This delicious dairy-free watermelon ice cream is perfect for a healthy, cool treat. It’s vegan, gluten free, and so easy to make with no ice cream machine needed (no churn)!
Let’s Make Dairy Free Watermelon Ice Cream
This dairy free watermelon ice cream recipe was first posted in 2014 and has since been revamped and rephotographed for relevance and quality! It’s general consensus that the all-time-favourite summer food for most people is watermelon. Of course there’s the odd duck who doesn’t like watermelon (seriously?) but for the most part it’s a big crowd-pleaser and a must-have at any summer gathering.
On a hot summer day this perfectly sweet, hydrating, juicy, and nourishing fruit definitely hits the spot and it’s oh-so-good for you. Watermelon is packed with vitamin C, making it a natural anti-inflammatory and antioxidant, and as the name suggests, it’s loaded with water making this fruit a natural diuretic that helps cleanse the body.
I first made this dairy-free watermelon ice cream back in the summer of 2014 when I was brainstorming ideas on how to use watermelon in a recipe that was a little…unlikely. We often see watermelon in fruit platters, punch, salads, popsicles, even smoothies, but not very often do we find creamy, rich, satisfying watermelon ice cream.
So, to the “drawing board” I went… or in this case, the Vitamix!
In my trusty high-speed blender I combined rich and creamy coconut milk, added in dates for natural sweetness and a touch of fibre, vanilla, a pinch of salt to draw out the flavours and then, the main star of the show, fresh, vibrant, juicy watermelon. This created a smooth, beautifully pink, watermelon ice cream liquid that I popped in the freezer to set.
A few hours later when all was frozen nicely, I broke it into chunks then placed it back in the Vitamix which blended the watermelon mixture to create the perfect ice-cream consistency. This is the best method for creating homemade ice cream if you do not have an ice cream machine.
When I put the first spoonful of watermelon ice cream in my mouth I was SO pleasantly surprised at how well the watermelon flavour shone through. I was a bit worried it would taste too much like coconut but the two flavours worked together beautifully and there was no mistaking that the main ingredient was watermelon…and the pretty pink hue helped too!
Isn’t it so great that all you need is a blender and you can make your own ice cream with barely any effort at all?! Next I plan to try apricot ice cream, blueberry ice cream, maybe even coffee ice cream? The sky’s the limit my friends!
You can make so many varieties of this simple homemade ice cream, just use coconut milk, dates, and vanilla as the base and add in whatever you wish.
Today, it’s watermelon ice cream for the win! Be sure to pin the photo below to save this recipe for later!
No Churn Watermelon Coconut Ice Cream
Delicious homemade dairy free watermelon ice cream recipe that’s vegan, super easy, has no refined sugars and is “no churn”.
Ingredients
- 1 can full fat coconut milk
- 5 pitted medjool dates
- 1/8 teaspoon scraped vanilla bean or 1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract
- pinch of salt
- 1 1/2 cups cubed watermelon
Instructions
- Blend all ingredients in a blender and transfer to a brownie or cake pan.
- Place in the freezer for 3 hours or until hardened.
- Break frozen watermelon mixture into chunks and place back in the blender.
- Blend until a creamy consistency is reached.
- Place back in a container or large bowl and place in the freezer to firm up for about 25 minutes.
- Enjoy!
Nutrition Information:
Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 221Total Fat: 18gCarbohydrates: 15gFiber: 1gSugar: 11gProtein: 2g
Nutrition information is not always accurate.
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More Dairy-Free Ice Cream Recipes You’ll Love:
- 12 Homemade Dairy Free Ice Cream Recipes for Summer
- Healthier Ice Cream Sandwiches
- Healthy Almond Pistachio Frozen Yogurt (Dairy Free)
- 5-Ingredient Vegan PB & J Ice Cream Popsicles
Have a wonderful Sunday!
Christal // NITK
Hi there, just curious…does yours look more orange/brownish in real life than what the pictures looked like.
I blended in the Vitamix and was surprised by how not pink it was. I’m sure the dates are the culprit of the color change. Just curious if yours came out that way as well.
Thanks for the recipe…it’s currently chilling in the freezer. Can’t wait to try it tonight with the fam!
Hi! Mine turned out as it’s pictured as I didn’t edit these photos to enhance the pink very much. I think it’s actually the type of watermelon, some seems to be darker than others. I made a watermelon slushy recipe here:https://nutritioninthekitch.com/watermelon-turmeric-lemonade-slushies/ and you can see the watermelon is much darker, although the ice cream does have the added coconut milk, I do find the actual color of watermelon varies from melon to melon!
Hi! Just wondering why most watermelon sorbet recipes have you blend the mixture twice. I’ve made the original mixture and put it in the freezer. What stops you from just eating as is instead of reblending after it’s frozen? Thank you!
Hi Erica! The second blending makes it really nice and creamy! It’s up to you if you like the consistency right out of the freezer you can enjoy it that way too!