This rich and creamy dairy free no churn rocky road ice cream is made with whipped chocolate coconut cream and marshmallow fluff. The marshmallow base means that you're halfway to rocky road ice cream right at the start!
When the weather is warm, ice cream is basically a food group. It is in that spirit that I present to you … rocky road dairy free gluten free ice cream. No machine, no gluten, no dairy, precious little coconut flavor. Deep chocolate, with all the charms of rocky road and the smoooooooth texture of the very best ice cream. And this time … no sweetened condensed coconut milk to simmer and fuss and then cool.
I toasted the chopped walnuts (a few minutes over medium-high heat in a dry cast iron skillet does the trick) but that step is optional. If you keep it super simple, this will take just a few precious warm weather minutes to throw together.
The inspiration for this ice cream recipe is brought to you, lovingly, by last week's Marshmallow No Bake Cheesecake. I told you I'd be experimenting.
I made homemade marshmallow fluff, because it just happens to taste fantastic (on & in everything, including on a spoon). But it really is absolutely not required. I mean, unless you really want to.
The major commercial brands (Kraft + that Fluff brand or whatever it is that comes in that enormous tub that my grandmother used to eat out of with a spoon, and with no shame whatsoever) are safely gluten free. That part is up to you. Making this gluten free dairy free ice cream? Mandatory.
Dairy free No Churn Rocky Road Ice Cream
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cans (28 ounces) full fat coconut milk refrigerated for at least 24 hours (See Recipe Notes)
- 6 tablespoons (30 g) Dutch-processed cocoa powder
- 1 packet (7 g) unflavored powdered gelatin
- ½ cup (4 fluid ounces) cool water
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon cream of tartar
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 ounces dairy-free semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 3 ounces walnuts roughly chopped
- 3 ounces marshmallow fluff (store-bought or homemade)
Instructions
- Remove the two cans of coconut milk carefully from the refrigerator, without shaking them at all. The solid should have separated from the liquid during chilling, and you don’t want to reintegrate them.
- Remove the lids from the cans, scoop out only the solid white coconut (reserving or discarding all of the liquid), and place it in a large bowl.
- Add 4 tablespoons (20 g) of the cocoa powder to the coconut, and with a hand mixer (or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment), whip on high speed for about 2 minutes, or until light and fluffy and nearly doubled in volume. Place the chocolate whipped coconut cream in the refrigerator to chill for about 10 minutes.
- Make a marshmallow base, into which you will fold the coconut whipped cream.
- In a small bowl, place the gelatin and 1/4 cup (2 fluid ounces) water and mix to combine well. Set the bowl aside and allow the gelatin to swell as it stands. Once the gelatin has swelled, transfer it to the bowl of a stand mixer (or a large bowl to use with a hand mixer).
- In a medium, heavy-bottom saucepan, place the remaining 1/4 cup (2 fluid ounces) water, sugar and cream of tartar, and whisk to combine well. Cook the sugar mixture over medium-high heat until it reaches the softball stage, between 238°F and 240°F, on an instant read thermometer.
- Remove the saucepan from the heat immediately, and pour the cooked sugar mixture down the side of the bowl of the stand mixer into the gelatin mixture. Whisk to combine (the mixture will bubble) and allow the mixture to cool until the mixing bowl is no longer hot to the touch (about 5 minutes).
- Add the vanilla and salt, and beat the mixture on medium-high speed with the whisk attachment (or with a hand mixer) until the mixture is white, thick and glossy. It should nearly triple in size. It is ready when the mixture pours off the whisk (or beaters) very slowly when the attachment is raised.
- Add the remaining 2 tablespoons (10 g) cocoa powder to the bowl, and beat again with the whisk attachment to combine.
- Remove the whipped coconut cream from the refrigerator and add half of it to the large bowl of marshmallows. Fold the coconut cream into the marshmallows, taking care not to deflate either the cream or the marshmallows. Add the remaining coconut cream and fold in again gently.
