Fresh Mint Ice Cream with Ganache Swirl (Dairy-Free & Low-Carb, with AIP Option)

Do love mint and chocolate? This Vegan Mint Ice Cream is a truly special treat in several ways.

First of all, it’s dairy-free and low-carb–but most of all, it’s a Fresh Mint Ice Cream that, instead of typical chocolate chips, has a rich chocolate ganache throughout. Healthy and decadent!

A New Kind of Mint Chocolate Ice Cream

This Fresh Mint Ice Cream is different, as I mentioned. Instead of mint extract, it’s flavored with fresh mint leaves, and instead of the traditional chocolate chips, it’s got a lovely chocolate ganache weaved throughout.

As a result, the flavor is a tad herby, which you may or may not like. If that’s not your thing, you could cut the mint leaves in half and add in some mint extract, or just omit them all together and go for the mint extract for the whole thing. You’ll still have a lovely dessert.

This recipe is inspired by Candace, my blogging friend who used to blog at Candida-free Candee. She had a Fresh Mint Ice Cream on her blog that had the traditional chocolate chips in it. I loved the idea of the fresh mint and put my own twist on it by doing a ganache instead of the chips.

The end result is a more grown up type of ice cream. Something that might be too eccentric for your littles (unless you use the mint extract, of course), but that should please most adults who enjoy mint.

Recipe Notes

• Homemade Coconut Milk: You can use my Easiest Coconut Milk instead of full-fat coconut milk, but you might wish to increase the coconut by at least 1/4.
• Stevia: You can use liquid stevia instead of powdered stevia, with 40 drops liquid being equivalent to 1 1/3 teaspoons powdered. You could also use Homemade Liquid Stevia. Here is a post on how to use stevia. Use honey or maple syrup — here is a post on how to get quality maple syrup — for strict AIP (autoimmune paleo).
• Homemade Chocolate / Carob Chips: Here is a great make-your-own option for chocolate or carob chips.
• Dried Herb Option: You can use half the amount of dried mint as an alternative. The color just might not be as appealing.
• Thickener: As long as you use MCT oil, you are probably fine not using a thickener. Otherwise, I would definitely use either gelatin or arrowroot to improve the ice cream’s texture.
• THM: This recipe qualifies as an “S” for those on the Trim Healthy Mama plan as long as you use gelatin if using a thickener.

Fresh Mint Chocolate Ice Cream with Ganache Swirl – dairy free, low carb, with AIP option

Enjoy a dairy-free mint chocolate ice cream made with fresh mint for a sweet, fresh and surprisingly delicious treat!

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Course: Dessert

Cuisine: AIP, Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free, Grain-Free, Keto, Low-Carb, Paleo, Vegan

Prep Time: 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Freeze Time: 3 hours hours

Total Time: 4 hours hours 30 minutes minutes

Servings: 12

Calories: 178kcal

Ingredients

Ice Cream

• 796 ml full-fat coconut milk (2 398 ml cans)
• 2 cups fresh mint (loosely packed; I used 1 cup peppermint and 1 cup spearmint. If use dried see Recipe Notes)
• 1-3 tablespoons MCT oil (optional – for creaminess)
• 1 1/3 teaspoons powdered stevia (or to taste)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon grass-fed gelatin (or arrowroot; optional – as thickener)

Ganache

• 1/3 cup sugar-free chocolate chips (use carob chips for AIP)
• 2 2/3 tablespoons full-fat coconut milk

Instructions

Ice Cream

• Blend coconut milk and mint in a blender (I used a Vitamix) until the mint is finely chopped. Alternately you can chop the mint very fine with a knife or chop in a food processor.
• Transfer mixture to a pot and bring to a boil over low heat.
• Once it reaches a boil, remove from heat and let steep for 1 hour.
• Pour mixture through a cheesecloth-lined sieve or a fine sieve. You may need to do this twice. If you have a few flecks left that should be fine and shouldn’t affect the final product.
• Add in MCT oil, stevia, salt and lemon juice.
• Place mixture in fridge until chilled, at least an hour or two. (This step will help in the churning process and should result in a better texture.)
• Once mixture is chilled, measure out a ¼ cup and place it in a bowl. Sprinkle with gelatin or arrowroot and whisk until combined.
• Add 3 tablespoons of boiling water to the mixture and whisk until dissolved.
• Add gelatin mixture to ice cream base and whisk until combined. Allow to sit for few minutes.
• Pour mixture into an ice cream maker and proceed according to manufacturers’ directions.
• Enjoy!

Ganache

• While the ice cream is churning, make the ganache and let it cool completely before adding it to the ice cream.
• Heat the chocolate chips and coconut milk over very low heat, stirring until melted.
• In a freezer-safe container, scoop in 1/3 of the ice cream, top with 1/3 of the ganache, then layer another 1/3 of the ice cream, then 1/3 of the ganache, then the remainder of the ice cream and top with the remainder of the ganache.
• Freeze until solid.
• Serve and enjoy!

Notes

• • Homemade Coconut Milk: You can use my Easiest Coconut Milk instead of full-fat coconut milk, but you might wish to increase the coconut by about one fourth and strain it after blending.
  • Dried Herb Option: You can use half the amount of dried mint as an alternative. The color just might not be as appealing.

• • Stevia: You can use liquid stevia instead of powdered stevia, with 40 drops liquid being equivalent to 1 1/3 teaspoons powdered. You could also use Homemade Liquid Stevia. Here is a post on how to use stevia. Use honey or maple syrup — here is a post on how to get quality maple syrup — for strict AIP (autoimmune paleo).

• • Homemade Chocolate / Carob Chips: This is a great make-your-own option for chocolate or carob chips.

• • Thickener: As long as you use MCT oil, you are probably fine not using a thickener. Otherwise, use either gelatin or arrowroot to improve the ice cream’s texture.

• • THM: This recipe qualifies as an “S” for those on the Trim Healthy Mama plan as long as you use gelatin if using a thickener.

Nutrition

Calories: 178kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Sodium: 60mg | Potassium: 196mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 319IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 30mg | Iron: 3mg | Net Carbs: 6g

Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is merely an approximation. Optional ingredients are not included and when there is an alternative, the primary ingredient is typically used. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site. Erythritol carbs are not included in carb counts since they have been shown not to impact blood sugar. Net carbs are the total carbs minus fiber.

How about you?
What is YOUR favorite ice cream flavor?