Though mint chocolate chip ice cream and coconut gelato tend to be my favorite frozen treats, sometimes only strawberry ice cream (or a strawberry milkshakes) will do. This is particularly true of homemade ice cream, which is definitely better (and easier) in certain flavors — like peach and strawberry.

But as obsessed as I am with all dairy products, I’ve noticed lately that they don’t agree with me quite as much as they used to. I’ve been trying dairy alternatives with varying success — soy milk works well in chai, but I don’t like the taste otherwise; vanilla coconut milk is good but very sweet, and I hate the strawberry coconut milk ice cream from Trader Joe’s — but I had been wanting to make my own coconut milk ice cream for a while.

It’s technically not “ice cream,” of course, because there’s no cream. But it turns out that the process is basically the same, and it doesn’t taste very different at all. I didn’t use eggs, so it is vegan, but I did use corn starch to thicken the coconut milk so the resulting ice cream would be creamier. You can use arrowroot starch if you prefer, but I wouldn’t recommend skipping the starch altogether unless you’re planning to eat all the ice cream immediately when it comes out of the ice cream maker. It will get a weird, flaky consistency when it freezes completely, and no one wants that.

This does have the slightest hint of coconut flavor, but I think that is because I used a bit of coconut rum to keep ice crystals at bay; feel free to use unflavored vodka, gin or no alcohol at all if you don’t want yours to have any trace of the tropics. If you want extra coconut flavor, add in some coconut flavoring instead of (or in addition to) vanilla. Either way, make sure you use very ripe fresh strawberries or thawed frozen strawberries to give it a good, strong strawberry flavor.

Strawberry coconut milk ice cream (Makes 1 1/2 quarts of ice cream, recipe adapted from Food52)
2 cans full-fat coconut milk (DO NOT USE LIGHT!)
1 heaping tablespoon cornstarch
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon real vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups diced fresh strawberries (or thawed frozen strawberries)
1 tablespoon coconut rum or other alcohol

Make sure the bowl of your ice cream maker is completely frozen before starting.

Pour a little bit of coconut milk into a measuring cup or small bowl, then pour the rest of it into a pot. Whisk the cornstarch into the reserved coconut milk, then add that mixture and the sugar to the pot and whisk to combine. Stir in the strawberries and vanilla.

Heat over medium-high heat until almost boiling (little bubbles will start to form around the sides of the pot), whisking frequently, then turn heat down to medium-low and cook and whisk for an additional minute or two — until you can tell the mixture has thickened. Turn off the heat and allow to cool a bit, then whisk in the alcohol. Transfer the mixture into a bowl, cover it and put it in the refrigerator until it is completely cold (at least an hour). Use an ice bath if you want to speed things up a bit.

Once the ice cream mixture is cold, whisk it once more and then pour it into your ice cream maker. Process for 20-30 minutes, until it is thick, creamy and frozen. Serve immediately, or transfer to freezer-proof containers to freeze for later. Bonus points if you scoop it between some snickerdoodles or chocolate chip cookies for an ice cream sandwich.