This dairy-free, egg-free, gluten-free and sugar-free strawberry ice cream is fresh, rich, and brilliantly pink. It’s also suitable for stage 2 and beyond on an anti-candida diet. What’s not to love?
You know how there are foods (and drinks) you always thought you didn’t like because you hated them as a child? And then, when you grew up and finally tasted a good quality wine aged cheese fettucine alfredo shortbread cookie ice cream [insert your own food choice here], you realized that you actually loved it?
Well, that’s what happened to me last week, dear readers. Seriously, here I was, well into my 5th decade, and I always thought I disliked strawberry ice cream. Silly me!
True, my only previous experience with the stuff was the one thin stripe in the Neapolitan carton that my dad commanded Mom to buy because it was his favorite flavor.
My sisters and I would carefully pick around the pink bar, always around the edge of the carton so it would appear as if the carton edges melted a bit and not that we were deliberately snubbing the strawberry. When I was really desperate to eat some of my favorite flavor, I’d tip the entire block out of the carton, scrape away some of the chocolate from the bottom, then replace it so the brick of ice cream appeared unmarred from the top. Since then, I’ve often wondered what Dad thought when he dug the spoon in and found the chocolate stripe to be half as thick as the others!
Of course, I do suspect that the organic-vs-conventional debate plays a role here, too. I mean, remember the epiphany it was the first time you ate organic strawberries? (And if you haven’t done so yet, have I got a treat in store for you!). After that first bite, I recall remarking out loud, “Wow. That’s what strawberries used to taste like.”
The pure intensity of quintessential strawberry flavor; the drip-down-your-chin juiciness, the visual depth of the carmine hue. . . really, the taste of organic strawberries is like nothing else. It’s like eating photoshopped strawberries. Strawberries on steroids. Supersaturated strawberries. Strawberries in the 99th percentile. Extreme STRAWBERRIES.
So, yeah, I guess my ice cream probably tasted a bit better once I added those organic berries, too.
I concocted this ice cream intending to serve it at the nutritionists’ potluck party I hosted last week, but in the end, the HH and I gobbled up so much of it in advance that we didn’t have enough left to serve my buddies. (Don’t feel bad for them; they ended up having Mint Chip and Mocha ice cream instead, with great glee).
If you’re looking for a perfect frozen confection to serve at a July 1 or July 4 celebration, or simply want to enjoy a silky pink expression of summer in a bowl, this super-easy recipe is just what you’re looking for.
And even if you think you don’t like strawberry ice cream. . . who knows? Maybe you’re finally old enough to appreciate it now.
Stellar Strawberry Ice Cream–No Ice Cream Maker Required!
You won’t believe how fresh and intense the flavor is when you use fresh, seasonal berries to make this ice cream. It’s also ultra rich and silky, and stays scoopable even when frozen. The perfect summer ice cream!
2 cups (500 ml/one pint) fresh ripe strawberries (preferably organic), washed and hulled
1 cup (240 ml) full-fat canned coconut milk
1/2 cup (120 ml) plain or vanilla rice milk (I used sprouted rice milk)
5 Tbsp (75 ml) xylitol (you can sub stevia, but the xylitol influences the texture)
2 Tbsp (30 ml) raw cashews
2 tsp (10 ml) pure vanilla extract
1/4 tsp (1 ml) pure almond extract, optional but highly recommended
pinch fine sea salt
1/2 tsp (2.5 ml) xanthan gum, optional (this makes the texture creamier)
Fresh sliced strawberries for garnish, if desired
Either set up your ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s directions, or (for no ice cream maker) set aside 8-12 silicone muffins cups or reserve three regular (sandwich-sized) ziploc bags.
Place all ingredients except extra strawberries (for garnish) in a high-powered blender and blend until perfectly smooth and silky.
Ice cream maker method: Pour the mixture into the ice cream maker and churn according to manufacturer’s directions until ready; freeze.
No ice cream maker method: Divide the mixture evenly among the muffin cups or bags. Freeze until firm, at least 4 hours. If using muffins cups, pop the disks out of the cups and store in freezer bags until ready to use. When ready to make ice cream, remove 1-2 disks per serving (I find that 3 disks is perfect for 2 servings), or one ziploc bag for every 2 servings. Allow to soften slightly (about 5 minutes), then chop into chunks and place in a food processor. Blend until just smooth and scoop into bowls.
Makes 4-6 servings. Lovely topped with more fresh berries.
Suitable for: sugar-free, gluten-free, grain-free, dairy-free, egg free, soy-free, yeast-free, vegan, low glycemic, anti-candida (stage 2 and beyond) diets.
