Dairy-Free Strawberry Ice Cream
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This is an easy no-churn recipe for a smaller-batch of dairy-free strawberry ice cream. The creamy ice cream is made with only 5 ingredients, including coconut milk, fresh or frozen strawberries, and honey. Plus a secret ingredient that makes this ice cream extra smooth!
Ice Cream So Easy, You’ll Make it Every Week
Oh, and it’s a tad better for you than traditional ice cream!
My husband and I are ice cream fanatics (who isn’t!) but sometimes we want to indulge without all the guilt. That is this ice cream. How you ask? I swap the dairy with canned coconut cream.
But, do you get the same reward with dairy-free ice cream? I say yes. This frozen treat is just as velvety, just as smooth, and just as rich. And it doesn’t stop there.
- You actually taste strawberry. I say use fresh if they’re in season, but frozen strawberries work great too!
- No ice cream maker required. Just add all the ingredients to a blender and whirl it until smooth. That’s it.
- 5 ingredients. That’s my kind of easy ice cream recipe!
- Easily make it vegan. I use honey to sweeten the ice cream, but you can swap in any sweetener of choice.
- I use a secret ingredient. It’s not as exciting as you may think … but keep reading to find out what it is!
And if you know me, you know I love to use coconut milk whenever I can (hello dairy free strawberry floats for two!). And this ice cream turned out so remarkable I made a tropical version with the small batch of pina colada dairy free ice cream.
So spoons up – here’s to eating pints of ice cream every week! 🙂
My Secret To Creamy Dairy-Free Ice Cream
I like to use a little container of coconut-milk yogurt to give the ice cream a little extra texture. Bonus points if it’s the same flavor of the fruit.
Yogurt alternatives naturally have a lighter ‘yogurt’ flavor, so it will hardly be noticeable. But the texture helps smooth out everything when blended and adds an extra creamy factor. Can you skip it? Sure. But you may miss out on the smooth texture.
Make no mistake, it may be hard to replace the richness of a dairy ice cream. However, this strawberry ice cream will give it a run for its money! But, should you still crave traditional ice cream, check out my fresh cherry small batch ice cream, and one of my favorites – my small batch of malted milk ball ice cream.
Tips To Get You Started
- Refrigerate the can of unsweetened coconut milk overnight – the coconut solids and liquid separate better when refrigerated. And whatever you do, don’t shake the can! We only want the coconut solids – otherwise, if there is too much liquid, the ice cream will turn out icy.
- Use a good blender – I recently invested in one, and it has been a game-changer. Otherwise, you may run the risk of the ingredients not blending well. Or, you could be left with chunks of strawberries (which I suppose is not that bad!)
- Let the ice cream sit at room temperature before serving. The ice cream freezes well, but it will need to sit for a few minutes before it can be easily scooped.
Did You Make It? Let’s Hear About It!
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So let’s hear it! Are you like me and make the ice cream every week? 🙂 Or did you use a different fruit? Let me know in the comments below (plus a star-rating for extra appreciation)!
Dairy-Free Strawberry Ice Cream
Equipment
Ingredients
- 13.5 ounces unsweetened canned coconut milk or cream, full fat (1 can refrigerated overnight)
- 5.3 ounces coconut milk strawberry yogurt
- 2 cups fresh or frozen strawberries
- juice from 1/2 a lemon
- 2 tablespoons honey (sweeten to taste)
- 1 pinch salt
Instructions
- Refrigerate the can of unsweetened coconut milk the night before – This will cause the coconut solids and liquids to separate in the can. We are only using the coconut solids from the can. Note – If your can of coconut milk is mostly solid, use the whole can. If it half solid, half liquid, use 3/4 of the whole can (all solids, some liquid). If the solids are less than half, add another can to get more solids. If there are no solids, try another can.
- Add all of the ingredients to a blender or food processor and blend until smooth and creamy. This may take about 3 minutes.13.5 ounces unsweetened canned coconut milk or cream, full fat, 2 cups fresh or frozen strawberries, juice from 1/2 a lemon, 2 tablespoons honey, 1 pinch salt, 5.3 ounces coconut milk strawberry yogurt
- Pour the ice cream mix into the ice cream container and freeze overnight.
