This Chocolate Coconut Milk Ice Cream is life-changing. It’s rich and creamy, and entirely dairy-free! All you need is 4 simple ingredients to make it.
For an extra-fun sundae, be sure to try my Magic Shell or Peanut Butter Magic Shell topping. The peanut butter addition makes it taste like a peanut butter cup sundae!
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Coconut Milk. Use full-fat canned coconut milk. Don’t use the kind you’d buy in the refrigerated section, or a can of “lite” coconut milk, or you won’t get a classic, creamy ice cream texture.
- Cacao Powder. I tested this recipe with raw cacao powder, but I think dutch-processed cocoa powder will work similarly.
- Maple syrup. This natural sweetener works really well with chocolate flavored desserts, and it keeps this ice cream vegan-friendly. You can use honey, if you don’t need a vegan dessert, but keep in mind the honey flavor will be more noticeable, so you might want to start off with just half of the amount called for here.
- Vanilla extract. This boosts the overall flavor, but is optional.
Feel free to add in any extra flavorings you like, such as peppermint or almond extract, too. I’d start with just a 1/4 teaspoon at a time, and add more to your liking.
How to Make Coconut Milk Ice Cream
1. Blend. Add the 4 ingredient to a blender, and blend until completely smooth.
Note: If you don’t have a blender, you can whisk the ingredients together in a bowl until no clumps remain. Just make sure the coconut milk is totally smooth, as it can often separate in the can, and it’s important that it is totally creamy for the best ice cream results.
2. Freeze. You’ll get the best results if you pour this mixture into an ice cream maker and let it run for 30 to 35 minutes, until thick and creamy.
The ice cream will still be relatively soft (like soft serve) after running in the ice cream maker, but it will firm up if you transfer it to an airtight container and store it in the freezer for 4 to 6 hours, or overnight. It stays amazingly scoop-able, compared to other coconut milk recipes I’ve tried.
3. Enjoy! Scoop the ice cream into a dish or cone, and dig in! I love the rich chocolate flavor, which hides most of the coconut flavor.
How to Make it Without an Ice Cream Maker
Don’t have an ice cream maker? You can skip the machine and pour the blended chocolate mixture directly into an airtight container, instead. Place the container in the freezer and freeze for 8 to 10 hours, or overnight.
For the best texture, stir the ice cream every hour or two, to help incorporate some air into the mixture, making it more light and fluffy.
More Ice Cream Recipes
Looking for more dairy-free ice cream recipes? Try these!
- Vegan Strawberry Ice Cream (made with coconut milk)
- Coffee Ice Cream (made with cashews)
- Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream (made with coconut milk)
- Pistachio Ice Cream (made with pistachios)
- Avocado Ice Cream
- Instant Peach Ice Cream
- Watermelon Sorbet
- Banana Ice Cream
Chocolate Coconut Milk Ice Cream
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 (13.5 oz.) can full-fat coconut milk (400 mL)
- 1/2 cup cacao powder (36 grams)
- 3/4 cup pure maple syrup (241 grams)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (5 grams)
Instructions
- Be sure to freeze the bowl of your ice cream machine at least 24 hours in advance, if your ice cream maker requires it. In a blender, combine the coconut milk, cacao powder, maple syrup, and vanilla, and blend until smooth.
- Pour the mixture into the frozen bowl of your ice cream maker, and process until thick and creamy, about 30 to 35 minutes.
- Serve right away for a soft-serve consistency, or transfer the ice cream to an airtight container and store it in the freezer for 4 to 6 hours, for a more scoop-able consistecy. Leftover ice cream will keep well in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Update Note: This recipe was originally posted in 2012, and has been updated in August 2021. The original measurements were 1 (13.5 oz.) can coconut milk + 6 tablespoons cacao powder + 1/4 cup honey (or maple syrup) + 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. The updated recipe gives a much better chocolate flavor and a less-icy texture compared to the original, so I hope you’ll enjoy it!
If you try this Chocolate Coconut Milk Ice Cream, please leave a comment below letting me know how you like it.
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Reader Feedback: Which ice cream flavor would you like to see next?
Caramel would be great (vegan). Trying the choc this week. Thanks.
The first time I made this was with what I think was a generic brand of coconut milk.. On the can it didn’t say “lite” or anything else to indicate the brand wasn’t “full fat.” It didn’t work well in the ice cream freezer. I left in the freezer to harden.
The next time I used a familiar brand of “full fat” coconut milk. That worked really well, My only problem.I should have doubled the recipe. The second try did “harden” in the ice cream maker but didn’t “fluff” up like your strawberry ice cream. What did I miss?
Really good!
