Dairy-free strawberry soft serve ice cream in the blender! This sweet swirly summer treat is made with just 6 healthier ingredients!
Summer is slipping away, and I am clinging on with both hands and a freezer full of ice cream pretending it isn’t happening. Summer is always my favorite season, and being back in Florida for it this year made it feel even sweeter filled with lots of beach days and pool time I’m just not ready to let go. So I can’t really do anything about the cooler mornings sneaking up on us already, but I can tell you that a cone full of sweet strawberry soft serve in each hand is a great way to keep the summer-is-still-here delusion alive!
How To Make Dairy-Free Soft Serve in The Blender
I know we are in the middle of a Ninja Creami ice cream recipe takeover right now, but I wanted to share an easy ice cream method that doesn’t require that machine. This method only requires a blender, an ice cube tray (or a mini muffin pan works too, especially silicone), and a freezer. Plus a piping bag if you want to swirl it in a cone, but just a cup and spoon are perfectly effective too.
Strawberry Soft Serve Ingredients
The ingredient list is equally simple (and versatile), you will need:
- Strawberries. Fresh or frozen, so you can make this year round! And yes, other berries work too.
- Coconut milk. Full fat is necessary for texture, coconut cream is even better. But you can shake and use the whole can, not just the solid stuff.
- Nut butter. I originally developed this recipe with SunButter, but it worked so well I had to translate to other flavors. So you can use SunButter, or cashew, macadamia, tahini, almond, peanut butter…anything you like! It won’t be the primary flavor, but you will taste it so use something that pairs well with the berries.
- Maple syrup. Or any liquid sweetener you love, granulated would honestly be fine too. If you prefer to skip it and just rely on the natural strawberry sweetness, you can do that too.
- Vanilla and salt. Most every ice cream recipe needs a splash and pinch of these two.
Strawberry Soft Serve Blender Method
Throw all of the ingredients listed above in a blender, and blend until it’s creamy and pink. Then pour that mixture into an ice cube tray or two, and pop then in the freezer overnight. This initial liquid to freeze is when ice crystals will form, so to get rid of those without an ice cream machine or churning of any sort we simply re-blend the cubes the next day with a splash of milk if you need. It will be a little thick to blend and I do recommend using a tamper, think of it just like making banana ice cream back in the day but those frozen banana chunks are pink strawberry coconut cubes.
Now you have options: 1) serve immediately as is 2) transfer to a loaf pan and freeze for about an hour then scoop or 3) transfer to a piping bag and freeze for about an hour then swirl into ice cream cones. All are delicious, with or without lots of toppings!
Strawberry Soft Serve FAQs
Absolutely! Blueberries are my favorite, raspberries are a sweet-tart treat, and do not sleep on dark cherries. You could even stray from berries with mango or peaches.
You do need to work quickly between popping the cubes out of the tray and blending. But don’t worry if it gets soft during blending, just refreeze in a pan for an hour or so before scooping/serving.
Sure, make the recipe your own!
Yes! This base could be frozen in a couple of Ninja Creami pints and prepared with the light ice cream setting.
No, you need the higher fat content of coconut milk. It won’t be creamy with almond milk.
More No-Churn Ice Cream Recipes You’ll Love
Dairy-Free Strawberry Soft Serve
Prep Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Chilling Time: 8 hours
Cook Time: 9 hours 10 minutes
Total Time: 18 hours 20 minutes
Yield: 6 servings 1x
Category: ice cream
Method: freezer
Cuisine: american
Description
Dairy-free strawberry soft serve ice cream in the blender! This sweet swirly summer treat is made with just 6 healthier ingredients!
- 15oz can full-fat coconut milk
- 2 cups (280g) strawberries (fresh or frozen/thawed)
- 1 cup (250g) nut butter of choice (I used macadamia nut butter)
- 1/4 cup (80g) maple syrup
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp salt
- Splash of almond milk to blend
Instructions
- Blend the coconut milk with the strawberries. Pour into an ice cream tray and freeze overnight.
- The following day, blend the strawberry cubes, nut butter, maple syrup, vanilla, and salt with a splash of almond milk (if needed) until very smooth and creamy.
- Scoop and serve with toppings of choice. Or transfer to a piping bag, and freeze 30-60 minutes until you can swirl into cups or cones.
Keywords: dairy free, gluten free, easy, summer, ice cream, frozen, dessert, blender, no churn, berry
