Carrot-Ginger-Coconut Sorbet (vegan)
Have your sorbet and eat your veggies too. This sweet, fresh, creamy, slightly spiced Carrot-Ginger-Coconut Sorbet is ideal for summer.
These flavors sound weird…
Yes. But hear me out. These flavors love each other. You’ve probably eaten a variety of dishes with carrot + ginger or coconut + ginger. Carrot appears in other sweet dishes, like carrot cake (which sometimes includes ginger) and carrot halwa (which is sometimes made with coconut milk instead of cow’s milk). The time has come to combine them into a frozen dessert. I promise it’s good!
Need more convincing? The spiciness of the ginger offsets the sweetness of the carrots and the agave (or honey), then the rich and creamy coconut kicks in and lingers in your mouth after each bite. The slight vegetable-bitterness of the carrot provides just the right balance, to keep the whole thing from seeming too rich or sweet.
Sorbet or sherbet?
Is it sorbet or sherbet? I covered this in the Dark Chocolate Sorbet post, but sorbets are just fruit, sugar, and water. Sherbets contain a small amount of dairy and fat, but much less than traditional ice cream. I suppose that makes this technically a sherbet, since it contains fat from coconut. But I felt like sorbet was a more familiar term and would help you envision better what this tastes like… Whatever!
Technical note
This recipe couldn’t be easier. It’s blend, chill, churn. However, depending on your type of blender, whether your coconut milk has guar gum in it (some do and some don’t), and a few other factors, you could run into difficulty getting your base mixture to become smooth. Never fear — just put the mixture into a microwave-safe bowl or pitcher, microwave for about 1 minute, and blend again. This should melt the coconut oils just enough that they will emulsify.
Carrot-Ginger-Coconut Sorbet (vegan)
Makes ~1 quart
Ingredients
Instructions
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BLEND
Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend, or use an immersion blender in a large bowl. As mentioned above, if your mixture is stubbornly clumpy, microwave it for 1 minute, until just barely warm, and blend again. This should help the ingredients emulsify.
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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.
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CHURN
Before you start churning, set up everything you'll need to quickly transfer the sorbet 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. Pour your mixture into the ice cream maker and churn. My sorbet was ready in 21 minutes, but your experience may vary.
It's finished churning when it looks like soft-serve and is pulling away from the sides of the container.
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STORE
When the sorbet 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 sorbet.) Put the container in the freezer. The sorbet will be fully firm in a few hours.
Note
If you'd like to increase the protein in the recipe, add 50 grams of your favorite unsweetened, unflavored protein powder. My favorite in this case is collagen, because it impacts the flavor the least. Here are some measurements for different types of protein powder:
- 50 g collagen powder = 1/2 cup
- 50 g whey protein = 3/4 cup
- 50 g egg white protein = 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons
- 50 g soy protein = 3/4 cup
Suggested mix-ins/toppings:
- Raisins
- Candied ginger
- Toasted coconut flakes
- Graham crackers
To create a mix-in, wait until the last 1-2 minutes of churning to add the bits to the ice cream maker. Adding the bits too early will mean they sink to the bottom. Alternatively, you can layer them into the ice cream as you transfer it to your storage container. I like using 1/2 to 3/4 cups (~2-3 oz). It's usually enough to get a little mix-in in every bite of ice cream.
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