I have forever been on the lookout for purple sweet potatoes but never seemed to come across them. Until a week ago, when I saw Natalie from Feasting On Fruit’s Purple Power Parfait and WISHED I could find some.
Low and behold, the very next day I saw some in my local market! I don’t believe in fate usually, but this was certainly a very welcome coincidence.
Sweet potatoes are one of my favourite vegetables and purple is my favourite colour so you can see why I was so excited to use it! Plus, I’ve heard so many great things about purple sweet potatoes and yam’s health benefits.
It’s been declared a miracle food, due to it’s high levels of anthocyanins, which help improve blood flow and cognitive function.
Other purple foods also contain this compound so if you can’t find purple sweet potato, try blackberries, aubergine or red cabbage.
The sweet potato gives this ice cream extra creaminess and the most wonderful texture, not to mention colour and flavour!
If you can’t find purple sweet potato, try looking for Ube puree in your local Asian supermarket or use orange sweet potato instead (it will still be delicious.)
When it comes to sweeteners, I really recommend maple syrup for this recipe. It seems to really pair well with the sweet potato. It can sometimes be hard to find (in the UK, at least) and can be a little expensive so using agave nectar is the second best option.
This purple sweet potato ice cream is:
- Dairy-free & eggless
- Vegan
- Gluten-free & paleo-friendly
- Refined sugar-free
- High in anthocyanins – a brain-boosting compound
- Ultra creamy and smooth
Vegan Purple Sweet Potato Ice Cream
The most smooth, creamy ice cream made with purple sweet potatoes and coconut milk.
Ingredients
- 360 ml / 1 1/2 cups coconut milk, full-fat
- 1 tbsp arrowroot powder*
- 60 ml / 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1/2 cup purple sweet potato puree or 3/4 cup chopped, boiled purple sweet potatoes
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- Optional 1 tbsp alcohol, such as vodka or gin**
Instructions
- Mix all the ingredients, except the vanilla and alcohol, together in a blender and mix until smooth.
- Pour into a saucepan and bring to a boil. Once boiling, remove from the heat and whisk until smooth and thickened.
- Stir in the vanilla and alcohol.
- Pour into a container and chill overnight.
Instructions for using an ice cream maker
- Once the mixture is chilled, you simply need to add it to yourice cream machine, following the manufacturer's instructions. Once churned, add to a shallow, freezer-safe container and freeze for at least 6 hours or overnight.
Instructions without using an ice cream maker
- If you have a stand mixer with a metal bowl, you can freeze the bowl overnight and "churn" the ice cream using the paddle attachment.
- Otherwise, you will need to whisk the mixture well before freezing it and may need to check on it a couple of times and whisk again to add lot's of air to it and prevent it turning icy.
Notes
*Arrowroot powder can be found in the baking aisle of the supermarket. You can also use tapioca flour or corn starch.
**The alcohol is to help keep the ice cream from freezing too hard.
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I have begun using 1 tablespoon of pure virgin olive oil to my ice-creams instead of alcohol to make it easier when scooping frozen ice-cream from container. Works brilliantly.
That’s a great tip, thanks for sharing Lenore.
Can I use ube powder? I can’t find puree or the yams.
`I’m afraid it will have to be fresh. You could try sweet potato instead, although it won’t have the same colour of course! Hope you can get hold of some fresh.
Has anyone tried it without any starch? Can’t use any grain or starches sadly.
Can I use ube powder instead of fresh or purée ube?
Would ube powder work in this recipe? If so how much?
yum the color makes me want to go quickly prepare this recipe and taste the famous ice cream, thank you for share! i like this
The cream made from purple sweet potato has an attractive color. I really like this ice cream recipe, thanks for sharing the details.
Can’t wait to try this recipe! But, did you know that another website has lifted (stolen) your recipe and posted it almost word-for-word on their website? I don’t know if there is anything you can do about it, but I thought you might want to know. (You don’t have to post this in your comments.) Here is the website: https://www.internationalcuisine.com/ube-ice-cream/
Thank you so much Diane for letting me know!
I forgot to add, I don’t have the ice cream maker, can I use my blender?
Can I use any other kind of milk like 3% dairy? The full fat coconut milk is too high in fat and calories. Also, can you taste the vodka?
Has anyone tried this with a different plant-based milk instead of coconut? Or does anyone have a recommendation for a different milk that would work well in this recipe? We can’t do coconut. Thank you.
