I’m hooked on Kelly Broznya’s perfect new summer cookbook Dairy Free Ice Cream. Since obtaining a copy last week, I’ve been working my way through this dairy free tome, and I’ve already made eight recipes.
I’m mighty happy with the gluten-free, dairy-free frozen desserts that I’ve tasted from this book. Thus far, the healthy ice cream flavors I’ve indulged in have included : Pistachio, Coffee (which I made as Espresso), Chocolate (sweetened with dates), Butter Pecan, Mint Chip, Strawberry, Chocolate Hazelnut and Egg Nog.
I’m sure you have lots of questions, so let’s get right to ’em:
- Q: Can I make ice cream without an ice cream maker?
- A: Yes, you can. Here’s a tutorial from David Lebovitz to teach you how.
- Q: I don’t want to spend a fortune on an ice cream maker, can I buy one at a reasonable price?
- A: My friend Alexa bought one recently at a second hand store for $6.
- Q: How do I store the ice cream?
- A: Since there are at least six teenagers at my house at all times, leftovers are non-existent.
- Q: Do I have to use guar gum as a thickener in Kelly’s recipes?
- A: No, I don’t use gums and all of the recipes that I tried were delicious.
- Q: Are any of the recipes nut-free?
- A: Yes, many of the recipes are nut free if you use hemp milk, rather than cashew milk.
I love that the recipes in Dairy Free Ice Cream are:
- delicious
- easy
- healthy
Well, those are generally the top three criteria for the food I eat –tastiness, ease of preparation, and nutritionally dense. If those factors are important to you too, then this just might be your favorite cookbook for the summer of 2012.
Oh, and one last thing. Did I mention the variety of fascinating recipes contained in this book? Everything from classics such as Rocky Road, to exotic flavors like Rooibos Tea Ice Cream.
What’s your favorite flavor of ice cream? Have you figured out how to make a dairy free version?
Lauren B says
I’ve tried to make a custard based ice cream with coconut milk, but it came out rock solid. What keeps your dairy-free ice cream soft and scoopable, Elana? I’m thinking use of some sort of sugar is crucial to this.
Amy says
My favourite is just frozen bananas blended in a vitamix or other blender. It makes incredible soft-serve, and I’ve made basically every flavour to great success. So easy, fast, and it’s hard to feel guilty when the only ingredient is a banana!
Heidi says
Wow, that sounds great. I’d love to have more details on how you make it and how you freeze the bananas.
Vicky says
I love pistachio ice cream but have yet to try it in a dairy free version. I made vegan strawberry ice cream recently using coconut milk but had a problem with it getting too frozen/icy after leaving it in the freezer overnight. Any ideas how to fix this??
Anna says
I invested in an ice-cream maker when I realized I would never be able to eat ice-cream again if I didn’t make it myself. It was not expensive and does the job. (Storage space is not an issue either.) I would recommend it if you like to eat ice-cream regularly and/or have kids who like it. There is nothing better than preparing it yourself and avoiding all the additives and unknown ingredients in commercial ice-cream. Although I suppose you could also spring for organic ice-cream…
Although I don’t need to avoid dairy, I have had great results replacing the milk part of recipes with full-fat coconut milk.
Victoria says
One part cashews to three parts frozen fruit, in the Vitamix. Try blueberries with a little lemon zest. I don’t even use a sweetener. Always a treat and a hit.