Really good vegan ice cream can be hard to find. Apparently.
I didn’t think this was so, but then I’m not the most fussy sort when it comes to ice cream. I’m one of those who thinks frozen bananas processed in the food processor until creamy is super delish (and I’m not wrong, check out this 2-ingredient peanut butter banana ice cream).
And when I found some rice milk ice cream at the organic store I was delighted and thought it was fab, that is, until my sister had some and declared it tasted like sorbet. And she didn’t mean this in a complimentary way.
So I set out to make a vegan vanilla ice cream that would taste every bit as amazing as the creamiest of creamy ice creams in the world! And so the experiment began.
The first batch I made I just blended the ingredients together, and then churned them up in the ice cream maker.
Hmmm. Not bad, but the texture just wasn’t right.
And my inquiring mind was wondering – should I heat the mix up first? If so WHY? Why do some recipes heat up the ingredients first?
So I researched online and came across a great article explaining the why of it all. Why you should heat up the ingredients first (you want to homogenize the fats so they don’t create a grainy texture). And why so many vegan ice creams can end up tasting like sorbet (they use plant milks that are not fatty enough – rice milk or soy milks just don’t have enough fat).
So using a mix of canned coconut milk (full fat version) and canned coconut cream is the best solution.
So I tried again – and this time I also used some coconut oil in the batch. This was pretty good but there was a slight fatty aftertaste that I didn’t love.
So I tried it again – without any coconut oil, and bingo – nailed it.
How to make the best vegan vanilla ice cream
Making this vegan vanilla ice cream is really straightforward.
You heat your ingredients to a simmer, and then blend for 30 seconds, this removes all graininess from your mix.
Then you let the mixture cool down (ideally overnight in the refrigerator, but in a push you can cool it for a couple of hours in the freezer), then churn it in the ice cream maker until it reaches soft serve consistency.
Then you transfer it to a loaf pan, cover with foil and allow it to set in the freezer.
This vegan vanilla ice cream is smooth and rich with melt-in-the-mouth creaminess and has a perfect ice cream mouthfeel. You will not be calling this a sorbet that’s for sure!
And what I love is that you can take this basic recipe and flavor it all different kinds of ways. Instead of adding vanilla flavor you could add cocoa for chocolate flavor, you can add nuts or chocolate chips or anything you like!
To oreo or not to oreo
I decided to go with some Golden Oreos for sprinkles, as they’re basically vanilla flavored, so it works well to pair these together. But this is of course completely optional. If you prefer it plain or don’t like oreos, leave them out.
This ice cream is most delicious eaten fresh, within a few days, though of course it keeps in the freezer – it’s ice cream after all. But even with the most creamy smooth ice cream, if it sits in the freezer too long, some ice crystals can enter the mix and that makes it not quite as delicious as time goes on.
You will love this vegan vanilla ice cream!
- It’s creamy
- Smooth
- Melt-in-the-mouth
- Rich
- Simple
Enjoy it plain or with oreo sprinkles or nuts or a drizzle of vegan caramel sauce.
It’s also totally divine to serve this vegan vanilla ice cream with some vegan apple cake or with a slice of vegan apple crisp!
How about some more delicious vegan ice cream recipes?
We’ve done a heap of flavors! Here’s a few you’ll love:
- Vegan Chocolate Ice Cream
- Vegan Peanut Butter Ice Cream
- Vegan Mango Ice Cream
- Vegan Pumpkin Ice Cream
- Vegan Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream
- Vegan Salted Caramel Ice Cream
Leave a comment below if you have any questions about this recipe and please rate the recipe too, it’s super helpful. Thanks.
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Vegan Vanilla Ice Cream
Ingredients
- 14 ounces Canned Coconut Milk (400ml) Full Fat, Unsweetened
- 14 ounces Canned Coconut Cream (400ml) Unsweetened
- ½ cup White Granulated Sugar (100g)
- ¼ cup Golden Syrup (60ml) or Maple Syrup
- ½ tsp Vanilla Powder
- 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
- Golden Oreo Cookies Optional
Instructions
- The day before, place the freezer bowl of your ice cream maker into the freezer to freeze properly.
