During the hot summer season, we all try to find ways to cool down: Eating salads, popsicles, and chilled water. But out of all of these a couple ice cream scoops are well deserved. With a couple of freshly picked local strawberries you can make your own vegan strawberry ice cream swirl and enjoy it in your backyard.

Coconut ice cream base is one of those things that goes great with every fresh ingredient. From chocolate to fresh fruits to nuts, coconut makes a delectably smooth ice cream. The trick to the ice cream is to use a full fat coconut milk (avoid coconut cream and low fat coconut milk because they do not give you the same rich texture). 

Though many people choose agave as a sweetener to make it 100% vegan, you can still try honey as an option. Usually agave is very sweet but this vegan strawberry ice cream recipe tempers the sweetness of the agave with the rich fatty content of the coconut milk. Many homemade ice cream recipes made with real berries inevitably become flavorless frozen chunks of ice which is why in this recipe, we cook the strawberries into a natural sauce.

- Joe Kearns, Owner Slices Concession

 The strawberry sauce is super simple: cook 2 cups of quartered berries for 5 minutes in some natural sugar (we recommend cane sugary because it's minimally processed). After letting it cool, you can add it into the ice cream base towards the end.

Tip: reserve 1/4 cup of the strawberry sauce and swirl it into the finished ice cream instead of putting into the product mix for processing so that the ice cream has a more visual swirl of pink color.

Extra tip: some graham cracker cookies on the side or organic vegan chocolate chips in the ice cream mix would be wonderful! As you can tell, the "piccolo cuoco" (little Italian chef) is full of yummy ideas this summer season.

Vegan Strawberry Ice Cream Swirl Recipe

*Recipe Notes:

• Some people have enjoyed using tapioca or arrowroot starch instead of cornstarch.
• Since coconut milk separates into different layers, it's important to shake it up to mix up the layers.
• Recipe for at home usage. For commercial purposes, consult your local health department on regulations

Ingredients:

 30 ounces (2 cans) of full fat coconut milk

1/2 cup agave nectar

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 cup all natural sugar

1 sliced vanilla bean

2 cups of diced strawberries

2 tabelspoons of cornstatch

Instructions:

 -Step 1-

Make sure you thoroughly shake up the contents of the coconut milk before opening the cans. Use the saucepan to combine the remaining coconut milk with the salt and agave. Use medium-low heat for 2 minutes to combine all the ingredients until mixture is smooth.

 -Step 2-

Whisk 1/2 cup of coconut milk with cornstarch in a small bowl until well mixed. Stir this mix into the warm coconut milk base with the vanilla bean and pod. Cook using medium heat for 6-8 minutes or until thick enough to coat spoon. Don't let the mix boil.

 -Step 3-

Remove the base from the heat, throw away the vanilla pod and pour into a separate bowl. Let it cool for about 30 minutes, then put into the refrigerator for 4-5 hours.

 -Step 4-

Make the strawberry sauce while the base is cooling: dice up the strawberries, add sugar and put on heat to a steady low boil. When boiling, reduce heat to let simmer & cook for about 5 minutes until the berries are shapeless and juicy. Put in a bowl & let cool for 30 minutes. When cooled, use blender to make it into a thick sauce and then set aside.

 -Step 5-

According to manufacturer instructions, pour the ice cream base and sauce into your ice cream machine. Depending on your ice cream machine model, it will be 10-20 minutes to make the final product. Also, some machines make the product ready to serve or you need to pull the bucket out from the machine and store it for serving.

 Are you interested in opening your own frozen dessert venue? Here at Slice’s Concession we have a wide assortment of frozen dessert machinery that can further enhance the experience of your venue. Whether it be a low volume countertop model to add a few additional menu items, or a full standing model to carry you through your grand opening and beyond. We are the number one distributor in the nation of used ice cream and frozen drink machines. We feature popular brands such as Taylor, Stoelting, and Carpigiani. We have machines with both single and three phase capability, as well as air or water cooled. Our experts will help guide you in picking the best machine for your venue. With an east coast and west coast office, as well as stellar reviews on both Facebook and Google, you will see why we are trusted as the best. Visit our website, or if you are in the area, set up an appointment to stop by!

* Follow all local and national health codes. Always refer to local and national rules. This article is just a suggestion.

Need an ice cream machine to make your delectable recipe? check out our machines or call us at
 352-262-9627