What’s not to love about Coconut Ice – a deliciously sweet and milky coconut treat – and we mean SWEET! This kid-friendly recipe only has 4 ingredients and prepared in 10 minutes. No cook means no risky boiling required like the old fashioned version.
Why we love it
A Super Easy Coconut Ice Cream Recipe You Can prepare in 10 minutes using easy pantry staples!
Coconut ice cream keeps incredibly well and mixes easily. Double or triple the recipe for more homemade edible gifts or like make-ahead candy for picnics or parties.
What is Coconut Ice Cream?
Despite the name, there’s no ice cream in coconut ice cream – just icing sugar, condensed milk, desiccated coconut and red food coloring. That’s it!
This sweet and colorful fudge is traditionally made in two layers, with a white layer on the bottom and a pale pink layer on top.
Soft, chewy and sweet, this old-fashioned confection is similar to another classic South Australian treat called candy spuds, with a slightly grainy texture like a Scotch bar.
The original coconut ice cream recipe originated in Britain and the method involved boiling sugar and milk to dissolve the sugar and set the slice. From there, early Australian recipes adapted to use copha (vegetable fat shortening), but this version is made with condensed milk to make it an easier no-bake treat.
These days, you’ll most likely find it on Christmas tables and as a non-chocolate Easter treat. Since it lasts about a month, it’s perfect to make ahead for bake sales or parties.
What you will need
- Icing sugar – Also known as powdered sugar or icing sugar. You can also use a frosting mix in this recipe, which contains cornstarch to keep it from getting lumpy. Don’t be tempted to use regular granulated sugar as it will make the slice too grainy.
- desiccated coconut – We use finely grated desiccated coconut to keep the slice quite smooth and help it set perfectly. We don’t recommend shredded coconut as the chunks can be too big and can cause the slice to crumble.
- Condensed milk – Also known as sweetened condensed milk. Coconut Condensed Milk Sub for a vegan version (with even more coconut flavor).
- Red Food Coloring – Just a few drops for traditional pale pink, or add more for a bolder color. Submarine with any color you like, or skip this step for a plain white version to make a 3 ingredient slice.
Wandercook’s advice
- Mixed – Wear an oven mitt if you prefer not to get the mixture on your hands.
- Slicing – Don’t skip the cooling time, it’s much easier to slice into neat cubes once the slice is completely set. For best results, use a long, sharp knife.
- Cut – You can make them as big or small as you like, but we recommend small bites so they don’t get too sweet all of a sudden!
- Storage room – For softer slices, place them in an airtight container and keep them on the counter. For tougher slices, store them in an airtight container in the fridge.
FAQs
The ratio of icing sugar to condensed milk is what helps the slice harden nicely, so we don’t recommend reducing the sugar.
With the high sugar content of this sweet treat, the coconut ice cream will last 3-4 weeks in an airtight container.
Yes, you can freeze coconut ice cream for up to 3 months. While you can technically freeze it in a whole slab, it’s much easier to store it in bite-size pieces for a quick treat. It’s even nice to snack on while still partially frozen, especially in summer!
Variants
- Make it festive – Replace the traditional pink and white layers with green and red instead.
- Add flavor – Add a few drops of peppermint, almond, cherry or vanilla extract. You can also try it with lemon juice and zest for a citrus version.
More classic slices and treats to try next:
★ Did you make this recipe? Please leave a comment and rating below!
Servings: 36 small slices
calories: 4042calories
Cost: $5
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Pour it icing sugar, desiccated coconut and condensed milk in a large mixing bowl. Mix with a spoon, then with your hands, into a stiff dough.
200 g icing sugar, 300 g grated coconut, 400ml condensed milk
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White layer: Transfer half the batter to a parchment-lined square pan and press down with your hands or a spatula until flat and even.
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Pink layer: Add red food coloring to the remaining dough and use your hands to knead until you get an even pink color.
3 drops of red food coloring
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Spoon portions of the pink mixture over the white layer and use a fork to lightly scrape and even out first, THEN use your hands or a spatula to press down and flatten. This helps you achieve more even layers.
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Chill for 1-2 hours in the refrigerator until set. Cut into small 2.5cm / 1 inch squares as they are quite sweet!
- Mixed – Wear an oven mitt if you prefer not to get the mixture on your hands.
- Slicing – Don’t skip the cooling time, it’s much easier to slice into neat cubes once the slice is completely set. For best results, use a long, sharp knife.
- Cut – You can make them as big or small as you like, but we recommend small bites so they don’t get too sweet all of a sudden!
- Storage room – For softer slices, place them in an airtight container and keep them on the counter. For tougher slices, store them in an airtight container in the fridge.
- Make it festive – Replace the traditional pink and white layers with green and red instead.
- Add flavor – Add a few drops of peppermint, almond, cherry or vanilla extract. You can also try it with lemon juice and zest for a citrus version.
Nutritional intakes
Simple 4 Ingredient Coconut Ice Cream
Amount per serving
% Daily Value*
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
