Blood Orange “Dreamsicle” Ice Cream (Dairy Free)

I started off experimenting with making a lemon ice cream with my beautiful Meyer Lemons. And it was delicious. Really, really good. If you want to make it, you can use this same recipe, but change out the blood orange with two lemons.

As good as that Meyer Lemon ice cream was, I made something even better.

My fruit basket was overflowing with blood oranges (I went a little crazy with blood oranges at the store. Read that story here) and thought I’d give the blood oranges a shot at ice cream. So I did.

And, OH. MY. GOSH. Best thing ever.

Zach said as soon as I licked the spatula my eyes almost popped out of my head. He grabbed the spatula from me, took a lick and then said this was the best thing in the universe.

The universe!

My version tastes just like those dreamsicle popsicles that we both remember loving as kids. Those popsicles have a ton of yucky artificial ingredients and I’m sure they are loaded with so much sugar/high fructose corn syrup. Yuck, no thank you.

But this version is full of good for you ingredients! The fat in the coconut milk is the really good healthy kind of fat that serves very important roles in our body like calcium absorption and proper immune function. Plus we can’t forget about the abundant Vitamin C and antioxidants in our blood orange.

The best thing in the universe and healthy? Sounds like a big win to me 🙂

*If you don’t have an ice cream machine, don’t fret. I do not have one and it turned out perfectly 🙂

Blood Orange “Dreamsicle” Ice Cream (Dairy Free)

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 can full fat coconut milk (or you can make your own, but do not use the coconut milk out of a carton), refrigerate the can for at least a day for best whipped results

1 blood orange, zested and juiced (a regular orange will work, too)

2-3 tablespoons pure raw honey, or to taste

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS:

Dump the water out of the coconut milk can and just put the coconut cream into a mixing bowl. With a mixer, whip your coconut milk until peaks form (about 5 minutes). For best whipped results, make sure you have refrigerated your coconut milk can at least overnight.

Pour your fresh juice from the orange, the orange zest, vanilla, and honey into the bowl and stir until combined.

If you have an ice cream maker, process your ice cream and freeze according to the directions of the ice cream maker (sorry I can’t be of too much help with the ice cream maker directions because I’ve never had one). Enjoy!

If you don’t have an ice cream maker (I don’t), put the bowl into the freezer. Wait 45 minutes and take it out. Stir it all around and place back in the freezer. Wait 45 more minutes and then take it out. Stir again. Keep doing this until it reaches your desired consistency. If you like it “soft serve” or like a milkshake it will generally take 2 45 minute cycles (so it’ll be ready in an hour and half). If you like your ice cream a little bit more hard, it will generally take 3 cycles (so it will ready in 2+ hours). Enjoy!

*After the ice cream is done processing or you have stirred it for 2 or 3 45 minute cycles, you can keep it in the freezer for a few days, but you will need to let it sit out and thaw for just a few minutes before trying to scoop it out.