This is the Absolute BEST Healthy Homemade Ice Cream

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Hiya Lovelies:

I may be a healthy foodie, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t have a sweet tooth! Or that you shouldn’t either. Those two things are definitely not at all mutually exclusive. That’s right, you can have your cake and eat it too! It’s all about the delicious ingredients you put together. And I promise you it will still taste totally sinful!

A personal not-so-guilty pleasure is homemade ice cream. I mean, who doesn’t like ice cream? It’s so easy to make too. Which means that you can keep it healthy and make it extra delicious. Sounds great, eh?

So let’s have fun and make something delectable – homemade salted caramel ice cream with optional (but highly recommended) rosemary essential oils. Are you as excited to treat yourself to a bowl as I am? Heck yes! Let’s do this!

This is the Absolute BEST Healthy Homemade Ice Cream - Salted Caramel with Rosemary Essential Oils | This healthy homemade ice cream is dairy free, gluten free, vegan and full of all the good stuff you want. Because healthy dessert recipes are where it's at! Plus you can load up on 10 more healthy recipes with a free dessert recipe e-book. Click through for the goodness: 

Why Make Dairy Free Ice Cream

It’s super simple to cut dairy out of your homemade ice cream recipe! It may seem a little weird at first to make one of the most classic dairy desserts without milk, but I promise it will taste marvelous! You probably won’t even know the difference. And it’s also a lot better for the environment. So awesome!

I personally keep things dairy free in my house. And this is for two reasons. The first very unavoidable reason is that this girl is extremely lactose intolerant. Dairy and I were never meant to be friends.

But even if I didn’t have to be dairy free, I would personally still choose to be. Here’s why:

The dairy industry isn’t overly kind to the environment.

According to the World Wildlife Fund “Dairy cows and their manure produce greenhouse gas emissions which contribute to climate change. Poor handling of manure and fertilizers can degrade local water resources. And unsustainable dairy farming and feed production can lead to the loss of ecologically important areas, such as prairies, wetlands, and forests.” (source)

Cutting out or simply reducing dairy is such a simple way to reduce our environmental impact. Isn’t that great?

There are some ethical issues we should be aware of…

I’m really not a fan of the unfortunate cruelty found in many large scale (and even small scale) dairy productions (source). And, something many of us don’t consider, when we fund industrial dairy farming we are also typically funding veal farming. These two practices are closely linked. And veal don’t exactly live the good life usually either unfortunately. Which breaks my heart! (source)

When we go overboard on the dairy we increase the demand. And that increases the amount of dairy cows needed, which in turn increases our environmental impact as well as the ethical issues behind large scale, industrial farming practices. And I think that’s something we should all keep in mind.

Does this mean that everyone should go 100% dairy free? Not necessarily.

This is the Absolute BEST Healthy Homemade Ice Cream - Salted Caramel with Rosemary Essential Oils | This healthy homemade ice cream is dairy free, gluten free, vegan and full of all the good stuff you want. Because healthy dessert recipes are where it's at! Plus you can load up on 10 more healthy recipes with a free dessert recipe e-book. Click through for the goodness: 

If giving up dairy isn’t the right choice for you, that’s ok! You can still make a difference by buying from local farms that treat their animals humanely. It’s a total win! Not only are you supporting your local economy, you’re funding ethical farming practices! Yay! It may not seem like much, but it makes a big difference. 

And you can take things once awesome step further by reducing your dairy intake to help to even things out. Less is more sustainable after all. It’s as easy as making dairy free foods like this homemade ice cream or trying out a dairy free milk with your smoothies. One little change can have a huge impact! Look at you making a big difference in the world one smoothie at a time. <3

Related: 3 Ingredient Creamy Strawberry Milkshake

How We Can Healthify Homemade Ice Cream with Coconut Milk

So if we aren’t using dairy, how do we make this homemade ice cream creamy and delicious? Full fat canned coconut baby. That stuff is magical!

Just make sure to pick one with minimal ingredients. We’re talking coconut, water and potentially a thickening agent like xantham gum or guar gum. Anything else is an unnecessary filler that you can easily avoid. Put it in the fridge the night before for the best results.

Not only does canned coconut milk have the perfect thick, creamy texture for ice cream, it also has some goodness to offer our health. And you know I’m all about that!

When you load up on coconut milk you’re providing your body with some fantastic fats. The coolest fat in the mix is a medium chain saturated fatty acid called lauric acid. Our bodies convert that deliciousness into a compound called monolaurin. Which has some fantastic antiviral, antifungal and antibacterial properties. So cool! (source)

But the awesomeness doesn’t stop there! Medium chain saturated fatty acids are quickly metabolised by your awesome liver. And it’s believed that our amazing bodies are able to use them faster and more efficiently than other types of saturated fats.

