Coconut Curry Ice Cream (coconut milk and tofu base, vegan)
Vosges Chocolate makes wonderful chocolate bars with unexpected flavor combinations. One of my favorites (which seems to be discontinued?) is the Naga Bar, which combines curry and coconut with milk chocolate. We’ve established that I like savory flavors in ice cream, so maybe it’s no surprise that once I tasted curry and coconut in a chocolate bar, I had to make it into ice cream. I left out the chocolate to let the sweet curry be the star of the show, so we have warm spices and rich, sweet coconut flavors at the center of this vegan coconut curry ice cream. If you need that chocolate component, check the recipe notes for more topping and mix-in ideas.
Choose a mild, sweet curry powder for this recipe, rather than a hot version. I like the sweet curry powder from Penzey’s, because it’s not as bitter as some curry powders. It gives the ice cream some mild heat. The coconut flavor comes partly from coconut milk and partly from coconut milk powder. My grocery store carries coconut milk powder on the health food aisle, but you can also get it online. This is the one I use [affiliate link].
I’m also punching up the coconut by using toasted coconut flakes as a mix-in. I prefer the big flakes to the small bits of coconut, because it lets me taste the flavor and texture of the ice cream first, then I get a lovely, chewy bite of coconut. To me, the small coconut bits just feel like grainy ice cream. The coconut flakes can be sweetened or unsweetened, salted or unsalted, but really try to find flakes that are toasted. The toasted coconut flavor is incredible on its own and fantastic with curry. If you don’t see them in your grocery store, something like this should work well [affiliate link].
Coconut curry ice cream may may sound strange, but I encourage you to give it a try. The rich, sweet, warm, complex flavors do not disappoint!
Coconut Curry Ice Cream (coconut milk and tofu base, vegan)
The base of this vegan ice cream uses coconut milk and silken tofu, which lowers the fat content compared with a pure coconut milk base. But we need to add some fat back in for texture purposes, so coconut milk powder provides richness and flavor.
Makes ~1 quart
Ingredients
For the ice cream base
For the mix-in
Instructions
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INFUSE THE SPICES
In a large sauce pan on the stove, whisk together the coconut milk, sugar, salt, curry powder, powdered ginger, and saffron (if using). Over medium heat, bring the mixture to a low simmer, then turn off the heat. This will infuse the spices into the coconut milk, while reducing any bitterness.
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ADD REMAINING INGREDIENTS
Add all remaining ingredients for the ice cream base to the sauce pan. Use your whisk to break up the tofu and mix everything together. Don't worry if it's lumpy, because we're about to...
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BLEND
Blend in the sauce pan with an immersion blender or transfer to a standard blender and blend thoroughly, scraping down the sides with a spatula, until you can no longer see white specks of tofu. This might take a couple of minutes!
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CHILL
Transfer to a container and chill in the refrigerator for 8 hours or overnight.
For a quicker chilling time, place the bowl containing your mixture in an ice bath (a larger bowl containing ice water) for a few hours. Stir the mixture occasionally. As the water in the ice bath warms up, pour off some water and add ice to keep the mixture chilling as quickly as possible.
Ideally, the mixture will be about 40 degrees when you churn it. When your mixture is fully chilled, it will be thick, like pudding.
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CHURN
Before you start churning, set up everything you'll need to quickly transfer the ice cream from the machine into a container for freezing. I use a knife to scrape down the dasher (or paddle) and a wooden spoon to scoop out the ice cream. Get your toasted coconut mix-in ready.
Set up your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's directions. Pour your mixture into the ice cream maker and churn. Because this mixture is thicker than many ice cream bases, it churns more quickly than most. In my machine the perfect churning time is 9 minutes, but your experience may vary. In the last minute of churning, add the toasted coconut flakes.
It's finished churning when it looks like soft-serve and is pulling away from the sides of the canister.
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STORE
When the ice cream has finished churning, scoop it as quickly as possible into your storage container. Cover it with plastic wrap or parchment paper, if using. (Placing a sheet of parchment paper between the container and lid will help prevent frost, or you can press plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the ice cream.) Put the container in the freezer. The ice cream will be fully firm in a few hours.
Note
Optional additions:
- 1-2 tablespoons of alcohol -- Adding alcohol improves the texture and scoopability of the final product and gives a little kick of extra flavor. Good choices here would be vodka, rum, coconut rum, or liqueur flavored with ginger or other spices.
Suggested toppings and mix-ins:
- Chocolate sauce
- White or milk chocolate bits (check out the mint chocolate chip recipe for how to create melt-in-your-mouth flakes of chocolate as a mix-in)
