“Seriously Awesome Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream.”
When my hubby told me he could see this ice cream being sold out of Whole Foods by the truckload, I knew I was onto something. My husband is always super supportive of my endevours, and willing to try anything green, but he is also always very honest. So when he is impressed by something I have created in the raw food kitchen, I always know I am onto something.
I got an ice cream maker for by latest b-day, and I believe that really helped make this ice cream super soft and creamy like the store bought stuff. Not hard and icy like the homemade ice creams that I made before the Cuisinart ice cream maker came to live with us. I went with the 2 Quart Size. Recipe below easily serves 4 hearty portions, but you still might want to double it!
Below is a beautiful photo Christy Richards took of the ice cream she made using this recipe. (see added in chocolate chips instead of the nibs).
Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Recipe:
- 1 can full fat coconut milk
- 1 huge handful fresh baby spinach
- 1 teaspoon peppermint extract (I use one based in sunflower oil)*
- 1/3 cup sweetener, coconut nectar, honey, or maple syrup
- optional: 1 Tablespoon of vodka, this will make a much creamier ice cream as the alcohol doesn’t freeze!
- 1/4 cup raw cacao nibs (add at the very end)
Blend coconut milk, spinach, sweetener and peppermint flavor (and vodka) on high in a high speed blender. Taste test for sweetness and peppermint, adjust to your liking. Pour into your ice cream maker.
If you have a Cuisinart ice cream maker, (also available in 2 Quart Size) let it run for 20 minutes, and add in raw cacao nibs slowly for the final 10 minutes. Spoon into bowls, serve, or freeze for later. I am happy to say that the next day, after sitting in the freezer overnight, this ice cream was still super soft and creamy, just like outta the carton, but way better!!
*Make sure to adjust peppermint flavor to preference based on the strength of the extract you are using. I personally really like using alcohol free extracts like this one: Organic Peppermint Oil in Sunflower Oil.
Note: For the “Old Original Version” of this recipe I use to add 1/2 cup of melted coconut oil for extra creaminess, but I have sense found in my test kitchen that adding a little booze makes creamy ice cream! I have omitted the coconut oil from the original recipe and replaced it with 1 Tablespoon of vodka. If I intend to freeze homemade ice cream for longer than a few hours, I always add a splash of booze to it. It is not necessary, but it will make for easier to scoop ice cream the next day, or even weeks later! ♥
Betty Rawker 
Get out! This looks amazing. Off to buy peppermint tomorrow! 🙂
Hope you enjoy it as much as I do!! I just had a small serving left from the first batch, still rich, soft & creamy (not icy at all) after being in the freezer for a couple days! Let me know what you think of it!!
Yum! My favorite ice cream flavor!!
As of this very moment, this is now my favorite ice cream flavor ever too!! ♥
What a great recipe! I’m excited to try this!
Can’t wait to try this once I get the peppermint oil 🙂
Umm…this is seriously awesome. Questions though. Not being a huge coconut fan does using the coconut milk give it a strong coconut flavor?
Hey Leslie,
I personally don’t taste any coconut when I devour this ice cream. The mint comes through so strong, with the bitter crunch of the cacao nibs. It truly replicates “mint chocolate chip ice cream” in my world! Just make sure to taste test it after blending, and before putting into the ice cream maker, and add just the right amount of mint for you taste buds.
xoxo
This looks so pretty and delicious!!!
This didn’t work for me. The coconut oil “congealed” or “curdled” when I blended it. So I melted everything together in a pan, let it cool, then tried to put it in my ice cream maker. It curdled again. I don’t understand how you got the coconut oil to blend in smoothly – since it hardens as it cools, how did you get the oil to completely combine with the coconut milk?
Hey Jennifer,
I just added the coconut oil very slowly to the coconut milk in the Vitamix, much like making a mayo. Do you have a high speed blender to use, like a Vitamix or Blendtec? If so, just make sure to really blend this together, and quickly pour into an ice cream maker.
I just updated the instructions a bit, hope that helps!!
And it will likely still taste great w/o the added coconut oil. I just found the extra coconut oil made it extra creamy.
xoxo
Whoops, nope, I didn’t add it in slowly. How did I miss that step in your instructions? Egads.
I made it again without the coconut oil and it turned out great!!! So now I’m wondering what the point of the coconut oil is? Could you tell me your thought process on that?
Wow, apparently I read too fast and skip things – just saw your post above. Sorry, I’m slow.
Hey Jennifer!
So glad to hear it turned out great for you without the coconut oil! Yay! I just found it to make the ice cream extra creamy, that is all. I will note the recipe can easily be made without it.
Thanks so much for the update!!
I loved this! Thank you!
So glad to hear that!! Yay! ♥
Are there any straight forward things that helped you through having AS? Diet is something I am trying to figure out, having read many articles and books I am swirling in info and hoping I am on the right track.
Hi Janice,
I do plan to create an ebook for those who want a simple menu plan to follow when first embarking on a low starch anti-inflammatory diet. But the book isn’t ready yet!
Have you checked out http://www.kickas.org/ yet? There are all sorts of lovely people on there to help guide you through a low starch diet that has helped so many of us overcome AS to live a pain free life! I suggest just reading through all the posts in the Diet Section of the kickas forums, so much useful info in there!
