This delicious vegan rum raisin ice cream recipe has a creamy vanilla brown sugar cinnamon custard base studded with juicy rum-soaked raisins. Made with simple plant-based ingredients, this is the perfect vegan gelato recipe made without dairy or eggs.
Prepare: Freeze your ice cream maker bowl at least 12 hours (ideally 24 hours) prior to making the recipe. Also, make sure you chill the cans of coconut milk at least 12 hours ahead.
Make the custard base: In a saucepan, whisk together the cornstarch and sugar until there are no lumps. Add the soy milk and whisk until the sugar is dissolved. Cook over low to medium heat for a few minutes while whisking. Alternate between using a whisk and spatula to prevent the mixture from burning to the bottom of the pan. Once the curd is thick enough to coat the back of your spoon or spatula, remove it from the heat.
Sift and flavor: Pass the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a large mixing bowl. Push the mixture through with a spatula as it will be relatively thick.Pass the raisins through a sieve to separate the rum. Set the raisins aside in the fridge.Add the rum, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt to the custard mixture and whisk to combine. Allow the mixture to cool for 15 minutes - then cover with plastic wrap and chill for one hour.
Whisk: Whisk the coconut cream until light and fluffy, then add the vegan condensed milk and whisk to combine. For ease, you can use a stand mixer or electric whisk, but a regular whisk will do!Whisk the cooled custard mixture into the coconut cream until combined.
Churn: Transfer it to the frozen bowl of your ice cream maker and churnaccording to the manufacturer's instructions (usually this can be 25-40 minutes). During the last 5 minutes of churning, add the soaked raisins to the machine.The ice cream is ready when it is super thick and sticks to the arm of the machine.
Freeze: Transfer it to a loaf pan or sealable container and smooth out the top of the ice cream. Freeze for 3-4 hours until solid or for soft serve consistency you can serve it straight from the machine.
Storage: Store it in an airtight container or loaf pan sealed with plastic wrap in the freezer. It is best served within 2-3 weeks. I also recommend taking it out of the freezer to rest at room temperature for 10 minutes before diving in for the perfect scoops!
Notes
Rum: You can also use spiced rum or white rum as a last resort.
Coconut Milk: Place the cans in the fridge overnight and use only the thick part from the top of the can. You will need the cream from 1-2 400ml cans, depending on the brand the yield of cream will differ - so opt for 2 to be safe.
Sugar: You can also use unrefined cane sugar (or coconut sugar - which will be darker).