Creamy and tangy Coconut Ice Cream with Passion Fruit and Lime Zest completely diary free. And to give it a bit of texture I added some roasted coconut shavings that give a rounded fuller and smoky flavour that truly takes this ice cream to a grown up level.
Make it 2 or 3 days before this ice cream lasts quite a few weeks in the freezer, if you haven’t eaten it all within the first 2 days :-). Serve it with more passion fruit pulp on top for an extra boost of tropical flavour and tartness to contrast even more with the sweetness of the ice cream.
WHY SHOULD YOU MAKE THIS COCONUT ICE CREAM
Lets start with the flavour, the combination of creamy coconut milk with the tartness of the passion fruit and the sourness of the lime makes a rounded fuller flavour that’s unique and quite addictive. Adding the coconut shavings which I previously toasted in a pan adds a sort of smoky tone to the custard, a flavour you don’t really find in standard ice creams as these tent to focus on the sweetness rather than flavour.
Using coconut milk instead of cream or milk allows the ice cream to be enjoyed even if you’re lactose intolerant, my case! Have you ever had people coming round and had to make 2 menus and 2 desserts because someone is lactose or gluten intolerant? With this ice cream there is one less worry you have to think about.
Another good thing about this coconut ice cream is that it doesn’t have bananas, and this means the ice cream lasts longer, is lighter, and people that don’t like banana or simply can’t have it can also enjoy this lovely dessert.
For this ice cream I like to use fresh passion fruit pulp instead of the puré version because the seeds gives it a nice crunch against the smoothness of the actual ice cream.
Creamy and tangy Coconut Ice Cream with Passion Fruit and Lime Zest, completely diary free. And to give it a bit of texture I added some roasted coconut shavings that give a rounded fuller and smoky flavour that truly takes this ice cream to a grown up level.
- 2 cups Coconut Milk
- 1.5 Lime (zest only)
- 2 tbsp Honey
- 1/2 cup Sugar
- 6 Passion fruit
- 2 Free range eggs
- Pinch Salt
- 1.5 tbsp Corn starch
- 50 gr Coconut shavings (optional)
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
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Cut the passion fruits in 2 to remove the pulp.
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In a bowl add the coconut milk, passion fruit pulp scooping it out with a teaspoon, free range eggs, vanilla, honey, lime zest, and mix everything well using a whisk
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Then add the sugar, salt and coconut shavings (this is optional) but I think it gives another texture to the ice cream.
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Once that is done add the mixture to a pot with the corn starch previously dissolved in a little bit of water and mix.
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Cook the custard at a low temperature until it has thickened around 8 to 10 minutes depending on the temperature.
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After that place the custard in a container and leave to cool completely. For this I prefer to use a glass container
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Once cooled put it in a plastic tub and into the fridge for at least 4 hours before using
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If you have an ice cream machine once the custard has cooled add it to your ice cream and leave to churn until the ice cream is soft and airy, depending on the machine this can take between 20 to 30 minutes.
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To serve it I like to add a tsp of passion fruit pulp over each individual portion.
- I like to take out the ice cream 30 minutes before using so is soft and easy to scoop out.
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You don't have to use an ice cream machine to make, I like to use it because it makes a more airy ice cream, but without it the ice cream it is equally delicious and creamy.
This coconut ice cream is truly delicious considering it has no cream and no milk, and I love it! Is so light, and being lactose intolerant I can eat it without having to think about getting ill from all the dairy standard ice creams have.
Passion fruit is one of my all time favourite fruits, in Venezuela I use it to eat it almost every day. Every where you go whether is a cafe or restaurant it will always have passion fruit juice. Sometimes people make it with milk rather than water to make a sort of light smoothie.
Unfortunately living in the UK I can’t have passion fruit every day because they are so expensive and the fruits are so tiny that I would have to have a separate budget just for passion fruit. But every now and then I “splurge” and get a few fruits to make a special treat.
My husband who’s Italian always says I complain about how small passion fruits are in Europe, but he’s never seen our passion fruits, they are ginormous! and full of pulp and flavour, so please understand when I say the ones found in Europe are tiny!!
And as proof here are a couple of pictures I took the last time I went home to show my husband how big our passion fruits are, they are almost mango size!!
HOW TO KNOW WHEN PASSION FRUITS ARE RIPE
When they have a smooth skin it means they are still green, however, sometimes and depending on the type of passion fruit they are still good to eat just slightly a bit more tart than normal.
When their skin is wrinkled and have spots they are completely ripe and in their prime, the best time for eating, although some people might think they are going off, on the contrary this is when they are sweeter and with better flavour.
WHAT TO DO WITH THE REMAINING PASSION FRUIT SKINS
Next week I’ll be posting a traditional Venezuelan dessert recipe that uses these passion fruit skins, so don’t throw them away!! You will not believe this dessert is made from passion fruit skins, they will not be hard or bitter at all!!
MORE COCONUT RECIPES
If you’ve been reading my blog probably you’ll know by now that I really like coconut, how not? Coconut for us is kind of our national fruit, you find it everywhere!!!
If you like coconut like me or perhaps want to give it a go at coconut, then you have to try my Venezuelan Coconut Smoothie and Venezuelan Coconut Dessert.
You might think they are going to be very coconuty, but not at all…. of course they will taste of coconut but nothing overpowering that’s to strong to eat.
I’ve done the Venezuelan Coconut Dessert quite a few times for several events here in the UK, and people that don’t like coconut find it really nice, so definitely give it a try.
And both recipes are really easy and have less than 5 ingredients. Plus the coconut smoothie is so refreshing and completely vegan!
I really hope you make this recipe, I really like this ice cream and believe is quite unique in flavour. If you do make this recipe, come back rate it and leave your comments. I want what you guys thought about it…
See you next week with another recipe, for now HAPPY COOKING 🙂
