This Liquorice Ice Cream recipe is something I’ve wanted to make for a while now. In fact I must have talked about it a lot because my sister in law bought me the liquorice flavouring as a joke on holiday one day. She thought I was jesting about making liquorice ice cream and thought she’d call my bluff (belly laugh).
So I did make it, and despite half expecting the joke to be on me – I love it! Never did I think I would enjoy a liquorice flavour ice cream but lo and behold it is a wonderful flavour, not too over powering and uniquely refreshing. Every time I grab another scoop or two I’m pleasantly surprised and so too are the family.
Let’s get one thing out of the way first. If you’re in the UK it’s Liquorice and if you’re in the USA it’s Licorice.
Is Liquorice Gluten Free?
No, this is where you need to be careful. Commonly liquorice (both red and black) when made into a confectionary is not gluten free. Wheat is added to make the chewy traditional sweet. If, however, you were inclined to chew directly on a liquorice root then yes it is gluten free so chew away my dear.
That said, there are gluten free liquorice options out there. However, I had yet to find one that could match the chewy density of a Pontefract Cake which is a traditional disc of hard liquorice from Yorkshire. That is until now! If you head over to my Guide for Gluten Free small businesses that deliver across the UK you’ll find Liquorice Heaven – they have everything liquorice and a huge section dedicated to free from including gluten free.
Is Liquorice Extract Gluten Free?
As the liquorice root is a gluten free plant then it’s pretty safe to say that the extract is also gluten free. Of course you need to always check the labels as there is always a risk of cross contamination. Quick fact for you here, did you know that the liquorice root is 50 times sweeter than sugar beet? No, I hadn’t realised either.
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How do you make dairy free condensed milk?
Vegan condensed milk is integral to all my ice cream recipes. You can buy it online and now in stores as Nestle have bought out a dairy free version (although I’ve not tried it myself). However, to make your own is super simple and I tend to batch make mine, then keep what I don’t use in a jar in the fridge as it always comes in handy.
Dairy Free and Vegan Condensed Milk Recipe
Empty a 400ml tin of coconut milk into a medium saucepan, add 150g caster sugar and stir to combine. Place on a high heat and stir until bubbling. Turn heat down to a gentle rolling boil and leave for 15 minutes. Don’t leave unattended and stir occasionally, the condensed milk will halve in volume and go a wallpaper paste colour! Remove from the heat, pour into a glass heatproof jug and cool to room temperature, this will take about an hour.
For the full recipe, method and top tips head to my Easy Dairy Free Condensed Milk recipe.
What colour is Liquorice Ice Cream?
The colour of liquorice ice cream depends very much on the way you flavour it. In this recipe I’ve opted to use a good quality liquorice extract (I used Uncle Roy’s extract but it costs the same as liquid gold on Amazon!). The extract alone gives the ice cream a delicate caramel colour, as the extract is in fact dark brown.
If you choose to use a liquorice ground powder you will achieve a darker brown. Another option is to blend actual liquorice candy into the mixture. Personally I feel this is a tragic way for a piece of liquorice to go!
Should I add black food colour to my Liquorice Ice Cream?
So I have told you what liquorice ice cream looks like if left as its natural colour. What about adding black colouring to make it black? I’ve seen a few variations across the interweb and I just don’t think I could stomach an ice cream that resembles a face mask for deep pore cleansing or a mud bath similar to the one I had in Turkey once!
The colour of the ice cream you see in my photos was achieved by using a pea-sized ball of black food colour paste. To add anymore just went against my moral fibres about added colourings in food.
What do you think? Have I hit the right level of colour for this dairy free Liquorice Ice Cream?
What is the best dairy free cream to use for ice cream?
Dairy Free / Vegan Creams
I get asked ‘what is the best dairy free cream to use’ a lot, so I’ve added some advice here.
