Tahini Pistachio Ice Cream (Vegan Gluten-Free)

This Tahini Pistachio Ice Cream is creamy, smooth and deliciously packed with crunchy pistachios and lots of tahini. it is easy to make in 30 minutes.

I am loving all the homemade ice cream this summer and I am even more excited about this current flavour as it brings together a few things I love: tahini, pistachios and ice cream all together. It’s not too sweet as the tahini adds a savoury “nutty” twist to this ice cream and it’s ready in just 30 minutes thanks to the magic of an ice cream machine (see below for notes on no-churn options).

Why will I love this ice cream?

This ice cream is delicious, it’s:

• Thick, smooth and creamy
• Scoopable and delicious
• Packed with nutty pistachios which lend a lovely green colour
• Loaded with rich tahini
• Easy to make in a few steps
• Naturally vegan and gluten-free
• Made with wholesome ingredients
• Ready in 30 minutes

If you already know you are going to love this Tahini Pistachio Ice Cream then read on for the recipe card below. First, let’s discuss the recipe in more detail.

What ingredients do I need?

The base of the ice cream relies on wholesome, simple ingredients:

• Full-fat coconut milk: this recipe calls for 2 tins of coconut milk, one tin is chilled and we only use the solid cream part and we use all the second tin of milk. When in the fridge, the coconut milk will naturally separate into the cream (the solid part) and the milky water making it ideal to use for ice creams.
• Pistachios: ideally, find the pistachios that are without shells (otherwise you will have to de-shell a lot of nuts). These also must be un-roasted and unsalted for the best ice cream. Soak the nuts overnight in filtered water or for 1 hour in boiling water to soften the nuts. I then like to remove the skins from the nuts which results in a much creamier and brighter coloured ice cream.
• Tahini: the runny tahini is best here and if you are new to tahini, this is simply ground up sesame seeds (like how peanuts are made into peanut butter, sesame seeds are made into tahini).
• Maple syrup: for the sweetness and you can use other sticky syrups like agave, oat or date syrup or try vegan honey.
• Vanilla and almond essence: for flavour. The almond adds a lovely nutty sweetness but is not essential if you only have vanilla essence.
• Salt: to bring out the flavours.

For the rest of the Tahini Pistachio Ice Cream:

• Extra pistachios: as above, de-shelled, unroasted and unsalted are best.
• Extra tahini: to swirl through the ice cream.
• Rose petals: for colour, contrast and a slight flavour. These are not essential.

How do I make this ice cream?

This Tahini Pistachio Ice Cream is the dream to make and I am in love with my new KitchenAid Ice Cream Maker which I used for this recipe. The ice cream bowl attachment fits to the KitchenAid Mixer and works like a dream. See below for no-churn options.

• Chill the ice cream bowl according to your instructions: for me, this was 16 hours in the freezer before you can start to make ice cream.
• Soak the pistachio nuts: either overnight or for 1 hour and remove the skins, if desired.
• Chill the coconut milk tin: to separate the cream from the water.
• Add all the ice cream ingredients to a blender: this is the coconut cream, coconut milk, soaked pistachios, tahini, maple syrup, vanilla and almond essence, salt.
• Blend till smooth: with no lumps.
• Transfer the mix to the ice cream maker: and follow instructions to churn the ice cream till smooth, thick and cream. For me this was 20 minutes.
• Stir in the pistachios and pour into a dish: swirl on the tahini.
• Enjoy this ice cream soft serve as it is: or freezer for 1-2 hours to firm up.

How long will this Tahini Pistachio Ice Cream last?

Once made and then frozen, this ice cream is best eaten the same week but will keep for up 1 month in the freezer. Make sure to wrap the ice cream tightly in wrap (I wrap it twice) to avoid any water/ice getting in and making the ice cream less creamy.

How can I enjoy this ice cream?

Use this ice cream in the same way you’d eat other ice cream; in cones, in dessert bowls, with chocolate sauce, with more tahini and nuts or straight from the tub.

Can I make this Tahini Pistachio Ice Cream without an ice cream maker?

Yes, I am sure this recipe would work without an ice cream maker. Once you have blended the ice cream, transfer the mix to a lined container and freezer. Stir the ice cream every 30 minutes or so before wrapping up again and freezing. Do this until the ice cream is firm, about 4 hours.

Is this recipe gluten-free and nut-free?

While this recipe is vegan as it’s egg-free and dairy-free, it is also gluten-free as it contains no gluten. This recipe is not nut-free as it relies on pistachios. For a nut-free ice cream, try my Double Chocolate Hazelnut Ice Cream and leave out the hazelnuts.

I love ice cream, what other recipes can I make?

I hope you are going to love this Tahini Pistachio Ice Cream and for more ideas, how about my:

• Double Chocolate Hazelnut Ice Cream
• Vegan Neapolitan Ice Creams
• Mocha Magnum Ice Creams
• Chocolate Mango Magnum Ice Creams
• Raspberry Vanilla Chocolate Magnum Ice Creams
• Make this into my Pistachio Brownie Ice Cream Slices

I look forward to hearing what you think of this Tahini Pistachio Ice Cream so please let me know in the comments below. If you do make this ice cream, I’d love to see so please tag me in them, I’m @nourishing.amy on Instagram and use the hashtag #nourishingamy. I’m also on Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest  – please say hello!

With pistachio ice cream love x

p.s. the original recipe was created with KitchenAid, although this blog post is not sponsored and all opinions are my own.