Make this homemade pina colada ice cream with coconut milk, pineapple chunks, sugar, and toasted coconut flakes. This rich and delicious vegan ice cream is full of tropical flavor and is the perfect treat for anyone who loves piña coladas!
Pineapple and coconut are a match made in heaven! So it’s no surprise that this combo makes the most delicious ice cream I’ve ever tasted. I’ve been making coconut ice cream for years and love how creamy this ice cream is. You don’t need to use heavy cream and eggs to make delicious ice cream, coconut cream is perfect for homemade ice cream and can be made with a regular ice cream maker or without an ice cream maker (I’ll share my method below).
How To Make Pina Colada Ice Cream
For this recipe, you will need 28 ounces of canned coconut milk (2 cans), 15 ounces of pineapple (fresh or frozen), half a cup of sugar, half a cup of toasted coconut flakes, arrowroot powder, and optional dark or white rum.
Before making this ice cream, you will need to refrigerate the full-fat coconut milk for a few hours.
Step 1: Open the cans of coconut milk and pour off the clear liquid. Scoop the coconut cream out of the cans and place it in a large bowl. Next, mix the chopped pineapple, sugar, toasted coconut, and arrowroot powder into the coconut cream.
Step 2: Pour the ice cream mix into an ice cream machine. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions to make the ice cream. After churning, store the homemade pina colada ice cream in a freezer-safe container in the freezer.
How To Make Pina Colada Ice Cream without an Ice Cream Machine
You can still make this delicious ice cream if you don’t have an ice cream machine. I’ve tested making ice cream without an ice cream maker with two different methods with success. My preferred method is to pour the coconut ice cream custard into ice cube trays and freeze them. Once frozen, blend the frozen coconut mixture cubes in a food processor or a high-speed blender (see images below for a visual example).
Another option is to pour the custard into a deep baking dish and freeze it for 30-40 minutes. As it begins to freeze near the edges, remove it from the freezer and stir with a spatula or handheld mixer. Return to the freezer. Check the mixture every 30 minutes, stirring vigorously as it’s freezing. Repeat this process for 2-3 hours or until frozen.
About The Ingredients:
- Coconut Milk: Use full-fat canned coconut milk. Make sure to refrigerate the coconut milk for a few hours before making this ice cream so the coconut cream solidifies.
- Pineapple: Use fresh, frozen, or canned pineapple. I used fresh pineapple and chopped it up into bite-size pieces. You may also use fresh pineapple puree.
- Sugar: I tested this recipe with organic sugar. You may substitute honey, maple syrup, or erythritol in place of the sugar in this recipe.
- Toasted Coconut: The toasted coconut adds excellent flavor to this ice cream. You can easily make toasted coconut by placing 1/2 cup of shredded coconut into a pan over medium heat. Gently toast the coconut for 2-5 minutes, occasionally stirring with a spatula. Learn how to make toasted coconut here.
- Arrowroot Powder: Arrowroot powder is optional, but it helps with the ice cream being soft and scoopable once it’s frozen.
- Rum: This is also an optional ingredient. Rum adds a lovely flavor to the pina colada ice cream and helps the ice cream be soft in texture. For added coconut flavor, you may use any rum or coconut liqueur. I used Malibu coconut rum.
This pina colada ice cream is so delicious; I know you’ll love it! Top this dairy-free ice cream with pineapple wedges, toasted coconut, and coconut whipped cream for extra coconut flavor! Add this ice cream in a blender with coconut milk and pineapple juice to make pina colada milkshakes!
FAQ
I have only used one ice cream maker, so i’m not an expert. But I LOVE this Cuisinart Ice Cream maker.
I use Thai Kitchen coconut milk for almost all my recipes. It’s the best quality for the price. You can find all my favorite coconut milk brands here.
I store my ice cream in an airtight container in the freezer. It’s best to use ice cream within a week. After a while, in the freezer, the ice cream hardens and is difficult to scoop.Â
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PrintPina Colada Ice Cream Recipe
Make this easy piña colada ice cream with coconut milk, pineapple chunks, sugar, and toasted coconut flakes. This rich vegan ice cream has a creamy texture and is full of tropical flavor, and is the perfect treat on a hot summer day.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours
- Yield: 4 cups 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Ice Cream Machine
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
- 2 cans of full-fat coconut milk, refrigerated and liquid drained
- 15 ounces chopped pineapple
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup toasted coconut
- 2 teaspoons arrowroot powder
- 1 tablespoon rum
Instructions
- Open the cans of coconut milk and pour off the clear liquid.
- Next, scoop the coconut cream out of the cans and place it in a large bowl.
- Then mix the chopped pineapple, sugar, toasted coconut, and arrowroot powder into the coconut cream.
- Pour the ice cream mix into an ice cream machine.
- Follow the manufacturer’s instructions to make the ice cream.
- After churning, store the homemade pina colada ice cream in a freezer-safe container in the freezer.
How To Make Ice Cream without an Ice Cream Machine
Food Processor Method:
- Pour the coconut ice cream custard into ice cube trays and freeze them. Once frozen, blend the frozen coconut mixture cubes in a food processor or a high-speed blender.
Stirring Method:
- Another option is to pour the custard into a deep baking dish and freeze it for 30-40 minutes.
- As it begins to freeze near the edges, remove it from the freezer and stir with a spatula or handheld mixer.
- Return to the freezer and check the mixture every 30 minutes, stirring as it’s freezing. Repeat this process for 2-3 hours or until frozen.
Notes
Tips & Substitutes:
- Sugar Substitutes: Use equal parts of honey, maple syrup, or your favorite sugar-free granulated sweetener in place of sugar.
- Arrowroot powder is optional, but it helps with the ice cream being soft and scoopable once frozen.
- Rum is also an optional ingredient. Rum adds a lovely flavor to the pina colada ice cream and helps the ice cream be soft in texture.
Nutrition Facts
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 630
- Sugar: 40g
- Fat: 48g
- Carbohydrates: 43g
- Fiber: 1.6g
- Protein: .6g
