No Churn Thai Coconut Ice Cream Recipe
This Thai coconut ice cream is the perfect solution for dessert tonight. It’s cold, creamy, and refreshing.
The summer may be ending, but it’s still pretty toasty out there. What you need on days or nights like this is a totally refreshing dessert. The lime and coconut combination is perfect for summer, and this will follow almost any dinner meal with ease.
FAQs
Can I Use Coconut Milk Instead Of Coconut Cream?
In short, no. While technically it would work, the texture, once frozen, gets rock hard and unscoopable. You need a higher fat content to make this work.
Can I Substitute The Eggs For Something Else?
Substitutions for the eggs are not recommended for this particular recipe.
Can I Use Maple Syrup?
While technically it will work, if you are inexperienced with making a good custard, I would avoid it and stick to the dry sweeteners. That said, if you know what you are doing around a custard, go for it.
What Dry, Granulated Sweeteners Can I Use?
The trick is to make sure that the sweetener fully dissolves when you cook the ice cream base. Here are some ideas for sweeteners to try and how much you should use of each.
Coconut Sugar
- Use a ⅓ cup of coconut sugar. It’s slightly less sweet than honey. Note that when using a dark-colored sweetener, your ice cream will turn out darker in color as well.
Monk Fruit Sweetener
- Use a ⅓ cup of monk fruit sweetener. You may want to use a small amount of stevia to really bring out the sweetness with this. Or, you can go up to a half cup of monk fruit.
Sucanat
- Use a ⅓ cup of Sucanat. It has a stronger flavor (no sweetness), so it could affect the final flavor of the finished ice cream just slightly. Also note that when using a dark-colored sweetener, your ice cream will turn out darker in color as well.
Stevia
- In this particular recipe, stevia is best combined with another sweetener. So if you are trying to cut back on any type of sugar intake but still want that truly sweet ice cream, add about a half teaspoon of pure liquid stevia in addition to the sweetener you use. This is most often done with low-carb sweeteners like monk fruit.
How Important Is The Tempering Process For The Eggs?
In short, do not skip tempering the eggs. Without tempering, you’ll end up scrambling the eggs instead of creating a nice, creamy custard. By gradually mixing a small amount of the hot liquid into the eggs before combining everything, you help the eggs adjust to the temperature without curdling/scrambling.
What If I End Up With A Few Scrambled Eggs In The Custard?
When you first learn to make this type of custard, it can be easy to end up with at least a few small bits of scrambled eggs in the custard until you get the process down. Don’t worry, you didn’t ruin your custard. Just fish out the few small bits of egg with a spoon and discard them. Your ice cream will still turn out.
That said, if you end up with a LOT of scrambled eggs in your custard, then you didn’t temper the eggs correctly and you may need to start over depending on how much there is. But you’ll have to be the judge of that.
Don’t panic about tempering the eggs, however. It’s not as difficult as it sounds. It’s just good to cover the basics so you know what to do in any given situation. Chances are, you’ll do just fine. Just continue to whisk like a crazy person, and temper your eggs SLOWLY.
Can I Add Other Flavors Or Mix-Ins?
Absolutely! Add them during the last few minutes of stirring (if using an ice cream maker), or fold them in just before freezing (if not using an ice cream maker). Here are some ideas:
- Shredded unsweetened coconut
- Chopped nuts (peanuts, almonds, cashews, etc.)
- Toasted coconut flakes
- Fresh, chopped pineapple bits
- Dark chocolate chips
- Fresh mint leaves
- Pure vanilla extract.
- Lemon grass – add this when you are cooking the custard and remove it before you put the custard in the fridge.
How Can I Adjust The Lime Flavor?
A good, strong lime flavor is critical for this recipe. It needs to be strong enough to balance out the coconut flavor. Start with the juice of 3 limes, and add more to taste if needed. If you really want to intensify the lime flavor, you can add the zest of the limes in addition to the juice, or just sprinkle it over the top of your ice cream at serving. It’s delicious.
What Should I Do If The Ice Cream Becomes Too Hard To Scoop?
Because there are no additives in this recipe, the ice cream will be a bit too hard to scoop at first. Let the ice cream sit in the fridge for 30-60 minutes to soften slightly before scooping. It should scoop just fine.
Can I Make This Recipe With An Ice Cream Maker?
Yes! Simply make and cool the custard as instructed, and then pour the cooled custard into your ice cream maker and follow the appliance directions from there.
Do I Need To Chill The Liquid After Heating It, Or Can It Go Straight Into The Freezer?
