I absolutely love this ginger coconut milk ice cream (and ginger is so good for you)! Regular ginger ice cream was always a favorite too, and I used to get that all the time when buying ice cream “out”, but for some reason I hadn’t gotten around to making my own non-dairy version until now. It’s not vegan because I use honey; I think it makes the ice cream extra fluffy and creamy, but for those who prefer to keep it strictly vegan, use sugar instead (or perhaps Stevia? It’s on my “must try” list. They had the plants at the Herb Farmacy, and I regret not buying one. Time for another herb-buying trip!).
I created this recipe with the help of advice I found on the internet and the excellent (and gorgeously photographed) book “The Perfect Scoop
The rum and candied ginger are optional; I like to add a little bit of alcohol in my ice creams because it makes them not freeze so hard, but it is certainly fine without it too. I used a white rum called Altissima Noll (made on Gotland, the island in Sweden where I grew up) because I didn’t want the rum to add too much flavor, and the clear Altissima is very subtle. Any alcohol works, so if you don’t like rum, try something else (a homemade ginger vodka would be fantastic).
The candied ginger was added per my husband’s request. I think it does add a nice contrast in textures and I personally much prefer the non-crystallized version (which Trader Joe’s now thankfully carry again), but if you prefer crystallized, definitely use that instead.
You can eat it right away if you want, it’s soft-serve at this point, or put in the freezer for later. It’s delicious either way.
Ingredients
- 2 cans coconut milk (full fat)
- 4 oz fresh ginger
- ½ cup raw honey
- 1 tbsp rum (optional)
- Non-crystallized candied ginger (optional)
Instructions
- Cut the fresh ginger in slices and put in a saucepan. Add water, just enough to cover the ginger. Bring to a boil and boil for 2 minutes, discard the water and return the saucepan (with the ginger) to the stove.
- Add the coconut milk and bring it to a gentle boil. Once it has come to a boil, turn the heat off, cover the saucepan and remove it from the heat. Let the ginger steep in the milk for about 1 hour.
- After an hour, remove the ginger pieces and stir in the honey. The milk will still be warm, so it dissolves easily. Once the honey has dissolved, stir in the rum. Cover the saucepan and put it in the fridge for at least 6 hours so that it cools completely. Important: do not skip this step! I did once and ended up with an ice cream mess all over my kitchen floor.
- Once the mixture is completely cooled, put it in your ice cream maker. While it's running, chop the candied ginger. I have to confess I forgot to measure, but I probably added about 1/4 - 1/3 cup. 5 minutes before the ice cream is done, add the ginger. Or stir it in once it's done. My machine made a few funny sounds and jumped a bit when I added it, but everything turned out fine.
Notes
To make a vegan version of this recipe, use sugar instead of honey.
Also check out my Raspberry Rum Coconut ice cream and Licorice Vanilla Coconut Milk ice cream recipes.
All content (incl. photos, layout and design) © Cattie Coyle
Why do you need to boil the ginger first? Just curious
HI Claudia,
Good question! If you boil ginger with milk without blanching it first, the acids in the ginger will cause the milk to curdle. To be perfectly honest, I’m not 100% sure that the same thing happens with coconut milk, but I didn’t want to take any chances and ruin the ice cream. If you try it, let me know how it goes!
I loved this! I used 1 T. rum and the texture was great. Tastes just as good, or even better, than the coconut milk ice creams in the store. I liked the strong ginger flavor, but my kids thought it was a little much (more for me 😉 ). It’s a great base (without the ginger) and I can’t wait to sub in other flavors, like mint choc chip and mocha chip. Thanks for sharing!
I’m so glad you liked it! Yes, the ginger can be powerful… I’d love to hear how the other flavors turn out for you!
I just made this today. The texture of the ice cream right out of the ice cream maker is nice, and I love the coconut flavor, but I can barely taste the ginger. The only ginger I really tasted was the chunks of crystallized ginger I put in.
I wonder if grating the ginger instead of slicing it for the first step would make for a stronger ginger flavor.
I’m so glad you liked it (apart from the lack of ginger flavor)! I’m not sure that grating the ginger would bring out more flavor, plus it would be more difficult to remove after it is done steeping. I would add more ginger instead – maybe double the amount and see what you think. And slice it as thin as you can. Let me know how it goes!
Just trying this now and my mixture is cooling. I wonder if I can rinse out the ginger I used to infuse and use it to make the candied ginger? I found a recipe for it and you do have to simmer the ginger twice to cook it, so perhaps I could just simmer once now before adding the sugar and water to candy it? What do you think? I used organic and it would seem a waste to throw it out. I would have to cut off the outer skin on each piece which would be fiddly, would peel it next time if this works.
Thanks for this recipe, as well.