If you love Hawaii and ice cream, then you are probably going to fall head over heels for this easy Coconut Macadamia Nut Ice Cream recipe. This creamy, easy ice cream has buttery macadamia nut flavor and there are chunks of chopped nuts in each bite.
Break out your ice cream makers and also try our Rainbow Sherbet, Strawberry, Nutella Swirl, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, Blackberry Swirl and Old-Fashioned Peach Ice Cream flavors!
Coconut Macadamia Nut Ice Cream
One of my favorite thing to do each summer is trying new homemade ice cream flavors. This coconut macadamia nut ice cream is one of those flavors that you don't see in the stores. While we were in Kauai a few months ago, I tried a couple of other macadamia nut ice cream variations that I'm going to have to try recreating next. One was chocolate macadamia nut ice cream, which I'm pretty sure you could make just by using my burnt almond fudge ice cream recipe and subbing in macadamia nuts for almonds. The other was my favorite: coconut macadamia nut ice cream.
This coconut macadamia nut ice cream is fabulous all on it's own or in an ice cream sundae topped with hot fudge or pan fried butterscotch bananas.
Foods Hawaii is Known For
If you are new to my blog, I have a series I'm working on where I tackle the foods each state is known for, one at a time. It's called American Eats and it has been so much fun that I look forward to researching each new state.
Hawaii is known for some of my very favorite flavors besides macadamia nuts. Pineapple, guava, and coconut are all flavors that are frequently associated with the Hawaiian islands.
But I take umbrage with calling a recipe "Hawaiian" just because it has pineapple added to it. Kind of how I feel like it's disingenuous to add avocado to something and call it "Californian".
So far, I've also shared recipes for Hawaiian macaroni salad, kalua pork, homemade Hawaiian punch, papaya seed dressing, and macadamia nut crusted mahi-mahi as part of my collection of Hawaii-inspired recipes in this series. But here are some of my favorite recipes that, while I wouldn't call them Hawaiian, definitely have Hawaiian flavors that take a starring role:
Pineapple Recipes
Coconut Recipes
Guava Recipes
Macadamia Nut Recipes
I have found that macadamia nut ice cream is a flavor you can't really get anywhere except Hawaii, which is why I decided to recreate it at home as part of the series. It's one of the foods Hawaii is known for, although it often takes a supporting role as a component of hula pie or as a base underneath shave ice at places like Hee Fat General Store in Kauai.
I've also shared recipes for Hawaiian macaroni salad, kalua pork, homemade Hawaiian punch, papaya seed dressing, and macadamia nut crusted mahi-mahi. You've pretty much got an entire Hawaiian meal planned for you right there, if you want to give it a shot!
How to Make Coconut Macadamia Nut Ice Cream
- In a small bowl, mix 2 tablespoons of the milk with the cornstarch to make a slurry. In a separate large bowl, mash the softened cream cheese with a spoon until smooth.
- In a medium saucepan, add the chopped macadamia nuts and butter, cooking and stirring over medium heat for about 5 minutes until the butter has melted and the macadamia nuts are a light golden brown. Be careful not to burn. Transfer to a separate bowl.
- In the same saucepan, add the milk, coconut milk, cream, sugar, corn syrup, and salt, then bring to a rolling boil over medium-high heat, and boil for 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the cornstarch slurry.
- Return the mixture back to a boil over medium-high heat and cook, stirring constantly for 1 minute, until slightly thickened. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla.
- Slowly pour the hot milk mixture over the cream cheese, whisking until smooth, then cool completely. You can speed up the process by transfer the mixture to a gallon size Ziploc freezer bag and submerging it in an ice bath, adding more ice as needed, until cold. This only takes about 30 minutes. If chilling the mixture in the fridge though, plan on at least 4-6 hours or overnight.
- Pour the ice cream base into your ice cream maker and churn until thick, about 20-30 minutes. Add the chopped macadamia nuts right at the end, then transfer to an airtight container. Freeze for at least 4 hours until the ice cream is firm.
How to Toast Macadamia Nuts
- In a Pan: To toast nuts in a pan, just add them to a dry pan and heat them over medium heat, shaking the pan periodically so the nuts don't burn. After just a few minutes, a nutty aroma will waft upwards and the color of the nuts will start to deepen just a bit, which is when you know they are done.
- In the Oven: To toast macadamia nuts in the oven, heat the oven to 350 degrees F, then pour the nuts onto a baking sheet in a single, even layer. Toast for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally so the nuts don't burn. Again, there will be a nutty aroma and the nuts will turn slightly golden-brown, which are your indicators that the nuts have been toasted.
