Dairy-Free Raspberry & Brown Sugar Ice-Cream

the best dairy-free I've had yet

Having a flatmate/best friend who’s dairy-free but loves ice cream has driven me to develop the BEST dairy-free ice cream base ever. I’ve never liked store-bought dairy-free ice cream as it’s always quite grainy and nut-heavy, especially coconut (one of my least favorite flavors). I’ve always liked the oat-based ones the best, but I’ve never found them quite good enough.

That’s why I set out to make a creamy dairy-free version that doesn’t have you missing regular ice cream. As someone who is lactose intolerant, it’s the best feeling to be able to enjoy it without running to the bathroom right after. I wanted that stretchy, creamy texture, and I got it! You can use this base for any flavor your heart desires!

Ingredients:

250 ml oat milk (I find Oatly barista milk the best)

250 ml plant-based double cream (I like Flora the best)

4 egg yolks

90 grams brown sugar (can use white)

a splash of vanilla extract/paste

pinch of salt

300g fresh or frozen (defrosted) raspberries

1/2 a lemon

Method:

Mix the egg yolks and sugar together in a bowl until smooth.

In a saucepan, put in your 250 ml milk and vanilla and bring to a scalding point. The scalding point is when steam starts rising and small bubbles form around the edge.

Slowly pour your hot milk into the yolk and sugar mixture, making sure to stir constantly. This is called tempering the eggs and will stop the egg mixture from cooking.

Once half the milk is combined, you can add in the other half all at once.

When it is fully combined, give a quick cleaning to your saucepan, and add the mixture back in.

Next to the stove, have a bowl with a fine-mesh sieve in it ready to go.

Put the saucepan on medium-low heat and start cooking your custard. You want to be scraping the sides and the bottom a lot so it doesn’t catch and scramble. You’re looking for a runny custard consistency, as we are technically making a creme anglaise.

Bring the mixture up to a temperature of 165 F or 73 C. If you don’t have a thermometer, you can do it by eye. When the mix starts steaming and can coat the back of a wooden spoon, it should be done. It’ll be slightly thickened.

As soon as it’s up to temp, pour it through the sieve into the bowl. Let it cool slightly.

In the meantime, blend or mash your raspberries until completely smooth. Add in the juice of 1/2 a lemon (or less/more if you like it different).

Pour the raspberries into the custard base. Also, pour in the double cream. Mix to fully combine.

Pour the mix into your pint tub if using a Ninja Creami, and freeze for at least 24 hours.

If using a regular ice-cream machine, you can churn according to machine instructions.

For the ninja creami, churn on the regular ice-cream setting. I like adding some raspberries after and hitting the mix-in button to swirl it through the ice cream.

Enjoy!