What does that mean exactly? Medium chain saturated fats are less likely to be stored as fat than other saturated fats. And they may not be detrimental to our cholesterol or cardiovascular health either! Yahoo! (source 1, source 2)

While we’re talking about healthifying desserts, I’ve got 10 more for you in this free healthy dessert recipe e-book:

Thank you tons for your support! I hope that you adore all of the dessert goodness <3

What Rosemary Essential Oils Have to Offer

This is the Absolute BEST Healthy Homemade Ice Cream - Salted Caramel with Rosemary Essential Oils | This healthy homemade ice cream is dairy free, gluten free, vegan and full of all the good stuff you want. Because healthy dessert recipes are where it's at! Plus you can load up on 10 more healthy recipes with a free dessert recipe e-book. Click through for the goodness: 

What do you think about when someone mentions rosemary? If you’re anything like me your mind automatically goes to one thing – savoury, delicious food! Holy goodness, rosemary is one serious herb packing a powerful punch in the flavour department. And isn’t it wonderful how it compliments so many dishes?

But, shockingly, rosemary can do way more than pack a serious punch in the savoury dish department. It actually compliments salted caramel extremely well and holds it’s own in the dessert department. I was pleasantly surprised!

And, of course, there are some extra special nutrients waiting for us in there too! Rosemary brings a good supply of calcium, fiber and iron to the table. And we also have vitamin A, C, folate, magnesium, manganese, and even a little Omega 3 Fatty Acid in the mix. Booyah! (source)

But wait! It gets better…

This adorable little herb can help to reduce inflammation and fight off free radicals thanks to some potent antioxidants (source). It may even help to prevent or reduce the severity of asthma attacks, increase sperm mobility, lower your risk of peptic ulcers and cataracts and so much more (source). How freaking cool is that?!

If you’re feeling a little brain fog, rosemary is by your side. It’s been shown to increase blood flow to the brain, making it a little easier to focus and even improving your mood (source). Super bonus – you can tap into this benefit by simply enjoying the wonderful aroma that rosemary has to offer (where are my essential oils at, am I right?!)

My favourite part – it is so easy to spoil yourself to a lot of these benefits on the regular when you keep rosemary essential oils on hand. And since oils are so concentrated you really only need a drop or two for major flavour! Which means that a single bottle is going to last you a long flipping time.

The essential oils in this recipe are 100% optional.

It’s so important that you only use edible grade essential oils. And, of course, less is more. One drop goes a long way. If you want to learn more, my friend Heather has a fantastic website that can help: cookingwithessentialoils.ca. This recipe was actually originally a guest post on her wonderful site. 😉

Ready to get cooking?

Related: These Healthy Gluten Free Vegan Brownies Taste Like Magic

The BEST Healthy Homemade Ice Cream – Salted Caramel with Rosemary Essential Oils

This is the Absolute BEST Healthy Homemade Ice Cream - Salted Caramel with Rosemary Essential Oils | This healthy homemade ice cream is dairy free, gluten free, vegan and full of all the good stuff you want. Because healthy dessert recipes are where it's at! Plus you can load up on 10 more healthy recipes with a free dessert recipe e-book. Click through for the goodness: 

If you’re staring at the screen wondering how we went from talking about health benefits and getting all excited about nutrients to ice cream don’t you worry! Healthifying dessert happens to be one of my specialties.

This ice cream is vegan and gluten free and while it tastes totally sinful it’s definitely not. Because dessert should never be something you have to feel guilty about. And they definitely have a very special place in a healthy diet!

Salted Caramel Homemade Ice Cream with Rosemary Essential Oils

Course Dessert
Cuisine Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Ice Cream, Refined Sugar Free, Vegan, Vegetarian
Keyword Homemade Ice Cream
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings 4 People
Author Sara - Ms. Health-Esteem

Ingredients

  • 2 Cans Full Fat Coconut Milk Preferably organic, watch out for pointless fillers
  • 1/2 Cup Maple Syrup
  • 1/2 Cup Tahini Butter
  • 2 Pinches Himalayan Pink Salt
  • 2 Tsp Potato Starch or Tapioca
  • 1 Drop Rosemary Essential Oils Optional - Edible Grade Only, like doTERRA
  • Garnish Pistachios Optional

Instructions

  1. In a large mixing bowl combine the coconut milk, ¼ Cup of Maple Syrup, ¼ Cup of Tahini Butter and salt.

  2. Blend until well mixed with an immersion blender or egg beater.

  3. Add the potato starch or tapioca and blend once more.

  4. Pour the mixture into an ice cream maker and process for 25 to 30 minutes (until you have a soft serve consistency).

  5. In a separate bowl combine the remaining ¼ Cup of Maple Syrup and ¼ Cup of Tahini. Add 2 drops of rosemary essential oils and mix well. Set aside until the ice cream is ready.