More Homemade Ice Cream Recipes
- White Chocolate Raspberry Truffle Ice Cream
- Toasted Almond Ice Cream
- Rainbow Sherbet
- Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream
- Blackberry Swirl Ice Cream
- Caramel Oreo Fudge Ripple Ice Cream
- Nutella Swirl Ice Cream
- Old-Fashioned Fresh Peach Ice Cream
- Cherry Vanilla Ice Cream
- and see all my ice cream recipes here!
Did you make this recipe?
Let me know what you thought with a comment and rating below. You can also take a picture and tag me on Instagram @houseofnasheats or share it on the Pinterest pin so I can see.
Coconut Macadamia Nut Ice Cream
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon cornstarch + 2 teaspoons additional cornstarch
- 2 ounces cream cheese, softened (4 Tablespoons)
- 1 cup roasted and unsalted macadamia nuts, finely chopped
- 2 Tablespoons salted butter
- 1 ⅔ cups coconut milk
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 ½ cups heavy cream
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup light corn syrup
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
Instructions
- In a small bowl, mix 2 tablespoons of the milk with the cornstarch to make a slurry. In a separate large bowl, mash the softened cream cheese with a spoon until smooth.
- In a medium saucepan, add the chopped macadamia nuts and butter, cooking and stirring over medium heat for about 5 minutes until the butter has melted and the macadamia nuts are a light golden brown. Be careful not to burn. Transfer to a separate bowl.
- In the same saucepan, add the milk, coconut milk, cream, sugar, corn syrup, and salt, then bring to a rolling boil over medium-high heat, and boil for 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the cornstarch slurry.
- Return the mixture back to a boil over medium-high heat and cook, stirring constantly for 1 minute, until slightly thickened. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla.
- Slowly pour the hot milk mixture over the cream cheese, whisking until smooth, then cool completely. You can speed up the process by transfer the mixture to a gallon size Ziploc freezer bag and submerging it in an ice bath, adding more ice as needed, until cold. This only takes about 30 minutes. If chilling the mixture in the fridge though, plan on at least 4-6 hours or overnight.
- Pour the ice cream base into your ice cream maker and churn until thick, about 20-30 minutes. Add the chopped macadamia nuts right at the end, then transfer to an airtight container. Freeze for at least 4 hours until the ice cream is firm.
Notes
- I find the easiest way to chop macadamia nuts is by using the food processor (affiliate link). Just pulse them a few times, taking care not to process them too much or it will turn into macadamia nut butter.
- Yield: Makes approximately 1.5 quarts or roughly eight ½-cup servings.
Nutrition
More States I Have Visited in my American Eats Series
Alabama • Alaska • Arizona • Arkansas • California • Colorado • Connecticut • Delaware • Florida • Georgia • Hawaii • Idaho • Illinois • Indiana • Iowa • Kansas • Kentucky • Louisiana • Maine • Maryland • Massachusetts • Michigan • Minnesota • Mississippi • Missouri • Montana • Nebraska • New Jersey • New York • Oregon • Puerto Rico • South Carolina • South Dakota • Texas • Utah • Wisconsin
Hello! I'm making this as we speak, but will pour through ice cream maker tomorrow. Have you ever added in shredded coconut to ounch up the coconut flavor? Just curious. I was planning on doing that but was wondering if you have tried and how it was,
I love this ice cream recipe SO HARD. It turned out so great and is totally perfect for summer. I thought about adding shredded coconut but am glad I didn't. The coconut flavor from the coconut milk was exactly perfect - cool creamy and the right amount of sweet, and the crunch from the macadamia nuts was the perfect texture. Thanks for a fab recipe!
This was my first time making ice cream. I love coconut macadamia nut ice cream and thought if I was going to do it, why not make something I really love. So, I scoured the internet and found your recipe along with many others. I decided on yours. I did change the light corn syrup to Lyle's golden syrup, because it was what I had. My google search said it was an equal substitute. I thought it worked out really well, as it provided the color that Haagen Daaz has-pretty much, and I liked the color. I had to write and let you know how wonderful your recipe is. The ice cream was fantastic. I could not have been more pleased and my family loved it. Thank you for sharing. I appreciate all the efforts you must have put into perfecting this recipe.
I'm so glad you made this! Thanks for commenting and letting me know!
Is the nutrition info for one serving? What size is one serving , one cup?
Thanks,
Dianne
Yes, the nutrition is for one serving if the recipe is divided into 8 equal servings. The servings are roughly a generous 1/2 cup.