Vegan Vanilla Ice Cream Recipe (2024)

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This homemade vegan ice cream recipe is easy, rich ‘n creamy. The best vegan vanilla ice cream—incredible vanilla flavor, made with simple ingredients.

this recipe

Now that the official first day of summer is fast approaching, we’ve got to start getting serious about getting in shape for bikini season making the best friggin’ vegan vanilla ice cream recipe ever! Because ice cream is soooo much better than bikinis. And way less judgmental, ya know? 😉

Today’s vegan vanilla ice cream recipe is one of my absolute favorite ice cream recipes of all time because it’s so GOOD. Like, super good. It’s easy to make, oh-so-delicious, and bursting with that vanilla flavor you know you love to love.

Wanna hear more? Let’s make this!

homemade vegan vanilla ice cream recipe

This vegan vanilla ice cream is everything you’d hope for:rich and creamy,bursting withvanillaflavor, andsweet enough to satisfy that sweet tooth, butnot too sweetthat you can’t enjoy more than one scoop. Try your hand at making this homemade vegan vanilla ice cream and enjoy. Bonus: this vegan ice cream is dairy-free, healthy and refined sugar-free.

What is Vegan Vanilla Ice Cream?

What a mysterious and intriguing question! In general, vegan vanilla ice cream is vanilla ice cream that’s made without animal products. That means: none of the usual ice cream ingredients, such as: eggs, heavy cream, etc.

For this particular vegan vanilla ice cream, we’re gonna rely on coconut milk and coconut cream to replace the heavy cream, and a few other vegan ingredients to create non-dairy, plant-based vegan vanilla ice cream. And if you were actually more in the mood for chocolate vegan ice cream, try this dark chocolate nice cream recipe or my all-time favorite best vegan chocolate ice cream.

How to Make Vegan Vanilla Ice Cream

Learn how to make vegan vanilla ice cream in just a few super simple steps.

Chill

About 24 hours before, grab the freezer bowl of your ice cream maker and place it in the freezer to chill.

Add Ingredients

Day of, add all vegan vanilla ice cream ingredients except the vanilla bean pod into agood food processor.

Blend

Blend all the ingredients together until well mixed.

Scrape & Blend Again

Now, scrape the contents of the vanilla bean pod into the food processor and watch it blend beautifully into the ice cream mixture. Here’s where I get my vanilla bean pods.

Pour & Churn

Pour your vegan vanilla ice cream mixture into the chilled freezer bowl of your ice cream maker. Churn your ice cream according to your ice cream maker’s directions. Here is the ice cream maker I use.Churn until firm.

Enjoy

Enjoy the best vegan vanilla ice cream ever! Or, if you like it firm, go ahead and scoop your homemade vegan ice cream into an ice cream containerand chill it until firm.

Vegan Ice Cream Recipes We Love: 3 Ingredient Mango Ice Cream · 4 Ingredient Banana Peanut Butter Ice Cream · Coconut Chocolate Chip Vegan Ice Cream

Vegan Vanilla Ice Cream Recipe (2)

3 secret ingredients for rich vanilla flavor

What makes this vegan vanilla ice cream the best vegan vanilla ice cream? In my opinion, three secret ingredients. You see, I spent oodles of time testing different amounts of vanilla, sweetener and coconut milk vs. coconut cream, guar gum vs. no guar gum and more. But something was always missing: an element of creaminess, lack of iciness and a flavor complexity.

These three ingredients solved it all:raw cashew butter,pure almond extractandreal vanilla bean.

Raw cashew butter added a boost of creaminess to the texture of this vegan ice cream, and it helped to cut down on the iciness that’s par for the course in homemade vegan ice cream recipes. Lastly, it added a nutty, cookie-like flavor that helped to balance out the coconut flavors present in the coconut milk and coconut cream.

Then, I started playing around with different amounts of vanilla extract and found that none quite worked. So I threw in some almond extract, just to see what happened. Guess what? It brought out a special level of sweetness and flavor complexity that really drew out the vanilla in this vegan vanilla ice cream.

Lastly, I used moist, freshly-sealed real vanilla bean pods to kick up the real vanilla flavor for the best vegan vanilla ice cream ever!

The best vegan vanilla ice cream—rich and creamy vegan ice cream made with real vanilla beans and simple ingredients.

Vegan Vanilla Ice Cream Recipe (3)

Recommended Tools for the Best Vegan Vanilla Ice Cream

Raw Cashew Butter + Vanilla Bean Pods + Pure Almond Extract

My 3 secret ingredients to creating the tastiest, best vegan vanilla ice cream. These 3 ingredients create creaminess, richer vanilla flavor and add a little sumthin’ sumthin’ to your new favorite vegan vanilla ice cream recipe.

Ice Cream Maker + Extra Freezer Bowls

I’ve been using the heck out of my ice cream maker! And tbh, I have several of them–that’s how much ice cream I make… 😉 The extra freezer bowls come in so handy–I can freeze multiples in advance and make several batches of vegan ice cream in a row without having to wait 24 hours for the first one to freeze.

