This homemade date sweetened ice cream is as creamy and delicious as unhealthy, sugar laden, store bought ice cream. Step into the farmhouse to see how we make it.
I had to tinker around with the idea of ice cream sweetened only with dates before it became the creamy, delicious, seriously as good as ice cream with sugar, recipe that it is today.
The first time I tried it I threw dates straight out of the pantry into the blender with the other ingredients. It’s not hard to imagine what happened there. We had mildly sweet ice cream with bits and pieces of dates throughout.
I discovered that I had best results when I soaked the dates in a portion of the coconut milk, from the recipe, overnight.
I have more recently found mushier dates on Amazon that can be thrown straight into the blender without pre-soaking. My local Aldi also has a brand that are pretty consistently mushy. The ones I get from Kroger definitely have to be presoaked. If you open the package and the dates don’t readily squish between your fingers, you will have to allow them to first soak up some coconut milk.
This ice cream is so surprisingly delicious. If you are looking for a dessert that you can feel good about giving your kids, this one is it. Dairy free, sugar free, all natural…all the stuff you could want, and still tastes amazing!
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Why not use dairy milk?
Ice cream sets up best when it is high fat. I have made ice cream with cream only and its delicious. We get raw milk, and I skim it from the top, so cream is limited. I like to save it for my coffee. 🙂
Can I use less coconut oil?
Again, the fat thing. But, I do think it would set up with half that amount. We just like our super creamy.
Could I get leave out the raw egg yolks?
You probably could, but I haven’t tried it. I imagine it would just be a little less creamy. Let me know how it goes, if you decide to try it!
Date Sweetened Ice Cream Recipe Video
Date Sweetened Ice Cream Basic Recipe
2 cans coconut milk
8 ounce package pitted dates
1/2 cup melted coconut oil
3 egg yolks
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
The Variations
The wonderful thing about the basic recipe is you can adjust it to make so many different flavors. Chocolate peanut butter, pumpkin spice, vanilla, chocolate…I imagine you could even get crazy and do something like a key lime pie or butter pecan. Oooh my wheels are turning now.
Use the printable recipe card at the end of this post to see recipes for some of our favorite variations!
The process
If the dates are really dry, soak them in the coconut milk, in the refrigerator, overnight. If they are mushy, move straight on to the next step.
Put all the ingredients into your blender. Blend on high until the mixture is creamy, and no chunks of dates, remain.
Put everything into your ice cream maker and give it about 30 minutes to harden up.
If you don’t have an ice cream maker, you can put the mixture in a 9 by 13 pan, and allow it to harden for about eight hours. I love my Cusinart 2 Quart Ice Cream Maker. I bought it two or three years ago and have made a lot of ice cream in it!
Where to get coconut milk
I prefer to get my coconut milk at either Trader Joe’s, or online from Thrive Market. Since TJ’s is about an hour away, I normally resort to the latter.
Thrive Market has a really great price for organic coconut milk. You have to be a member to get their prices, but I save so much money on a lot of staples it’s totally worth it. If you order through my link you can get 20% off your first three orders!
Read about my blender in my recent Top Ten Kitchen Essentials Post.
Make the apron my daughter is wearing with this tutorial: DIY Pinafore Apron for Girls
Print the recipe
Click HERE to download and print.
Pin it for later
This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. 🙂
Thank you so much for stopping by the farmhouse!
Laura m Cates says
It looks wonderful! I can’t wait to try it!
Lisa says
Thanks Laura! 🙂
Shirley says
Hi Lisa,
Great video on this! I made this last night and we enjoyed it so much. You’re right about the Aldi medjool dates, they are so soft, softer than the trader joes ones. We have the ice cream in an airtight container in the freezer now, can’t wait to go home and have some more! How long do you think the ice cream would last in the freezer?
Thanks ,
Shirley
Meleah says
Can I use melted butter or ghee in place of coconut oil?
Lisa says
Yes, you sure can! 🙂
Christie Smith says
Made tonight. Mine turned out gritty? Everything was fine and smooth and creamy until I added the coconut oil. When put in ice cream maker the bits of coconut oil got hard again and made it gritty? What to do? The flavor was great!!
Carol says
Love the idea of no sugar. Can you make it coffee flavour? You probably don’t drink coffee but I thought would ask. Love your YouTube channel BTW. Cheers
Lisa says
You sure can! And I am a big coffee drinker, actually. I drink two cups a day, and I LOVE it!
Lindsey says
I made your ice cream team tonight but changed it up a little. Instead of the coconut oil I did a cup of cashews. I also added some vanilla bean. Sooo good!
Lisa says
Oooh I love the idea of the cashews!
Peter says
I live in Boston and cannot find pasteurized eggs anywhere. What can I do? Thank you.
Peter
Lisa says
Do you have any local farmers you can get eggs from?
Julia says
Hi Lisa, love your inspirational blog and videos – thanks!! I’d love to try this ice cream, but I was always told to never ever eat raw eggs (for the risk of salmonella infection). Does your recipe also work if I beat the eggs in a bowl over a pot with boiling water? Since salmonella is killed when heated at 160 degrees F… Thanks!
Lisa says
Yes! You can totally do that.
Kayla says
Could I use unsweetened almond milk instead of the coconut milk?
Kylie says
Hi Lisa,
I’ve just made this but I only had coconut cream. It certainly didn’t come out as smooth as yours – is this because I used coconut cream? Or should I have blended it longer?
By the way I love your YouTube channel I check in a couple of times every week!
Irina says
Hi Lisa, I have this same question. I have only coconut creme or regular milk. Any suggestions on how to make this work? Will it work with regular raw milk?
Mark says
In your ‘Date Sweetened Ice Cream Basic Recipe’ are you using vanilla extract, powder or the paste from an actual vanilla bean? What do you use? Please advise?
Mark
Celia says
Made the basic recipe and love it but it is rock hard. Can’t even scoop it. Any suggestions?
Meghan Maitland says
I’ve just made the chocolate peanut butter version and this blew my mind! I’m going sugar free, only eating naturally occurring sugars in fruits and veg. This is making the transition easy peasy! You’re my hero 👍
Lisa says
I am so glad you share my enthusiasm for this!! I feel the same way. 😉
Tara says
This is by far the best dairy free ice cream we’ve ever had (homemade or bought)!! Seriously impressed! Thank you so much, Lisa!
Brooke says
This recipe is so happy and delicious! I made chocolate ice cream and omitted the eggs. It turned out perfectly!!
Maggie Dillon says
Do you have the “date lady “ “information I can’t seem to locate it on your site
Tami says
Can I use fresh date paste in place of fresh dates in this recipe? I’m so excited to try it and my Cuisinart was delivered today!! Hooray!
Lisa says
Maybe, I’ve never tried it. Sorry I couldn’t be more help.
Tami says
Thank you for the response, will let you know how it comes out 🙂