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MY DARLING LEMON THYME

dairy-free mango + coconut ice cream recipe

We are just coming to the end of mango season here in Perth with only two or three fruit left on our trees. At the start of the season we gorged ourselves on the unripe ‘green’ ones that fell in the wind, sliced thinly and dipped into chilli salt or Ada’s favourite; sugar and fish sauce (she’s so Vietnamese!). I enjoyed many a bowlful of green mango salad which makes me happy just thinking about it, but the time finally came in this past fortnight where we could sit down and eat juicy ripe mangoes straight from the tree. The local crows put up a bit of a fight, but after seeing them eat a few too many mangoes we decided to not take our chances any more and picked almost all of them in one go. Ripening only took a few days in a box, in this heat I think I could have almost put them straight into the fridge and they would have still ripened! I’ve been making mango yoghurt smoothies for breakfast, a non-frozen version of this, given some away to friends and family as well as eating loads straight up with mango juice dripping down my arms and into the sink. But before the last mango got eaten, I wanted to make something special to share with you all and ice cream seems to be the perfect fit for a week like we’ve had, with every day over 30C.


By using coconut milk and cream in the custard base it’s really easy to make ice cream dairy-free. And while there is an unmistakable hint of coconut there it doesn’t overpower the sweet mango taste, leaving it to shine, like you want it to.

If you are looking for other things to make with mangoes check out…
* mango and cardamom lassi
* little mango cakes {gluten-free}
* mango yoghurt popsicles
* vegan mango jelly with strawberry + mint salad

dairy-free mango + coconut ice cream 
As I’ve mentioned before most tinned coconut cream and milk contain some really nasty additives. Read the labels (even on ‘organic’ ones) and make sure the ingredients list reads only pure coconut kernel extract and water. I use Ayam brand premium coconut milk and cream, available at most supermarkets. I always avoid buying ‘light’ versions and if you read the label you’ll see why.
Makes around 1 litre.

  • 2 medium mangoes, peeled, cheeks cut off and pureed in the blender
  • 1x 400ml tin natural coconut milk
  • 1 cup (250ml) natural coconut cream
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 1/3 cup (75g) natural raw sugar
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice (around 1/2 lemon)

If you want a perfectly smooth ice cream with no stringy mango bits pass your mango puree through a sieve. I’m not fussed so I don’t bother… Measure out 550ml of pulp and set aside.

Combine coconut milk and cream in a small pan and heat over med-high heat until just under boiling point. While that is heating whisk eggs, extra yolks and sugar in a medium bowl until well combined. Pour the warmed coconut milk over the egg mixture while whisking, then return this custard base mixture to the pan. Turn heat down to med-low and cook for 3-5 minutes, stirring continuously with a wooden spoon, until the mixture thickens and coats the back of the spoon. Do not let the mixture come anywhere near boiling point at any stage or you will scramble the eggs! Not good.

Pass your custard mixture through a fine sieve and set aside to cool, stirring occasionally to prevent a skin from forming. Once pretty much cold add the mango puree and lemon juice, then transfer to the fridge to chill completely. Churn in an ice cream machine for 20-25 minutes before transferring to a lidded container and freezing for a further 2 hours until firm. If the ice cream has been in the freezer longer than 2 hours and is quite firm, simply leave on the bench for 20-30 minutes to soften slightly before scooping out. Will keep for 1 week in the freezer, though I always reckon home made ice cream is at it’s best in the first 3-4 days.

If you don’t have a ice cream machine pour the mixture into a shallow freezer-proof container (a loaf tin is perfect), freeze for 1 hour until the edges are starting to freeze, beat with a hand mixer or whisk until smooth. Return to the freezer and repeat this another 2-3 times before leaving to freeze for 2 hours. The results won’t be quite the same, but still delicious! 

Recipe linked to: Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays @ Simply Sugar & Gluten-free

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24 Responses

  1. Hello,miss emm you are a posting machine!I love this will have to bookmark for our lovely warm days,this and the sushi sounds like a dream lunch.Mango cheeks[giggle giggle]i've never heard that before,of course they should be called that!!!

  2. beautiful !! although it feels too chilly here in melbourne for icecream, can't believe you guys are still in the thirties every day, that would do my head in !! x how are you all coping with it ? are you loving or loathing ?

    1. Yeah I had though I'd be the only one that feels like eating ice cream right now, the rest of Aussie and NZ are already in the middle of winter it seems 😉 The heat used to get to me, but I must have acclimatised, cause I'm a wuss whenever it drops below 28 C now and freeze! 30's are good too, it's the over 40C days that I still struggle with…

    1. The East coast has had a hammering this year aye! As has NZ. It seems we picked a good year to move to Perth!

  3. Are you kidding me? This is just awesome 🙂 Sadly we don't have mangoes on this side of the Atlantic, or rather, I avoid buying them because it's kind of sad that we ship them from halfway around the world… they are definitely expensive. BUT! If I come to N-Z, I guess I would mangoes EVERY. SINGLE. DAY.
    Beautiful recipe, thanks for sharing!

    1. No worries, but you'd have to visit Australia to eat juicy mangoes like these (we live in Western Australia now), sadly back home in NZ it's too cold to grown them too so all available (expensive) ones are imported, mostly from Peru. That's why we are making the most of them while living here! 🙂

  4. Coconut and mango, this is just perfect! I'm so jealous you have 30C still, not complaining though, weather is better here than the UK! Alli@peasepudding

  5. I want a mango tree! Very jelous of your warm weather, although I was watching the news the other day and 38C doesn't really sound like my cup of tea. I'll keep my depressing Sydney weather 🙂 I love green mango salad!

    1. haha yeah it's kinda extreme the heat over these ways. We got to 40 C again yesterday… ice cream weather for sure! It makes for a nice change to what I'm used to back home in NZ.

  6. Love this, and despite it not being the hottest of summers, though as Alli says still way better than the UK!, there is always time for ice cream, heck I enjoy it in the middle of winter!

  7. Wow..I so love Mango. Living in Canada the fresh Mango we get is not so great. But the frozen? To die for! We have been having Mango Banana Ginger Smoothies all winter – we love them. Your Ice cream? I am in heaven!

    1. Hmm I was just thinking the other day that good quality frozen mango is what New Zealand needs… any mango growers/exporters out there keen?
      I'm making the most of the mangos while we are here, cause back home in NZ the ones available are crap, or really expensive!

  8. Oh My God! I so miss those times when mangoes are so easily found in Indonesia and with a lot of varieties to choose from. I surely can imagine how lovely that ice cream of yours is!

  9. I got a block of creamed coconut but it is solid. Should I melt it and use it as is, or is it supposed to be mixed with some water. The box says to add some hot water and beat. Tho I don't know if that will make it into more of a coconut milk instead of coconut cream.

    1. I'm real sorry but I have no idea? I've not used creamed coconut before. I'd follow the instructions on the pack though, maybe add a touch less water to make coconut cream consistency? Sorry I can't be more help xx

  10. I just made this ice cream and it turned out with a chalky texture…not smooth and creamy……why? is it because of the coconut? i strained the pulp, the coconut, and the cooked custard. also, there is very little mango taste. it tastes more like coconut, but even that does not have a huge amount of flavor….i followed the recipe exactly and used high quality ingredients.

    1. Without me being there to watch you cook, I can't know exactly what went wrong I'm sorry! At a guess I'd say it has something to do with the coconut cream/milk you used. Different brands vary hugely in taste and texture. You may have also overcooked the custard base? Your mangoes need to be beautiful, ripe and full of flavour to begin with if you want it to taste of mango in the end. Not sure that helps at all, but hopefully a little? xx