So what do you think of today’s vegan vanilla ice cream recipe? You’re sooo ready for it, right? 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think! Leave me a comment below and let me know—I love hearing from you. Thank you for stopping by and sharing in these sweet dessert moments with me. ‘Til the next one…

Sending you all my love and maybe even a dove, xo Demeter ❤️

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Vegan Vanilla Ice Cream Recipe (4)

📸 Did you make this vegan vanilla ice cream recipe? Take a pic and share it on Instagram with the hashtag #beamingbaker & tag @beamingbaker. I’d love to see it! 📸

More Vegan Ice Cream Recipes

  • Vegan Chocolate Ice Cream
  • 4 Ingredient Almond Butter Paleo Ice Cream
  • Coconut Milk Ice Cream
  • Almond Joy Vegan Paleo Ice Cream
  • Best Strawberry Vegan Ice Cream
  • Dark Chocolate Nice Cream
  • Cashew Vegan Ice Cream

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Vegan Vanilla Ice Cream Recipe (5)

Vegan Vanilla Ice Cream Recipe

5 Stars4 Stars3 Stars2 Stars1 Star

4.9 from 13 reviews

  • Author: Demeter | Beaming Baker
  • Total Time: 10 minutes
  • Yield: about 15 1/3-cup servings 1x
  • Diet: Vegan
Print Recipe

Description

Vegan Vanilla Ice Cream Recipe: this homemade vegan ice cream recipe is easy, rich ‘n creamy. The best vegan vanilla ice cream—incredible vanilla flavor, made with simple ingredients. Dairy-Free.

Ingredients

Scale

  • 1 can full-fat coconut milk (13.66 oz.)
  • 1 can coconut cream (13.66 oz.)
  • ¼ cup raw cashew butter
  • ¼ cup pure maple syrup
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • ¼ teaspoon pure almond extract
  • 1 vanilla bean pod

Instructions

  1. The day before, freeze your freezer bowl according to your ice cream maker’s instructions. This is the ice cream maker I use.
  2. Add all ingredients except the vanilla bean pod into a food processor.
  3. Slice the vanilla bean pod down the center, lengthwise. Using a spoon, scrape the beans cleanly out of the pod and add to the food processor. Save the pod for another recipe.
  4. Cover the food processor and blend until smooth and well mixed. Scrape down the sides of the processor as needed.
  5. Pour mixture into ice cream maker. Follow directions for making ice cream according to ice cream maker’s directions.
  6. Enjoy immediately if you like super soft ice cream. If you like firmer ice cream, pour into an ice cream container and freeze for 2-4 hours, until firm.
  7. Vanilla vegan ice cream is best the first day. On Day 2 and forward, set ice cream out at room temperature to thaw for 20-90 minutes, until creamy and scoopable. Enjoy! Storing instructions below.

Vegan Ice Cream Recipes You’ll ❤️

  • Best Strawberry Vegan Ice Cream! (Dairy-Free)
  • 3 Ingredient Homemade Mango Ice Cream Recipe
  • 4 Ingredient Almond Butter Paleo Ice Cream (Keto, Vegan)
  • Best Vegan Chocolate Ice Cream Recipe

Notes

Where to Buy Ingredients: Vanilla Bean Pods | Full-fat Coconut Milk | Coconut Cream | Raw Cashew Butter | Pure Maple Syrup | Pure Almond Extract

Storing Instructions: Store in an airtight, freezer-friendly ice cream container. If serving after completely frozen, allow about 20-90 minutes to thaw—until creamy and scoopable.

For Quick Thaw: heat in the microwave in 10-second increments until the edges are a bit melty and ice cream is easy to scoop.

Recommended Tools: Ice Cream Maker | Extra Freezer Bowls | My Favorite Food Processor | Freezer Door Ice Cream Container | Mini Ice Cream Containers (super cute)

  • Prep Time: 10 mins
  • Cook Time: 0 mins
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Chill
  • Cuisine: American

© beamingbaker.com. All content and images are protected by copyright. Please do not use my images or recipe without my permission. Please do not republish this recipe, instead, include a link to this post for the recipe.

This post may contain affiliate links, which allow me to make a small commission for my referral, at no additional cost to you.

Vegan Vanilla Ice Cream Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the best thickener for vegan ice cream? ›

Plant-based fats are the best way to thicken vegan ice cream. Coconut cream, full-fat coconut milk and coconut oil will give the creamiest and thickest results. Cornstarch and tapioca starch can also be used to thicken but the end result will be a little more icy and a little less creamy.

What replaces milk in vegan ice cream? ›

Kaminsky says that you'll get the best results from dairy-free counterparts that are higher in fat such as canned coconut milk. She typically uses almond milk as her base, but other non-dairy milks can work (steer clear of rice milk because it tends to be too watery).

What is vegan vanilla ice cream made of? ›

The base for this ice cream is coconut milk + cashew butter. It's a magical combo that creates a rich, creamy, dreamy texture. For sweeteners, we went with a mix of maple syrup and cane sugar.

