Peach Pie Ice Cream (coconut milk and tofu base)
Usually I don’t get excited about fruit ice creams. I’ll take a chocolate, coffee, or cookie flavor almost every time. But when ice cream is merged with pie, that’s a different situation! I was determined to make this peach pie ice cream special enough to tempt the fruit-ice-cream-skeptics like me. The bright peaches, warm spice, toasty pecans, and buttery crust combine to make a worthy alternative for the chocolate lovers. For peach pie overload, use this ice cream to make peach pie à la mode.
Fruit flavors can be challenging in ice cream, because fruit contains a lot of water, and water makes ice cream icy. We solve that problem by using freeze-dried fruit, so we can pack a ton of fruit into the ice cream without any fake flavorings or icy texture. I used Brothers All Natural Fruit Crisps [affiliate link], which contain nothing but peaches, but several brands make a similar product.
I’m a crust person. Pie filling is nice, but I’d trade half the filling for double the crust. I took the easy route and bought a pre-made crust at the grocery store, but you could make your own. To keep the recipe totally dairy free, try this vegan pie crust recipe from The New York Times. Whichever crust you choose, the pieces can be a mix-in or a topping. I’ve included instructions for both options.
I suspect that strong opinions exist regarding what belongs in a peach pie, so you can customize this peach pie ice cream according to your pie preferences. Swap the pecans for a different nut (walnuts would be great) or leave them out. I’ve suggested a moderate amount of cinnamon, but if you love spice, go crazy with it. Peach purists might want none at all. Take or leave the crust as you wish. I might try pieces of graham crackers as a variation. Maybe top it with caramel sauce? This is the choose-your-own-adventure of peaches and pie, in ice cream form.
As in most of my recipes, I’ve used protein powder to increase the protein and reduce the sugar, without sacrificing texture. For more details on how that works, click here. This recipes uses egg white protein, but you can swap it for whichever type of protein powder you prefer (see recipe notes).
Peach Pie Ice Cream (coconut milk and tofu base)
This recipe calls for egg white protein, which doesn't affect the flavor, but does give the ice cream a dense, silky, gelato-style texture. Other protein powders (unsweetened, unflavored) will work too. Check the notes below for advice on making substitutions.
The base 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 I've chosen canola oil as a healthy fat and a neutral flavor.
Makes ~1 quart
Ingredients
Mix-Ins/Toppings
Instructions
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CHOOSE THE TEXTURE OF YOUR PEACHES
If you want a smooth peach ice cream base, use a food processor or blender to grind the freeze-dried peaches into a powder.
If you want your base to have noticeable bits of peaches, wait until the next step and add the peaches to the food processor or blender along with the other ingredients. This will create small bits of peaches that will rehydrate in the ice cream base.
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ADD REMAINING INGREDIENTS AND BLEND
If you've already processed your peaches, add the rest of the ingredients, except the pecans and pie crust, to the food processor or blender.
If you've chosen to have peach bits in your final product, add all the ingredients, except the pecans and pie crust, to your food processor or blender.
Blend thoroughly, scraping down the sides with a spatula, until you can no longer see white specks of tofu. I find it works best to hold back some of the coconut milk until last. Make sure the sugar is fully dissolved and incorporated. 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 because of the tofu. Don't worry, it will still churn just fine.
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TOAST AND CHOP PECANS
While the ice cream base is chilling, prepare the pecans. If you bought toasted or candied pecans, you can skip to the chopping! My pecans were untoasted, so I put them in an air fryer for 4-5 minutes at 370 degrees. A toaster oven would also work. If you use a conventional oven, it might take longer.
Roughly chop the pecans to whatever size you prefer in your ice cream. I like fairly large pieces. It's a good idea to sift out the tiny "crumbs" that form when you chop the pecans. The crumbs will affect the texture of the ice cream base.
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CHURN AND ADD PECANS
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.
Set up your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's directions. Spoon 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 pecans. It's finished churning when it looks like soft-serve and is pulling away from the sides of the canister.
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FOLD IN PIE CRUST PIECES (optional) AND STORE
You have two options for the pie crust pieces: 1) gently fold or layer them into the ice cream as you're moving it to your storage container, or 2) save them to use as a topping or garnish.
Either way, when the ice cream has finished churning, scoop it as quickly as possible into your storage container. Fold or layer in the pie crust if you choose. Cover the ice cream 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
You can use any unflavored, unsweetened protein powder you want. Whey, collagen, and egg white work the best. Vegan protein powders can work too, but sometimes create a chalky texture. Because different protein powders have different textures, the same volume of different powders may weigh different amounts. Weighing is the best method for ensuring you get the 25 grams the recipe calls for, but here are some estimates for using a cup measurement:
- 1/4 cup collagen powder
- 1/3 cup whey protein
- 1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon soy protein
- 1/3 cup pea protein
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. Bourbon, whiskey, or spiced rum would all be good choices.
Suggested toppings:
- Caramel sauce
- Maple syrup