Pistachio Ice Cream

Another homemade ice cream, this time with pistachios and raspberry coulis. As fancy as it sounds, this recipe is vegan and easy to make. Yet the result will surprise you with its deliciousness.

Pistachio flavor

This ice cream contains pistachio nuts. Pistachios are the key ingredient in this recipe. They help achieve a nice creamy texture and bring flavor to the ice cream. In addition, pistachios contribute to the appetizing color of the ice cream.

The pistachios used in this recipe are first soaked in warm water. That softens them up which helps to peel them easily. The pistachio flavor is the main flavor of the ice cream. However, pistachio flavor is usually subtle. To amplify it, I combined it with almond extract. Almonds, when used in moderation, help bring out the flavor of pistachios. That way, our ice cream has a more pronounced and intensive taste.

Plant-based ice cream without an ice cream machine

Yes, that is right, this ice cream is vegan. The base of the ice cream is full-fat canned coconut milk and soaked pistachio nuts. I used maple syrup to sweeten the ice cream. Maple syrup is often my go-to sweetener and it works very well in this recipe. You can, if you wish, substitute the maple syrup for honey or any other liquid sweetener of choice.

You would not need a lot of ingredients for this recipe. Pistachio nuts and good quality coconut milk are the key products. Also, you would not need an ice cream machine - only a powerful blender and a mixer.

Raspberry coulis

To finish it off, I recommend you serve the ice cream alongside a raspberry coulis. The sweet buttery taste of the pistachio combines well with the acidity of the raspberry. The raspberry coulis is prepared from scratch using fresh raspberries that are currently in season.

Ingredients:

Ice cream:

• 30 g pistachios

• 300 ml coconut milk*

• 60 ml maple syrup**

• 1 tsp vanilla

• 1/2 tsp almond extract***

Raspberry coulis:

• 200 g fresh raspberries

• 10 ml maple syrup**

Preparation:

Ice cream:

1. Soak the pistachios in warm/hot water for several hours. Then, peel their skin and transfer them to a blender.

2. Scoop out 100 ml (or g) of the solid part of canned coconut milk and using a mixer, whisk it up to reach soft peaks.

3. To the pistachios in the blender, add 200 ml of coconut milk, maple syrup, vanilla, and almond extract. Blend for 2-3 minutes until smooth.

4. Add the pistachio mixture to the whisked coconut milk and mix well using a spatula.

5. Transfer to an ice cream container and freeze for at least 6-8 hours.

Raspberry coulis:

1. In a blender, add the fresh raspberries and the maple syrup and blend them well.

2. Optionally, you can thicken up the coulis by transferring it to a pot on the stove and letting it simmer for a few minutes, then cooling it down.

You can keep the ice cream in the freezer until ready to enjoy. I would recommend you to leave it at room temperature for 10 minutes or more to thaw slightly before consuming it. Then scoop out ice cream balls and cover with raspberry coulis.

Do you like this recipe? Please share in the comments below!

Tips:

* Full-fat coconut milk is required to add creaminess.

** You can replace the maple syrup with honey or another liquid sweetener.

*** The almond extract amplifies the pistachio flavor.