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    Home » Vegan Ice Cream Recipes

    Vegan Chocolate Ice Cream

    Published: Oct 20, 2016 Updated: Aug 8, 2022 by Alison Andrews This post may contain affiliate links

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
    Vegan Chocolate Ice Cream

    This vegan chocolate ice cream is rich and decadent, smooth and creamy with a perfect melt in your mouth texture.

    Chocolate ice cream in glass bowls with spoons.

    I think two of my favorite things to make are cakes (all cakes, but especially cupcakes) and ice creams.

    Oh my goodness, I love making ice creams! They’re so easy to make, and taste soooo good.

    There’s really no downside.

    So in my quest to make ice creams in all the flavors (got vanilla, coconut, mint chocolate chip and salted caramel so far – so much fun still ahead!), of course chocolate has to come fairly soon on the list. Chocolate is a major player in the whole ice cream game after all.

    I knew I wanted to make a really really rich and decadent chocolate ice cream. Like not just adding cocoa powder to it and calling it a day.

    And this fabulous vegan chocolate ice cream really gets it right. It’s decadent and rich as all heck.

    The decadence and richness comes from adding vegan dark chocolate to it in addition to a large dose of cocoa powder.

    The result is a chocolate mousse style ice cream that doesn’t disappoint!

    I’m not kidding about the richness though – it’s crazy rich but in such a good way. You only need a small portion of this to be entirely satisfied. And I mean entirely.

    If you’re so inclined (we totally were) you can add some more chopped vegan dark chocolate over the top when serving. Oh yum!

    And if you love all things chocolate then you’ll also love our fudgy chocolate popsicles.

    Chocolate ice cream in glass bowls with spoons.

    How To Make Vegan Chocolate Ice Cream

    You will find full instructions and measurements in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. This is a summary of the process to go along with the process photos.

    To make this vegan chocolate ice cream, you simply add coconut milk, coconut cream, cocoa powder, sugar and golden or maple syrup to a pot and bring it to a simmer stirring regularly.

    When it reaches a simmer, you remove from the heat, add vanilla extract and some vegan dark chocolate. Allow it to sit for a minute to give the chocolate a chance to melt and then whisk it in. Then blend it for 30 seconds using an immersion blender if you have one, or a regular blender if you don’t. This is to remove any last trace of graininess there may be in the ice cream texture.

    Chocolate ice cream mix in a pot.

    Then you transfer this mixture to a container with a lid, place into the fridge and allow to cool completely. Due to the dark chocolate in the recipe, this mixture may begin to set while it cools, becoming the consistency of chocolate mousse. This is totally okay!

    When it’s cooled completely, add it to your ice cream machine and churn it until it reaches the consistency of thick soft serve.

    Vegan chocolate ice cream churning in an ice cream machine.

    Transfer it from the ice cream machine to a loaf pan, smooth it down, cover with foil and place into the freezer to set.

    Chocolate ice cream in a loaf pan.

    When it’s set scoop and serve!

    Scooping ice cream with an ice cream scoop.

    I couldn’t decide whether this was better in bowls or cones, so we went with both!

    Scoops of chocolate ice cream in sugar cones.

    Ingredient Notes

    • Coconut Milk – should be canned, full fat, unsweetened coconut milk.
    • Coconut Cream – should be canned and unsweetened.
    • White Granulated Sugar – can be switched for light brown sugar or even coconut sugar.
    • Golden Syrup – is great for flavor but maple syrup is also great.
    • Cocoa Powder – should be natural and unsweetened.
    • Vegan Dark Chocolate – should be a high quality, good tasting chocolate. Alternatively you can use vegan chocolate chips.
    Chocolate ice cream in sugar cones.

    Storing Instructions

    Even though this is ice cream, it’s still best when consumed in the first week or two. If it stores too long then ice crystals can start to develop and affect your texture.

    Chocolate ice cream in sugar cones.

    More Delicious Vegan Chocolate Desserts

    1. Vegan Chocolate Ganache
    2. Vegan Chocolate Cookies
    3. Vegan Chocolate Sauce
    4. Vegan Chocolate Mousse
    5. Vegan Chocolate Pie
    6. Vegan Chocolate Pudding

    Did you make this recipe? Be sure to leave a comment and rating below!

    Vegan chocolate ice cream in cones.

