Creamy vegan strawberry ice cream packed with strawberry flavor. Perfectly textured, smooth, and the prettiest pink color!
So you know there is that kind of vegan strawberry ice cream that is super wholesome and is made with just like strawberries and frozen bananas?
Well, this is not that recipe.
I really wanted to go for a strawberry ice cream that tastes similar to what you would buy in a tub at the store.
For my first try I reduced strawberry purée by half on the stove first and then blended that into the ice cream mixture. I thought that might intensify the strawberry flavor.
But the end result had way too much tartness and also had more of that frozen fruit texture, which surprised me since it was a strawberry reduction, but you know… okay then!
So then I tried it with some strawberry purée, no reducing at all, just fresh purée, and a little strawberry extract to kind of get the strawberry flavor to more closely mimic the strawberry flavored goodies you would buy.
And then there it was, really really good strawberry ice cream!
How To Make Vegan Strawberry 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.
Add a can of coconut milk and a can of coconut cream to a pot along with sugar and syrup.
Bring that to a simmer stirring constantly.
As soon as it reaches a simmer, remove it from the heat and add puréed strawberries, strawberry extract and salt.
Use an immersion blender to blend everything smooth. If you don’t have an immersion blender, you could let the mixture cool down a bit and then blend it in your regular blender.
Move the mixture to a storage container or jug and place it into the fridge to chill. I usually just let this chill overnight, but if you’re in a hurry you can let it chill in the freezer for an hour or so, you just need the mixture to be very cold before churning.
Churn it in your ice cream maker until it reaches a soft serve consistency. Depending on the kind of ice cream maker you have, this could be anywhere from around 20 minutes to 45 minutes.
Once the ice cream is churned, smooth it down into a loaf pan and cover with foil. Place it into the freezer to set.
Scoop and enjoy!
Success Tips
Heat and then immersion blend. Heating the basic ice cream mixture and then blending it helps to really smooth out the fats which creates that really good ice cream mouthfeel!
Ice cream machine. We use a Cuisinart ice cream maker which we love and usually gets the churning job done in 20-25 minutes.
Plan in advance. It’s not super fast to make this. The hands on time is quick, but with all the waiting time in-between for the ice cream mix to chill and then the churned ice cream to set, it’s not fast. But it is easy!
Ingredient Notes
Coconut cream and coconut milk. The cans of coconut milk and coconut cream create the perfect creamy texture. They are very high in fat which works really well for making ice cream. Switching these for other plant based milks is not going to work as well because the other milks are not as high in fat.
White granulated sugar. I used regular granulated white sugar, but you can switch for a different sugar if you want, it will change the color of the ice cream, but light brown sugar and coconut sugar are also fine to use.
Maple syrup. You can use maple syrup or any syrup for this ice cream. If you have a particular syrup that you like the flavor of, that will be fine to use here. The syrup helps in creating a super smooth texture for this ice cream in the final result.
Strawberry extract. This is optional, but does add a more intense strawberry flavor. The strawberry purée does create great strawberry flavor on it’s own.
Storing Instructions
Keep it stored in the freezer and ideally enjoy it within a week and up to a maximum of two weeks.
Yes, it’s ice cream so theoretically it’s fine to keep longer, but it does start to incorporate some ice crystals the longer you keep it so the taste is best when it’s fresh.
More Vegan Ice Cream Recipes
- Vegan Vanilla Ice Cream
- Vegan Coconut Ice Cream
- Vegan Salted Caramel Ice Cream
- Vegan Peanut Butter Ice Cream.
- Vegan Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream
- Vegan Chocolate Ice Cream.
Did you make this recipe? Be sure to leave a comment and rating below!
Vegan Strawberry Ice Cream
Ingredients
- 14 ounce Can Coconut Cream (400ml) Unsweetened
- 14 ounce Can Coconut Milk (400ml) Full Fat, Unsweetened
- ½ cup White Granulated Sugar (100g)
- ¼ cup Maple Syrup (60ml)
- 1 cup Strawberry Purée (232g)
- 1 Tablespoon Strawberry Extract
- ½ teaspoon Salt
Instructions
- The night before you want to make the ice cream, make sure to place the freezer bowl of your ice cream maker into the freezer so that it’s ready to go.
- Prepare your strawberry purée by placing whole strawberries (stems cut off) into a food processor and processing into purée. Set aside.
- Add the coconut cream, coconut milk, sugar and maple syrup to a pot on the stove and bring it to a simmer, stirring gently the whole time. As soon as it reaches a simmer, remove it from the heat.
- Add in the strawberry purée, strawberry extract and salt and then using an immersion blender, blend until smooth. If you don’t have an immersion blender then you can do this in a regular blender, just be careful when blending hot liquid.