The No Starch Diet for Ankylosing Spondylitis is pretty similar overall to the SCD diet, the GAPS diet and Paleo diet. Just pick one that makes sense to you go get started, and do your best to omit the starchy stuff, like corn, potatoes, grains, rice, and focus on anti-inflammatory greens, veggies, fruits, nuts, seeds, etc.
-Andrea
I mixed like you said and the coconut congeled…. Mixed everything up in vitamix again and put back into ice cream maker. came out smoother but not without blending in vitamix…. I did pour the coconut oil in slowly when I first blended it. do we really need the coconut oil?
Hey Marlin,
In the ingredients above, coconut oil is listed as optional, so, nope you don’t have to add it. I did a live demo of this recipe in a class on Friday night, and it came out wonderful, coconut oil and all! I have had great feedback on the extra creamy texture the coconut oil provides, but if it doesn’t work for you that way, no sweat! Just leave it out. ♥
Can’t wait to try this. Is the spinach just used to give it the green col
Can’t wait to try this. Is the spinach just used to give it the green color? Can I omit that?
Thanks!
Hi Betsy,
Yes, the spinach makes it green and adds in some vital nutrients, but you can just as easily omit it!
♥
Sold! A recipe that made me buy an ice cream maker!
Liz,
I hope you enjoy this ice cream & your new ice cream maker! I am LOVING finally having an ice cream maker, after years of improvising! Instant gratification, as it just takes 30 minutes in the ice cream maker, and it’s ready to enjoy!
Can it be made in the Vitamix and then frozen? I don’t have an ice cream maker, but have made others in my Vitamix.
Hey Jeannie,
After blending it in the Vitamix, I would pour it into a metal bowl, stick in the freezer, and pull it out a few times over the course of a few hours to stir it. It should work okay that way!
Also, I would probably omit the extra coconut oil, if you aren’t using an ice cream maker, as it will likely congeal if left to sit and very slowly freeze.
Yum! I didn’t have spinach so I subbed avocado instead and it was yummy! I also used YL peppermint essential oil (3drops). Thanks for the easy recipe!!
Hey Kayla!
Yay! Love to hear you enjoyed it!! Avocado would be awesome in there! It would easily replace the optional added coconut oil just perfectly I bet!
♥
I’m mixing this up right now. Sounds so good. (And I love sneaking in the spinach.)
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I just made this last night and it is A-MA-ZING! 😉 I did use the coconut oil and it is smooth and creamy, even the next day (which in my freezer is an accomplishment!) I made my own chocolate chunks with a different chocolate recipe (cocoa/coconut oil/maple syrup/vanilla). Thank you so much!!
Hey Michelle!! Thanks so much for the awesome feedback!! So glad you loved this ice cream too!! xoxo
Made this today and it is delicious. I did add coconut oil. I added it last, very slowly. My mixture was warm (It’s a hot day) so I put the blender bowl in the freezer and then brought it out and re-blended it a few times before I finally put it in the maker. I used my own chocolate chunks (I melted a 1/2 cup of ghiradelli dark choc chips with about 2 T of melted coconut oil and then drizzled it in during the last 10 mins in the maker. Solidifies into chips that aren’t unlike the chips in Breyer’s mint chip ice cream.
Oh, that sounds so perfect!! So glad you enjoyed it too!!!
Thanks for sharing this recipe! I made it tonight as a special father’s day treat for my Paleo-eating husband, and we all loved it!
So thrilled to hear that!! And so glad he enjoyed it too!! ♥
Bummer. This didn’t work for me. It didn’t solidify in my ice cream maker. How odd. It tastes great–but it’s soupy. I’ve put it in the freezer. Hoping it will get more solid.
I’m trying to figure out what variable I did wrong. I used liquid lemon juice from a bottle, not fresh. I did not use organic coconut milk. I used Tropical Traditions Gold Label coconut oil–no problem with it solidifying on me–it stayed liquid. I used Peppermint Essential Oil instead of flavoring. I put the ice cream maker bucket thingy into the freezer for many hours.
Any ideas why it didn’t harden at all?
–SLH
Hi Sonda,
Sorry to hear that! I honestly have no idea?! I make ice cream about once a week and never have any problems – well, okay there was this one time I was in a super hot kitchen teaching a class and my walnut ice cream refused to harden, but it was just that one time, and it was a sweltering hot day. Otherwise, I just churn them in the maker for about 30 minutes til the turn into a thick soft serve consistency and then stick them into the freezer for another hour til they really firm up.
Sincerely,
-Betty Rawker
Would it work in a Kitchenaid blender
Great recipe…great tip (booze + narf77 = happy)…great blog…great GRAVY I am off to Pinterest to pin this!
This looks great but can you taste the alcohol in it at all?
Hi Melody!
My friends, family, and clients have never noticed the splash of booze I put into my ice creams. But if you have an extremely sensitive palate, you might be able to taste it. All I know is I sure can’t. And if you are worried about it, just omit it. This will still make a great ice cream without it.
Hope you enjoy this ice cream if you make it!!
xx
Yum! This sounds rich with the coconut milk. I have always loved peppermint in my vegan frozen desserts.
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