How It’s Made: Vegan Ice Cream
As cow’s milk pretty rapidly becomes a thing of the past, we can’t help but panic a little at the thought of missing out on some of our favorite treats.
The Surprisingly Simple Method of Making Ice Cream:
No matter the scale, traditional ice cream requires three (sometimes four) ingredients: milk, cream, sugar and sometimes eggs. The mixture is first pasteurized (heated to kill anything gross and harmful), then frozen and whipped simultaneously. (Flavors and mix-ins are added after the heating but before the freezing, FYI.) Keeping the mixture moving as its temperature drops allows for that smooth and creamy texture that we crave. Without the introduction of air bubbles, large ice crystals would form, which would effectively ruin our entire relationship with the frozen treat. For soft serve, the process ends here. For the hard stuff, the ice cream is packaged and brought down to zero degrees fahrenheit (or below) to make transportation easy and breezy.
What Dairy Has To Offer:
Plain and simple, cow’s milk is rich in a lot of good stuff. High-quality protein (8 grams per cup!) and super important vitamins and minerals such as calcium, phosphorus and B vitamins make up most of milk’s nutrition facts.
Why You Might Stay Away:
Humans appear to be the only species to drink milk after infancy. And we’re definitely the most gung-ho about consuming the milk of a different species. Kind of weird. Aside from ethics, however, there are a couple of medical reasons that force a detour from dairy products. Between 2 and 3 percent of kids under the age of 3 are allergic to cow’s milk. While the allergy is often outgrown by age 16, symptoms may range from rashes and digestive issues to severe anaphylaxis. 75% of people across the world experience a deficiency in lactase, which is the enzyme that breaks down the sugar found in milk (lactose). Lactose intolerance may exhibit less severe symptoms than anaphylactic shock, but 75% of us can confirm that it is no joke.
Enter, The Substitutes:
So. How do the non-dairy drinkers get such goodies as ice cream, without missing ice cream? The dairy substitute market seems to grow larger every day. Soy and almond milks have been around, but now we have cashew and oat and hemp. Quinoa. Macadamia. They’re all super drinkable, but in the ice cream business, all of these fall a little flat. It’s the creamy, fluffy texture that is missed most.
Behold: The Coconut. Coconut milk is very simply made from coconut flesh and water. While the liquid is sweet, the coconut flavor is subtle, which is why it makes such a great base for ice cream. Boasting one-third of the calories of cow’s milk and half the fat, coconut milk has a naturally creamy texture that almost effortlessly fills the void you miss when indulging in other non-dairy ice creams (namely soy and almond). Coconut milk also offers a saturated fat (a good one!) called medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs) that has been known to reduce cholesterol levels in the blood and promote healthy weight loss. Coconut milk’s only true shortcoming seems to be its lack of protein, but that can be easily added elsewhere.
The Surprisingly Simple Method of Making *Vegan* Ice Cream:
All you need is full-fat coconut milk, a little starch (corn or arrowroot), a little sweetener of your choice, and whichever flavors you crave. First three ingredients are heated on the stovetop until the mixture reaches a pudding-like consistency, and just like that, you’ve made your base. Stir in your flavor additions, pour into your ice cream maker (or do it the old-fashioned way) and thoroughly, unapologetically enjoy.
(If you don’t have time for this, just go to Bareburger and ask for a vegan shake. Blue Marble has mastered the art of coconut ice cream, and we’ve mastered the art of blending said coconut ice cream with coconut milk and whatever else you’d like in there. Peanut butter and banana, perhaps. Maybe raspberry and lime. I digress. You know what to do. Love you.)
