I’ve been on a bit of a plant-based milk kick recently as I’ve been working on recipe development for the latest Food52 contest centered around oat milk.  I bought a large supply of oat and coconut milk for my development adventures, and naturally had plenty of leftovers when I had finalized my submission.  Since my mind was still on plant-based desserts, I decided to make some vegan ice cream to help use up some of my ingredient leftovers.  The results turned out so great that I wanted to share!

This recipe uses a combination of refrigerated oat milk and canned coconut milk for that creamy texture. I decided to simmer the base down a bit to drive off some of the extra water that tends to be in plant based milks to give it that super rich, creamy texture I was after.  I added very little sugar to the base and relied on the natural sweetness of the oat and coconut milk, along with the mango, to carry through some of the sweetness.  The result was a nice, creamy plant based ice cream that feels lightly sweet when you eat it.  It has the final texture of a sherbet, so it’s not as indulgent as a full-fat ice cream, but definitely is creamier than a sorbet.  The mango gives this ice cream a beautiful orange color, and of course this fruit can be swapped out with any others that you have on hand.

This is a great summer dessert that is slightly healthier than ice cream.  Whether you’re fully vegan or just looking to incorporate more plants into your life (like me!), this is a great alternative to dairy-based ice cream.  Recipe down below, photo up top!

Plant Based Mango Ice Cream:

Ingredients:

• 2 cups Original Oat Milk
• 1 can (2 cups) coconut milk
• 2 cups frozen mango chunks
• ½ cup sugar

Method:

1. Add the oat milk, coconut milk, and sugar into a large bowl, and whisk together until fully combined and the sugar has fully dissolved.
2. Add the mixture to a large sauce pan, along with the frozen mango chunks.  Heat on high until the mixture begins to boil, stirring occasionally.  Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium low and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. After cooking, remove the mixture from the heat and transfer to an air-tight container.  Refrigerate until fully cooled, about 4 hours.
4. Once cooled, transfer the mixture to a blender, and blend on high until completely smooth, about 60-90 seconds.
5. Transfer the blended mixture to an ice cream machine and churn until mostly frozen (looking for the consistency of soft-serve ice cream). 
6. Transfer the churned mixture to a large, sealable container.  Cover and freeze until completely set, about 2 hours.
7. Scoop and enjoy!