Your sweet potatoes icecream that is lavender in color looks so totally delicious. If i could i would try making it. My hands sling with the ingredients just wont participate. Can it be bought? Market the icecream?l
Amazing recipe! I used Trader Joe’s double cream coconut and two vanilla beans in place of the extract. I also reconstituted some homemade blackberry fruit leather (basically dried blackberry puree) and added it in as a ripple – the tart flavor is amazing against the creamy sweetness of the ice cream, and the color compliments it beautifully. I’m in love.
I loved this recipe so much I had to share it on my blog: http://healthybody.tv/blog/purple-sweet-potato/
You’re so talented. I just love it!
Yes!! This looks and sounds wondrous – can’t wait to try it! Thanks for the recipe.
Thanks Patricia!
Hi Aimee! Enjoy your blog and will add it to my feed. I tried this sweet purple potatoes ice cream. it was great! I’ve blogged about it (will post tomorrow) and have referred people to your site for the full recipe.
Keep up the good work!
Thank you Norma, heading over to check out your post now! So glad you enjoyed it :D
I am so grateful to have stumbled across your blog! I have been trying to find a natural sugar ice cream recipe for *ages*! ^_^
I’m looking forward to more of your work!!
Aw, thank you Kylie! Your blog is the prettiest! <3
I would love to make this but never seen purple sweet potatoes, would ordinary sweet potatoes work too?
They will work just the same but will just be a lovely orange colour instead :-) But since I first came across Purple Sweet Potatoes (after ages of never finding them) I now seem to see them everywhere! It’s worth checking your local Asian food shop because I just found out mine has always stocked it and I just never noticed. Anyway, let me know how you get on!
You are the Ice Cream Queen! What a creative recipe, love it!
Haha, thank you Hana!
I’ve never actually seen a purple sweet potato, where are they hiding??? I would love to cook/bake with them, they look so beautiful!
I’ve honestly been on the look out for nearly a year! I felt a surge of adrenaline when I found them, that’s how excited I was haha! Anyway, my local market says they’re going to stock them regularly from now on, so I’m delighted. Might be worth asking your local fruit & veg dealer/market shop? I think most don’t stock it because there isn’t much of a demand but if they knew you were guaranteed to buy a few regularly, then who knows!
This ice cream is GORGEOUS! I’ve always wanted to make ice cream with purple sweet potatoes. They give off such a beautiful color!
Thanks Lisa! I was not expecting the colour to be THIS amazing! When I cut into the potato, it was like “woooooooooow” so much purple goodness :-)
How awesome is this!!!
I saw Feasting on Fruit recipe too, and now this ireesistible one too….but so far have not managed to track down the purple sweet pots! We can always get pink skinned/orange flesh, and purple skin /white flesh, but have not seen the purple/purple combo for ages. So I will just have to bookmark this amazing recipe until that happy day!
WOW! Potato in ice cream is shocking and intriguing enough in the first place, but the fact that they’re purple makes this even more amazing!
What a gorgeous colour! I can’t recall seeing purple sweet potatoes in our stores, but I’ll be keeping an eye out for them now for sure!
The purple potatoes are very sweet. I eat tons of them.
GORGEOUS! I don’t have purple sweet potatoes but orange ice cream would be pretty. :) Thanks for the simple and delicious recipe, Aimee.
Oh wow, what an amazingly wonderful recipe. We used to grow purple Peruvian potatoes which made for great mashed potato, but I’m not sure they’d be so brilliant in ice-cream. But I can see how sweet potato would totally work.
Oh my gosh, that color!!! <3 I seriously can't wait to give this ice cream a try. It looks absolutely gorgeous, Aimee! :-)
wow what an ice-cream! i am so curious to know what it tastes like.. so beautiful!
You are one smart lady! This is so beautiful. I hope I can track down some purple sweet potatoes here to try this out.
How insanely gorgeous is this!?! Wow Aimee, I am so glad you found those purple potatoes so this beautiful chilled treat could happen <3 Mmm the color! And yes I agree it does pair very well with maple syrup, that has become my favorite sweetener lately for almost everything. And with the flowers too, these pics are stunning!
Wow, look at that color! This ice cream is simply gorgeous, and I’ve never seen someone use sweet potato in an ice cream recipe before. Genius!
Holy cow! This ice cream looks to die for! So creamy and healthy! I had to pin it right away so I don’t forget to make it once it warms up here ;)
I love the pretty color it gets from the potatoes!
Wow, this is gorgeous! That color! Sounds so delicious!
I’m so jealous! I miss my Stokes <3 They really make my life so much happier when I have them! I only got to enjoy a few this year :( The greatest potato there ever was!