
I know I said I was looking forward to Autumn cooking from now on and ice cream doesn’t really fit into that imagery. But I love making ice cream any time of year…

In this recipe, I’ve used brown sugar to add some flavour and depth but ordinary sugar would be fine or you can substitute some maple syrup which would be delicious! (Wish I’d tried that now.)
And cornstarch can be used instead of arrowroot if you don’t have any to hand.
The ice cream is sweet and creamy with the familiar rum & raisin flavours except with added deliciousness thanks to the coconut milk!


Vegan Rum & Raisin Ice Cream
Creamy, rich ice cream made from coconut milk, flavoured with rum and raisin.
Ingredients
- 700 ml 3 cups full-fat coconut milk
- 2 tbsp arrowroot powder
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 150 g ¾ cup brown sugar
- 115 g ¾ cup raisins
- approx 5 tbsp rum, more or less depending on how boozey you want it!
Instructions
- Mix the arrowroot with 60ml (¼ cup) of the coconut milk in a small bowl. Set aside for later.
- Put the raisins in a small bowl and pour over 3 tbsp of the rum. Let it soak whilst you make the ice cream.
- Pour the rest of the coconut milk and sugar together in a saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring gently. Once it reaches a boil, remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla and arrowroot mixture which will cause it to thicken.
- Refrigerate the mixture for at least 2 hours until very cold.
- Follow your ice cream maker's instructions to churn the ice cream. At the last minute, add the soaked raisins and an extra 2-3 tbsp of rum.
- When it's churned, transfer it to a shallow, freezer-safe container and leave it to firm up for at least 1 hour or overnight.
- Take out the freezer 5-10 minutes before you want to serve, to let it soften slightly. Then use an ice cream scoop, soaked in hot water to create the perfect scoops! Enjoy :-)
Deborah says
Hi there! I’d rather use maple syrup versus the brown sugar. Would you be able to provide me with the quantity of maple syrup that I should use? Btw: That rum raisin version sounds yummy. ( A possible Christmas dessert!) Ty!
Ellen says
Thank you for posting this recipe. I don’t have arrowroot, what can I use as substitute? I have vegan gel- vegan version of gelatine. Will this work?
Can’t wait to make it!
Aimee says
Corn starch! Or tapioca flour. Hope you enjoy :-)
Margo says
By 700 ml of canned coconut milk…..
Did you mean 700 ml of just the hard, coconut cream part that you get when chilling the can?
Or 700 ml of the whole can, including the little bit of water?
Thank you so much!
Aimee says
Hi Margo – the whole can yes, this is about 2 tins of full fat coconut milk. Hope you enjoy!
Nickie says
Do I use the coconut milk in the can?
Aimee says
Yes, canned full-fat coconut milk.
Anna says
What do you mean by ‘Follow your ice cream maker’s instructions to churn the ice cream’
Aimee says
Each ice cream maker has different instructions so I cannot give a universal method for how to use it to churn. Functions and times will vary, depending on your make and model. But the instructions for yours should be available online.
Cieran Aherne says
Haven’t made this yet but I’m planning on it, I was just wondering why do I need to use arrowroot powder? Will it be okay without because surely if it’s frozen it doesn’t need to be thickened?
Aimee says
It really helps with the texture and creates a sort of “custard” base but isn’t absolutely crucial. Just make sure to get lots of air into the mixture.
Poppy says
Hi Aimme,. I used light brown sugar. It has lightened up a bit now i have churned it and is the right consistency but v sweet. I think next time i’ll use a bit less sugar or more coconut milk. Thank you!
Aimee says
Glad it turned out alright (if not a bit too sweet) I have a revised version of this recipe in my book that uses maple syrup and is a bit less sweet. Hope you enjoyed it anyway!
Poppy says
Fabulous! Have since tried your Nakd cashew cookie ice cream receipe which was went down a storm and was less sweet so will be using maple syrup for future ice creams. I wanted to ask what type of coconut milk you use? I have used a totally natural one and also a sainsburys one which has a stabiliser in it(but no gums).The sainsbury one turned out super creamy and white but i wasnt sure if it was cheating!
March says
Looks yummy. I actually wanted to ask how can I replace brown sugar with maple syrup or honey? Thanks
Poppy says
Hey Aimee, I’m making this now. Mine seems rather brown and very viscose…is that normal? Thanks! Poppy
Aimee says
Hi Poppy, did you use dark brown sugar? The mixture of mine turned a little brown at first but lightened as it was cooled and churned. What do you mean by viscose? If it’s not thickening enough, add a little more arrowroot to the mixture whilst it’s boiling and stir until it thickens considerably. I hope it turns out ok! Let me know :-)
Jen says
This looks so good! But I can’t see the recipe – can you help?