    Vegan Chocolate Ice Cream

    This vegan chocolate ice cream is rich and decadent, smooth and creamy with a perfect melt in your mouth texture.
    5 from 13 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Dessert, Ice-Cream
    Cuisine: American
    Diet: Vegan
    Prep Time: 15 minutes
    Cook Time: 20 minutes
    Total Time: 35 minutes
    Servings: 8
    Calories: 477kcal
    Author: Alison Andrews

    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
    • ⅔ cup Cocoa Powder (57g) Unsweetened
    • 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
    • 7 ounces Vegan Dark Chocolate (200g) plus more for serving
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    Instructions

    • The day before you want to make ice cream, place the freezer bowl of your ice cream maker into the freezer to freeze properly.
    • Then add your coconut milk, coconut cream, sugar, syrup and cocoa powder to a pot and heat to a simmer. You’ll need to whisk it with a hand whisk to mix the cooca powder in properly, but thereafter you can just stir gently until it reaches a simmer.
    • Remove from the heat and whisk in the vanilla.
    • Break the dark chocolate into pieces and add, leaving for a minute to give it a chance to melt, then whisk in until smooth.
    • Blend the mix directly in the pot with an immersion blender for 30 seconds to remove any last trace of graininess from your mixture. If you don't have an immersion blender, then transfer to your blender jug and blend.
    • Transfer the mix to a sealable container and place into the fridge to chill completely. It may thicken into a chocolate mousse consistency, this is fine.
    • Transfer to your ice cream machine and churn until it reaches soft serve consistency. If it's quite thick going in, then this may only take around 20 minutes, but churn it for as long as possible (at least 20 minutes) so that it incorporates enough air to be light and fluffy.
    • Smooth down into a loaf pan, cover with foil and place into the freezer to set completely before serving.
    • Serve topped with chopped dark chocolate (optional).

    Notes

    1. Prep time does not include the time spent chilling the mix or setting in the freezer.
    2. Keep your ice cream stored in the freezer and enjoy within the first 1-2 weeks for the best results. 

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1Serve (½ cup) | Calories: 477kcal | Carbohydrates: 42g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 35g | Saturated Fat: 28g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 22mg | Potassium: 548mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 30g | Vitamin A: 10IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 43mg | Iron: 6mg
    DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE? Rate it & leave your feedback in the comments section below, or tag @lovingitvegan on Instagram and hashtag #lovingitvegan
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    About the Author

    Hi I'm Alison Andrews, I'm the voice and cook behind Loving It Vegan. I love making delicious vegan food and creating vegan versions of all your old favorites, so that you’ll never feel like you’re missing out. Find out more about me here.

    Loving It Vegan is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. This site may contain some of these links to Amazon.com. If you make a purchase through one of those links, Loving It Vegan will receive a small commission from the purchase at no additional cost to you.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Rene says

      June 15, 2022 at 1:59 pm

      I can’t wait to try this. I have a whole case of coconut creme and a new ice cream maker. I was trying to find dairy free nice cream recipes. This one looks good!

      Reply
    2. Sandra Armstrong says

      June 04, 2021 at 12:44 pm

      Delicious. Have made this one a few times. It’s a favorite in our house.5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        June 04, 2021 at 2:05 pm

        Awesome! Thanks Sandra!

        Reply
    3. Mia says

      January 21, 2021 at 2:19 pm

      Hello????
      Can I make this ice cream only with almond milk?
      And why do you use coconut cream in almost every recipe? What is the alternative for the cream?
      Thank you ✌️

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        January 22, 2021 at 11:16 am

        Almond milk won’t be rich enough for ice cream.

        Reply
    4. Alycce says

      June 22, 2020 at 1:21 pm

      I make this as a chocolate mousse and it’s delicious, I’m lucky my local health food shop sells coconut whipping cream and I use that to make it a mousse

      Myself and my daughter are lactose intolerant so this is a great comfort when you want a chocolate fix that’s indulgent

      PS love this site ❤️5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        June 23, 2020 at 11:21 am

        Awesome! Thanks so much Alycce!

        Reply
    5. Jane says

      June 15, 2020 at 1:15 pm

      Hello,
      I prepared this yesterday and finished making it this morning. Been trying to find a recipe my autistic son will like. He normally likes Ben and Jerry’s vegan chocolate brownie ice cream. Being autistic and very sensory driven, it can be hard for him to try new foods or brands. We are home bound and not getting to any shops at the moment. This was super easy to make. But what topped it for me was the flavour and texture. It is on par with Ben and Jerry’s. My son is ecstatic and currently licking a cone of it as I type. We solute you for your triumph here. For anyone who is not a fan of coconut. You can’t taste the coconut at all. It’s just a lovely rich chocolate flavour. It scoops up just like Ben and Jerry’s. This will be our goto ice cream from now on. My son is allergic to a lot of foods and this being vegan and gluten free is just wonderful. I will try the vanilla next 🙂

      Big HUGE thank you from the two of us5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        June 15, 2020 at 1:29 pm

        So happy to hear that Jane! Thanks a million!

