July is National Ice Cream month.  What better way to celebrate than with a parve recipe that tastes dairy?! Last fall I bought this easy to use Cuisinart Ice Cream Yogurt Maker and kept it parve since ice cream is always a big hit!

The key to a tasty parve ice cream is the heavy cream/half and half substitute. I use the canned Unsweetened Organic Coconut Milk which is gluten-free, kosher parve, vegan. You can mix the classic version with the lite version for a healthier option.  The coconut milk found in cartons is usually too thin and won’t thicken enough for ice cream.  *It is important to note that this ice cream recipe results in a gelato like consistency as it is non-dairy and less creamy than your usual dairy ice cream.  The taste will not fail you so don’t expect leftovers with this recipe!

I used the Williams-Sononma Classic Vanilla Bean Ice Cream recipe and substituted the half and half with coconut milk.  I prefer to use organic ingredients to keep it as natural as possible.

VANILLA ICE CREAM (PARVE):  3 cups of Coconut Milk, 1 Vanilla Bean, 3/4 cup of sugar, 6 egg yolk

  • Pour the coconut milk into a heavy saucepan.  Cut the vanilla beans in half lengthwise.  Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean and add the seeds and bean halves to the coconut milk.  Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat.  Remove from the heat, cover and let stand for 30 mins.
  • Return the saucepan to the stove over medium high heat and bring to a simmer.
  • In a heatproof bowl, whisk the sugar and egg yolks until blended.
  • Gradually pour the hot coconut milk mixture into the yolk mixture (make sure the bowl is placed in a sturdy area and does not move as you pour), whisk constantly.
  • Return the mixture to the same saucepan over medium-low heat.  Stir constantly until the custard is thick enough to coat the back of the spoon and leaves a clear trail when a finger is drawn through it (about 5 mins).
  • DO NOT LET THE CUSTARD BOIL
  • Pour the custard through a medium-mesh sieve set over a clean bowl.  Refrigerate until cold, about 1 hour.
  • Transfer the custard to an ice cream maker.
  • Store ice cream in a freezer safe container, cover and freeze until firm (at least 4 hours before serving).
  • Add desired toppings!

Bon Appetit!

Parve Vanilla Bean Ice Cream