If you’re one of those people that walks right past the mushy, overly ripe persimmon in the supermarket, boy are you missing out! The orange winter fruit is sweet and cinnamony with a bright, fresh flavor. And while they may look rotten on the shelf in the produce department, guess what? – that’s exactly how you’re supposed to eat them!
Why am I suggesting that you eat rotten fruit? Well if you’ve ever eaten a hachiya persimmon that wasn’t overly ripe, you’re mouth was probably covered in a pasty white film that made you want to scream. Ask me how I know.
Why yes, I did just say hachiya persimmon. Kind of sounds like some sort of karate pose, doesn’t it? Well, it turns out that there are actually two different types of persimmon – fuyu and hachiya.
Fuyu persimmon have a squatted flat shape, almost like a tomato, and can be eaten when firm. Hachiya, on the other hand, are very astringent and can only be eaten when fully ripe (read: rotten-looking).
With their silky smooth pulp, hachiya persimmon make a great base for ice cream. Paired with coconut milk and warm winter spices – this creamy dessert is perfect for winter!
Vegan Persimmon Coconut Ice Cream
1 cup hachiya persimmon puree (from about 2 large hachiya persimmon)
1 14oz. can coconut milk
1 cup coconut milk (I use Coconut Dream Original)
2 tbsp maple syrup
2 tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
pinch of nutmeg, ginger and cloves
Method:
Refrigerate 2 very ripe hachiya persimmon, can of coconut milk and container of coconut milk overnight.*
To make the persimmon puree, peel and chop the persimmon and place in a blender or food processor. Puree until smooth. Add remaining ingredients and blend until incorporated. Pour the mixture into an ice cream machine and churn for 15-20 minutes.
*I prefer to work fast with cold ingredients, so that I don’t have to refrigerate the mixture (for several hours) before adding it to the ice cream machine.
NO-MACHINE VARIATION: To make persimmon ice cream without an ice cream machine (it won’t be the same as the one pictured, but it will still be really creamy), peel and chop 2 persimmon and freeze overnight, until solid. Place the frozen persimmon, 1 tbsp maple syrup and spices (omit brown sugar) into a blender and add just enough coconut milk (either type is fine) to get things going. Process until smooth. Serve immediately.
Related Posts:
passion for persimmon: salad & sorbet
persimmon yogurt smoothie
Looks SO good! And a great way to use persimmon (some of my family members like the taste, but not the texture).
And yeah, eating hachiya when unripe is UGH! I made that mistake two years ago and will never, ever do it again!
Wow. Looks so good. Tempting!!!
Sounds un.be.
lievable! One question though, whats the difference between the canned coconut milk and the other one?
Canned coconut milk is like heavy cream. In fact, if you refrigerate it, the cream and milk will separate and you can actually whip up the cream into coconut whipped cream. The coconut milk from the carton is like whole milk. Creamy, but not as thick as the canned variety (and you wouldn’t be able to make whipped cream out of it).
I cam across another persimmon recipe this week too. Must be the season.
What a great idea. I never even thought to use persimmons in ice cram, but I bet this is delicious.
I know exactly what you mean when you mention eating a not totally ripe hachiya persimmon YUCK! We have been wanting to make a recipe with persimmons as well, but we have not come up with something worth posting. We love this vegan ice cream recipe, the combination of coconut milk, persimmon and spices sound sooo good!
Persimmons are one of my favorite fruits – this recipe looks great!
I love how creamy this looks!
I have a friend who was obsessed with persimmon when we were in Israel together, she would love this recipe!
I have always wanted to do more with persimmons and never actually did it. This looks inspiring and I like the idea of ice cream for winter, with winter, seasonal flavors. Isn’t coconut milk wonderful??
ohh! i think i don’t like persimmons because i never let them ripen enough… thanks for the tip :)
I would have never thought of this combination! Sounds so great!
I have to admit that I am a bit afraid of hayacha persimmons after trying a not quite ripe one a few too many times. That being said, they are so delicious it is worth the risk and this ice cream looks and sounds divine.
Hi Chanie, I just noticed some ripe persimmons in the farmers’ market and thought of this recipe. I don’t have an ice cream machine and would like to make the “other” version. Two questions: Can I do it in a food processor?My blender is milchig. Also, can you re-read your direction and clarify, when making it this way, you say “add enough coconut milk to get it going.” Do you mean the kind in the carton or the can? Do you not use both if you make it this way? Thanks!
Hi Elissa, I just revised the recipe to make things clearer. You may use a food processor, just let the persimmon soften a bit so it can process easily. It doesn’t matter which type of coconut milk you use. In fact, you can use any type of milk you like.
Sorry, one more question: It calls for 1 cup of puree, but first of all, how do you know how many persimmons to use for this amount until it’s already pureed? Did you just estimate? And for the version in the blender, you don’t even say how much/many to use. Assuming it’s the same amount, since I have to freeze the persimmons first, I would definitely need to know how many to use in advance of freezing them….
Sorry that I wasn’t clear, I’ve revised the recipe, so see above.
Thanks! Food processor okay?
Definitely!