Delicious and creamy Date and Tahini Ice Cream is sweetened with only dates. And paired with the nutty, savory flavor of tahini. Sweet & salty goodness. Refined sugar free, gluten free & vegan friendly. EASY - This uniquely delicious ice cream does require an ice cream machine for best results. And it's very easy to make the base. You can make it without an ice cream maker, but it'll be more time consuming. US based cup, teaspoon, tablespoon measurements. Common Measurement Conversions. Weight measurements (when available) are recommended for accurate results. You can access metric weight measurements using the toggle button below the ingredient list.
½cuptahiniincrease to ¾ cup / 210 g if you're not using egg yolks
1 ½cupsheavy cream35% fat (or coconut cream, see recipe notes)
Instructions
Making the date and tahini ice cream base
Chop the dates into smaller chunks.
Place the dates and milk in a saucepan, and heat over medium heat until the milk starts to steam and the dates have softened.
Blend the mixture with a stick blender, or a regular blender, until smooth or mostly smooth. It's OK for small flecks/pieces of dates remain. You should end up with a thick date and milk paste.
Add the salt and vanilla, and stir them in.
If using egg yolks - whisk the egg yolks until smooth, in a small bowl. Add heaping tablespoons of the milk date mixture while whisking to temper the egg yolks. When the egg yolks mixture is warm, return it back to the milk date base, and whisk to combine.
Return this mixture back to medium heat, and heat to 165°F while continuously whisking.
If you’re not using egg yolks (for vegan or egg free ice cream), skip steps 5 and 6 above.
After blending the date and milk base, add the tahini (extra tahini if not using egg yolks as indicated in the ingredient list above), and stir it into the hot milk date mixture.
Next, add the chilled cream and stir it in (make sure your pot or bowl is large enough to hold at least 5 cups of liquid).
Cover and refrigerate the mixture to let it chill overnight (at least 6 hours).
Churning the ice cream
If you're using a freezer bowl, make sure the freezer bowl has been frozen for at least 48 hours before churning the ice cream. Also make sure to keep the ice cream storage container in the freezer overnight (at least) as well.
Pour the mixture into the bowl of your ice cream machine and churn according to the manufacturer’s instructions. It takes me about 20 - 30 minutes to churn to a soft serve consistency.
Once churned, transfer the ice cream mix into the chilled ice cream storage container. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze for at least 2 - 4 hours (depends on your freezer), until hardened.
Serve as is, or with chopped walnuts, and a drizzle of chocolate.
Notes
Notes on using salt
This is a salted dessert. If you don't like salted desserts, then reduce the salt to ¼ tsp. However, I highly recommend the salt to enhance the flavors of this ice cream.
Notes on using plant based milk (vegan version)
You can use cashew milk or almond milk instead of regular milk. Do NOT use low fat options. You want the higher fat content for a creamy texture, especially if you’re not using egg yolks.If you can’t find coconut cream, you can use coconut milk instead. To use coconut milk, choose a coconut milk that will separate into two layers. Let the coconut milk can sit in the fridge overnight. The layers should separate and the top fatty layer should harden. THIS is the coconut cream layer. You can use the water for smoothies, so don’t discard it. Depending on the coconut milk brand, you may need multiple cans to get the right amount of coconut creamVegan option for egg yolks - If you want to keep this vegan, then leave out the eggs. The additional fat from the extra tahini, cashew milk, and coconut cream should help keep the ice cream base nice and creamy.
Notes on churning the base without an ice cream maker
Please note this will result in an ice cream that is less creamy. This method is more time consuming as well. Place the mixture in a ice cream storage container or a large bowl / container, and then keep it in the freezer.Then remove the ice cream from the freezer periodically and use a hand mixer with a beater attachment to mix the ice cream. It’s important to crush any hardened parts of the base.As you keep doing this, more of the ice cream base will harden and it will be harder to mix. At this stage, remove the ice cream from the freezer and blend it in a food processor. Continue to do this at intervals until the date and tahini ice cream has the desired soft serve consistency.At the beginning, you may have to do this every 45 minutes, and more frequently (every 20 – 30 minutes) when you’re closer to the consistency you like. This can take anywhere between 4 – 8 hours for best results.