Peanut Butter Ice Cream - Vegan and Dairy-Free

The richest, creamiest vegan ice cream I've ever tasted.

It is 101 degrees outside. Fahrenheit. And I am not cooking. I am not even boiling water for my habitual ritual of afternoon tea. I am sitting in front of a petite blue desk-top fan. Eating ice cream. Homemade ice cream, to be exact. With nary a trace of dairy or gluten. And apparently, it is the best homemade ice cream I have ever made (so says my willing, taste-testing husband). Who am I to argue?

It is indeed fabulous.

The inspiration came via one of our favorite Los Angeles restaurants- Akasha, in Culver City. At Akasha you can always find a lovely gluten-free choice on the menu. As well as something vegan (which by default, is dairy-free), a welcome option for those of us saddled not only with celiac disease, but a dairy intolerance as well. (As a side note, I have found it harder to dine out dairy-free than gluten-free-- chefs love their butter, cream and cheese.)

One of the dessert choices at Akasha is vegan peanut butter ice cream. It is, simply, divine.

So I decided to try my hand at re-creating it.

Dig in. This peanut butter vegan ice cream is company worthy.

Here's what I came up with.

I started with chilled coconut milk (my favorite go-to vegan alternative to cream). And natural peanut butter. I added dark chocolate shavings.

We've made it three times now. I've tweaked. And added a secret ingredient to replace the lost butterfat factor (vegan ice creams are typically thin or thickened with starch). The secret? Organic raw coconut oil. Don't leave it out, darling.

And don't count the calories.

Enjoy a small scoop.

Use a melon-baller. That's all you need. Trust me. This ice cream is rich, peanutty, and so much like real ice cream parlor ice cream, you'll be able to fool those non-believers who swear allegiance to moo-cow superiority.

Whip up a batch.

Go ahead.

Prove them wrong.

Vegan ice cream RULES.

Dairy-free ice cream so rich and creamy you won't believe it's vegan.

Peanut Butter Ice Cream Recipe with Dark Chocolate Shavings

The blend of creamy coconut milk and natural peanut butter gives this vegan ice cream a truly decadent richness many dairy-free ice creams lack. One secret is the extra coconut oil I add. This wonderful vegan fat replaces the butterfat in real dairy cream. The heavenly consistency is ice cream parlor worthy.

Ingredients:

1 14-oz. can organic coconut milk, chilled (Trader Joe's has no guar gum)
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup organic natural peanut butter with sea salt
1 tablespoon organic coconut oil, room temp/liquid
1 teaspoon good vanilla extract
Scant 1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum
3 tablespoons dark chocolate shavings

Instructions:

Prepare your ice cream maker ahead of time by freezing the canister overnight. You'll also need a good blender or Vita-Mix to whip the ice cream mixture.

Combine the chilled coconut milk, light brown sugar, natural peanut butter, coconut oil, vanilla extract and xanthan gum in a blender or Vita-Mix. Whip until all the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is creamy and frothy.

If the mixture is warm-ish, chill it before adding it to the ice cream maker.

Set your freezing canister in place and turn on the ice cream maker. Pour the mixture into the freezing canister. 

Add in the shaved dark chocolate. 

Churn until frozen; at 30 minutes it should reach a thick, soft-serve consistency.

Scoop into a freezable quart container, cover and freeze.

This is the ice cream maker we use- it's not an expensive one; and it does a great job if the mixture is cold.

Makes roughly three cups of creamy gluten-free vegan ice cream. Serve in small single scoops, as it is rich.

Recipe Source: glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com

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Summertime yum. Vegan peanut butter ice cream.

Recipe notes:

I use Trader Joe's organic coconut milk because it has no guar gum (guar gum does not agree with me, I'm sorry to say). I also find it the creamiest coconut milk around.

Light brown sugar adds a caramel undertone to the peanut butter flavor. I've made it with organic white cane sugar, too, but I prefer the brown sugar version.

I add a scant pinch of xanthan gum to my ice cream recipes. This helps vegan ice cream mixtures bind and become soft-serve smooth. If you prefer it without, leave it out. It may not be quite as smooth.

My preference is to use lovely, organic natural style soft peanut butter with sea salt (I use Trader Joe's). It has a fresh peanut flavor, and no added sugars or starches. If you use a no-salt peanut butter, you may need to add a tiny pinch of sea salt to your mixture for optimum peanut flavor. Taste test.

If you don't have dark chocolate (I use a 70% cocoa dark chocolate bar), try adding some gluten-free chocolate brownie crumbs, or gluten-free chocolate cookie crumbs instead.

For those of you without an ice cream maker you could try freezing this mixture by hand and stirring it every 15-20 minutes to help prevent ice crystals from forming. This is not ideal, but it can be done. You'll most likely need to soften the ice cream a bit before serving. But maybe not.