Baked recipes
If using cream alternatives in baked recipes the type of cream matters less but care needs to be taken when cooking it as dairy free cream can still split like dairy cream. Therefore you are free to use any of the following brands; Elmlea (single or double), Alpro (single), Food Heaven – Heavenly (Sweetened or Unsweetened), Coconut Cream (any % or coconut extract)
No Bake recipes
Usually in a no bake recipe the cream you add is part of the building block to add structure. For example whipped cream in a Victoria Sponge Gateau. For this reason you need to use a dairy free cream that has the highest fat content so a double cream (Elmlea produce double plant cream) or a Coconut Cream that has 60+ of coconut extract. However, Heavenly also behaves well when whipped.
Ice Creams
I have made my ice creams with all the dairy free creams mentioned above, single, double, high fat, low fat and all work because I always add a little dairy free butter to stabilise the structure so you can use all types of plant/soya/coconut dairy free creams.
Other delicious dairy free ice cream recipes you might like to try
Dairy Free Liquorice Ice Cream Recipe
Dairy Free Liquorice Ice Cream
Ingredients
- 300 g dairy free condensed milk [to make you own see post or notes]
- 200 ml dairy free cream on this occasion I used Elmlea Double
- 30 g butter or butter alternative (I use Flora plant butter) I used Flora Plant Butter
- 1-2 tsp liquorice extract I used 2 and this has a great flavour not too strong.
- ¼ tsp black food colouring (optional)
Instructions
- If making your own condensed milk do this first and set aside to cool to room temperature.
- In a mixing bowl beat your cream and softened butter until it stiffens.
- Add the condensed milk, liquorice extract and beat again to combine.Top Tip: add 1 teaspoon first, taste test and add the second if you love liquorice.
- If adding food colouring add this now. Top Tip: I find it easier to add the pea sized black paste to a small bowl and mix with ½ a teaspoon of water to loosen in before adding to the ice cream mixture.
- Spoon the ice cream into a large enough container – this makes approx 900ml of ice cream
- Once smoothed down why not decorate with gluten free liquorice pieces (can be sourced online)
- Freeze for about 12hrs and then you're ready to serve on it's own or accompanying a dessert. This goes amazingly well with desserts that have berries in them for example Blackberry Crumble or Summer Pudding.
Notes
Nutrition
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For full transparency, in 2020 I made my first £25, and in 2022 I reached my next £25 (Amazon don’t transfer the money until you reach £25). Recently I got paid a whopping £27.10 for 2023.
So to date I have made £78.58 since I first started the scheme in 2017. It won’t pay the bills, that’s for sure but it does help to pay for ingredients or little treats to cheer me up!
Hi there! This looks amazing!! I’m wondering about making it in a professional setting – does it melt quickly like regular milk homemade ice cream (without stabilizers) or do you feel it holds its shape for a time while being enjoyed?
Hello Claire, first of all thank you for visiting my site. To answer your question. Id does hold it’s shape. I have served for dessert when I’ve had family over for dinner. I served it on the side of a chocolate brownie and each bowl had a scoop of Liquorice ice cream. The fat content and whipped structure means that the ice cream holds its shape even when warming to room temp. So this should work in a food pass to table scenario. Hope that helps x
This looks awesome!! I’d be honored if you hopped on over to our “What’s for Dinner” party and shared some of your delicious recipes!
https://lazygastronome.com/whats-for-dinner-sunday-link-up-328/
I’ve never tried black liquorice. I’ll have to do that . Thanks for sharing on Traffic Jam Weekend at LifeasaLEOWife.com!
Its great to see some different and original ice cream flavours to make at home!
This is a pretty original one that’s for sure…just wondering what I can come up with next
My name is Janice and I’m a liquorice addict! I absolutely love liquoirce as do all my family, I’ve also been meaning to make a liquorice ice cream and now I have a recipe. Thanks so much for the great instructions.
Oh Janice this comment made me chuckle. I am a Liquorice Addict too, maybe we should start a group!!! :-D
Oh my! I’m now dreaming about liquorice ice creams. I know I’d absolutely adore it as I’m a fan of the black stuff. What an absolutely fabulous idea.
I had guests last weekend and tried it out on them, they were sceptical but everyone ended up trying it after the first person reacted so positively. Plus he said ‘you can’t tell it’s dairy free, it’s so creamy’ that kind of feedback I’ll take anyway :-)