Coconut Ice Cream, made the old fashioned way with toasted coconut, heavy cream, coconut cream & coconut milk, is rich, creamy, and perfectly sweet.
This recipe teaches you how to make homemade ice cream the classic way with an egg yolk based custard. The result is the most delicious coconut ice cream you've ever had!
Why this recipe is so good:
Homemade old fashioned Coconut Ice Cream is GOOD. It is easy to make and is truly a wonderful dessert recipe.
- This is a real traditional ice cream recipe that uses egg yolks, sugar, and heavy cream.
- The addition of sweetened shredded coconut, coconut milk, and coconut cream really enhance the real coconut flavor.
- This recipe takes time to cook, chill, and process in an ice cream maker, but I promise the end result is worth it!
Ingredients needed:
- egg yolks
- granulated sugar
- sweetened shredded coconut
- half and half
- heavy cream
- light coconut milk
- coconut cream
Here's how to make it:
- Start by whisking the egg yolks and the sugar until very well blended and light in color. These will get set aside.
- Next you will toast some sweetened coconut in a sauce pan on the stove. The half and half, heavy cream, coconut cream, and coconut milk get added to the shredded coconut and as it heats, the coconut flavor really gets infused. This mixture gets heated just to the point of scalding and then is removed from the heat.
- Use the hot cream to temper the egg mixture, whisking in small amounts at a time to raise the temperature, until all of it can be combined.
- Chill the hot custard mixture over an ice bath before refrigerating it.
- After the custard is chilled over the ice bath, refrigerate until it has completely chilled. At that point you can transfer to an Ice cream maker to process.
The final result is a super creamy, coconut flavored, perfectly sweetened ice cream that your entire family will love.
Cooking tips:
- When toasting the coconut, take extra care to stir constantly to prevent burning. It can go from golden brown to burnt quickly, so never leave it unattended.
- I used a mixture of half and half with heavy cream as well as light coconut milk with coconut cream. I found this to be the perfect combination and balance for a rich and creamy ice cream without it being too heavy. You can modify the proportions depending on your preferences and the recipe will still work.
- After scalding the cream, you can strain the shredded coconut out prior to mixing with the egg yolk mixture if you prefer, but if you love the taste and texture it adds, leave them in!
- Take extra care to properly temper the egg by whisking in small amounts of the hot liquid at a time, whisking constantly. This will prevent the eggs from cooking. If you accidentally do cook the eggs, you can filter out any solid pieces through a fine mesh strainer.
- To prevent ice crystals, a tablespoon of vodka or coconut flavored rum can be added to the mixture prior to freezing.
- Homemade ice creams need a good 10-15 minutes to sit on the counter after freezing to soften before serving. Trust me on this one. Its worth the wait.
Related recipes:
Love coconut flavored desserts? Me too! Here are some of my favorites:
- Homemade Dairy Free Coconut Pudding
- Chocolate Coconut Macaroons
- Toasted Macadamia Coconut Cookies
- Coconut Pudding Poke Cake
- Coconut Berry Icebox Cake
- Toasted Coconut Cookies
- Coconut Cake
- Coconut Cream Pie
- Coconut Pudding Cheesecake
Full Recipe Instructions
Coconut Ice Cream
This delicious and creamy Coconut Ice Cream is made the old fashioned way with toasted coconut and both heavy cream as well as coconut cream & coconut milk.
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Ingredients
- 6 egg yolks
- ¾ cup sugar
- 1 cup sweetened shredded coconut (loosely packed )
- 1 cup half-and-half
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup light coconut milk (canned)
- 14 ounce can coconut cream
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and the sugar until light and fluffy. Set aside.
- Add the coconut to a medium sized heavy saucepan and set over medium-high heat. Stir the coconut until it begins to brown, about 7 minutes, but do not allow to burn. Add the half and half, heavy cream, coconut milk, and coconut cream and bring to a simmer. You want to scald the mixture without it coming to a boil. Just before it starts to boil, turn the heat off.
- Slowly pour the hot coconut milk mixture into the yolk mixture, starting with a small amout at first, whisking constantly. Once you've added enough to warm the egg mixture, add a little more, always whisking, until everything has been combined and well mixed. Then pour the mixture back into the pan.
- Set over medium-low heat and cook, stirring slowly and continuously, until the custard thickens. You know its done if you can wipe your finger across a coated spatula and it leaves a trail. This takes about 5 minutes. Do not allow the custard to boil.