Why is my vegan ice cream so hard? ›

My ice cream is too hard

Homemade ice cream usually contains much less air than the stuff you buy in the store. Air keeps ice cream soft. So the less there is, the harder your ice cream. It can also be caused by low fat or sugar content.

What is the best oil for vegan ice cream? ›

Blends of vegetable oils (60% to 80% coconut oil or palm kernel oil with 20% to 40% of a liquid oil such as sunflower oil, soybean oil, peanut oil, or olive oil) are often used in vegan ice cream production to obtain the optimum amount of solid fat.

How to stabilize vegan ice cream? ›

The secret to making creamy ice cream lies in minimizing the formation of large ice crystals during churning. This can be achieved by adding stabilizers/thickeners and following proper churning techniques. Common stabilizers used in vegan ice cream include xanthan gum, agar-agar, or guar gum.

Which dairy-free milk makes the best ice cream? ›

Cashew milk, like coconut, is a good base because of its higher fat content. But almond milk is still the No. 1 vegan milk choice among consumers, which makes it a popular choice for frozen desserts as well.

What is the best milk for homemade ice cream? ›

This is usually due to either not freezing fast enough, or too much water forming large ice crystals. When making ice cream, you want to use whole milk and cream, rather than 2% or skim milk, because it has more fat contributing to smaller ice crystals and a better/creamier texture.

How do you keep dairy-free ice cream soft? ›

If you want a frozen treat that's ultra-creamy, silky smooth, and fairly decadent, then choosing a milk with a higher fat content – like full-fat coconut milk – is your best bet. Since fat freezes at a different rate than water, using a higher-fat milk will result in a creamier, less icy frozen treat.

Are McDonald's ice cream vegan? ›

"Vanilla Reduced Fat Ice Cream Ingredients: Milk, Sugar, Cream, Corn Syrup, Natural Flavor, Mono And Diglycerides, Cellulose Gum, Guar Gum, Carrageenan, Vitamin A Palmitate." -- https://www.mcdonalds.com/us/en-us/product/vanilla-cone.html... It does contain dairy, but they can't legally call it ice cream.

Can you make ice cream without an ice cream maker? ›

Grab a few pantry staples and follow these steps to whip up a classic vanilla flavour.
  1. Heat milk and cream. Chill a 1.25L (5-cup) capacity metal loaf pan in the freezer. ...
  2. Whisk egg yolks and sugar. ...
  3. Cook the custard. ...
  4. Set aside to cool. ...
  5. Freeze the ice-cream. ...
  6. Beat the mixture. ...
  7. Serve.

What is so delicious Wondermilk? ›

They're truly dairy-free and vegan. Wondermilk is made with a blend oat, coconut, and soy milks to mimic whole fat and reduced fat dairy milk.

Why does vegan ice cream taste weird? ›

Concerning taste, many non-dairy ice creams lack flavor because of the specific plant-based milk that is used. Plant-based milk offers us lower calorie options, but the lower fat content is much less satisfying and results in ice cream that many consumers find “too watery.”

Is vegan ice cream inflammatory? ›

Vegan diets, which naturally rely on plant-based proteins and nutrients, have been shown to alleviate symptoms of inflammation, and can even help provide relief to conditions like rheumatoid arthritis. In summary, vegan ice cream can offer a solution to those looking to make healthy changes in their diet.

How unhealthy is vegan ice cream? ›

Vegan ice cream made from plant-based milk like almond milk or coconut milk often has fewer calories than regular ice cream made with cow's milk. However, some non-dairy frozen desserts may have similar caloric content due to added sugars or fats. It's crucial to check the labels for accurate information.

How to thicken up vegan cream? ›

Usually 2 parts cold water is mixed with 1 part cornstarch until an opaque mixture is formed. For example, 1 tablespoon of cornstarch with 2 tablespoons cool water to thicken about 2 cups of hot liquid. More slurry can be added for a thicker sauce.

What is the best thickening agent for ice cream? ›

Cornstarch: Often used in non-custard ice creams, cornstarch mixed with milk helps thicken the base and create a smooth mouthfeel. Gelatin: Adding a small amount of gelatin to the ice cream mixture improves texture by reducing ice crystal formation and creating a smoother consistency.

How do you thicken dairy-free cream? ›

Milky powders can also help thicken.

Adding 1/4 cup dairy-free milk powder or powdered cashews to this recipe will help thicken it further, but it won't be as fluffy and will slightly influence the consistency and taste. Soymilk powder works best, but coconut milk powder makes this a true coconut-flavored whip.

How do you thicken dairy-free heavy cream? ›

How to Make It With Cornstarch
  1. Pour 1 cup oat milk into a mixing bowl.
  2. Start by adding 2 tbsp. corn starch, and add more if needed for thickness.
  3. Mix with a whisk.
  4. Whisk in a small amount of sugar, agave, maple syrup, or vanilla extract if a sweet taste is desired.
Nov 5, 2022

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