This delicious Helado De Coco doesn’t need an ice cream machine to make it! It’s easy to make, refreshing, and perfect to survive those summer heat waves or to indulge after dinner time.
You will love this irresistible Helado de Coco. It is very creamy and smooth just like an ice cream but without the heavy feeling. It is sweet, rich, and straightforward to make.
The best part is that you don’t need an ice cream maker to make a sorbet. You only need a freezer! It is conveniently vegan, gluten-free, and dairy-free.
This recipe is inspired by the sorbet that is made in Puerto Rico. It is a very popular street food on the island along the passion fruit sorbet. It is usually sold by the beach which is known as helado de coco.
Make this recipe and transport your taste buds to the Caribbean. Or if you love all things coconut as I do, try my rice with coconut milk, coconut limber, or my delicious piña colada.
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Why This Recipe Works
- You can use fresh or canned coconut milk to make this recipe!
- This recipe works because it solves all the issues you get when making a sorbet like being icy, hard, not thick enough, and too runny.
Recipe Ingredients
- White Sugar- I use ¾ of regular white granulated sugar. This helps the recipe have a creamy tender texture like a sorbet should have. You can also use brown sugar.
- Corn starch- I used ½ teaspoon of corn starch. This ingredient acts as the stabilizer and is in part responsible for the texture of the sorbet. Avoids a runny or crumbly texture, acting as a binder just like sugar.
- Water- I use 1 cup of water to balance out the sugar and fat in the recipe. You can substitute for coconut water if you like but is not necessary.
- Cream of coconut- I used 1 15-ounce can of cream of coconut. It deepens the coconut flavor and adds sweetness and thickness to the recipe. Popular brands are Coco Lopez, Goya, and Coco Real.
- Full-fat Coconut Milk- I used 1 13.5-ounce full-fat can of coconut milk. Full-fat milk gives the recipe that creamy, smooth ice cream-like mouth feel.
- Vanilla extract- I used only ⅛ of a teaspoon of vanilla extract just to enhance the coconut flavor and balance sweetness.
Make Sorbet Without An Ice Cream Maker
- Photo 1: Mix the sugar with the cornstarch. We do this to avoid getting any lumps or grainy texture in the mixture.
- Photo 2: In a pan over high heat add the water and dissolve the sugar to make a simple syrup. Set it aside to cool.
- Photo 3: Mix all your ingredients in a big bowl. Do this until there are no lumps in the mixture. You can use a whisk, an immersion blender, or a regular blender to do this.
- Photo 4: Pour the mix into your container, cover it with plastic wrap, and put it in your freezer. Freeze anywhere from 6 to 8 hours or until it is hard. Stir every 30 to 60 minutes for at least the first 3 hours of freezing. When done, let it rest for 5 minutes before scooping.
📓 Note: Preferably use a metal or glass container. This will help you get the mixture colder while freezing. It also helps to maintain the temperature longer when it is at room temperature because it retains the cold.
Make Coconut Sorbet With An Ice Cream Machine
- Step 1: First, you mix the sugar and cornstarch. Add water and sugar to a pan and cook for 3 minutes. Let it cool.
- Step 2: Then mix all your ingredients and pour them into an ice cream maker bowl. Churn it for 20 to 30 minutes.
- Step 3: Transfer to your container, and cover it with plastic film. Freeze for at least 2 hours. Allow 5 minutes to scoop. If your machine starts to vibrate, stop it because it reached the maximum freezing capacity of the machine.
Recipe Tips
- Pre-chilling the coconut milk enhances texture and allows faster freezing. Stir it well before using it to break up the fat in the milk.
- I love serving the coconut sorbet in a shell. It is a beautiful presentation plus you use all the coconut.
- I like to serve this sorbet topped with nuts and strawberries. Any fresh food will do. Sometimes I serve it on top of a pumpkin flan or on top of my pumpkin cake.
Frequently Asked Questions
Adding less sugar can result in your sorbet being icy or with big ice crystals. Whether is natural from the fruit or added sugar, it plays an important role in sorbet making. It sweetens, enhances flavor, and most importantly acts as an anti-freezing agent. So is best not to use less sugar because it can result in a hard, icy sorbet.
It is best to store the sorbet covered. This is to prevent it from getting any freezer taste transferred to it. I keep it no longer than 3 months frozen because it starts getting those ice particles on top.
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Coconut Sorbet
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Ingredients
- ½ teaspoon corn starch
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 cup water
- 15 ounces cream of coconut 1 can
- 13.5 ounces coconut milk 1 can
- ⅛ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- In a small bowl mix the sugar and cornstarch until there are no visible lumps.
- In a small pan over high heat, add the water and sugar to make a simple syrup. Mix and cook for 3 minutes. Set aside to cool.
- In a large bowl add the simple syrup, cream of coconut, coconut milk, and vanilla extract. Mix until there are no visible lumps.
- Pour the coconut sorbet mix into a container, cover, and freeze for 8 hours. Every 30 minutes, remove the cover and stir the mix. Do this only for the first 2 hours of freezing. Serve and enjoy!
Recipe Notes
- You can substitute white sugar for brown sugar, maple syrup, or even agave.
- As for substituting cornstarch, you can use apple pectin. You can also use xantax gum but half of what the recipe calls for because it’s stronger.
- You can make this in an ice cream maker. Just follow the mixing steps until the mix is all combined, pour it into your ice cream maker, and follow the manufacturer’s instructions.
- The sorbet will be good in your freezer for 3 months.
Stephenie says
Hi Kayla, I think I might have some tips. 1.You shouldn’t use your hand blender to mix because it will break all the little ice particles we need to create the sorbet. On the contrary, it will as you seen make it liquidy again. 2. Try to keep your freezer close, or at least not open it so much so it can keep a low temperature. Other than that I really can’t think of anything else. Please let me know how it finally worked out.
Kayla says
I’m not sure what I’m doing wrong I substituted the white sugar for brown and followed all the steps according and my mix has been in the freezer from 12 am to the next day at 1 pm and it’s not getting frozen it is thick and when I took it out it was partially frozen but the minute I mixed it by hand or with my immersion blender it got all thick liquid again
Stephenie says
Terence, I like your addition it probably will give like a Piña colada taste. I definitely have to try the dice pineapple, thank you for trying the recipe.
Terence Ashmore says
I made this recipe and I had no problems at all. Quite delicious in fact. I couldent help myself I did alter the recipe just a touch as I added a little bit of diced pineapple and mango folded in after it was done in ice cream mixer when I serve it I sprinkle with toasted coconut
Stephenie says
Hi Jackie, the sorbet is supposed to be frozen hard but you will still be able to scoop it out. I wonder why the recipe din’t work. Usually when a sorbet freezes harder than it should is because the lack of sugar. You can thaw it just a little and then scoop it out.
Jackie Riley says
I made this – it froze like an ice cube – are you supposed to let it thaw out in order to scoop it up?