Kale ice cream? Yes, it’s true, and it’s truly delicious, too! This coconut kale ice cream may sound like a wild stretch of the imagination, but the sum of these austere elements just might create a whole new food craze.
Super-powered whole food ingredients mean that this ice cream isn’t a guilty indulgence in the least, but manages to bridge the gap from health food to comfort food. The key is to blend those greens very thoroughly, lest you plan on flossing your teeth with those plant fibers later on.
Why kale is so good for you
Everyone’s wild for greens these days, and it’s no wonder. Greens are recognized as the most nutrient-rich group of veggies, with a multitude of benefits:
The hardier greens, like kale, chard, and collards are superb sources of highly absorbable calcium, a perk that’s especially valuable in plant-based diets.
Greens, including kale, are one of the best sources of Vitamin K, essential to bone health. And, they’re abundant in vitamins A, B (especially folic acid), and C. Greens also provide a wealth of antioxidants and chlorophyll. Before moving on to the vegan kale recipes ahead, you might be interested in a detailed look at kale’s nutrition facts and benefits.
Can’t get enough kale? Here are more than two dozen tasty, easy vegan kale recipes.
More Hannah Kaminsky sweets on this site
- Hannah Kaminsky’s Dairy-Free Orange Dreamsicle Bars (shown above)
- Coconut Macaroons
- Vegan Lace Florentine Cookies
- Vegan Black-Bottom Blondies
About Hannah Kaminsky: Hannah has developed an international following for her delicious recipes and mouthwatering food photography at the award-winning blog BitterSweet. Passionate about big flavors and simple techniques, she’s the author of Vegan Desserts, Vegan à la Mode, Easy as Vegan Pie, Real Food, Really Fast, Sweet Vegan Treats, The Student Vegan Cookbook, Super Vegan Scoops, and The Everyday Vegan Cheat Sheet Pan. Visit Hannah at BittersweetBlog.com.
Recipe and photos are from Vegan à la Mode: More Than 100 Frozen Treats Made from Almond, Coconut, and Other Dairy-Free Milks by Hannah Kaminsky © 2015 Skyhorse Publishing. Reprinted by permission. Vegan à la Mode is available wherever books are sold.
Green Smoothie Coconut Kale Ice Cream
Ice cream made with kale? Yes, it’s true, and it’s truly delicious, too!
Ingredients
- 6 to 8 ounces fresh greens such as spinach, pea shoots, kale, collards, chard, etc.
- 2 large, ultra-ripe bananas (about 1 pound with peel)
- 1 1/2 cups full-fat coconut milk
- 1 cup plain, nondairy milk
- 1 Tbsp cornstarch
- 1/2 cup diced pineapple, fresh or frozen and thawed
- 3/4 cup light agave nectar
Instructions
- Having a high-speed blender isn’t strictly necessary, but it certainly makes things much easier for this recipe. Blending greens down to a smooth consistency can be tricky even with a sturdy standard model, so be prepared to blend for up to ten minutes and strain very carefully after processing if you go a lower-tech route.
- Toss all of the greens, bananas, and 1 cup of the coconut milk into the container of your machine, in that order. It may seem like a ton of vegetation, but I promise it will blend down to a more manageable volume.
- Puree on high speed, pausing to scrape down the sides of the container as needed, until completely smooth. Then blend for another minute or so, because those fibrous greens always look much smoother than they feel on the tongue. Pass the mixture through a fine mesh sieve and set aside.
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the remaining coconut milk, nondairy milk, and cornstarch, whisking vigorously to combine and break up all possible clumps of starch. Add in the pineapple pieces and agave and bring to a boil.
- Cook for two more minutes; then turn off the heat.
- Transfer the mixture to your cleaned blender and puree. Let cool completely before whisking both liquids together, mixing until homogeneous. Chill thoroughly in your refrigerator before churning.
- Once ice-cold, churn the base in your ice cream machine according to the manufacturer’s recommendations. Transfer to an air-tight container when finished, and in the freezer for at least three hours before serving.
See more vegan desserts and sweets.
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