Creamy Coconut Ice Cream

Churned Method

1. Toast the coconut. In a dry skillet over medium heat, toast the shredded coconut, stirring often, until golden and fragrant, 3 to 6 minutes. Pull it off the heat immediately. Coconut goes from perfect to burnt in the time it takes to answer a text.

2. Make a slurry. In a small bowl, whisk the cornstarch with 3 tablespoons of the coconut milk (scoop it from the can) until smooth. No lumps, no regrets.

3. Heat the base. In a medium saucepan, whisk together remaining coconut milk, coconut cream, sugar, and salt. Set over medium heat and whisk until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is hot and steamy, about 4 to 6 minutes. Do not boil hard.

   

4. Thicken. Whisk in the cornstarch slurry. Cook, whisking constantly, until the base thickens slightly and coats the back of a spoon, 1 to 2 minutes. It will thicken a bit, not turn into pudding. Remove from heat as soon as it coats the spoon.

5. Steep for flavor. Stir in 3/4 cup of the toasted coconut (save the remaining 1/2 cup for mixing in or topping). Let sit 10 minutes to infuse.

6. Strain (optional) and chill. For the smoothest texture, strain through a fine mesh strainer into a bowl, pressing gently to extract flavor. Stir in vanilla and the vodka or rum if using. (Keep it to about 1 tablespoon. More can slow the set.) Cover and chill until very cold, at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.

7. Churn. Churn according to your ice cream maker instructions until it reaches soft-serve consistency.

8. Freeze to set. Scrape into a freezer-safe container (a 1.5 to 2 quart container is ideal). Fold in the remaining 1/2 cup toasted coconut (and any mix-ins) if you want texture. Press parchment on the surface, cover, and freeze 2 to 4 hours until scoopable.

   

No-Churn Option

This is the no-churn method that actually stays light and scoopable, instead of turning into a sweet coconut brick. The key is simple: no cooked base. We let whipped cream do its fluffy magic.

1. Toast the coconut. Same idea as the churned method. Let it cool a few minutes so it does not melt your whipped cream on contact.

2. Whip the cream. In a large bowl, whip 2 cups cold heavy whipping cream to soft peaks.

3. Fold in the good stuff. Fold in 1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk until mostly combined, then fold in 1 (13.5 oz) can coconut cream, vanilla, and salt until smooth. Go gentle. We want fluffy, not flat.

4. Add coconut and mix-ins. Fold in 1 cup of the toasted coconut and any mix-ins. Reserve the remaining 1/4 cup for the top, or for "taste tests" you definitely meant to do.

5. Freeze. Transfer to a freezer-safe container (a 9x5-inch loaf pan or a 1.5 to 2 quart container works well). Smooth the top, sprinkle on the reserved coconut, press parchment on top, cover, and freeze 6 hours or overnight.

Matt’s tiny but mighty tips

• Use full-fat. Light coconut milk is how you get icy sadness.
• Salt is not optional. It makes coconut taste more like itself.
• For clean scoops: Let it sit on the counter 5 to 10 minutes, then scoop like you mean it.