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This paleo and vegan pistachio ice cream recipe is refined sugar free and eggless but ultra thick and creamy, and so easy to make! Both churn and no-churn methods are included.
Ever since I came back from Italy, I’ve been dreaming of pistachio ice cream. I tried this ice cream flavor for the first time in gelato form while I was there, and it instantly became favorite of mine. I loved that the taste of pistachios was subtle but detectable, and the ice cream itself wasn’t too sweet.
I was determined to create a homemade pistachio ice cream flavor without dairy or eggs once I got back home, and I finally succeeded in creating a recipe that’s pretty darn close to the version I had there! This homemade ice cream refined sugar free as well.
In This Post…
- Paleo & Vegan Pistachio Ice Cream Recipe
- Ingredients
- Directions
- Tips on How to Make Vegan/Paleo Pistachio Ice Cream
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Printable Recipe
Paleo & Vegan Pistachio Ice Cream Recipe
This is one of those recipes that proves that an eggless ice cream can be amazingly thick and creamy. It’s dairy free because it’s made with coconut milk, but I honestly couldn’t taste the coconut at all. The flavor of the pistachios with almond extract seems to be what shines through the most in this homemade ice cream.
Ingredients
This paleo and vegan pistachio ice cream is so easy, that even kids can do it! Because this is an eggless ice cream, you don’t need to heat up the mixture before freezing. There are only 4 ingredients that you add to the blender:
- Pistachios
- Coconut milk
- Maple syrup
- Almond extract
Directions
- Combine coconut milk and pistachios in a blender and blend until smooth.
- Add the rest of the ingredients and blend together.
- Taste and add more maple syrup if you want it sweeter.
- Pour the mixture into an ice cream maker and churn following the manufacturer’s directions. The mixture should firm up into a ball after about 20-30 minutes.
- Transfer to an airtight container and freeze for at least 2 hours.
- Serve this delicious homemade ice cream in a bowl or cone, sprinkled with chopped pistachios for garnish.
Tips On How to Make Pistachio Ice Cream
- Make sure to use a high-powered blender to blend the coconut milk and pistachios together for that smooth and rich texture.
- When tasting to adjust the sweetness, keep in mind that the pistachio ice cream will taste less sweet once frozen. You’ll want to add a bit more maple syrup to adjust for that.
- This is totally optional, but I like to chop up pistachios and sprinkle it over the ice cream before serving. It adds a delicious crunch, and I highly recommend you try it.
Frequently Asked Questions About Paleo & Vegan Pistachio Ice Cream Recipe
Coconut milk is the best dairy free and vegan milk to use, because it’s so thick and creamy. However, another milk you can use is thick homemade cashew milk.
Almond extract is a specific flavor that you’ll find in most pistachio ice cream flavor. However, you can omit or use vanilla extract if you don’t have it on hand.
Yes, you can use another liquid sweetener like honey. It won’t be vegan but it’ll still be refined sugar free. If you want to keep it low carb, a keto syrup will work well too!
That’s okay! I’m happy to share how to make pistachio ice cream without one. I do highly recommend investing in an ice cream maker because the difference in texture you’ll get between churn vs no-churn ice cream is pretty big, in my opinion. I have this inexpensive one and it works so well. However, you can still make this homemade pistachio ice cream if you don’t own one yet:
– Once you blend up the ingredients, pour in a loaf pan in an even layer and freeze.
– Optional (takes more work): If you want your pistachio ice cream extra creamy, mix it every 30 minutes with a metal spoon for the first 2 hours.
– Once frozen and ready to eat, you’ll need to thaw the ice cream on the counter for about 15 minutes before scooping. No-churn ice cream is usually harder and icier than churned versions!
Other recipes you might love…
- Vegan & Paleo Cherry Garcia Ice Cream
- 3-Ingredient Paleo Matcha Ice Cream
- Cinnamon Ginger Molasses No-Churn Ice Cream
- Creamy Keto Fudgesicles (Paleo, Vegan)
- Coconut Mixed Berry Paleo Popsicles (Vegan)
Paleo & Vegan Pistachio Ice Cream (Only 4 Ingredients!)
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cup full-fat coconut milk
- 3/4 cup shelled pistachios, unsalted
- 1/4 cup maple syrup, plus more to taste
- 1/2 tsp almond extract
- Optional: Chopped pistachios, for garnish
Equipment
Instructions
- Combine coconut milk and pistachios in a high powered blender and blend until smooth and creamy.
- Add maple syrup and almond extract, and blend together.
- Taste and add more maple syrup if you want it sweeter. It'll taste less sweet once frozen.
- Pour the mixture into an ice cream maker and churn following the manufacturer's directions. The mixture should firm up and turn into a ball after about 20-30 minutes. (See NOTES if you don't have an ice cream maker.)
- Transfer to an airtight container and freeze for at least 2 hours.
- Serve in a bowl or cone (these are gluten free), sprinkled with chopped pistachios.
Notes
- Once you blend up the ingredients, place in a loaf pan in an even layer and freeze.
- Optional (takes more work): If you want your pistachio ice cream extra creamy, mix it every 30 minutes with a metal spoon for the first 2 hours.
- Once frozen and ready to eat, you’ll need to thaw the ice cream on the counter for about 15 minutes before scooping. No-churn ice cream is usually harder and icier than churned versions!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Want more delicious recipes? Check out my cookbook, Korean Paleo: 80 Bold-Flavored, Gluten- and Grain-Free Recipes!
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Can you use pistachios that have sea salt on them? Thanks
You can, but you’ll be able to taste the salt at the end.
I have a whole big bag of roasted salted pistachios. Can i use those or do they absolutely need to be raw and unsalted?
Thank you. As you did, i came back from Italy after eating vegan pistachio gelato exclusively! Hard to find in US, but this recipe sounds so great!
D
You can use them but it might taste a big salty. But sometime that makes desserts better!
haven’t made it yet, just donated our ice cream makers to the Goodwill, but was checking out other recipes and wanna try it in my Vitamix, and also noticed that once recipe had for those without ice cream makers s to freeze it in ice cube trays, then when solid, blend them again and refreeze for a few more hours. think i will try
Can you sub on coconut cream instead of coconut milk?
Yes, that’ll work!
Any specific brands of full fat coconut milk that work better than others for this recipe? Or all brands should come out the same?
I like Aroy-D but any brand should work, as long as it’s full-fat (usually comes from a can)
Hello, do you use roasted or raw pistachios? Thank you.
I used raw. š
Curious if this could work with cashew milk instead of coconut.
Yes, I think it will. But much better with an ice cream maker than without one.
We made this ice cream and it turned out pretty bad. We didn’t use an ice cream maker but we stirred a couple of times and it was very icy and not creamy when we made it. I think next time we will see if an ice cream maker leads to better results. I noticed that coconut milk has a high water content so I might just pull some of the water out of coconut milk before using.
This is a recipe that NEEDS to be made in the ice cream maker, and make sure to use canned full-fat coconut milk. You don’t need to pull out the water if you follow both of these instructions. Hope it work out next time!
I love how delicious and creamy this ice cream is – it looks absolutely amazing. It would definitely make a summer day chilled :-)z
Sounds wonderful! You can definitely add in mint extract.