Don’t try this at home.
But if you do, definitely don’t eat it in front of anyone you’re trying to impress. Your teeth will be the color of a Barbie Glamour Gown.
I was inspired by Ali of Whole Life Nutrition to try my hand at making ice cream. Lilly’s bunny bowl full of fresh strawberry ice cream was too tempting to ignore. The fact that I didn’t own an ice cream maker did nothing to curb my enthusiasm. I’ve been saving a 20% off coupon from Bed, Bath & Beyond for something like this and figured it was time to give Ben & Jerry a run for their money.
No vanilla, chocolate or caramel pecan for me. Nooo way am I going to start my ice cream making career with something basic like that.
I’m also on a mission to use everything I find in my Grant Farms CSA box each week. No waste, I’m determined to creatively use every last lettuce leaf. So far, so good, although I’m only 1 week into the 26 week harvest. Last week’s bounty included several fresh herbs, French breakfast radishes, butter lettuce, green leaf lettuce, kale, spinach — and baby beets!
Hmmm? Beet ice cream? Sounds better than kale ice cream.
I figured no one had ever tried this before — until I googled “beet ice cream” and found that Todd and Diane at White On Rice Couple had a recipe for it and so did Michael Symon of the Food Network. Who makes beet ice cream? That’s down-right weird. Although they both looked good, I wanted to try it dairy-free and both recipes used cream.
Uh, it’s ice CREAM, why would it be dairy-free?
White On Rice Couple have a beautiful food blog stocked with recipes made from healthy, fresh, local ingredients. Plus, they’re just plain groovy people. Check them out.
Back to the task at hand. Dairy-free, beet ice cream. I knew I was going to use coconut milk for the cream substitution (that’s a basic for me), but I had no idea what else to do, so I went back to Ali’s ice cream recipe for inspiration. I can always count on Ali and Tom to come up nutritious, tasty and simple recipes. For a complete cooking guide to healthy fare, check out their Whole Life Nutrition Cookbook. It’s wonderful!
Beet Coconut Chocolate-Chip Ice Cream
what you need
2 cans “classic” coconut milk (the full-fat version)
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
2 cups beet juice
1/2 – 1 cup chocolate chips
Electric ice cream maker
what you do
I blended the coconut milk and maple syrup in my blender until mildly frothy and stored it in a large glass bottle in the refrigerator. My CSA delivery had a bunch of small baby beets – I had to add 6 larger beets to the mix. Trim the stems, scrub well and roast the beets in a 400 degree oven for about 45 to 60 minutes. I added the smaller ones half-way through the roasting process. For more information on how to roast beets, check here. (Next time, if there is a next time, I’m going to skip the roasting and use raw beets.) Let cool, trim ends, cut into chunks and run through a juicer or vita mix. I ended up with almost two cups of juiced beets. Blend all ingredients in mixer until creamy. Pour the mixture in the ice cream maker per manufacturer’s directions. I churned the ice cream for 25 minutes, then added the chocolate chips and churned it for another 5 minutes. Place in the freezer for several hours while you clean up the fuchsia mess that was once your kitchen.
Eat alone and don’t smile.
As you can see, I liked it. A lot. And no beety taste – seriously, you would never know it was made from a root vegetable.
The beet goes on,
Melissa
P.S. Who wrote the song – The Beat Goes On? And when?
Tags: beet ice cream, coconut milk, gluten-free, vegan
June 21st, 2009 at 10:28 am
Melissa,
I’m writing this reply positively ‘funking out’ to The Whispers’ 1979 classic song about the longevity of beets. Funnily enough, back then my elder sister had a pair of leg-warmers the same color as your ice cream.
Your ice cream looks fantastic, it would be such a highlight at a dinner party. I know you say eat to it alone but my friends and I have very childish senses of humour and fuchsia-colored tongues would keep us entertained for hours. The big curve ball for me were the chocolate chips! I didn’t see that one coming. I’ll have to see if my slowly rediscovered sweet tooth could handle that one. Ah, what the heck, I trusted you this far!
Oh, a quick tip on cleaning the kitchen… if you cover your eyes with your hands then all of the stains disappear.
Lovely post, Melissa!
GDave
June 21st, 2009 at 10:58 am
GDave,
You’re too young to remember it was Sonny Bono who wrote the lyrics to “The Beat Goes On” and he and Cher who made it “famous.” Oh, but I can only imagine your sister in her fuschia leg warmers groovin’ to the Whispers “Rock Steady.” That’s got a perfect beat for leg warmers.
I laughed out loud at your comment about you and your friends’ senses of humor. Nothing like pink teeth to liven up a party.
Skip the chocolate chips and use real cream instead. I just figured pink and chocolate go together (it’s a girlie thing). I imagine real cream would make this over-the-top good though. Michael Symon added cayenne pepper to his version. That would add even more zip to your dinner party.
I thought beet ice cream was all my idea. Geez, I guess there never really is an original idea.
Thanks for the kitchen tip. What happens when you finally open your eyes again?
Melissa
June 21st, 2009 at 11:03 am
GDave,
One more thing — didn’t I hear you say you had a fiancé (imaginary, but who cares) named Fuchsia? This ice cream could be your chance to get her attention. Have her over for dinner and name the dessert in her honor. I’m sure Cid can advise you as to the best way to pull this off.
June 21st, 2009 at 12:13 pm
Melissa and GDave,
What a fabulous icecream idea…. now you know what my daily juice looks like regardless of what I add, due to the beets.
