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With a hint of Peru and tropical flair, this Vegan Passionfruit Ice Cream with Pisco combines passionfruit pulp, coconut milk and coconut cream, and pisco in a creamy, sweet-tart frozen confection you're going to love... It's dairy free, gluten free, vegan, and delicious!
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👩🏻🍳 Tamara Talks - Recipe Inspiration
Passionfruit has become something of a passion for this border girl. I first experienced them in a real way when we started hanging out with Dr. Robert Bradley and his Peruvian wife Serenella Rios Lozada. She made us a maracuya (aka passionfruit, passion fruit) pie, similar to key lime pie with passionfruit pudding.
Then came Peru. We tried maracuya pisco sours and chilcanos. We had pato (duck) in maracuya sauce. I've since worked this tropical fruit into many of my recipes. I think the pisco and passionfruit combination is amazing, and it provided the inspiration for this vegan frozen dessert!
📋 Ingredients You'll Need
Here is a quick look at the ingredients in the recipe – it’s handy to use at the grocery store or as a summary of what you need. Skip to the recipe for quantities.
- passionfruit pulp - Of course fresh passionfruit pulp is an amazing thing, but fresh passionfruit is hard to find, expensive, and very perishable. Breaking them down is tedious for the small amount of pulp you obtain from each one. Even in subtropical south Texas (near the border), they can be $6.00 apiece. If you're using fresh, you'll need to break down 6 to 8 passionfruits. I keep frozen passionfruit pulp in my freezer for recipes like my passionfruit chilcano and my passionfruit vinaigrette.
- pisco - This is an optional ingredient! I have found that booze in my frozen ice creams and sorbets adds an extra layer of (delicious) flavor, and makes it a little more scoopable. See the Real Rules of Making of Boozy Ice Cream for more.
- coconut milk - Not to be confused with non-dairy coconut milk in the "milk" section, coconut milk is usually found in the Asian foods section. I usually use lite coconut milk as I keep it in my pantry. You can certainly use full-fat coconut milk as well.
- cream of coconut - I specify sweetened cream of coconut. If you accidentally buy unsweetened (I have done this!), you will need to add additional sweetener.
- sweetener - I specify agave nectar because this is a vegan ice cream. If that is not an issue for you, feel free to substitute honey.
- vanilla
- fine sea salt
🔪 Instructions
- Make the ice cream mix - Thoroughly combine all ice cream ingredients using a bowl with a whisk or a blender. (A blender is much easier). Taste for sweetness and add as desired. This is an important step. Passionfruit is quite tart, but everyone has different taste buds. We like the tartness.
- Chill the ice cream mix - If you're in a hurry, you can stick the ice cream mix in the freezer to speed the process. Don't leave it too long! Otherwise, place in the refrigerator until it's very cold.
- Freeze the ice cream - Following your manufacturers instructions, freeze the ice cream. My Cuisinart takes 20-25 minutes depending on how cold it starts out.
- Serve the ice cream - Scoop into serving dishes or glasses. Garnish as desired. Enjoy!
💭 Tips and FAQ
How important is the pisco to this recipe? It is totally optional. You will still have a yummy vegan ice cream without it. However, a little bit of pisco makes it more scoopable, and adds just a hint of flavor. See the Real Rules of Making of Boozy Ice Cream for more.
How do I store the ice cream if I have leftover? Use a good storage container. It will get hard. I recommend letting it thaw for a few minutes to make it easier to scoop.
What can I garnish with? Your garnish can be as simple as a sprig of mint or even basil, or as elaborate as dark chocolate covered goldenberries (see photos). A square of dark chocolate is another simple option. Of course it's a beautiful dessert unadorned as well!
🧂 Useful Stuff
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With holiday weekends (Memorial Day and Fourth of July) fast approaching, it's a great time to take a new frozen dessert recipe "out for a spin." I hope you'll give this vegan, gluten free, dairy free dessert a try! If you love tropical flavors, you might also like this lucuma ice cream...
📖 Recipe
Vegan Passionfruit Ice Cream Recipe
Ingredients
- ⅔ cup passionfruit pulp - thawed
- ½ cup lite coconut milk
- ½ cup sweetened cream of coconut - see Ingredients in post
- 2 tablespoons pisco - see Tips and FAQ in post
- 1 tablespoon agave nectar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
Instructions
- Thoroughly combine all ice cream ingredients using a bowl with a whisk or a blender. (A blender is much easier). Taste for sweetness and add as desired. This is an important step. Passionfruit is quite tart, but everyone has different taste buds. We like the tartness.
- If you're in a hurry, you can stick the ice cream mix in the freezer to speed the process. Don't leave it too long! Otherwise, place in the refrigerator until it's very cold.
- Following your manufacturers instructions, freeze the ice cream. My Cuisinart takes 20-25 minutes depending on how cold it starts out.
- Scoop into serving dishes or glasses. Garnish as desired. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
NOTE: Macronutrients are an approximation only using unbranded ingredients and MyFitnessPal.com. Please do your own research with the products you’re using if you have a serious health issue or are following a specific diet.
Angelina Reynolds says
Hi Tamara, I made this recipe a few days ago without the Pisco which I did not have handy. It was a smashing success! I also made a traditional passion fruit ice cream with eggs and cream to give my family two styles of ice cream to choose from. This recipe was the winner. They have asked for me to make a mango version. Any thoughts?
Beyond Mere Sustenance says
Hi Angelina! I love mango, and I think it would be fantastic. You should be able to replace the 2/3 cup passionfruit pulp with an equal amount of mango pulp. I would recommend using fresh mango, but you can get frozen mango pulp just like the passionfruit. Let me know how it goes!
Angelina Reynolds says
I made your recipe with frozen mango pulp this weekend for a bunch of weekend guests. Without the Pisco. Everyone loved it! I live in the Southern California desert and the crisp texture you get from this recipe is perfect for hot days! Both the passion fruit and mango versions are going to be a summer staple. It is so easy to make!! Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Beyond Mere Sustenance says
Thanks for taking the time to get back to me... I'm so glad it worked out well! I live in McAllen, TX., and frozen desserts are the only desserts I want to make and eat (the simpler the better!). Cheers!