Vegan and Dairy Free Peach Ice Cream

Many times vegan or dairy free ice creams tend to become too hard. With this recipe you will learn three methods of avoiding overly hardened ice cream that you can actually use with other such ice creams to help lessen over hardening.

Some recipes will use gums or excessive amounts of cornstarch which can result in a gooey, goop-like consistency that I don’t care for. Therefore I do not use any gums or similar emulsifiers and only a very tiny amount of corn starch.

Also, using too much granulated sugar can sometimes result in vegan or diary free ice creams becoming too grainy — unlike those made with heavy cream in which sugar actually appears to help keep the ice cream softer. Replacing sugar (and/or some of the liquid) with Karo light corn syrup results in no chance of the ice cream becoming grainy or gritty — as well as helps to give it a creamier texture.

Note: It is a very common mistake and misconception that is often made, however, Karo or any other brand corn syrup that you buy at the grocery is NOT the same thing as “high” fructose corn syrup. Although, — just like any sugar, honey, molasses, or syrup — it should be used very sparingly. It is on the whole, however, no worse than using granulated sugar from a nutritional stand point because they are both highly processed to be extracted from plants (cane, beets, corn).

DIABETIC OPTION: To go sugar free, add an additional half cup of coconut milk and skip the corn syrup, and increase cornstarch to a full Tablespoon instead of just a teaspoon.

The addition of a tiny amount of alcohol can also help prevent ice cream from over hardening. This is not an option for everyone, however.

Another method is to get as much air as possible whipped into it. Easier said than done in a home vs a commercial or industrial setting. However, it is possible to achieve this on a smaller scale and still get an ice cream that is much softer than not doing it at all.

Let’s make some ice cream!

To start, place the metal bowl from a stand mixer in the freezer so that it is well chilled when needed for the process of whipping more air into the ice cream.

Be sure anytime removing it from the freezer that your hands are completely dry or use mitts — unless you want to have your hands become stuck to the bowl just like the little boy’s tongue got stuck to the flag pole in the movie A Christmas Story. If it does happen just dribble or drizzle a little warm tap water directly on that particular area to unfreeze quickly.

In a saucepan over medium heat, combine coconut milk, almond milk, cornstarch, salt and vanilla. Whisk intermittently for about 7 to 8 minutes. Then whisk in the corn syrup just until dissolved.

Transfer to a food processor. Add 2 cups of peaches, and if desired alcohol. Puree until smooth and creamy.

Add to an ice cream maker and churn according to manufacturer’s instructions until soft set.

Remove chilled stand mixer bowl from the freezer and transfer soft set ice cream into it.

Place on stand mixer and, using the whisk attachment, try to whip as much additional air into it as you can which further helps prevent it from becoming too hard. Increase speed gradually to reach the highest possible without slinging it out everywhere. Whip for 5 minutes.

Return to ice cream maker, return stand mixer bowl to freezer until needed again, and churn according to manufacture’s instructions until soft set and whip in air a second time. Repeat a third time if you live at much higher altitudes.

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Note:

The more air you can whip into it the less issues with over hardening ice cream you will experience. Beyond three times total, however, isn’t really going to help. There is only so much air that can be whipped into it at home unlike the manufacturing machines used in a commercial setting. It also helps to make certain that space is left at the top of the ice cream maker so that more air can be added when churning so don’t over fill and make smaller batches at a time if necessary. Also, those closer to sea level (lower altitudes) may only benefit from whipping air into the ice cream once or twice. I currently live at a high altitude, however, and three times is the charm.

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When it has reached soft set stage for the final time, fold in the remaining 1 cup of diced peaches.

Finish churning according to manufacturer’s instructions until set.

Transfer to a freezer safe container and freeze for at least 4 to 6 hours before serving.

For best results, place a sheet of plastic wrap over the top of the ice cream itself, before putting the lid on, to prevent ice crystals from forming and store in the main part of the freezer — not in the door where it is subject to frequent temperature fluctuations. Once you have scooped out a serving, cover as stated before and return it to the freezer right away. The less melting and re-freezing there is the less issues there will be with ice crystals forming.

On one hand the freezer should be kept at -5 to 0 degrees but the best temperature for scooping ice cream is 6 to 10 degrees. This means it is difficult to avoid the whole melting and re-freezing issue.

I solved this issue with the purchase of a Pampered Chef ice cream scoop years ago. And — because I have always followed the care instructions carefully — it is just as nice looking and works just as well today as it did when I bought it all those years ago. As soon as I’ve finished scooping my ice cream and returned it to the freezer, I take care of cleaning my scoop. It contains a liquid inside that when shaken makes the scoop feel cool to the touch and also helps to scoop out ice cream fresh from the freezer without having to let it soften first. I just give a little shake, scoop, shake, scoop and repeat until I’m finished scooping. Then I actually start enjoying my ice cream the moment it reaches the perfect softness instead of getting to it after it is already starting to melt. My scoop even has its own special place for storage so it isn’t getting banged around and scratched up by other utensils and is always easy to find.

However, if this is not option for you, then it is recommended that you eat your ice cream within 30 days for best results before it runs the risk of becoming overly crystallized. It may actually last longer, however, depending upon the frequency and length of time(s) it has been softened and re-frozen.

You also want to make sure that your ice cream is in an airtight container and away from any items that are not also in airtight containers to avoid it becoming contaminated with odd flavors and smells. And never store near raw meats, especially those not yet fully frozen, to avoid any bacterial cross contamination. (Meats should actually always be stored separately from all other items).