“Man they should make a ginger turmeric ice cream” was all I needed for my friend and rabbi Mira to inspire me. By the time she added, “Have you ever had golden milk?” I was in fixation mode.
ADHD is better with friends!
We had just traversed the conversational plains of high holiday madness to the best ice cream flavors with little to no segue. As our joint dopamine brain-train was pulling into the station of anti-inflammatory agents, I started thinking:
Mira needs an anti-inflammatory ice cream for physical and mental breakdown immunity these next few days. Vegan golden milk ice cream would be perfect!
What is golden milk?
An alchemist’s dream could be an acceptable answer, but Mira describes golden milk best as, “…this amazing drink they make in India with ginger, turmeric, ashwagandha, date sugar, and coconut milk.”
It’s already vegan! But for it to be a smooth ice “cream”, I needed to employ some kitchen alchemy…
Coconut Milk
not light. Light coconut milk is regular coconut milk diluted with water. And water turns into ice! Hence, light coconut milk will yield an icy “cream” instead of an ice “cream”.
Cashews
And yet, regular coconut milk alone isn’t enough to make your ice “cream” creamy. Soaked and blended cashews add body and richness typically delivered by the saturated lipids in dairy products.
Light Brown Sugar (and Ground Spices)
Traditional golden milk is sweetened with date sugar. Unfortunately, date sugar doesn’t dissolve. To avoid weirdly-textured ice “cream”, I substituted similarly-flavored light brown sugar. (I chose dried ground turmeric and ginger partly for the same reason, partly for availability.)
Guar Gum
Though optional, guar gum prevents the formation of ice crystals.
Black pepper…in my ice cream?!
You’ll hardly taste that 1/4 teaspoon (1.25 mL) amidst a tablespoon of other spices in a quart of ice “cream”. Besides, especially when using dried ground ginger and turmeric, black pepper enhances absorption of their anti-inflammatory compounds.
Omitting it won’t disrupt the kitchen alchemy! Without it, however, some immunity support will be lost.
A Note on Equipment
High-Speed Blender
A high-speed blender is required to turn soaked cashews into a smooth “cream”.
I hate typing such limiting sentences. But if adapting a plant-based lifestyle is your goal, I highly recommend seeking a deal on one. My own is a refurbished Blendtec. I bought it on sale, and have used nearly 1,000 times in the last few years. (That’s not a hyperbole! It actually counts each use for warranty purposes.)
Ice Cream Maker
Yes, you can make ice cream without an ice cream maker!
The Kitchn offers a wonderfully comprehensive article on various methods for making ice cream without a machine. Though I’ve not tried them, I’d be inclined to try the blender method to cut down on dishes (though the food processor method is rated most highly).
Golden Milk Ice “Cream”
Description
I make ice cream enough to justify owning an ice cream maker. But if you don't have one, The Kitchn offers several alternate methods with the food processor method being the best one.
makes approximately 1.5 qt/L
Ingredients
Instructions
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Place freezer bowl of ice cream maker in back of freezer for 24 hours.
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Measure cashews into a heat-proof bowl. Cover with boiling water, then set aside to soak for 1 hour.
Top of cashews to top of water should be approximately 1 in/2.5 cm. -
Drain cashews. Transfer to high-speed blender with all remaining ingredients except guar gum.
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Blend. Scrape sides, sprinkle-on guar gum (if using), then blend again.
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Set freezer bowl inside ice cream maker. Follow manufacturer's instructions for churning, then churn blender mixture for 25-40 minutes.
Ice "cream" is done when mixture stops moving. -
Consume or transfer to an airtight container and freeze immediately. If frozen, allow ice "cream" to sit at room temperature 20-30 minutes before serving.
Microwaving 20-30 seconds isn't the best plan, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't do it! The trade-off for not waiting is an unevenly thawed dessert.
Note
Checkout peer-reviewed content on turmeric at nutritionfacts.org.
