Coffee Ice Cream Recipe (No Churning, No Dairy, No Coconut Milk)
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If the dog days of summer are getting to you, consider making your own ice cream. Coffee ice cream is my favorite flavor, but as you might guess, I rarely have it because… oy, the ingredient lists on the store-bought stuff. No Thanks.
So I decided to make my own. This coffee ice cream recipe is more like a traditional ice cream recipe in the way it’s made, but you don’t have to churn this one. It’s dairy-free, and in this case, that does NOT mean I used coconut milk. I’ll talk about your choice of milk below.
Why You Should Make This Recipe
- It’s hot outside.
- Ice cream is cold.
- This tastes delicious.
What Milk Do You Need To Make This Coffee Ice Cream?
So here’s the thing. When you get away from using higher-fat dairy, you start to get ice cream that is more “icy” than creamy. So you have to compensate for the fat content. This means you have to choose your milk carefully. So what are your options?
- Homemade almond milk – Homemade almond milk is thicker and creamier than store-bought, especially if you don’t make it with too much water.
- Homemade oat milk – Here again, you have some control over how thick it is, which is helpful when you are trying to make ice cream.
- Store-bought extra creamy, unsweetened oat milk – This is what I used here and it works great. The extra creamy version is just what’s needed to make a smooth and creamy ice cream. And yes, it will say “extra creamy” on the container. So look for that.
Can I Use My Ice Cream Maker?
You sure can! If you love the idea of not having this sit overnight to chill in the fridge before freezing, you can pour this into your ice cream maker and it will work just fine.
Can I Make Coffee Ice Cream Ahead Of Time?
Yes. In fact, unless you are using an ice cream machine, you kinda have to make this ahead. It will need to chill overnight in the fridge before you even freeze it. So plan ahead for this one. And because it’s warm out there, I recommend making the custard first thing in the morning to help keep the house a bit cooler.
Can I Use Instant Coffee?
For the purists here who want to stick to clean eating, I would avoid instant coffee. It’s highly processed stuff. But know that no matter how strong you brew your coffee, your ice cream will still have a light coffee flavor, despite the original coffee being quite strong.
For those who don’t care, yes, you can use it. But you’ll want to use two cups of oat milk instead of one (if you omit the brewed coffee), and then add instant coffee to taste.
A third option is to use both. If you want to use brewed coffee and also have a strong coffee flavor in your ice cream, then use both. You’ll need about 1 tbsp. of instant coffee.
About The Ingredients
Brewed coffee – You want to brew this strong so that it imparts a good level of coffee flavor to your ice cream. We aren’t using instant coffee here like a lot of recipes use. So you have to compensate for the flavor.
Oat milk – Make sure it’s unsweetened and that the carton says “extra creamy.”
Eggs – Don’t skimp on the egg yolks. Save the egg whites for something else.
Honey – Any honey will work fine here. But if you prefer maple syrup, you can use that too.
Vanilla extract – This is optional. I didn’t have any handy, so I didn’t use it. But it would be a good addition here if you have it.
How To Make Coffee Ice Cream
Brew your coffee first if you haven’t already and set it aside to cool. Room temperature is what you want. While the coffee cools in the fridge, in a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks together until they are smooth and creamy.
In a medium saucepan, whisk together the oat milk and honey over medium heat until the mixture starts to simmer. Whisk most of the time to keep the honey from burning on the bottom of the pot.
Gradually pour about half of the simmering liquid into the egg yolks, slowly, a little at a time, whisking constantly to temper the yolks.
Pour the tempered egg yolk mixture back into the saucepan with the remaining oat milk mixture, whisking continuously as you pour it in.
Cook over medium heat, (no more than a simmer) whisking constantly, until the mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon (about 6-7 minutes). Do not let it boil. Do not stop whisking.
Remove from heat and stir in the cooled brewed coffee and vanilla extract (if using). A this point, you should only have a smooth liquid. But if you find that you have a few pieces of scrambled egg in there, you can strain it off. Strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve or cheesecloth into a bowl to ensure a smooth texture. This can happen if you don’t temper your eggs properly.
Transfer the ice cream batter to a freezer-safe container with a lid. Let the mixture cool to room temperature.
Cover it with plastic wrap, pressing it directly onto the surface of the mixture to prevent a skin from forming.
Chill the mixture in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours or overnight until thoroughly chilled. Once it’s fully chilled, put the lid on over the plastic wraps and transfer it to the freezer for at least 4-6 hours or until firm.
This ice cream will be easy to scoop. You won’t need to let it sit on the counter before scooping. Serve with your favorite toppings.
Storage
Keep this in the freezer in an airtight container for up to four weeks.
More Ice Cream Recipes
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Coffee Ice Cream Recipe (No Churning, No Dairy, No Coconut Milk)
Equipment
- 1 freezer-safe food storage container with a tight-fitting lid
Ingredients
- 1 cup brewed coffee (make it strong!)
- 1 cup extra creamy, unsweetened oat milk
- 6 large egg yolks
- ½ cup honey (or other liquid sweetener)
- 2 tsp. pure vanilla extract (optional)
Instructions
- Brew your coffee first if you haven't already and set it aside to cool. Room temperature is what you want. While the coffee cools in the fridge, in a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks together until they are smooth and creamy.
- In a medium saucepan, whisk together the oat milk and honey over medium heat until the mixture starts to simmer. Whisk most of the time to keep the honey from burning on the bottom of the pot.
- Gradually pour about half of the simmering liquid into the egg yolks, slowly, a little at a time, whisking constantly to temper the yolks.
- Pour the tempered egg yolk mixture back into the saucepan with the remaining oat milk mixture, whisking continuously as you pour it in.
- Cook over medium heat, (no more than a simmer) whisking constantly, until the mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon (about 6-7 minutes). Do not let it boil. Do not stop whisking.
- Remove from heat and stir in the cooled brewed coffee and vanilla extract (if using). A this point, you should only have a smooth liquid. But if you find that you have a few pieces of scrambled egg in there, you can strain it off. Strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve or cheesecloth into a bowl to ensure a smooth texture. This can happen if you don't temper your eggs properly.
- Transfer the ice cream batter to a freezer-safe container with a lid. Let the mixture cool to room temperature.
- Cover it with plastic wrap, pressing it directly onto the surface of the mixture to prevent a skin from forming.
- Chill the mixture in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours or overnight until thoroughly chilled. Once it's fully chilled, put the lid on over the plastic wraps and transfer it to the freezer for at least 4-6 hours or until firm.
- This ice cream will be easy to scoop. You won't need to let it sit on the counter before scooping. Serve with your favorite toppings.
Notes
Nutrition