- Pour the custard into a clean bowl and place over an ice bath to cool while occasionally stirring to mix the hot with the cool. Refrigerate the custard until cold, at least 1 hour.
- Transfer the custard to an ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Make sure your container has been frozen at least over night prior to starting. I have a Cuisinart and had to make the ice cream in two batches, one right after the other, and the mixing process took about 30-45 minutes per batch. Transfer the ice cream to a container, cover and freeze until firm, at least 4 hours. Makes about 1 quart.
Notes
Cooking tips:
- When toasting the coconut, take extra care to stir constantly to prevent burning. It can go from golden brown to burnt quickly, so never leave it unattended.
- I used a mixture of half and half with heavy cream as well as light coconut milk with coconut cream. I found this to be the perfect combination and balance for a rich and creamy ice cream without it being too heavy. You can modify the proportions depending on your preferences and the recipe will still work.
- After scalding the cream, you can strain the shredded coconut out prior to mixing with the egg yolk mixture if you prefer, but if you love the taste and texture it adds, leave them in!
- Take extra care to properly temper the egg by whisking in small amounts of the hot liquid at a time, whisking constantly. This will prevent the eggs from cooking. If you accidentally do cook the eggs, you can filter out any solid pieces through a fine mesh strainer.
- To prevent ice crystals, a tablespoon of vodka or coconut flavored rum can be added to the mixture prior to freezing.
- Homemade ice creams need a good 10-15 minutes to sit on the counter after freezing to soften before serving. Trust me on this one. Its worth the wait.
NUTRITION INFORMATION
Calories: 668kcal | Carbohydrates: 41g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 54g | Saturated Fat: 41g | Cholesterol: 264mg | Sodium: 113mg | Potassium: 367mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 31g | Vitamin A: 985IU | Vitamin C: 2.5mg | Calcium: 101mg | Iron: 2.3mg
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This recipe was originally published in July 2014 and has been updated with helpful information, ingredient and process photos, as well as recipe tips. Don't worry - the recipe hasn't changed!
Jen
My maker was frozen but the ice cream just didn’t set up in as a harder soft serve my other recipes have done. Can you use whole milk instead of half and half? Could too much fat have caused the problem?
Krissy
Hmmm... Not sure. I'm wondering if the size of your egg yolks played a part. Perhaps they weren't big enough and another one would have helped?
Jen
I figured out why my ice cream didn’t set up. I was using cream of coconut (syrupy stuff)instead of coconut cream. It added more sugar and made it loose. I found out there is a difference
Miriam Kali-rai
This is a great base recipe. I amp'd it up by adding curry powder, finely diced candied ginger and chopped pistachios. Cheers! #TLLBLND
Martha
Is it okay to add coconut extract to this recipe?
Krissy
Yes! That sounds like a great recommendation! I would do just a small amount though.
Adenton67
It's a very tasty recipe but a little too sweet for me and I'm a sweet fiend. Next time I'll add just a 1/2 instead.
Kristen
Hi good krissy
Can this recipe be turn into gelato
Krissy
I'm definitely not an expert in gelato (other than eating it) so I can't answer correctly.
April
I cannot wait to try this. We ate some in Tulare California a while back and have never forgotten how good it was. Thanks so much for sharing.
Mary
Very, very good, just a tad too sweet for me. Next time I make it, I'll just cut back on the sugar.
Tina Leonetti
I made this recipe almost to the letter, I did not have the grated coconut but had bought sweetened coconut cream as I did not see it should have been unsweetened per the comments. I think the sweetened coconut cream offset the sweetness that would have come from the grated coconut so it's pretty balanced. It's quite decadent and smooth thanks to the eggs and the vodka. Next time I will lessen the sugar amount (since I still have the sweetened coconut cream) and add some sea salt. Great recipe.
Dan Becker
I made this ice cream last night. I saw the comment here about adding 1 tsp of salt. I first made it without salt, then did a taste test. Next, I added 1/2 tsp salt. It really perked up the flavors. Finally, I added the other 1/2 tsp salt. That was a bit too much salty-wise. :-/
I used a Cuisinart ice cream maker and started with a 50 degree F mixture. The first batch firmed up great, but immediately reusing the maker caused it to warm up too much for the second batch.
Finally, I did make a graham cracker crust for this. The contrast in textures and flavors between the crust and ice cream was pretty great!