Moving swiftly along to GDave’s love life… I couldn’t agree more, in fact if you hadn’t mentioned dear Fuschia then I certainly would have
So then how should this courtship begin? Well isn’t there a list somewhere of the things we really shouldn’t eat on first dates? Things like spaghetti and whelks 
Fuschia pink denture staining icecream is probably one of the cardinal sins along with my fruit and beet energizer juice. So Dave, until you have won her over with your natural charm and legendary talents in the kitchen, may I humbly suggest you stick to ‘simple fare’ on the plate before producing a neon work of art like this 
Of course should you require further advice on the do’s and don’ts of wooing, then Melissa and I would give the matter serious consideration. Don’t bother with advice of this nature from the sagacious occupant of table number 5 or from the lovely Miles…. both having recently driven through the Shire in a mobile cinema complete with satnav… and still managed to get lost
I’m voting for one of Melissa’s homemade shirts as an essential icebreaker and conversation piece by the way
Cid
June 21st, 2009 at 4:21 pm
What fabulous ice cream. Gorgeous colour.
But now I have *that* song in my head and can’t get it out!
June 21st, 2009 at 5:58 pm
Beets in ice cream?
Now that I think I can do! LOL It can’t be worse for public viewing than eating blueberry ice cream or God forbid that blue bubble gum (or similar) ice cream that the kids like to eat.
Yeah, I have to agree with “another outspoken female” … thanks for implanting that tune in my head. I’m seeing Sonny in his funky glitzy dashiki shirts and Cher in her Bob Mackie dresses, plus remembering their silly dialogues.
Great post!!
Shirley
June 22nd, 2009 at 9:28 am
AOF — sorry about that (the replay of the song in your head). You’re not the first person who has called me out on that.
In fact, I have it running through my head each time I revisit this post. Ugh!
Yes, I agree with you on the vibrant color of this ice cream. It is gorgeous, but it ends up making everything it touches pink. Careful, careful!
June 22nd, 2009 at 9:31 am
Shirley,
I knew I could figure something out to get you to eat beets. All it took was ice cream and chocolate chips. You’re such a girl!
Wow, I’m totally impressed that you made the connection between Cher and Bob Mackie dresses. You’re right! Now it’s coming back to me. The wild Academy Award shows, etc. Good one!
I had to look up dashiki though. You’re starting to remind me of Cid. Every time she leaves a comment, I have to resort to my dictionary.
June 22nd, 2009 at 11:05 am
This is the most beautiful ice cream I ever did see!
June 22nd, 2009 at 2:04 pm
Meghan,
I agree, it’s an incredible color — until it’s on your shirt or tongue.
June 23rd, 2009 at 4:44 am
Melissa–ROFL on being “such a girl!” Hey, after you looked up the dashiki, did you remember Sonny wearing them? I had a roommmate who made matching dashikis for her and her boyfriend at the time. They were made of a satiny material and kind of a tye-dyed orange and white print. LOL Hey, I’ll take that as a compliment, comparing me to Cid–thanks!
Shirley
June 24th, 2009 at 5:29 pm
Oh no you didn’t.
This looks beautiful! Do you think the change of raw vs. cooked beets would give it more of a “beety” flavor? I just might have to try this (with non-ice cream maker variations). Isn’t it funny how you think you have an original idea/recipe only to find it’s been done before? That always happens to me!! Melissa, do you eat dairy free or just prefer coconut as your ice cream base? (I’m just curious/nosey). Also, what kind of chocolate chips do you use?
Catching up on your posts and reading everyones comments cracks me up, it’s just as much fun as reading your entries!
June 27th, 2009 at 5:59 am
Cuz: we’re having the beet ice cream tonight. Didn’t have a juicer, so we just put the beets in a blender. Bought the ice cream maker yesterday. CAN’T wait!!! Love you
June 27th, 2009 at 6:46 pm
We had it – it came out OK – kinda slushy – even after 9 hours in the freezer. We added pistachios as a topping and it was great. Lisa and I liked it. Will be curious to see what the kids think tomorrow. Just put your website on my facebook page. xxoo
June 28th, 2009 at 2:28 pm
Yikes, I’m behind here. How did that happen?
Shirley,
Oh my gosh, matching dashikis? Oooh. I do remember Sonny wearing sheepskin vests.
Coco,
I don’t know about raw vs cooked, but I think the cooked might work better. I’m going to give raw a try though. I do MUCH better without dairy, but I can get away with a little bit here and there. I just have to choose wisely. No wasting it on Velveeta cheese! I use those gluten-free/dairy-free Sunspire chocolate chips. Actually, that doesn’t sound right. I don’t have any on hand, I’ll have to look next time I buy them.
I agree with you about the comments on this blog. I LOVE you guys!
June 28th, 2009 at 2:30 pm
Christopher,
Slushy? Wow, I could hardly scoop mine out of the ice cream maker. Did you freeze the empty ice cream holder before churning the ice cream? You’re supposed to freeze it first. Pistachios? Hmmm, that gives me an idea. Sounds great!
Love you!
August 31st, 2009 at 8:59 pm
[...] (or vegetables!) on hand, consider these recipes: Melissa’s Rhubarb Blueberry Sherbet or her Beet Ice Cream, or Ali’s Watermelon Sorbet or Strawberry Coconut Ice Cream, or Diane’s Blueberry Ice [...]
January 28th, 2010 at 2:26 am
Examined this site, the details would be an asset to so many people, I will be spreading the word. Thanks
June 16th, 2010 at 8:03 am
[...] might even get a little crazy and try Melissa’s (of Gluten Free for Good) recipe for Beet Ice Cream. Melissa made me laugh and piqued my interest with the first phrase of her post: Don’t try this [...]