milk beverage found in cartons.
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
2 tsp mint extract
1/2 cup mini dairy-free chocolate chips or shredded dairy-free chocolate bars (such as Enjoy Life Boom Choco Boom bars)

Mix all ingredients except chocolate chips and let chill in the refrigerator for at least one hour (overnight is fine too).  Once chilled, pour mixture into ice cream maker, turn it on and let it churn for about 20 minutes (check the instructions on your ice cream maker for specifics to your machine).  When the ice cream has reached soft-serve consistence, add in the chocolate chips and let it churn a few minutes more to mix in the chocolate.  You can eat it straight out of the ice cream maker or, if you prefer a harder set, transfer ice cream to the freezer till firmer.

NOTE:  Store the freezer bowl of your ice cream maker in your freezer at all times.  Then your ice cream maker will be ready to use when you're ready to make ice cream.

This recipe is being shared at Allergy Free Wednesday

This recipe was featured at Real Food, Allergy Free!