Paleo Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream
This deliciously minty ice cream is dairy free and refined sugar free. It's the perfect treat for summer!
When I started eating more paleo based, one of my first thoughts was I'll have to give up ice cream! How can that happen? I adore ice cream. It's my favorite, favorite treat.
Although eating real food and less treats in general has been essential, there are great alternatives for those treat days. This paleo mint chocolate chip ice cream is dairy free and refined sugar free (and of course, gluten free!). It's perfect for those warm summer months when you want something cool and refreshing.
The sweetener in the ice cream is maple syrup. Just 1/4 cup makes it just sweet enough! Chocolate chip options include Lily's dark chocolate chips or Hu baking chips. There is no dairy and no refined cane sugar.
How to Make Paleo Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream
Collect your ingredients: coconut milk from a can, cocoa butter, maple syrup, peppermint extract, sea salt, and dark chocolate chips (used for later). As mentioned above, I like the Lily's brand. In addition to being dairy and refined sugar free, they are a miniature size which works well for this ice cream!
You will also need an ice cream maker. Freezing the bowl for at least 24 hours is needed to get the mixture frozen and thick.
The first step is to melt the cocoa butter with a small amount of coconut milk. Edible cocoa butter can be found at most health food stores or online. It tends to come in chunks or wafers. The wafers are quite easy to work with.
Use either a double boiler, or if you don't have one, a glass bowl placed over a pot of water also does the trick! Turn heat to medium-high to get the water boiling, then the ingredients will start to melt in the bowl. Melt until it turns to a liquid.
While the cocoa butter is melting, put the rest of the ingredients, with the exception of the chocolate chips, in a blender. Once melted, add the cocoa butter and coconut milk mixture to the rest in the blender. Blend well for a minute or two on medium to high. Then pour into a bowl and place in the refrigerator to cool for a minimum of one hour. You can leave it overnight if you prefer.
Now, it's time to make your paleo mint chocolate chip ice cream! Remove the cooled ingredients from the refrigerator, add the chocolate chips and stir. Turn on your ice cream maker and pour the ingredients as it's churning. Let run for approximately 30 minutes or until the ice cream is thick and frozen.
When ready, scoop out the ice cream and place in an airtight container for the freezer. At first, it will likely be similar to a soft serve ice cream, but will harden with freezing. Remove from freezer and let sit on counter for a few minutes prior to serving.
Another item to note is that this paleo mint chocolate chip ice cream is also vegan! There are no eggs, no dairy, no animal products of any kind. It's a win for both paleo and vegan eaters!
This is the perfect treat for a warm summer afternoon or evening. Take time with each bite to savor this cold and creamy treat! Enjoy!
Paleo Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream
Equipment
- 1 ice cream maker
- 1 blender
Ingredients
- 2 oz edible cocoa butter
- 1 can full fat coconut milk 13.5 oz
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 3/4 tsp peppermint extract
- 1/4 cup refined sugar free chocolate chips
Instructions
- Using a double boiler on medium to high heat, melt 1/4 cup coconut milk with the cocoa butter until melted. You can also create a double boiler by putting the ingredients in a glass bowl and setting on a pot of water on medium heat. Ensure cocoa butter is completely melted.
- Meanwhile, put the remaining coconut milk, maple syrup, sea salt, and peppermint extract in blender. Add the melted cocoa butter/coconut milk mixture. Blend well on medium or high.
- Pour into a bowl and place in the refrigerator for a minimum of one hour. Remove from refrigerator, add the chocolate chips and stir.
- Turn on the ice cream maker, then pour in the cooled ice cream mix and let run for up to 30 minutes until ice cream is thick and frozen.
- Store in an airtight container in the freezer. Once completely frozen, you may need to let sit on the counter for several minutes prior to scooping.
Rachelle, this looks scrumptious! I love what you are doing and your website us awesome!
This ice cream looks amazing!
Is the taste of coconut very pronounced.? Could it be repkaced by another milk like almond milk?
And what if you don’t have a machine to make the ice cream?
Thank you Sue! It’s so nice to hear you are enjoying the website! Thank you for following along!
Thank you Suvi! I don’t notice a strong coconut flavor, as the cocoa butter and peppermint tend to overpower any coconut flavor. You could try almond milk but since it doesn’t have the same amount of fat, it may be more icy and less creamy. I would try it with coconut milk first to see how you like it. If you don’t have an ice cream maker, it can simply be put in a container in the freezer. It would be best to whisk it every so often as it freezes to add a little air and volume, otherwise it will be more solid and dense. I hope that helps!
This ice cream is as delicious as the Java Chip I wrote about previously. A refreshing treat for sure.
Again, easy and quick to make. Since we don’t have any glass bowls and our double boiler disappeared in our last move, my husband found a pottery bowl and put our new microwave oven to the test with its “Soften/Melt” feature. Worked like a charm and less hassle than the double boiler. Like before, the chips were added to the blender as the last step.
It sounds like you found a creative way to melt the cocoa butter! I’m so glad it worked and that you enjoyed the ice cream! Thank you for trying it and for your review!