- When ready to serve, remove the ice cream from the freezer and let sit at room temperature for a few minutes to soften. Serve on an ice cream cone or in a bowl and Enjoy!
Notes
- Coconut Milk – Refrigerate the can of coconut milk overnight. This will separate the coconut solids and liquid. Do not use carton coconut milk. If there are hardly any coconut solids in the can, try another can.
- Sweetener – Use any sweetener of choice, or omit altogether. To make the ice cream vegan, use maple syrup.
- Defrost Slightly – The ice cream freezes well and will need a few minutes on the counter to soften slightly.
- Yogurt – I use the small single-serve coconut yogurt from So Delicious.
- Ice Cream Container – If you don’t have an ice cream container, you can use a loaf pan, small cake pan, small casserole dish, or heavy Tupperware. For everything but the Tupperware, I would recommend covering with plastic wrap and aluminum foil to keep the ice cream cold.
Nutrition Estimates
About the Author …
Hi, I’m Erin! With years of experience baking for two in my own small household, I know about the love for desserts without the leftovers. I’ve tested, written, and photographed every one of the 300+ recipes on my website. And even had some of my desserts featured on Taste of Home, The Spruce Eats, ELLE, Parade, and more! From traditional to gluten free desserts for two, I have the recipe for you.
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it has a strong taste of yogurt. is that the point?
It depends on the type of yogurt you use. The coconut milk yogurt is more subtle than normal.
I make even smaller batches of this when I have extra coconut cream on hand!
This recipe sounds delicious and I can’t wait to try it! After blending all the ingredients, do you think it would work well to add the mixture to an ice cream maker to churn rather than just pour into a container to freeze?
I have not used an ice cream maker, so can’t say for certain, but may be worth a try! I’d just follow instructions for the machine.
I churned the ice cream mix in my ice cream maker and it turned out well. Thank you for the recipe!
Wonderful – thanks so much for letting me (and other readers) know!
I’ve made No Churn ice cream & love the easy recipes.
But I’ve always made it using sweetened condensed milk & whipped topping. Both come in lowfat versions, but your recipe us even healthier.
I used frozen strawberries (fresh, I froze surplus myself) & made the ice cream directly in the container I froze it in – saved plastic tub from store bought ice cream. I also used my immersion(stick) blender & it was powerful enough to mix everything in under 3 minutes.
Result was a delicious strawberry ice cream.
Thanks for the recipe 😁
Awesome – thank you Debby! I’ll have to try the immersion blender!
Usually I’m pressed for time. My best friend passed away 4 years ago and I inherited her now 77 y.o. mom lol who is lactose intolerant. I buy her Lactaid vanilla because that’s all that’s available or that her system can tolerate and she really wants strawberry. Taking HUGE shortcuts on busy days and using ready made ice cream and SoDelicious Yogurt, how much should I use of the ice cream?
Hi Michelle – I would start with at least 2 cups of ice cream if you are using the single serving (5.3 ounce) SoDelicious yogurt. If you wanted even more strawberry flavor, you could add a handful of fresh or frozen strawberries as well, and blend it all together!
I want to make this for a Type 2 diabetic. How do the carbs and sugars work out? Can Stevia replace the sugar?
Hi Beth – I have used the following calculator for nutritional details – https://www.verywellfit.com/recipe-nutrition-analyzer-4157076 – For the sweetener replacement, I have never used Stevia, but think that would work. You would just need to add as much/little to suit your taste. For other recipe modifications for specific dietary requirements, you may want to check with your Doctor. Thanks!
I have just finished making my first batch of your
Dairy Free Strawberry Ice Cream; I don’t think it will be my last. It was so easy to make and if it tastes as good frozen as it did out of the food processor bowl, we have a winner!! I made my own Strawberry Coconut Yoghurt so I’m hoping it works.
Thanks for a great recipe. Next up, Strawberry Whipped Coconut Cream.
Cheers Gerry
I’m so glad you enjoyed the ice cream Gerry! Thank you for the kind feedback!