- Pour the mixture into a container with a lid, and place it into the fridge to chill overnight. If you’re in a hurry you can place it into the freezer instead and that will speed up the process, just keep a check on it, and when the mix is very chilled, you are ready to churn it.
- Churn according to manufacturer instructions for your ice cream maker, but it should be in the region of 20-45 minutes until it reaches a soft serve consistency. When it reaches this consistency, transfer the ice cream to a loaf pan and smooth down with the back of a spoon.
- Cover with foil and place into the freezer to set completely (usually at least 6 hours).
- Scoop and serve!
Notes
- The strawberry extract can be omitted if it’s hard to find, the strawberry purée is enough to flavor this, but if you can get it, it’s great to use since it does add some great flavor.
- Prep time does not include chilling in the fridge or setting in the freezer.
Hi,
Does a food processor do the job of blending just as well? Also, can I let the mixture cool first?
Definitely let it cool first, if you have a stand mixer you can also use that. I’m not sure how well the food processor will work, but it might be fine!
I found Lovingitvegan by accident in a search for a recipe for vegan nacho cheese. The end result was so delicious I was hooked on Alison’s website like no other. EVER. When I found the ice cream recipes I honestly didn’t expect much – for years I’ve tried to find a good one but to no avail. Until now. In fact, I was so happy with the results, far better than any dairy ice cream I’ve ever had in my past, that I finally splurged and ordered the Cuisinart instant ice cream maker. Because of Alison’s recipes, I could finally justify the $300 price tag. I can’t wait to make more of these incredible ice cream recipes. Thanks so much, Alison!
So happy to hear that Paula! And I think the cuisinart is a really good investment, lots of good ice cream ahead! 🙂
Just curious, why does the coconut mixture need to be brought to a simmer? I did not see these steps for your avocado ice cream recipe (which I made today and was SOOOO good).
I was wondering if I could just mix in the starwberry puree together with everything else?
Hi Holly, it’s a technique to create a really smooth texture – it homogenizes the fats so it eliminates any graininess. I don’t always use that technique though and various ice creams may have slightly different methods. You are definitely free to use the avocado ice cream method on this ice cream! All the best!
Amazing!! This has been my favorite vegan ice cream recipe thus far. The flavor was on point. I added some red food coloring to make it look more pink. I also substituted the sugar with monkfruit sweetener and added 1/4 cup extra of strawberry purée.
AWESOME, AWESOME, I am so glad I came across this recipe.
Awesome! Thanks Steffiney!
Hi, could I replace the coconut milk and cream with soy milk?
Soy milk is not generally rich enough for an ice cream. You ‘can’ use it of course, but I don’t know if the result will be that great at all.
Amazing recipe! My non-vegan family loved it and I enjoy the subtle coconut flavor. Making your chocolate recipe now & it already smells delicious 🙂 Thank you!
I got 2 buckets of fresh strawberries from the country store and needed more ideas to use the strawberries up. I found your recipe and I made this yesterday. It was ready to eat today. THE. BEST. ICE CREAM! I made the recipe almost exactly. I did not have strawberry extract on hand, so I used good ‘ ol vanilla extract in its place. Thank you so much!
Wonderful! Thanks for sharing Amber!
I followed the recipe, except for the sugar. I used just the Maple Syrup. We are currently trying to cut out sugar and dairy in our diet.
This Ice Cream is Amazing! Thank you 🙂
So glad you liked it Marie! Thanks for the great review. 🙂
Hello,
Can I use frozen strawberries or are fresh better?
Hi Theresa, you can, but you’ll need to let them thaw first before you’ll be able to make your purée. 🙂
This is delicious! I strained the strawberry purée because I don’t like seeds. I could only find 5.4 oz cans of coconut creamer so I used two small cans of creamer and supplemented the remaining creamer with soy creamer and it worked fine. I used a potato masher to break up the coconut creamer and milk while simmering. Only one issue, the final product is difficult to scoop. So I’m going to let the pan set out for a few minutes to soften up. If anyone has any suggestions as to how to make it easier to scoop (I tried dipping the ice cream scoop in hot water) please let me know!
Hi Maria! So glad it’s delicious! Yes, some of these vegan ice creams do set up VERY firm, so just let it thaw on the countertop for 10 mins and then scoop with your heated scoop. Thanks for the awesome rating. 🙂
Can you replace the syrup with honey?
Hi Anne, I’m sure that would work just fine. 🙂
This is just unbelievably good.
Hi!
Can I use homemade coconut milk for this recipe instead of the canned ones?
Hi Kemi, it should work great if it is a nice and creamy (high in fat) version.
Loving all these vegan ice cream flavors! Keep ‘em coming. ?
Thanks Jackie! And will do – we have some other great ones coming soon! 🙂