Creamy & Tangy Honey Rhubarb Ice Cream: Your Go-To Dairy-Free Summer Treat

When the summer sun beats down, there’s truly nothing quite like a scoop of homemade ice cream to refresh and delight. This lusciously tangy rhubarb ice cream is precisely that perfect treat, designed to melt away the heat and satisfy every craving. Crafted with velvety coconut milk for an incredibly rich and creamy texture, gloriously tart rhubarb, and just the right touch of sweet honey, it’s a symphony of flavors that screams summer. This isn’t just any ice cream; it’s a cooling indulgence, a refreshing end to any outdoor meal, and a delicious secret – you’d never guess it’s completely dairy-free and egg-free! Whether piled high in a cone or elegantly served in a bowl, every lick promises pure, unadulterated enjoyment. [Skip to recipe.]

The long-awaited warmth of summer has finally graced us, bringing with it bright sunshine and a vibrant resurgence of nature after what felt like endless months of cold, dreary, and rainy weather. Our garden is now thriving, bursting with growth and making up for lost time. While we’ve had our battles with our resident deer population – who regrettably enjoyed a three-night all-you-can-eat salad buffet of our beets, cucumbers, green beans, swiss chard, spinach, and pea blossoms – we’ve now fortified our vulnerable rows with wire cages. It’s a constant dance with nature, but thankfully, some plants are too good for even the most discerning deer palates.

One such plant, much to our relief, is rhubarb. While other coveted crops like cherries and saskatoons are sparse this year, our rhubarb patches are producing magnificent stalks, promising a bountiful harvest. This hardy, reliable plant always delivers, providing us with its signature tartness that brightens up so many seasonal dishes.

There’s a special kind of satisfaction that comes with gathering an armful of fresh rhubarb stalks and transforming them into something wonderfully tart and tangy. This week, a powerful craving for rhubarb ice cream took hold, inspiring me to adapt my beloved dairy-free vanilla ice cream base. The addition of glowing, tart cooked rhubarb created an extraordinary dessert. Our smaller, regular-sized rhubarb plants yield beautiful red stalks that wonderfully retain their vibrant color when cooked, resulting in this homemade ice cream turning out a most delightful shade of pink – a visual treat as much as a culinary one.

Should your rhubarb stalks lean more towards the green side, resulting in a less vibrant pink hue, don’t fret! You can naturally enhance the color without altering the flavor. A tiny amount of juice squeezed from grated fresh beet (I promise, you won’t taste it) or a pinch of dehydrated powdered strawberry, raspberry, or hibiscus blossoms can transform it into a more appealing rosy pink. This simple trick ensures your Honey Rhubarb Ice Cream is as visually stunning as it is delicious.

For an extra layer of sophisticated flavor, a subtle hint of rosewater can be added. It whispers a lovely floral note that beautifully complements and enhances the rhubarb’s inherent tang. However, if rosewater isn’t readily available in your pantry, rest assured the ice cream remains incredibly delicious and satisfying without it – it’s an optional touch for those seeking a unique aromatic twist.

This homemade Honey Rhubarb Ice Cream is more than just a dessert; it’s a truly special treat, unlike anything you’ll find in stores. When was the last time you saw a commercially available Honey Rhubarb Ice Cream that’s also dairy-free and egg-free? This recipe is a fantastic way to celebrate and showcase the humble, yet glorious rhubarb plant, often tucked away in a corner of the garden, proving its worth far beyond pies and crumbles.

This unique ice cream delights with its:

• Irresistible tanginess
• Luxuriously luscious texture
• Perfectly balanced sweetness (not overly sweet)
• Rich, creamy consistency
• Dairy-free goodness
• Egg-free inclusivity
• Status as a truly special homemade delight!

If your palate gravitates towards bright, fruity, and tangy flavors, then this dairy-free Honey Rhubarb Ice Cream is an absolute must-try for you. To elevate this treat to an even more divine level, consider serving a generous scoop or two with a shimmering puddle of silky pink Rhubarb Curd gently cascading down its sides. The combination is pure heaven on earth, enhancing the rhubarb experience beautifully. This recipe truly heralds the arrival of summer in the most delicious way possible!