  6. Pour the maple/tahini/rosemary essential oil mixture into the ice cream and process for 5 more minutes.

  7. Dig in right away if you enjoy a soft serve consistency. If you’d prefer harder ice cream transfer into a freezer friendly container, cover with parchment paper and seal. Freeze for an hour (or until desired hardness) and enjoy!

Have you ever made homemade ice cream before? Are you excited to give this salted caramel delight a try? Any recipes you’d like to see healthified in the future? Share your lovely thoughts in the comments below!

I hope that you enjoy this delectable dessert as much as I do!

Health and love,

sara-signature

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Sara | Ms. Health-Esteem

Sara Flanagan is a wellness writer and the creator of www.mshealthesteem.com, where she shares her story of being diagnosed with Graves Disease, a chronic autoimmune disease, and empowering herself to do everything she can to thrive in spite of her diagnosis. She writes articles on self-love, acceptance, wellness and nutrition. Join the Health-Esteem Family today and share in the journey.

41 Comments

  1. Reply

    hleguilloux

    July 4, 2018

    Yess! I love that you were so creative with your ingredients and used the Rosemary Essential Oil in this recipe.. not only does it sound delicious, it’s also healthy?! Amazing work as always, Sara!

    • Reply

      Sara

      July 4, 2018

      Thank you so much Heather! It’s always a pleasure working with you. And I adore your cooking with essential oils inspiration! It gets me thinking about all of the possibilities (and creating new recipes is always exciting!)
      Thank you for making this recipe possible. And for all of your support and love. I’m so grateful! <3

  2. Reply

    Nicole

    July 4, 2018

    Holy yum! We are mostly dairy free at our house too, 3 out of 6 of us cannot eat dairy. I’m excited to try this, I think even the dairy eaters will gobble this one up. Thanks!

    • Reply

      Sara

      July 4, 2018

      My hubby was a total dairy lover before we met and still indulges in things like cheese and ice cream from time to time and he gives this a big thumbs up! I hope that the dairy eaters in your home enjoy it too. Let me know how it goes Nicole!

      It’s always fun to discover a new recipe ^^. Especially when your diet is limited by allergies or intolerances! I’m so excited for you guys to try this :).

  3. Reply

    Kristina

    July 4, 2018

    This makes me want to find an ice cream maker for the weekend!

    • Reply

      Sara

      July 4, 2018

      I hope you treat yourself to one Kristina! My mom got me this one for Christmas and oh my goodness it has been life changing! It’s so fun to create recipes with it! The possibilities are endless hehe. Let me know what you create with yours if you get one. I’d love to hear about your ice cream creations!

  4. Reply

    Mary

    July 6, 2018

    This looks amazing! Can’t wait to try!

    • Reply

      Sara

      July 13, 2018

      I’m so excited for you to try it Mary! I hope you adore it :). Let me know what you think!

  5. Reply

    Aditi

    July 7, 2018

    This looks like an amazing recipe, though haven’t tried non dairy stuff as yet, but your recipe seems easy and good so will definitely give it try

    • Reply

      Sara

      July 13, 2018

      That’s wonderful Aditi! I find that coconut milk is so creamy that it works really well as a dairy free substitute. My hubby grew up on dairy and he adores it :). I hope you do too! Let me know how it goes <3

  6. Reply

    Thali

    July 10, 2018

    This combination sounds AMAAAAZING!!! salted caramel ice cream with rosemary essential oils ?? ALREADY DROOLING

    • Reply

      Sara

      July 13, 2018

      I would love to make you a bowl darling ♡. You are the sweetest! Thank you. I hope you get the opportunity to treat yourself to some 🙂

  7. Reply

    Lauren

    July 10, 2018

    Looks delicious! I love EOS in. My “nice cream”!

    • Reply

      Sara

      July 13, 2018

      Sweet! Such a marvelous way to pack a serious flavour punch with minimal ingredients ^^. I love it ?

  8. Reply

    Jasmin

    July 10, 2018

    Oh yes ice cream would be perfect… I would take a huge batch of it

    • Reply

      Sara

      July 13, 2018

      I would gladly share if I could Jasmin. Hope today is wonderful and you have fun at the pool with your little ones ?. So happy it’s summer!

  9. Reply

    katiepeirce

    July 10, 2018

    Yum! Making my mouth water!

    • Reply

      Sara

      July 13, 2018

      Isn’t ice cream the best? I hope a bowl of goodness like this finds you soon Katie :). Have a happy summer!

  10. Reply

    Olivia

    July 10, 2018

    That flavour combination sounds absolutely amazing!

    • Reply

      Sara

      July 13, 2018

      Thank you hun! I wish I could make you a batch. I bet you have some incredible toppers that would blend in super well ?.

