This post could easily be called “Pineapple Coconut Ice Cream and Perfectionism.” It’s been a while since my last entry and I’ve been thinking about why I’ve been so slow to post. Yes, it’s summer and life is busy, but a bigger factor has been my tendency toward perfectionism. That tendency leads me to be overly critical of my work and to set standards that are hard to meet. Lately I’ve avoided posting unless I think I can do it perfectly — and that habit can be paralyzing.
Perfectionism doesn’t mean everything you produce is flawless. It often means you demand unrealistic standards from yourself and then withhold what you’ve made because it doesn’t match an ideal. I want my posts to be useful and engaging, but I’ve been delaying this recipe because I worried my photos weren’t good enough. How silly is that?
A little of the blame goes to Pinterest and its beautiful food photography, but the real issue is my own high expectations. I enjoy both cooking and photographing food, and I want that to stay fun. I’ll keep improving my photography, but I’m deciding to be kinder to myself, stop comparing, and share what I can do now.
Enough self-reflection — on to the recipe. This Pineapple Coconut Ice Cream is custard-based, so it involves a bit of cooking, but it’s straightforward. Once you’re comfortable tempering eggs, you’ll find it easy to make a rich, creamy dairy-free ice cream.
Ingredients
- 4 egg yolks
- 1 can full-fat coconut milk
- 3 tablespoons raw honey
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup pineapple juice
- 3/4 cup finely chopped fresh pineapple (or crushed canned pineapple)
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, combine the coconut milk, honey, vanilla, and pineapple juice. Warm gently until it’s just below a simmer.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks until they are frothy.
- Slowly pour about one-quarter of the warm coconut mixture into the egg yolks while whisking constantly to temper the eggs. Then return the egg-coconut mixture to the saucepan with the remaining coconut milk mixture.
- Heat the mixture, whisking, until it comes to a simmer and thickens slightly, about 5 minutes. It should coat the back of a spoon.
- Remove the custard from the heat and transfer it to a bowl. Chill in the refrigerator until cool. If you want to cool it faster, place the bowl in an ice bath to stop the cooking quickly.
- Pour the cooled custard into the bowl of an electric ice cream maker and churn according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Add the chopped or crushed pineapple a few minutes before the end of churning so the fruit is evenly distributed.
The ice cream is lovely straight from the machine, soft and scoopable. For a firmer texture, transfer it to a freezer-safe container and freeze for a couple of hours before serving.
Pineapple Coconut Ice Cream (Paleo & Dairy-Free)
5 from 1 review
Dairy-free pineapple ice cream with a creamy custard base. Total time depends on your ice cream maker and freezer.
- Author: Lea Valle
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Total Time: 20 mins
- Category: Dessert
Ingredients
- 4 egg yolks
- 1 can full-fat coconut milk
- 3 tablespoons raw honey
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup pineapple juice
- 3/4 cup finely chopped fresh pineapple (or crushed, canned pineapple)
Instructions
- Combine the coconut milk, honey, vanilla, and pineapple juice in a medium saucepan and warm until almost simmering.
- Whisk the egg yolks in a separate bowl until frothy.
- Temper the eggs by whisking in about a quarter of the hot coconut mixture, then return everything to the saucepan.
- Simmer the custard, whisking, until it thickens slightly, about 5 minutes.
- Cool the custard in the refrigerator or an ice bath until chilled.
- Churn in an ice cream maker and add crushed pineapple a few minutes before the end of churning.
I’d like to try this with peaches sometime — I think their sweetness would pair nicely with the creamy custard. A Piña Colada variation with rum and no eggs also sounds tempting. If you experiment with any variations, I’d love to hear how they turn out.
Thanks for stopping by!
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