Ramdan and summer…means ice cream for dessert..and make that vegan please. I’ve gone through strictly vegan phases in the past several years…sometimes gluten-free too…other times sugar-free (the most difficult)…and even raw vegan! And each time it was enjoyable and quite easy…I eat plant-based most of the time anyway. But to go vegan in Ramadan is something else. And I’m not worried about iftar time or not being able to have cheese atayef…I prefer to have walnuts anyway…but it’s suhoor that I’m worried about. For some reason I crave cheese, bread and eggs almost every night….I want savory breakfast food. Even if it’s zaater, I’ll slather it with labna. I’m taking it as a challenge and God willing will have the incentive to experiment more with vegan cheeses.

A few pointers about the recipe and ingredients…

It’s important to use full-fat canned coconut milk, and not light or the drink that comes in a carton. The higher fat content is necessary to achieve a creamier result.

I used Natureland Layla Sugar. And although more honey or coconut sugar may work, I wanted to keep the ice cream a light cream color to resemble Muhalabiya. You can also reduce the sugar to a 1/3 cup with good results. Or replace it with more honey (about 1/3 cup more).

I do have vegan in the title despite using honey, but many vegans I know consume honey. If you prefer you can certainly replace the honey with more sugar or agave.

Xanthum gum is used to help prevent the formation of ice crystals therefore resulting in a creamier and smooth ice cream. I buy the Bob’s Red Mill brand available in Kuwait at Blue Passion or you can order it online from IHerb.

If you plan to use the mastic, take a couple of small pieces of mastic and crush it using a pestle and mortar with a teaspoon of sugar.

I use this Cuisine Art ice cream machine, I’ve had it for several years and quite happy with it. The plastic ice-cream storage containers and the ice cream bowls are both from Home Centrein Kuwait.

Now if you don’t have an ice cream machine don’t worry, you can still make this ice cream, it just requires more work. You skip step four in the instructions below and place the air-tight container into the freezer. Then every 30 minutes you take it out and stir well, before putting it back in for another 30 minutes. You continue this process several times until the mixture looks more like ice-cream. Otherwise turn it into a smoothie as explained below.

If you like the idea of making this plant-based muhalabiya inspired dessert, but don’t want the hassle, or would prefer not to use any sugar, why not turn it into a smoothie? I did exactly that for a plant-based brunch using dates and banana instead of sugar, reducing the honey, and increasing the amount of liquid.

That’s enough talk, let’s make some ice cream!