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You can also use your bountiful rhubarb harvest in these other delightful recipes:

• Rhubarb and Spruce Tip Galette
• Strawberry Rhubarb Pavlova Cake
• ‘Prairie Mess’ with Saskatoons and Rhubarb
• Mom’s Rhubarb Cake
• Rhubarb Crisp
• Rhubarb Compote with Swedish Cream
• Rhubarb Cordial 2 Ways

Kitchen Frau Notes: To achieve the best possible texture and flavor for this Honey Rhubarb Ice Cream, it’s highly recommended to begin the preparation the day before you plan to serve it. This allows ample time for essential chilling steps. First, ensure your ice cream maker canister is placed in the freezer for a full 24 hours to become thoroughly frozen solid – this is crucial for proper churning. Additionally, both the rhubarb sauce and the ice cream base need sufficient time to chill, ideally for at least 3 to 4 hours, or even better, overnight. While neither component takes much active time or effort to prepare, having them perfectly chilled beforehand guarantees an effortless and successful ice cream churning experience the following day. If you’re aiming for a specific dessert or treat time, it’s best to churn the ice cream 3 to 4 hours beforehand, allowing it to firm up beautifully in the freezer for perfect scoopability. Of course, you can always enjoy it straight from the machine for a delightful soft-serve consistency.

Due to the deliberately low amount of sweetener in this recipe – a choice made to truly highlight rhubarb’s delightful tang – this ice cream will tend to freeze quite firm if left in the freezer for an extended period (longer than a few hours). This is completely normal for ice creams with less sugar. To ensure easy scooping and a pleasant eating experience, simply remove the container from the freezer 25 to 30 minutes before serving and let it sit at room temperature. This brief softening period will transform it into the ideal consistency for serving.

Honey Rhubarb Ice Cream

for the rhubarb:

• 3 cups (375gms) rhubarb, cut in ½-inch (1cm) slices
• 1 tablespoon water
• ¼ cup (85gms) honey
• ½ teaspoon vanilla
• 1 tablespoon rosewater – optional

for the ice cream base:

• 2 cans (14 oz/400ml each) premium full-fat coconut milk
• 1 tablespoon arrowroot starch
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 6 tablespoons (¼ cup+2 tablespoons/130gms) honey
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

special equipment needed:

• an electric or hand cranked ice cream machine

24 hours before churning the ice cream, place the canister for the ice cream machine into the freezer to make sure it is frozen solid.

Prepare the rhubarb: Put the rhubarb into a small saucepan with the water and honey. 1 tablespoon doesn’t seem like much water, but you just need enough to moisten the bottom of the pot so it doesn’t burn in the first minute or two, until the rhubarb starts releasing its own water. Stir it often until there’s enough liquid in the pot so the rhubarb can cook in its own juices. Bring it to boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and cook it, stirring occasionally, until the rhubarb is just soft but still stays in chunks (about 5 minutes). Let the rhubarb sauce cool, then chill it for 3 to 4 hours or overnight.

Prepare the ice cream base: Scrape the contents of one of the cans of coconut milk into a large 2 quart saucepan. Whisk in the arrowroot powder and the salt.

Heat over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until bubbles just start to form and the mixture is thickened. Do not let it come to a full rolling boil or it will lose its thickness – though it will still be fine in the ice-cream.

Remove from heat and whisk in the honey until it is melted. Add the remaining can of coconut milk and the vanilla and whisk until smooth.

Pour the mixture into a container and cover with a lid or plastic wrap. Chill for 3 to 4 hours or overnight.

Make the ice cream: Put the ice cream base into the canister of the ice cream maker and add about ⅓ of the rhubarb sauce. This will ensure the flavour gets mixed throughout; you’ll add the remainder near the end of the churning time so most of the chunks stay intact.

Churn according to the ice cream machine manufacturer’s instructions. Add the remainder of the rhubarb sauce a few seconds before the ice cream is finished and allow it to be stirred in by the churning motion of the machine.

Eat immediately for soft-serve texture, or pack into a freezer container and freeze for 3 to 4 hours if a firmer consistency is desired. If the ice cream has frozen really hard, remove from the freezer for 25 to 30 minutes to allow it soften enough to scoop easily.

Makes about 1½ quarts/litres of honey rhubarb ice cream.

Guten Appetit!

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You might also like these delightful frozen treats:

Honey Vanilla Ice Cream

Saskatoon Ice Cream

Cherry Ice Cream/Sherbet

Watermelon-Lime Ice