If you are using an ice cream maker, you’ll definitely want to cool it first otherwise it won’t properly freeze your ice cream.
If you are using the no-churn method, there is some debate about this, and in the end, it’s up to you. But I will say that chilling your custard before freezing is how most ice cream is made. The choice is yours.
Overall, a chilled custard will freeze more evenly and quickly in the freezer, giving the finished ice cream a smoother texture.
How To Serve Coconut Ice Cream
Scoop out a serving of this ice cream into a dish, and then, either enjoy it as is or garnish it with any of these topping ideas:
- Fresh lime zest
- Shredded coconut
- Peanuts
Recipe Tips
Above all else, once the custard has been cooked, you want to taste it before it starts to cool down too much. (Please don’t burn yourself!) If you need to adjust anything such as adding more lime or sweetener, this is the time to do it.
If you want to add mix-ins, do so AFTER the mixture has chilled in the fridge. This is especially important for things like chocolate chips, for obvious reasons.
About The Ingredients
Unsweetened coconut cream – This is the canned stuff. Do not use anything from the fridge section of the grocery store.
Egg yolks – Save the whites for something else.
Granular sweetener – See notes above.
Salt
Lime juice – Adjust the amount to taste.
How To Make Coconut Ice Cream With Delicious Thai Flavors
Gather and prep all your ingredients as needed.
In a medium saucepan, combine the coconut cream and natural sweetener (maple syrup, honey, or coconut nectar). Heat over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is hot but not boiling.
In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks. Slowly pour about half of the hot coconut cream mixture into the egg yolks, whisking constantly, to temper the eggs. This prevents the eggs from scrambling when added to the hot mixture.
Pour the tempered egg yolk mixture back into the saucepan with the remaining coconut cream mixture. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. Do not let it boil.
Cook for approximately 6-11 minutes, or until it’s thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
Remove the saucepan from the heat. Stir in the lime juice. Mix well.
Chilling The Custard
Transfer the custard to a freezer-safe container with a tight-fitting lid. Let the custard cool to room temperature sitting on the countertop. If using, add any mix-ins, now is the time to stir them in gently.
Then cover it with a piece of plastic wrap. Make sure the plastic actually lays on top of the custard so there is no space between it and the plastic wrap. Then place it in the fridge.
Freezing The Custard
Once it has fully cooled in the fridge for at least 6 hours (overnight is better), put a lid over it (including over the plastic wrap), and freeze until firm.
Note: If you are using an ice cream maker, this is where you would pour it into your appliance and follow the appliance directions from there.
Scoop, add your favorite toppings, and serve.
Storage
Store this in an airtight container with a tight-fitting lid.
Freezing
This type of homemade ice cream will be best if eaten within a 7-day window. While it will certainly stay in the freezer as long as you want to keep it in there, the overall flavor tends to start to degrade after the first week. That doesn’t mean it will taste bad, just that this tastes best within the first week of making it.
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Thai Coconut Ice Cream Recipe
Ingredients
- 28 oz. unsweetened coconut cream (2 cans)
- 6 large egg yolks
- ⅓ cup granular sweetener (see sweetener notes in post above)
- 1 pinch salt
- ½ cup lime juice
Instructions
Making The Custard
- Gather and prep all your ingredients as needed.
- In a medium saucepan, combine the coconut cream and sweetener. Heat over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is hot but not boiling.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks. Slowly pour about half of the hot coconut cream mixture into the egg yolks, whisking constantly, to temper the eggs. This prevents the eggs from scrambling when added to the hot mixture.
- Pour the tempered egg yolk mixture back into the saucepan with the remaining coconut cream mixture. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. Do not let it boil.
- Cook for approximately 6-11 minutes, or until it's thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
- Remove the saucepan from the heat. Stir in the lime juice and vanilla extract (if using). Mix well.
Chilling The Custard
- Transfer the custard to a freezer-safe container with a tight-fitting lid. Let the custard cool almost to room temperature sitting on the countertop. If using, add any mix-ins, now, and stir them in gently.
- Let the custard mixture cool to room temperature. If using, add any mix-ins, now, and stir them in gently. Then cover it with a piece of plastic wrap. Make sure the plastic actually lays on top of the custard so there is no space between it and the plastic wrap. Then place it in the fridge.
Freezing The Custard
- Once it has fully cooled in the fridge for at least 6 hours (overnight is better), put a lid over it (including over the plastic wrap), and freeze until firm.Note: If you are using an ice cream maker, this is where you would pour it into your appliance and follow the appliance directions from there.
- Scoop, add your favorite toppings, and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