Aimee says
Hi Jen :-) Sorry about that, I think I must have accidentally disabled a plugin and it disappeared… but anyway, it’s back now!
Jen says
Thanks! That was so quick!
Carol Ann says
Hey,
Thanks so much for posting this recipe. I made it tonight and it is outstanding!
Mine is not vegan, I actually added two egg yolks to it because I read that can give a better texture. Next time I make it, I’ll try it vegan so I can compare.
I also used maple syrup instead of brown sugar (decreasing the amount a bit). And I used tapioca starch instead of arrowroot, because that’s what I had.
It was excellent! I think the base (before the rum and raisins) will be a great vanilla base to use with all kinds of mix ins.
One thing…I used the kind of ice cream maker (compression? I can’t remember what it’s called) where you don’t need to freeze anything in advance. It let it churn till almost frozen (about 30 mins) but when I added in the rum and raisins, understandably, it took probably another 30 minutes to freeze up again. I just wonder if the length of time would make it hard to use one of the ice cream makers that you need to freeze ahead of time.
Aimee says
Thank you! So glad you enjoyed it, Carol Ann! It’s one of my favourite ice creams
On the note of the ice cream makers, I actually own one that needs to be pre-frozen but had no issues with this. What I would suggest though, for next time is to stir the rum into the mixture before adding it to the ice cream maker and then adding just the raisins during the last few minutes of churning. Hopefully it won’t take as long :-)
Karen says
Do you use canned coconut mil and drain the water, or the tetra packs of coconut milk? Excited to make things on the weekend!
Britt says
Did you make this with canned coconut milk? Hoping to try it this week.
Aimee says
Yes, canned full-fat coconut milk is what you need! Not the kind in the cartons as that will be too thin.
Pamela @ Brooklyn Farm Girl says
I absolutely love how this ice cream looks, what a pretty treat! I’d love a scoop (or 2, hehehe) on some Fall pie.. mmm!
Aimee says
That would be amazing! Warm desserts and cold ice cream = <3
Emma @ Fork and Good says
How amazing is this? How much do I want it?! Drooooool!
Aimee says
Haha thanks Emma! :-)
veganmiam.com says
What a lovely post, thank you for sharing this wonderful and delicious ice cream recipe! I love the idea of using rum & raisin, mmmmmmm! Bookmarking this recipe when I get back home in November! Beautiful photos, Aimee! Have a fab Sunday!
Aimee says
Glad you like it Rika! :D
Kate says
Sounds delicious. I’ve never tried using coconut milk, but did make a Baobab sorbet back in June using almond milk which was lush. I might try the same recipe again using coconut milk instead – I think it may add a different dimension!
Aimee says
Oh wow, I had to look up your recipe on your blog and it sounds gorgeous. Coconut milk would certainly compliment the tropical flavours, I’ll have to try this too! I’ll be keeping an eye out for Baobab powder…
Caz says
I think it’s a great idea to use coconut milk in ice cream and I can see how well it would work with the rum and raisin flavours! Looks delicious.
Aimee says
Thanks Caz :-) I actually make coconut milk ice cream more than custard based ice creams nowadays, it’s really good!
Andy Bland says
Okay now I’m craving for ice cream.
Laura Denman says
So glad you’ve posted this because I’ve been wondering how I could make a vegan ice cream lately. And of course, this one sounds delicious =)
Aimee says
Thanks Laura! Let me know how your vegan ice cream turns out if you try it :-)
Denae says
Wow, this looks so good! I wish I had an ice cream maker! Oh well, I’ll have to give this recipe a try anyway! Rum and raisins-sounds like a delicious combo! Thanks Aimee!
Aimee says
I’ve successfully made proper ice cream a few times before without an ice cream maker so it can be done! Good luck if you decide to give it a try :-)
Consuelo @ Honey & Figs says
I’m not vegan either, but I love to experiment with new recipes and coconut milk instead of heavy cream seems such a fun change. I have to try this soon! Your version looks so creamy that it’s making me want to eat a bowl full of this stuff right now ;)
Aimee says
It is lovely and creamy but is nice and light to have for dessert after a big meal. You should definitely experiment with it, it’s delicious!