- Next, place all the ingredients (except for the vanilla) into a pot and bring to a simmer - stirring all the while.
- As soon as it reaches a simmer, remove from heat, add the vanilla extract and vanilla powder and using an immersion (handheld) blender, blend for 30 seconds. You can also transfer to a blender jug and blend it in that - just ensure the lid is on very firmly.
- Pour the mixture into a container, cover and chill in the refrigerator overnight.
- The next day, pour the chilled mixture into your ice cream maker and churn as per the ice cream makers instructions. Can be 20-40 minutes.
- When it reaches soft serve consistency, move to a loaf pan or other freezer safe container, smooth down with a spoon, cover and place into the freezer for a few hours to set.
- When you're ready to serve, place Oreo cookies into the food processor (around 2 cookies per person) and process into a fine crumble.
- Sprinkle this over the ice cream and top with half a cookie.
- Will keep in the freezer but best when fresh. Scoop with a hot scoop (dipped in hot water) to allow for easier serving.
Notes
- Vanilla powder is totally optional here, I used it to create extra vanilla flavor, but if you don't have it on hand you can easily omit this.
- Inspired by Serious Eats.
- Nutrition estimate is for a ½ cup serving without Oreo sprinkles.
- Prep time does not include chilling the mixture or time spent setting in the freezer.
Hi, I am ready to make your vegan coffee ice cream but I don’t want to use coconut oil or cacao butter. Would you suggest I use the vanilla ice cream recipe here instead and flavor it with coffee or just substitute vegetable oil for the fats in the vegan coffee ice cream? Thanks, Shoshy
Hi Shoshy, you could just add coffee to this recipe if you prefer the ingredients in this one.
I’m trying cashew cream ice cream using your recipe for cashew milk. But, rather than using sugar, I’m using zero calorie stevia for sweetener. Then – I can eat all I want! Anyway, I’m using raw cashews so other flavours come through more clearly since raw cashews have a milder flavour but, tons of creaminess! I don’t seem to need to soak the nuts beforehand. Just measure out nuts, add enough water to cover and then blend with my immersion blender. Then add more water – after taking some of the heavier cream out for ice cream. I don’t have an icecream maker but, I’ll try stirring real quick, ha!
Also another question: Does this ice cream come out too sweet? Because some of the vegan ice creams I have made are too sweet.
I don’t consider it too sweet but you are welcome to reduce the sugar a bit if you want to be on the safe side.
wow i didnt think you would respond!!!! thank you so much, I love your website and I find your recipes so helpful!
Hi! I was wondering if this recipe still has a coconut flavor, because I have been experimenting with vegan ice cream recipes for a while and the coconut flavor always comes out too strong.
I don’t think it really does, but you might prefer our vegan ice cream recipe that uses a mix of cashew milk and coconut so that it really has a neutral base.
Hi! So last night I did the first part (heating, blending, cooling) and this morning I was excited to start the churning! But when I looked at my ice cream base, which I put in a clear container, the fats appeared to be separated. Is this normal? I figured that the heating and such would keep this from happening, so I’m wondering if maybe I heated it up too much/too little, and/or same with the blending. I haven’t done anything with it yet, so if this isn’t what’s supposed to happen, is there anything I could do to fix it? Thanks so much! Excited for some yummy vegan ice cream! ????
And question number 2– I don’t have an ice cream machine, but I do have one of those ball-shaped ice cream makers where you put in ice and salt in the outside portion and the ice cream base part in an inner compartment and shake/move it around a bunch. Would this work? Or does this recipe require a machine (or the freezing/whisking method)? 🙂
I think it will work great no matter what machine you use for it. All the best! 🙂
Just mix it up again, it shouldn’t be a problem at all.
Hi Allison, what is your preference when using coconut milk and cream. Do you use canned milks or boxed? I noticed canned milks and creams are much thicker whereas boxed milks and creams are a mixed constancy. Thanks in advance for your time! Godspeed!
