Ever since I started this blog in September 2015 (wow the time is flying, it’s nearly a year old already!), I have been wanting to do a recipe for vegan salted caramel ice cream.
In Dubai we get a brand of vegan salted caramel ice cream made by a company called Nobo.
And it’s pretty awesome. I can’t say I ever even ate salted caramel in my non-vegan days. It wasn’t a flavor I was familiar with really, but THIS ice cream from Nobo was really very good.
So I had it on my list as an ice cream I wanted to recreate. But I wasn’t sure how I was going to do it.
So when I first tried it I thought of using cashews as the base, because other ice creams I’ve made haven’t done so, so I thought it might make a nice change.
Well, what came out was a very delicious cheesecake flavored ice cream. So delicious that I’ve decided it’s a whole other recipe, coming to the blog soon!
But it wasn’t salted caramel.
So I tried again, using coconut cream, coconut milk and coconut sugar. And I do believe the coconut sugar was the crucial ingredient here, because on its own it has this very rich caramel taste. I also used golden syrup, which is a particularly caramel flavored syrup.
You can sub maple syrup or any other kind of syrup that you prefer, golden syrup is a UK brand but it is available on Amazon.
As long as you’re using coconut sugar, the caramel flavor is going to be there. But if you CAN also use golden syrup, well that just intensifies it even more.
So the result was an incredibly rich and creamy vegan salted caramel ice cream that was really on a par with any of the best ice creams I’ve ever tasted.
And THEN, and then and then….I found and adapted an awesome recipe for a caramel sauce.
It’s an entirely optional add on here, the ice cream itself is pure salted caramel, it doesn’t need anything added.
But…this sauce is simply incredible. It tastes like liquid fudge! Well, salty liquid fudge. It is so good and poured over some salted caramel ice cream, it’s a double whammy of delicious.
You will love this vegan salted caramel ice cream for its rich, creamy, smoothness and perfectly textured creamy mouthfeel.
You will love the richness of the caramel flavor and how well it contrasts with a hint of salty. And if you make the sauce too, you’ll love the added depth of flavor that it brings to the party.
What’s more – you’ll love the simplicity of the 6-ingredient recipe and how easy it is to create fabulous vegan ice cream at home.
If you have any questions or comments on this recipe, please post them down below. If you make this recipe, please rate it and let us know how it went! And snap a pic and tag it #lovingitvegan on instagram too as I’d love to see it! Thank you!
Vegan Salted Caramel Ice Cream
Ingredients
For the Ice Cream:
- 14 ounces Canned Coconut Cream (400ml) Unsweetened
- 14 ounces Canned Coconut Milk (400ml) Full Fat, Unsweetened
- ½ cup Coconut Sugar (75g)
- ¼ cup Golden Syrup or Maple Syrup
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1 Pinch Sea Salt
For the Salted Caramel Sauce:
- 1 cup White Granulated Sugar (200g)
- ¼ cup Golden Syrup or Maple Syrup
- 2 Tbsp Water
- 6 Tbsp Vegan Butter (90g)
- ½ cup Coconut Cream (120ml)
- 1 tsp Salt
Instructions
- The night before you want to make ice cream, place the freezer bowl of your ice cream maker into the freezer.
- Add the coconut cream, coconut milk, coconut sugar and syrup to a pot on the stove and bring to a simmer.
- Remove from heat, add vanilla extract and salt and blend with an immersion blender for 30 seconds. This removes any graininess from the texture.
- If you don't have an immersion blender, you can do this in your blender jug, just be careful as of course it will be very hot.
- Place the ice cream mixture into a container with a lid, and place into the refrigerator overnight.
- When you're ready to make the ice cream the next day, pour out the mixture into your ice cream maker and churn according to manufacturers instructions, it will usually take between 20 and 40 minutes to reach soft serve consistency.
- As soon as it has reached soft serve consistency, move it into a loaf pan, smooth it down with the back of a spoon, cover with some tinfoil and place into the freezer to set for 4-6 hours until solid.
- To make the sauce: Place the sugar, syrup and water into a heavy bottomed pot and stir until the sugar has totally melted. Then add the vegan butter.
- Stir constantly until the butter is melted.
- Slowly pour in the cream while stirring constantly.
- Let the mixture boil for about a minute and then remove from the heat and stir in the salt.
- Allow to cool completely before use.
- Keep in an airtight jar in the fridge where it will keep for up to 2 weeks.
Notes
- Prep time does not include chilling the mixture or time spent setting in the freezer.
- Nutritional information is for ice cream only and doesn't include the sauce.
I dont have coconut milk is almond milk a good subsitute?
It’s usually not rich enough for ice cream.
Is it possible to swirl the sauce into the ice cream, maybe mid way through the churning or later?
Hi Tam, you could, but it would just disappear into the ice cream, you wouldn’t see a swirl, so it’s better to keep them separate for that reason. 🙂
Is there an alternate to vegan butter?
Hi Jeff, coconut oil may work but I haven’t tested it. Otherwise you could leave off the sauce or try a different one like our vegan caramel sauce which is made with coconut butter. 🙂
Hi Alison, what is golden syrup and do you have a particular brand you like?
Hi Terry, I just put in a link to the Golden Syrup I use, it’s called ‘Lyle’s’ basically it’s a caramel flavored syrup that’s just very delicious and a favorite product of mine, it’s available on Amazon and I’ve linked it in the recipe card now. But you can also use Maple Syrup or substitute for another syrup that you prefer. 🙂
Hello Alison
Is there a way to make your ice cream without an ice cream maker?
Thank you,
You could try freezing the mixture, then taking it out and letting it thaw a bit and then whipping it up with an electric mixer and then freezing again. This is to remove the ice crystals. This might need to happen a couple of times before you get the right texture.