This Dairy-Free Apple Pie Ice Cream is made with coconut milk, coconut butter and sweet potato for extra creaminess without any of the cream!
By now, you are not surprised to see a dairy-free ice cream recipe on my website that contains sweet potato. I’ve tried to make coconut milk ice cream in my electric ice cream maker without it. It just never turns out as deliciously creamy.
Traditionally, ice cream is made with cream (fat) and egg yolks (fat) which decreases the chance of ice crystals forming. Fat doesn’t freeze “hard” like water does. What’s in coconut milk? A lot of water!
If you’ve found your coconut milk ice cream on the icy side, this is why. Another solution is to use the cream from two cans of coconut milk. I just hate to waste all that water & never think to save it for smoothies.
So why do I add vegetables to my ice cream? Adding cooked white sweet potato results in that familiar creaminess by binding with the water. This decreases the amount of ice crystals that form. Simple science, delicious results!
Can you use regular sweet potato? Sure, but the ice cream will be a more orange color. I don’t suggest using canned sweet potato because it has a tinny taste to it. For some reason it works in pie but not in ice cream.
Now I couldn’t call it Dairy-Free Apple Pie Ice Cream just because I added Primal Palate’s Apple Pie Spice. Which is so comforting sprinkled in a cup of black tea by the way. I had to serve it with warm apple pie filling, or this would be downright fraudulent. I love contrasting flavors, textures and temperatures in my food. Warm, spiced apples over cold, creamy ice cream. There’s a reason apple pie a la mode is basically American food religion.
I’ve also given you an AIP-friendly Apple Pie Spice blend below. I will say – don’t be afraid to reintroduce seed-based spices as soon as you feel ready! They really open up your flavor options and allow you to cook authentic food from a variety of ethnicities. I’m a human who can’t live without cumin. And now I want that on a tshirt.
Last ingredient note: you should be able to find apple butter at nearly every grocery store now that it’s fall. Look in the jam/jelly aisle. I’ve linked one of my favorite organic brands in the recipe! Just apples! When mixed with the cooked apples in the Apple Pie Topping, it tastes exactly like someone dumped the innards of Grandma’s pie on your dairy-free ice cream. Bonus points if you can find apple butter at your farmer’s market!
And there we have it! The perfect summer-fall transition treat especially if you live in the south. I’ll really want to be your friend if you find a way to add pie crust to this recipe too. Enjoy!
If you love fall treats, you will love THE BEST PUMPKIN PIE I’VE EVER HAD!
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Dairy-Free Apple Pie Ice Cream
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Author: Alaena Haber
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Prep Time: 10 minutes
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Total Time: 10 minutes
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Yield: 2 to 3 1x
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Cuisine: dessert
Description
Scale
Ingredients
- 1 13.5 ounce can full-fat coconut milk
- 1/2 cup cooked and mashed white sweet potato
- 1/3 cup apple butter
- 1/3 cup well-stirred coconut butter
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 1/2 teaspoons Primal Palate Apple Pie Spice (see note below for AIP)
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
Apple Pie Topping:
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- 2 medium gala apples, thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons apple butter
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- In a blender, combine all ice cream ingredients until smooth.
- Pour mixture into your ice cream maker and churn according to manufacturer’s instructions.
- Meanwhile, make the Apple Pie Topping. In a medium saucepan, heat the coconut oil. Saute apples until tender 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in apple butter and ground cinnamon to thicken. Keep warm and serve atop the churned ice cream.
Notes
AIP Apple Pie Spice: 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon + 1 teaspoon ground mace + 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves (you may also add 1 teaspoon ground ginger for added anti-inflammatory benefits!)
Dairy-Free Apple Pie Ice Cream
- Author: Alaena Haber
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 2 to 3 1x
- Cuisine: dessert
Description
Scale
Ingredients
- 1 13.5 ounce can full-fat coconut milk
- 1/2 cup cooked and mashed white sweet potato
- 1/3 cup apple butter
- 1/3 cup well-stirred coconut butter
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 1/2 teaspoons Primal Palate Apple Pie Spice (see note below for AIP)
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
Apple Pie Topping:
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- 2 medium gala apples, thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons apple butter
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- In a blender, combine all ice cream ingredients until smooth.
- Pour mixture into your ice cream maker and churn according to manufacturer’s instructions.
- Meanwhile, make the Apple Pie Topping. In a medium saucepan, heat the coconut oil. Saute apples until tender 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in apple butter and ground cinnamon to thicken. Keep warm and serve atop the churned ice cream.
Notes
AIP Apple Pie Spice: 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon + 1 teaspoon ground mace + 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves (you may also add 1 teaspoon ground ginger for added anti-inflammatory benefits!)
6 Responses
Coconut oil ok instead coconut butter?
No I wouldn’t replace the two – replace coconut butter with coconut cream.
How can you make this if you don’t have an ice cream maker?
I’ve had people freeze the sweet potato puree and coconut milk into ice cubes and then blend it in the blender until you achieve ice cream consistency such as you would with “banana nicecream” which is just frozen bananas blended in the blender until thick and creamy.