  11. Reply

    Kaitlyn

    July 10, 2018

    I love ice cream, but I just can’t have a tub of it in the house because I won’t be able to control myself! I’ll definitely try this recipe so I can still indulge but not feel so guilty afterwards. 🙂

    • Reply

      Sara

      July 13, 2018

      I completely get you Kaitlyn! I used to snack on pints on the regular ^^. And it’s still cool to treat yourself sometimes too of course! But it’s also awesome to know that you can make healthy versions to so you can have your vices often and still support your well-being. That’s always my favourite thing! Healthifying desserts is so fun xD.

      I hope you adore this. And that you get to enjoy a nice bowl of ice cream soon. It’s one of the best summer treats!

  12. Reply

    Wake up and Blog

    July 10, 2018

    This looks and sounds delicious!

    • Reply

      Sara

      July 13, 2018

      Homemade ice cream is a summer must in my house! I hope you love it too. 🙂 The flavour combo is pure magic!

  13. Reply

    Cynthia at What A Feeling XOXO

    July 10, 2018

    Ooh girl! I cannot tell you how excited I am to try this recipe out!!

    • Reply

      Sara

      July 13, 2018

      That makes me so happy Cynthia! Ice cream is the best! And healthifying it was so fun. I hope you adore it as much as I do :). Let me know!

  14. Reply

    queenofmgmt14

    July 10, 2018

    I think I may try the salted caramel ice cream. I have an ice cream maker I brought a year ago and have yet to use!

    • Reply

      Sara

      July 13, 2018

      Oh goodness, I am so excited for you to bust out that ice cream maker! Making your own ice cream is pure magic! And I totally encourage you to come up with different combos too and have fun with it. Let me know what you create! And have fun taste testing 😉

  15. Reply

    thecreativegirlbosstribe

    July 10, 2018

    Oh this ice cream sounds heavenly! I cannot wait to make this for my mom and I!

    • Reply

      Sara

      July 13, 2018

      I love that! My mom and I used to sneak away and share ice cream when I was little. And we still like to have some together to this day :). It’s our little ‘us time’. I hope you guys enjoy your ice cream time too :D. It’s always better when you have someone wonderful to share it with!

  16. Reply

    La Shell

    July 10, 2018

    I love love home made ice cream. I haven’t had it in such a long time. My granny use to make it and boy did it take the entire day! Love this recipe. Looks totally doable.

    • Reply

      Sara

      July 13, 2018

      Aww what a wonderful recipe! I bet your granny’s ice cream was amazing! Especially when she put so much time and love into it. I hope you get to recreate her recipes someday :). And I hope you adore this one too <3. May it bring back some lovely memories!

  17. Reply

    Nicole

    July 11, 2018

    OMG I needed a healthy ice cream. Every single night in the summer when the sun starts to set I crave ice cream without fail. So having a recipe I can go to and not spend money or feel guilty is amazing!

    • Reply

      Sara

      July 13, 2018

      That’s awesome Nicole! I feel ya! It’s the perfect summer treat. And it cools you down so fast, eh? I love it! I’m a huge fan of ice cream (which is why I worked on healthifying it xD gotta keep my sweet tooth happy and healthy!) I hope you love this as much as I do <3. Let me know!

  18. Reply

    Sundaye

    July 11, 2018

    Great article. I have been trying to find more dairy-free recipes and ice cream brands. I will have to give this one a try 🙂

    • Reply

      Sara

      July 13, 2018

      I’m so happy this helped! There are so many awesome options out there! I hope you adore this. If you like milkshakes you can easily make them with canned coconut milk too. Here’s a recipe (but you can keep it vanilla by eliminating the strawberries and adding a teaspoon of vanilla or add a tablespoon of raw cacao powder if you want chocolate) https://mshealthesteem.com/strawberry-milkshake/

      And if you want to treat yourself to a pint of ice cream, I love Coconut Bliss! They also make ice cream bars. The ingredients are wonderful and it even gets the thumbs up for my dairy loving friends.

      I’ve been lactose intolerant since I was little! So I have definitely tried a ton of dairy free stuff xD. If you’re looking for anything else let me know. I’d be happy to share <3

  19. Reply

    paige

    July 11, 2018

    love how informative this post is!! can’t wait to try the recipe 🙂

    • Reply

      Sara

      July 13, 2018

      I’m so happy to hear that Paige! I’m a huge food nerd and I’m always excited to share. Makes me happy that you enjoyed it :). I hope you love the ice cream too. Let me know what you think if you try it! Wishing you a beautiful summer!

  20. Reply

    Nicole

    August 5, 2018

    Was not a fan if the taste tbh. The tahini completely overpowered the ice cream which is okay if you like the taste of tahini ? The texture didn’t come out great either for me. Just my two cents! ✌

  21. Reply

    Shirley

    January 21, 2019

    Oh my goodness, I have to try this!! Ice cream is my all time favorite dessert and this one sounds delicious!!

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