- Scrape the mixture into a 2 quart freezer-safe container. Gently stir in the chocolate chips, walnuts, and the marshmallow fluff. Cover tightly and freeze until firm (about 6 hours). Serve frozen. It will not need to thaw at all to be scoopable.
Notes
Dairy free No Churn Rocky Road Ice Cream
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cans (28 ounces) full fat coconut milk refrigerated for at least 24 hours (See Recipe Notes)
- 6 tablespoons (30 g) Dutch-processed cocoa powder
- 1 packet (7 g) unflavored powdered gelatin
- ½ cup (4 fluid ounces) cool water
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon cream of tartar
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 ounces dairy-free semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 3 ounces walnuts roughly chopped
- 3 ounces marshmallow fluff (store-bought or homemade)
Instructions
- Remove the two cans of coconut milk carefully from the refrigerator, without shaking them at all. The solid should have separated from the liquid during chilling, and you don’t want to reintegrate them.
- Remove the lids from the cans, scoop out only the solid white coconut (reserving or discarding all of the liquid), and place it in a large bowl.
- Add 4 tablespoons (20 g) of the cocoa powder to the coconut, and with a hand mixer (or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment), whip on high speed for about 2 minutes, or until light and fluffy and nearly doubled in volume. Place the chocolate whipped coconut cream in the refrigerator to chill for about 10 minutes.
- Make a marshmallow base, into which you will fold the coconut whipped cream.
- In a small bowl, place the gelatin and 1/4 cup (2 fluid ounces) water and mix to combine well. Set the bowl aside and allow the gelatin to swell as it stands. Once the gelatin has swelled, transfer it to the bowl of a stand mixer (or a large bowl to use with a hand mixer).
- In a medium, heavy-bottom saucepan, place the remaining 1/4 cup (2 fluid ounces) water, sugar and cream of tartar, and whisk to combine well. Cook the sugar mixture over medium-high heat until it reaches the softball stage, between 238°F and 240°F, on an instant read thermometer.
- Remove the saucepan from the heat immediately, and pour the cooked sugar mixture down the side of the bowl of the stand mixer into the gelatin mixture. Whisk to combine (the mixture will bubble) and allow the mixture to cool until the mixing bowl is no longer hot to the touch (about 5 minutes).
- Add the vanilla and salt, and beat the mixture on medium-high speed with the whisk attachment (or with a hand mixer) until the mixture is white, thick and glossy. It should nearly triple in size. It is ready when the mixture pours off the whisk (or beaters) very slowly when the attachment is raised.
- Add the remaining 2 tablespoons (10 g) cocoa powder to the bowl, and beat again with the whisk attachment to combine.
- Remove the whipped coconut cream from the refrigerator and add half of it to the large bowl of marshmallows. Fold the coconut cream into the marshmallows, taking care not to deflate either the cream or the marshmallows. Add the remaining coconut cream and fold in again gently.
- Scrape the mixture into a 2 quart freezer-safe container. Gently stir in the chocolate chips, walnuts, and the marshmallow fluff. Cover tightly and freeze until firm (about 6 hours). Serve frozen. It will not need to thaw at all to be scoopable.
Notes
Thanks for stopping by!
Hi, I’m Nicole. I create gluten free recipes that really work and taste as good as you remember. No more making separate meals when someone is GF, or buying packaged foods that aren’t good enough to justify the price. At Gluten Free on a Shoestring, “good, for gluten free” just isn’t good enough! Come visit my bio!
Cassandra Wolf says
Is there any way to make this without coconut milk? My family loves rocky road ice cream, however my husband has an aversion to coconut, also we do not require a dairy free home.
Kimberly says
Would agar agar work in place of the gelatin? I’d love to make this for my family (and possibly church functions), but the gelatin isn’t Kosher :-/
Nicole Hunn says
I haven’t worked with agar agar enough to answer, and I haven’t tested this recipe with any substitutions, either, Kimberly. You’ll have to experiment!
Nicole