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Homemade Coconut Ice Cream

Homemade coconut ice cream with a silky custard base and toasted coconut flakes folded throughout for a dense, fragrant scoop. This creamy coconut ice cream recipe uses coconut milk ice cream technique for a tropical, deeply creamy texture.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
chilling + freezing 4 hours
Total Time 4 hours 25 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 450
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Coconut base
  • 27 oz full-fat coconut milk 2 cans (13.5 oz each).
  • 0.75 cup granulated sugar
  • 4 egg yolks
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 0.5 tsp coconut extract
  • 0.25 tsp salt
  • 1 cup shredded sweetened coconut, toasted Toast until lightly golden before folding in.

Equipment

  • 1 ice cream maker
  • 1 saucepan

Method
 

Cook the custard base
  1. Heat the full-fat coconut milk and granulated sugar in a saucepan over medium heat until the sugar dissolves and the mixture steams, about 2–4 minutes. You should see a gentle simmer and no grainy sugar left at the bottom.
  2. Whisk the egg yolks until smooth in a bowl, about 30–60 seconds. Keep whisking until the yolks look slightly lighter and uniform.
  3. Slowly whisk the hot coconut milk into the egg yolks, pouring in a thin stream to prevent scrambling. The mixture should thicken slightly as it comes together.
  4. Return everything to the saucepan and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until the custard reaches 175F and coats the back of a spoon, about 6–8 minutes. A finger-drawn line on the spoon should hold its shape.
  5. Strain the custard into a clean container to remove any tiny bits, then stir in vanilla extract, coconut extract, and salt. Mix until fully combined and the custard looks smooth and glossy.
Chill, churn, and finish
  1. Cool the custard completely, then refrigerate at least 4 hours until thoroughly chilled. The surface should feel cold and the container should be no longer warm to the touch.
  2. Churn the chilled custard in an ice cream maker until it reaches soft-serve thickness, about 20–30 minutes. The texture should look like thick, aerated coconut ice cream.
  3. Fold in the toasted shredded sweetened coconut in the last 2 minutes of churning so the flakes distribute through the base. You should see toasted shreds suspended throughout, not clumped.
  4. Transfer to a freezer-safe container and freeze until firm, about 2–4 hours. The ice cream should scoop cleanly with minimal melting at the edges.

Notes

For the smoothest custard, keep the heat at medium-low once the yolks are added and stir continuously until 175F—this prevents graininess. Refrigerate leftover ice cream in a sealed container for up to 1 week. Freeze for up to 2 months (best texture within the first month). For a dairy-free approach, this recipe already is dairy-free because it uses coconut milk; use full-fat canned coconut milk for the creamiest results.