        Reply
    6. Arya says

      May 10, 2020 at 1:29 am

      Hello, I hope you are well. Do you have favorite vegan dark chocolate that you like? At our local store I could only find vegan dark chocolate chips bag, 9 oz and I wasn’t sure if I should use those in this recipe. Thank you, I can’t wait to try it.

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        May 11, 2020 at 1:47 pm

        I’m a fan of Lindt dark chocolate, but whatever you can find, should work fine!

        Reply
    7. Maria Karaiskou says

      April 10, 2020 at 2:21 pm

      The best vegan ice cream i ever had. Thank you so much for the recipe!????5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        April 11, 2020 at 11:24 am

        Yay! Thanks so much Maria!

        Reply
    8. Lily says

      February 18, 2020 at 3:30 am

      My coconut cream has separated, do I just use the cream part and use the water for something else or mix it all together and use it all? Thank you

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        February 18, 2020 at 10:15 am

        Use it all, it won’t matter that it separated because while it’s heating, you’ll be whisking and then stirring it and it will all come together again.

        Reply
    9. Robert Walker says

      August 27, 2019 at 9:57 pm

      Is the coconut milk the stuff in a can or the kind you would drink in place of milk?

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        August 29, 2019 at 1:55 pm

        In a can definitely. The full fat unsweetened canned version is the one to use. 🙂

        Reply
    10. Debbie says

      June 17, 2019 at 2:00 am

      I made this recipe for a Father’s Day dinner for my family, with a couple of changes. My husband’s favorite ice cream flavor is Rocky Road; so after churning it, I stirred in miniature marshmallows and chopped walnuts. Then I packed it in the loaf pan and froze it overnight. My family went wild over it. My nine-year-old grandson licked his bowl. And my husband thought it was as good as premium ice cream. They have already asked if I will make it again. This recipe is definitely a keeper. ????5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        June 17, 2019 at 9:40 am

        That is so awesome to hear! So glad it was a huge success. Thanks so much Debbie! 🙂

        Reply
    11. Xavy says

      December 08, 2018 at 8:30 pm

      I am so grateful for this recipe! I successfully made this while omitting the chocolate at the end of the recipe, and using exclusively maple syrup (3/4 cup) instead of sugar. Impressed my family and company. Now I will experiment with the vanilla and include almond extract and cherries for an amaretto taste…5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        December 09, 2018 at 12:10 pm

        Awesome! So happy to hear this, thanks so much for the amazing review! 🙂

        Reply
    12. Jen says

      December 01, 2018 at 9:29 am

      Best Ice cream ever!!!! I love it, will never buy again. Doesn’t taste of coconut. Just taste like beautiful chock ice cream! My kids can’t tell the difference5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        December 01, 2018 at 9:29 am

        Wonderful!! Thanks so much Jen! 🙂

        Reply
    13. Manasi says

      October 11, 2017 at 9:41 pm

      Hi Alison
      Is it possible for you to put up a recipe for ice cream that doesnt invove ice cream maker. I dont have one and I am looking for creamy ice cream recipes please thank you5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        October 12, 2017 at 1:22 pm

        Sure – will add it to my list! 🙂

        Reply
      • DK says

        June 09, 2019 at 6:05 pm

        I was going to ask the same.

        Reply
        • Alison Andrews says

          June 10, 2019 at 2:41 pm

          Hi there! We do have recipes for no churn (no ice cream maker needed) ice creams now, both our vegan cookies and cream ice cream and our peanut butter banana ice cream don’t need an ice cream maker.

          Reply
    14. Amelia says

      October 26, 2016 at 1:26 pm

      this looks so delicious ! but .. can you do it without an ice-cream machine?

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        October 26, 2016 at 1:32 pm

        You can, but it’s a little more effort and may not be quite as creamy in the final result. The way to do it follow the directions up till the point of churning. Then just add it to a loaf pan and freeze it for around 8 hours, taking it out every hour to whisk/stir it so that it removes ice crystals and incorporates air. My mother makes it like this and still thinks it’s the best ice cream she’s had. So it definitely works! But as you can see it’s a bit of an effort. All the best!

        Reply
        • Zohar says

          January 01, 2021 at 9:57 am

          Hi, how would I convert 1 14 oz to grams? Thank you

          Reply
          • Alison Andrews says

            January 01, 2021 at 10:38 am

            It’s 400ml.

    15. Anna Andrews says

      October 21, 2016 at 3:11 pm

      Wow! Who says Vegans have to eat bland food!5 stars

      Reply

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