This ice cream is the perfect partner for abundant summer berries, or pretty much anytime all year long! It’s smooth and creamy without being at all heavy like ice creams can sometimes be. It’s also one of those desserts that’s both light and refreshing, yet oddly decadent at the same time. The bright zesty note of citrus combined with the creamy coconut is all I could ever want in an ice cream. Although this is the most unlikely flavor combination I would have ever thought would be my favorite. I usually lean towards more traditional flavors. But this coconut lime combo has become my favorite. It would seem it’s the favorite of many of you as well. So I thought I’d give it a bit of a makeover since it’s one of our oldest and most popular recipes. Tyler still asks for it no matter what the occasion is. And lately our new favorite thing is to pack this ice cream into a hydro flask. Then freeze it solid for a day or two and take it with you somewhere for a picnic. The last place we took it was hiking up a mountain on a super hot day. And I can tell you it’s never tasted better that that!
How to make Coconut Lime Ice Cream
For the lime zest in this recipe, you want to use a microplane grater and only grate the outer green part leaving the white behind. That way, you get the intense flavor without any chewy chunks of rind.
No cooking required
I use the tamper that comes with my blender to keep the mixture moving. And that way I didn’t have to scrape the sides at all.
Coconut Lime Ice Cream Ingredients
Coconut Milk – it’s super important that the coconut milk be full fat. The lower fat versions produce more of a sorbet texture than a super creamy ice cream. My favorite brands are Native Forest and Thai Kitchen. Avocados – don’t worry if you’re not an avocado fan, they’re here for the super creamy texture, and their flavor doesn’t come through. Maple Syrup – I’ve been using the Grade A amber pure maple syrup that’s been available at our Costco. It’s a much lighter flavor and the perfect all natural sweetener for ice creams. Lime juice & zest: this is where the magic happens! All that fresh lime juice and zest make for incredible flavor. It’s also why you don’t taste the avocado! Water – this is just to help the ice cream blend easier in the blender. You can leave it out with an even creamier result, but you may need to scrape down the sides more.
How do you make Coconut Ice Cream without an ice cream machine
If you don’t have a high speed blender or food processor, you can place the mixture in the freezer. Then stir it every 30 minutes until it freezes. The texture will be icy, but that’s the only other way I know to make ice cream without a machine. The reason this method is icy is because there’s only the stirring to break up the size of the ice crystals while they form. When you manually stir it every 30 minutes, the ice crystals form larger, which creates the icy texture.
Notes about blending ice cream in your blender
This only works with a high powered blender, and it’s hard work even for them. If you don’t have a high powered blender, I absolutely wouldn’t attempt to blend ice cream. You can try the same method in a food processor instead – I use my Cuisinart. It’s super important to monitor the blending constantly. Don’t step away for a moment because blending ice cream is hard on a blender. By monitoring and using the tamper, everything ‘should’ be fine. I have a Vitamix and it has a safety feature that turns the blender off if it starts to overheat. So that definitely gives me some peace of mind.
I think what I love about this ice cream is that it fits every occasion. Even when it’s the depth of winter coldness, this ice cream is still my favorite dessert. And no matter what cuisine you’re serving, this coconut lime combination is the perfect end to almost any dinner. I especially like serving it after anything Mexican or Asian inspired.
More coconut lime inspired recipes
Creamy Coconut Lime Chia Pudding Tropical Spinach Salad with Creamy Coconut Lime Dressing No Bake Coconut Lime Tart Limesicle Pudding Tropical Quinoa Salad with Coconut Lime Dressing
If you do get a chance to make it, I hope you’ll leave me a comment/rating below. I always love hearing from you here in the comments. And also over on Instagram where you can tag me at #getinspiredeveryday with your photos of what you make. If you’re looking for even more dairy free ice creams, I wrote an e-book called Inspired Ice Creams. There’s 32 recipes + 143 variations which = 175 total frozen treats!
