Coconut cream makes this homemade soft-serve ice cream a great choice for vegans
While one might imagine that soft-serve ice cream can only be made with a soft-serve machine, think again. Tyler Malek, the creative brain behind beloved ice cream brand Salt & Straw, shared his recipe for making soft-serve at home. Some special gear is required; you’ll need a countertop ice cream machine and a star-tipped pastry bag to get it right. However, the recipe easy to make, and what’s more, it uses coconut cream as a milk-alternative base, making the ice cream completely vegan.
Start with sliced fresh strawberries. Arrange them on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Hand-toss the strawberries with sugar until all the slices are well and evenly coated. Roast the strawberries in the oven until they’re soft and aromatic. Puree the roasted strawberries in a food processor until smooth. Strain the mixture into a bowl using a mesh sieve.
Next, in a small bowl, stir together xantham gum and sugar. Xantham gum is very commonly used as a stabilizing ingredient in ice cream and helps add creaminess to its texture. It is especially useful in enhancing the texture of dairy-free ice creams made from coconut, soy, almond, or hemp milk. Back to the recipe: Pour the mixture, along with water and corn syrup, into a pot. Heat and cook until the sugar dissolves. Stir in the coconut cream and the strawberry puree until fully combined. Then chill the mixture.
Now get out your ice cream maker! Pour in the mixture and freeze it until it achieves your desired soft-serve ice cream consistency. Scoop the ice cream into the pastry bag with a star tip. Swirl your soft-serve ice cream into your cone of choice; we’ve used mini waffle cones here, but any type of cone will be delicious. Top the ice cream with fresh berries for a refreshing, summery vegan dessert.