Other easy, yummy ice cream recipes on the blog:
Caramel Ice Cream (my personal favorite of all time!)
Lemon Kissed Blueberry Ice Cream
Homemade “Notella” (chocolate hazelnut) Ice Cream
“Aw, Mum, you did it again! A perfectly delicious recipe, and you ruined it for us. Are you SURE we can’t have xylitol? Because, looking at that ice cream, we’re willing to risk it.”
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That looks so refreshing! Coconut milk ice cream is always good 🙂
I agree, June! I just started experimenting with cashew ice cream (without the coconut)–I’ll let you know how it turns out! 🙂
would love to hear how the cashew ice cream recipe turned out, as I’m allergic to coconut. 😁
It worked out great, thanks for asking! It’s a recipe that will be in my upcoming desserts cookbook later in 2021. 🙂
What a coinkydink! I was so tickled to see this because I am making strawberry ice cream today – it’s churning as we speak! Spooky. When I was washing (and sampling about half of) the organic strawberries, I also thought that’s what strawberries used to taste like. So delicious. I’ve made strawberry ice cream with non-organic strawberries but those things really are awful. Hard, bland, and dry. I’ve also made it with frozen strawberries, and that just tastes weird.
My ice cream is made with sugar. The Girls are welcome to have some! 🙂
Ha ha ha! I’m sure they’d love it. Actually, we don’t let them have sugar, either (such a mean Mum). But a little stevia here or there, or agave nectar, or coconut sugar is okay! I’ll look forward to seeing your ice cream on the blog (maybe?). But really, there ain’t NOTHIN’ like organic!! 😀
I’m gonna try this recipe with raspberries!
Tnx Ricki!
xx
Marina
It’s great with raspberry, too. Hope you enjoy it!
Can agave be substituted for the xylitol 1:1? And if I use cashew milk instead of rice milk, would I still add the cashews?
Hi Beth,
I’d use less agave, since it’s a lot sweeter. I wouldn’t omit the cashews–they really add to the texture. I don’t think there’s enough cashew milk in there to make up for that difference. But it’s up to you. It will be a different recipe entirely, but would probably still taste good. 🙂
This ice-cream looks positively delicious! I wonder if it would work with erythritol too…and I totally agree on the organic strawberries – it makes all the difference in the world. Since we started growing our own, the conventional store-bought ones seem tasteless to me. It’s just a little absurd we need to grow our own stuff to get actual food.
Lucie, I’m pretty sure erythritol would be just fine here! And yes, how crazy that even “fresh produce” isn’t the same food we used to know!!
Perfect! Thanks 🙂 Absolutely!
I love strawberry ice cream! I was always so mad that they skimped on it in neapolitan ice cream. I always thought it was the best. I’m going to bookmark this recipe and give it a try soon. The almond extract is definitely going in, too. 🙂
Ha ha, Marissa! We would have made a great tag-team on those cartons, I think (but would have had to find a third for the vanilla). 😉 Let me know what you think if you do give it a try–I think the almond extract really adds a beautiful accent. 🙂
want to try this, is there anything I can use rather than vanilla rice milk?
Hi Diane,
You could try another nondairy milk, such as plain almond or cashew milk. In a pinch, use a mix of more coconut milk cut with water (ie, half coconut milk, half water). Hope that helps!
Can regular sugar be used in the strawberry ice cream recipe, if yes, how much?
Joy, of course. . . though this is a sugar-free blog, after all! I can’t say for sure since I haven’t used sugar since 1999, but I’d try the same amount as the xylitol. 🙂
How much does this make. I need at gallon. Can I double or triple the recipe?
Sheri, you should be able to double or even triple the recipe. This makes 4-6 servings as listed in the recipe. I didn’t measure the volume, but most recipes use 1/2 cup (120 ml) as a standard serving (so this would be about 2.5 cups or 600 ml.
Can you taste the coconut in this?? I really really hate the taste of coconut but really really love strawberry ice cream!
thanks!
Hi Lori, I personally don’t taste it at all, and neither did my hubby–but I can’t guarantee that you won’t taste it, as I don’t know how sensitive your taste buds are. 😉 I will say that the overriding flavor is strawberry. 🙂
when you use the coconut milk, are we suppose to mix the can or just scrape the cream off the top for the 1 cup?
It’s the actual coconut milk with the cream blended together with the other liquid in the can. If I wanted you to use just the coconut cream, I would have said that very explicitly. 🙂