Hi Channell, always canned! Al the best! 🙂
Hi,
I was wondering if you think there’s any way of doing this without an ice cream maker? I’d love to buy one but I’m only living where I am temporarily and don’t want to spend loads of money buying kitchen gadgets before I have to move again, and sell them! I’d really love to make this for Christmas though. Thanks for any advice!
Hi Varie, we have a section in our latest ice cream recipe about making ice cream without a machine! Hope it helps! 🙂
Thank you so much I’ll have a look now!
Hi, Alison! I love all your recipes! Do you have a vanilla soft serve recipe using homemade cashew cream and/or Almond milk? I’m allergic to coconut and would love to find an alternative recipe, not sure if substituting with ^ will give this recipe the correct consistency. Thanks!
Hi Cambria, thank you, so glad you like the recipes! I was just checking and pretty much all my ice cream recipes have some coconut in them! You could switch the coconut milk/cream in this recipe for homemade cashew milk/cream but then I wouldn’t heat the recipe, I would just blend it all together and then churn it. Cashew milk doesn’t heat well as it thickens a lot, so I would skip the heating and just blend and then churn! I think it would be delicious. All the best! 🙂
Could I use a vanilla bean pod instead of the vanilla powder?
Sure!
Hi, I would really love to try this but don’t have ice cream maker. What would I do at the churning stage? Thanks. Your blog is great!!!!
Hi Elie, you can try whipping it with a stand mixer. And then letting it freeze for a little bit until just before set and then bring it out and whip it again. This incorporates air which is similar to what happens when it churns. You can get a pretty great texture doing this. Even if you skip the churning/whipping part altogether, it will still be nice, it just won’t have that light and fluffy texture that is great for ice cream.
I really enjoy reading all your recipes and have tried a couple with success. I’ve just been going through all your ice cream recipes and can’t wait to run out and get the ingredients to get started. The trouble is I already know here in the 5 supermarkets I have access to that they sell only canned coconut milk, not coconut cream. Is there any successful alternative? I’ve read scraping out the solid part from a can of coconut milk would be the same but I wanted to run this by you first. Thanks.
Hi Tonks, it should work just perfectly if you let the coconut milk separate in the fridge and then just use the cream section at the top from about 2 cans (to equal 1 can of coconut cream). This recipe would likely work fine with just 2 cans of full fat coconut milk and no coconut cream, but it would be slightly less rich and the richer the better when it’s ice cream! So I think your idea for just using the cream part of the coconut milk can will really work great.
I’d like to try this recipe, but not sure what golden syrup is and where vanilla powder can be found.
Hi Christine, I updated the recipe card with some links to the vanilla powder and the golden syrup. You can definitely switch out the golden syrup for maple syrup or some other syrup though if you prefer. All the best!
This looks amazing! What if I don’t have vanilla powder???
You could just stick with vanilla extract in that case. It will still be perfect.
Heavenly ice cream! And thank goodness for Orris 🙂
Hahahaa Karen, your phones autocorrect has thrown up a good one there which has given me a good laugh. Yes indeed, love the Orris 🙂 🙂 And so glad you enjoyed the ice cream! xxx
Heating it must be the key to a creamy consistency.
I’ve been playing with frozen desserts, too.
There is nothing in the stores that I particularly like.
So far, bananas, dutch chocolate, coconut milk, and Califa Almond/Coconut has been acceptable.
I hate to admit that I often add ‘processed coffee creamer’ to a simple chocolate iced dessert.
Peppermint Mocha…yes, it is processed but it is one of my simple pleasures.
I will try your recipe next.
Also, I’ve been considering adding frozen dark bing cherries to the chocolate and a touch of almond flavoring.
Hi! Yes, I think heating it is the nb part. Though I have noticed that when recipes use cashews in the basic ice cream, they don’t have to heat it. This is something I’m going to experiment on next. 🙂 Mmmm cherries and almond flavor with chocolate sounds divine!