Uh-Mazing Mocha Ice-Cream (Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free, Refined Sugar-Free)

Screamy for ice-creamy

Ice-cream is a must in summer.  It’s the embodiment of summer – it IS summer!  Actually NO.  What am I saying?! Summer nothing!  Ice-cream is good any time of the year!  We just happen to be in summer at this particular moment in time.

So glad I got that out of the way.

If you’re dairy-free or simply wanting to eat healthier it makes it a bit difficult to enjoy this frozen awesomeness.

Thankfully there are a variety of DF ice-creams out there made from various non-dairy milks including almond, soy, hemp seed, and coconut milk.

Hmm, but almond milk by itself does not yield a properly creamy product, soy milk ice-cream has a great texture but soy isn’t the healthiest with much of it being GMO here in the states, I have yet to try hemp seed milk (but I will heh), sooo the milk that I would pick that is the best and healthiest choice for ice-cream would be the milk from the coconut!

However, these store bought dairy-free ice-creams are pretty expensive.  (When I use “pretty” in this instance I really mean “ghastly” but I wanted to be polite.)

What’s to be done?  Well we make our own that tastes even better.

The amazing-ness

This recipe uses coconut milk because, well, I just touted it as my favorite plus it has the fat content that gives ice-cream a delicious creamy texture.  Please remember that in the health world, there is good fat and bad fat.  Fat-free usually doesn’t mean “healthy” it means “diet”.   I hate dieting.  So do you.  Everybody does.

The fat from a coconut is a saturated fat yes, but it is from the coconut plant.  It is fat in it’s natural plant form and is recognizable by your body.  It can be digested easily and its nutrients can be easily assimilated.  You have nothing to be afraid of with this type of fat.  I’m not encouraging you to eat it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner but in proper balance, coconut milk is certainly healthful.

I use almond milk here as well.  The coconut and almond work well together to give it a well-rounded texture.  I use Almond Breeze but it has come to my attention that H-E-B recently came out with their own brand of almond milk.  We tried the unsweetened vanilla flavor and it was amazing!  Probably because it tasted like cookies ‘n cream.    Yum.  I haven’t tried it with this recipe but I bet it would add great flavor if you’re up for it!

The decaf coffee crystals make it “mocha” flavored, they dissolve quickly and have no caffeine – duh.  (Wow I’m feeling very sassy as I write this post.  Interesting.)

Pure vanilla extract is essential in everything so it shows up here too.  I threw in a tiny bit of xanthan gum as it adds a smooth, silky mouth feel.

All these items work together to create a homemade ice-cream that really hits the spot!  Simple and really, really satisfying.

If you don’t have an ice-cream maker check out the peaches and amaretto ice-cream recipe.  It calls for the blender and is a very fast solution whenever the ice-cream screams rise up in you.

Uh-Mazing Mocha Ice Cream

13.5 ounce can coconut milk (I use “A Taste of Thai” brand)

¹/₄ cup unsweetened almond milk

3 tablespoons agave nectar  (If you’d like to keep sweetness to a minimum, try using stevia to taste instead of agave.)

4 teaspoons decaf coffee crystals

1¹/₂ teaspoons pure vanilla extract

¹/₄ teaspoon xanthan gum

1 teaspoon decaf coffee crystals for sprinkling on top, optional

In a blender, combine all ingredients together until well mixed and the coffee crystals have dissolved.  Pour into your ice-cream maker and follow manufacturer’s instructions.  Scoop into a bowl and sprinkle with decaf coffee crystals if you want to make it prettier before you devour it.

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Tagged as: almond milk, coconut milk, dairy-free, frozen treats, ice-cream, mocha, summer treats