A beautiful, colourful and creamy ice cream made from purple sweet potatoes and coconut milk. Vegan, dairy-free and paleo-friendly recipe!
What's better than sweet potoato? Purple sweet potato!
Not always easy to find, but well worth looking out for. Not only for it's beautiful colour, but its health benefits too.
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
More vegan ice cream recipes
📖 Recipe
Vegan Purple Sweet Potato Ice Cream
The most smooth, creamy ice cream made with purple sweet potatoes and coconut milk.
Ingredients
- 360 ml / 1 ½ cups coconut milk, full-fat
- 1 tbsp arrowroot powder*
- 60 ml / ¼ cup maple syrup
- ½ cup purple sweet potato puree or ¾ 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.
Kylie says
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!!
Aimee says
Aw, thank you Kylie! Your blog is the prettiest! <3
Rosemary says
I would love to make this but never seen purple sweet potatoes, would ordinary sweet potatoes work too?
Aimee says
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!
Hana | Nirvana Cakery says
You are the Ice Cream Queen! What a creative recipe, love it!
Aimee says
Haha, thank you Hana!
Nadia says
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!
Aimee says
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!
Lisa says
This ice cream is GORGEOUS! I've always wanted to make ice cream with purple sweet potatoes. They give off such a beautiful color!
Aimee says
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 :-)