I decided to get creative and not really measure anything except for the maple syrup, and then I tossed in some peanut butter and it was incredibly bitter, so as the ice cream maker started I sprinkled in a tiny bit of stevia. It also made about half as much as I would have expected, which was odd. So the ice cream finished and it was still painfully bitter, but I had some cashew butter cookies in the freezer so decided to make them into ice cream sandwiches — which totally helped. And then when I was washing the dishes I noticed the measuring cup of maple syrup sitting in the window sill, mocking me, which explains why it was so bitter and the batch was so small. Before I eat the remaining ice cream sandwiches I might roll the sides in coconut sugar, but I have to say, considering the huge mistake I made it was still pretty good and I will definitely make it again.
This is so easy to make and tastes just like talenti double dark chocolate ice cream (I added choc chips to mine)! Will definitely be making this again & probably not be purchasing store bought anytime soon.
Can you substitute sugar for maple syrup?
This was AMAZING!!! I was so proudnof myself! Ha ha! It’s so easy and the result is up there with the best of the ice cream brands. THANK YOU!!! Your recipes have inspired me to get back in the kitchen, which is bringing a lot of joy both to myself and those i share your recipes with 🙂
This was the best dairy-free ice cream I’ve had! Will keep the ingredients in hand for this.
Would cutting down on the maple syrup alter the recipe much? This is just too much sugar for me.
Also, would adding a few scoops of cold peanut butter make it a “chocolate peanut butter” swirl type ice cream?
If you want a peanut butter swirl in the ice cream, I would check out my “Peanut Butter Shell” recipe, and drizzle it into the ice cream maker towards the end of processing the ice cream. But I’m sure a few tablespoons of peanut butter in the mix would be delicious, too! I think you could cut back slightly on the maple syrup without affecting the texture, too.
Can you check the amount of milk used? I think you meant 2 cups of milk. 1 cup of milk and 3/4 cup of sugar is a lot of sugar.
This recipe calls for 1 can of coconut milk, which is about 1 1/2 cups of milk. You can experiment with using less sugar (I’m pretty sure I tested it with a 1/4 cup and a 1/2 cup of maple syrup, too), but this ratio is what gives you a chocolate ice cream that tastes like “real” ice cream. If you want a less-sweet treat, though, I think using a little less is fine, too!
This recipe was wonderful! It was so creamy and I love that it is sweetened with maple syrup.
I was thinking of adding other ingredients like nuts or marshmellows to make a rocky road or even peanut butter to make a chocolate peanut butter flavor. Do you think I would run into any freezing problems? Thanks.
You are very good at making non dairy recipes that are actually good!
Holy smokes that’s tasty. No ice cream maker, so I just poured the mix into a glass container with a lid and did the fork into mouth, I mean fork stir. Why did each bit I stirred end up in my mouth??? Anyway, I think this is the best chocolate ice cream vegan or not that I have ever enjoyed thank you!
Amazing recipe! I was out of cream, otherwise would never have researched alternate options like coconut milk. I used Dutch process cocoa and added toasted almonds and marshmallow fluff for a rocky road spin. So impressed how similar it is to ice cream made with cream. Thanks for a great recipe.
This was the best coconut milk ice cream I have ever had! I put it in my ice cream machine. The consistency was amazing and 2 days later, it was still scoopable – and delicious.
It is a great recipe – I always worry that the ice cream without real cream and egg yolks will be thin and health-food-lack-of-taste like, but not here. It’s very creamy and almost custardy. We’ve added some unsweetened coconut shreds for texture and drizzled homemade chocolate syrup – it is perfect. Tonight will make more and add some peanut butter. I think the quality of ingredients is paramount – with good cacao, top shelf maple and organic coconut milk – superb. Thank you!
This recipe is so delicious! It is very rich, too. This will be my new ice cream go-to. I made it without an ice cream maker and it still worked great. This is a must try!
Food allergic daughter approved! It never made it into the freezer; she ate some right away. Already have the second batch going. Thanks so much for this recipe.
So yummy!
I used dark chocolate cacao powder, so good!
This is the best dairy free ice cream I have ever made. I’ve tried custard ice creams and other simple ice creams, but this recipe knocks them all out of the park! Here’s why – the flavor is delicious, the texture is creamy, it’s easy to make, and consistency is soft enough that you don’t have to let it thaw for 30 minutes after pulling it out of the freezer. I’ve made it twice now, and even my picky husband likes it. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Wow, this exceeded my expectations! I don’t normally like coconut milk ice cream because it always has a hint of coconut flavor, but this didn’t at all! It was like a real, decadent chocolate flavored ice cream with no hint of coconut. SO delicious!! I added some peanut butter to my bowl and it was like heaven. 🙂 I never need a store bought ice cream again!
95% of the people are saying “great recipe but I replaced x with y”, haha. How is it great if you didn’t even want to make it the way it is!!
Love this recipe for chocolate ice cream! So creamy, the chocolate level is perfect and only 4 ingredients! This is a household favorite now.