Homemade Dairy-Free Cranberry Swirl Ice Cream
This no-churn Homemade Dairy-Free Cranberry Swirl Ice Cream is perfect for small holiday gatherings and made right in your blender! This ice cream recipe uses real cranberries swirled with vanilla coconut milk ice cream for the most delicious dairy-free dessert!
Raise your hand if you love ice cream all year round! I don’t care if it’s below freezing outside, my love for ice cream never melts 😉 This Homemade Dairy-Free Cranberry Swirl Ice Cream requires NO special ice cream machine and is made right in your blender! You’ll need to be a little patient as it needs to freeze overnight, but other than a little patience on your part, this ice cream recipe is so easy to make and is so freaking delicious!
The Ingredients
For the whole ice cream recipe you’ll only need 5 main ingredients! Fresh cranberries, pure maple syrup, coconut milk, pure vanilla extract, tapioca starch/flour, and salt. You’ll also need 1/2 cup of water but I don’t count that as an ingredient.
For the cranberry swirl you’ll need fresh cranberries, pure maple syrup, water, and a pinch of salt. For the vanilla ice cream you’ll need the solid part of a can of full fat coconut milk, pure vanilla extract, pure maple syrup, tapioca starch/flour as a thickener, and a pinch of salt.
If you’d like to garnish with sugared cranberries it makes a nice addition but isn’t required (this ice cream is delicious on its own!) And if you’d like to enjoy this ice cream in a cone, then you’ll need gluten-free ice cream cones.
How To Make No-Churn Homemade Ice Cream
I don’t know about you, but I get overwhelmed with all of the appliances in my kitchen. My kitchen is on the smaller side and we have limited counter and cabinet space, so if I can get away with making ice cream without having an ice cream maker, I’m all in!
You’ll start by reducing the cranberries into a thick syrup, almost jam-like. You’ll do this by simmering the fresh cranberries with water, maple syrup, and a pinch of salt. That’s it! Then after all of the cranberries burst and you have a thick and juicy jam consistency you’ll blend the mixture until smooth. Allow it to cool to room temperature and then cover and refrigerate until ready to use (the next day).
Next, make the coconut milk ice cream. You’ll start by making my No-Churn Vanilla Ice Cream from my dessert book The Beginner’s Guide To Gluten-Free Vegan Baking. Whisk together the solid part of full fat coconut milk, pure vanilla extract, maple syrup, and tapioca flour/starch in a small saucepan until it thickens and is smooth and creamy. You’ll then pour the mixture into an ice cube tray and freeze overnight.
TIP: It helps to place the can of coconut milk in the fridge the night before you’re planning to start making this ice cream. It helps to separate the solid part from the liquid since you only want to use the solid part of the coconut milk in this recipe.
The next day, blend the vanilla ice cream cubes until you achieve a soft serve ice cream texture and spoon the vanilla ice cream into a bowl. Dollop some of the cranberry syrup throughout the vanilla ice cream and then swirl it with a spoon or butter knife, not too much, just enough to make swirls (watch the video to see how it should look!) You’ll most likely have leftover cranberry sauce, feel free to spread it on toast or warm it up and drizzle it on my Holiday Nog Protein Pancakes.
Finally, you’ll place the ice cream back into the freezer to firm up, about 30 minutes to an hour and serve! You can make this ice cream ahead of time, just store it covered in your freezer until you’re ready to enjoy. Top with some of my 2-Ingredient Sugared Cranberries if desired. Enjoy this Homemade Dairy-Free Cranberry Swirl Ice cream in a bowl or in a gluten-free ice cream cone!
I hope you love this easy homemade ice cream recipe! Leave a comment below in the comments section, as well as giving it a rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ super fun holiday dessert recipe! Tag me on Instagram, Facebook, or save it for later on Pinterest!
Homemade Dairy-Free Cranberry Swirl Ice Cream
This no-churn Homemade Dairy-Free Cranberry Swirl Ice Cream is perfect for small holiday gatherings and made right in your blender! This ice cream recipe uses real cranberries swirled with vanilla coconut milk ice cream for the most delicious dairy-free dessert!
Ingredients
Cranberry Syrup/Sauce
- 1 heaping cup fresh cranberries
- 3 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1/2 cup water, divided
- pinch of salt
Vanilla Ice Cream
- 1 can full fat coconut milk, refrigerated overnight
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon tapioca flour/starch
- pinch of salt
For Serving (optional)
- gluten-free ice cream cones
- sugared cranberries
Instructions
Plan to make this over 2 days, and preferably refrigerate the coconut milk the night before you start. The day before you plan on serving this ice cream make the cranberry syrup and the vanilla ice cream.
Cranberry Syrup/Sauce
- In a medium saucepan, add the cranberries, maple syrup, 1/4 cup of water and pinch of salt and heat over medium high heat until all of the cranberries burst and start to reduce. Turn the heat down to low and let the cranberries simmer for 5-10 minutes then stir in the other 1/4 cup of water. Transfer the mixture to a blender and blend until smooth.* Allow the cranberry sauce to cool to room temperature and then cover and place in the fridge overnight.
No-Churn Vanilla Ice Cream
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, whisk together the coconut milk (SOLID PART ONLY!- that's why I say to refrigerate it the night before, it seperates the solid from the coconut water), pure vanilla extract, maple syrup, tapioca starch/flour, and pinch of salt. Heat until the mixture is smooth and starts to thicken. Remove from heat and pour the mixture into ice cube trays and freezer overnight.
Putting the Ice Cream Together
- The next day, blend the cubes of ice cream until you achieve a creamy ice cream texture, adding just a splash of milk if you need it (but not too much! We don't want to make a smoothie! I didn't need any, I just used the blender stir stick to help it along). Spoon the ice cream into a small-medium bowl, spreading it out to cover the whole bottom.
- Dollop the cranberry sauce over the ice cream and then with a spoon or butter knife swirl it throughout the vanilla, but not mixing it completely or it won't have the swirl effect (would still be delish!). You'll most likely have leftover cranberry sauce, feel free to spread it on toast or warm it up and drizzle it on pancakes or waffles!
- Place the bowl back into the freezer for about 30 minutes (depending on how melty it got), scoop into bowls or a cone, garnish with sugared cranberries if desired and enjoy! Keep any leftover ice cream in an airtight container in the freezer.
Notes
* You don't have to blend the cranberry sauce if you don't mind chunks of cranberries and the skin.
** After freezing leftover ice cream, allow it to sit out for about 5-8 minutes to soften just a bit before enjoying.
