Here I go again with a dessert disguised as breakfast food. Make no mistake, this is not a recipe I recommend any of us start our day with. Unless you are hardcore. Even then, I urge you to exercise caution with this concoction. Maybe begin with a green smoothie? You know, get in those leaves before overdosing on sugar. But, together or separately, the ice cream + waffles make an excellent dessert for a special occasion.
I picked up some kumquats the other day from the market and was immediately stuck on the idea of making ice cream with them. I also couldn’t shake the craving I was having for pairing them with chocolate. I didn’t want to overwhelm the flavor of the teeny tiny citrus fruit with chocolate, but rather enhance. So the only logical choice seemed to be topping chocolate laced waffles with the clean crisp flavors of this kumquat ice cream.
Only a little of each is needed to seriously wow those taste-buds of yours. The ice cream is soft, light and fluffy and the waffles are crispy, tender, and decadent. Nice combo if I do say so myself.
You will need to remove the seeds from the kumquats before using, as the seeds don’t make a very good addition to the ice cream.
And once you’ve removed the seeds, and hopefully popped one or two of the little guys into your mouth–lest you miss out on the wonderfulness of a sweet and tangy kumquat–then you will need to slice them into little slivers. The way I recommend to do this is to slice them in half lengthwise and then across into 1/8 to 1/4 inch slivers.
Chocolate Chip Waffles with Kumquat Ice Cream ~ Vegan & Gluten-Free
For the ice cream:
- 1 heaping cup slivered kumquats, excluding seeds
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup water
- Dash sea salt
- 8 ounces (1 cup) vegan cream cheese
- 1 cup almond milk
- 1 can (13.5 ounces) coconut milk
Place the sliced kumquats, sugar, water and salt into a small saucepan and cook over medium to medium-low heat until kumquats turn translucent and soft, about 20 minutes. Stir often to prevent boiling over. Let the mixture cool completely before making the rest of the ice cream.
In a food processor, combine the cooled kumquat syrup, cream cheese, almond milk, and coconut milk until smooth. Process mixture in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. For firmer ice cream, chill in the freezer for at least an hour before serving.
For the waffles:
- 1 cup sorghum flour
- 1/2 cup brown rice flour
- 1/4 cup potato starch
- 1/4 cup tapioca flour
- 1 tsp xanthan gum
- 3 tbsp granulated sugar
- 3 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar
- 6 tbsp melted vegan margarine
- 2 cups almond milk
- 1 cup vegan chocolate chips
Combine all dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl, making sure to not leave any clumps of baking powder or salt clinging to the edges of the bowl. Add in the vinegar, melted margarine, and almond milk and whisk together well to make a smooth batter. Fold in the chocolate chips.
Preheat (and spray with cooking spray to be on the safe side) your waffle iron and cook according to manufacturer’s directions. This recipe should yield two Belgian Waffles or about 6 regular sized waffles. Serve frozen kumquat ice cream on top of warm waffles.
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Holy cow, that looks lovely, Allyson! This looks amazing and your photos are beautiful! That is sin on a plate and I’d love to dig in!
I did a little squee right in the middle of Whole Foods when I saw they had the first kumquats of the season a few weeks ago. I have a bowlful of them waiting to be put into a little pie this weekend!
Whoa! That’s so impressive looking!
Wow. You weren’t messing around with this recipe! haha I love kumquats and combining them with chocolate? Sounds incredible. Just another reason I need to buy a waffle maker. :)
yuuuuum… kumquat ice cream sounds totally amazing! your husband must love coming home :)
aw, I sure hope he does, Heather! Thank you, dear. <3
Absolutely gorgeous photos and genius idea. But… “You will need to remove the seeds from the kumquats before using, as the seeds don’t make a very good addition to the ice cream.” I know you had to specify, but I couldn’t stop laughing. Thanks for the food porn and the giggle.
Mmm these sound so yummy!
i have never had a kumquat! and i almost want to say that i’ve never even seen one, but i may have mistaken one for a lemon! their flesh looks so tender, almost like a mango. i need to get my hands on one asap!
and, of course, your pictures are gorgeous. i love that you added cream cheese to the ice cream. does it make the ice cream more fluffy/soft?
you may have seen them before… they are much smaller than a lemon, about the size of a grape tomato! So delicious; they are by far my favorite citrus fruit. And yes, the cream cheese makes the ice cream extra fluffy… and creamy. ;)
too badd I don’t have an ice cream maker, this kunquat ice cream would have been great!
how divine!
OMG yum!!
Kumquat sounds new to me…just want to know how it taste? is it like the taste of orange? I love this recipe and it really looks tempting.
Hi Raquel,
I’d say kumquats taste a lot like a cross between a lemon and a tangerine (to me). The best thing about them is they are like the reverse of what one would think of citrus fruits… the skins are sweet and the insides are sour. So, you eat them whole. You must try one!
oh my, this looks fabulous. it’s been awhile since i’ve had waffles and ice cream. if i had this for breakfast, it would start my day with a very big smile lol!
mmm I love kumquats! loving how you incorporated it into ice cream and topped it on waffles!!
Holy wow. This is like food porn. That looks ridiculous! I’ll be making this soon and swooning over it this weekend. Can;t wait to try :)
This is awesome! We bought a box of kumquats a couple of times and never knew what to do with them. The ice cream looks very creamy indeed!
Mm this recipe is impressive! I love buying kumquats they seem so exotic… but never know what to do with them (they always end up in a stir-fry..:)
Do you have a recipe for the vegan cream cheese by any chance?:)
I can’t wait to try this!
Hi Cloudberries!
Thank you for your kind words… I do not have a recipe on here for cream cheese, but for store bought I do love “follow your heart” brand, and tofutti is also nice! <3
I love kumquats. This looks wonderful!
I dream about kumquats. Now, I’ll dream about kumquat ice cream. I can’t wait til they are in season in IL.
Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! In the space of two months- June-July last year, my daughter was diagnosed with having severe allergies to peanuts, eggs, and soy, as well as having celiac disease. Despite having baked and cooked all my life, learning to bake gluten free and without eggs has been very challenging. I made these waffles tonight and they turned out beautifully!!! I’m so greatful to find a recipe that tastes so delicious that my whole family can enjoy!
How wonderful, Katie! You are so very welcome. <3 I agree, the change is a little difficult to get the hang of… but it’s a small learning curve. Since I’m the only celiac in my family, I also have to cook gf but good enough so that the rest of the family will also enjoy it. So glad yours did as well! :)
Hi! I was wondering if you used whole-fat coconut milk in your ice cream recipe, and if you could use the light version instead. We have three kumquat trees and I thought the ice cream would be a perfect excuse to use some. Thanks!
I do use whole fat coconut milk… and generally in the case of ice creams where I only use coconut milk, I probably wouldn’t recommend the light milk, but since this ice cream has other thick ingredients in it, I think it would be okay (maybe not quite as creamy). You could always whisk a teaspoon of xantham gum or so into the mixture before transferring to an ice cream maker to thicken it up as well. Lucky you with your kumquat trees!! :)