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This vegan ice cream is A DREAM with a simple but perfect vanilla flavor! It’s made in an ice cream maker for the best creamy texture and there are only three ingredients in this recipe! Made completely vegan and paleo with a full fat coconut milk for a glorious scoop of creamy sweetness. Sweetened with only pure maple syrup or honey that create the perfect sugar level and adding to the amazing texture. Whether you’re planning on eating this ice cream alone or with another delicious dessert, you won’t be disappointed. I hope you enjoy this ice cream recipe and it can become a staple in your home just as it has in mine!
Vegan Ice Cream
This recipe is not only creamy and perfectly satisfying. It’s also vegan, paleo, gluten free, dairy free, soy free, nut free and refined sugar free.
Want More Healthy Dessert Recipes
Of course, ice cream is amazing on it’s own but it’s also perfect to enjoy on the side of any delicious dessert! Here are a few great recipes you can check out, if you like!
- Healthy Apple Pie Bars (Paleo + Vegan).
- Cherry Pie Bars Recipe (Paleo + Vegan).
- Double Chocolate Cookies (Gluten Free + Dairy Free).
- Super Fudgy Vegan Brownies (Gluten Free + Flourless).
Common Questions
Is Ice Cream Vegan?
Typical ice cream contains dairy in the form of milk and cream which is not vegan. This homemade recipe however, uses full-fat coconut milk in place of any dairy and does not contain animal products which makes this ice cream recipe vegan.
Is Ice Cream Healthy?
Of course, this depends on your specific definition of healthy. This recipe for homemade ice cream uses natural, whole food ingredients and does not contain any refined sugar.
Do I Have to Use an Ice Cream Machine?
Using an ice cream machine is what creates the most delicious, creamy result for this recipe. If you want to make ice cream at home without a machine, there are many recipes online that may work better for you.
Vegan Ice Cream Ingredients:
Coconut milk (full fat from a can): This creamy ingredient creates the perfect texture for ice cream. It’s very important you use full fat coconut milk from a can, as anything else could be too liquidy. My favorite brand is the Thai Kitchen canned unsweetened coconut milk and it’s what I recommend.
You can also use 3 + 1/3 cups half and half in it’s place for a dairy version.
Pure maple syrup: This liquid sweetener is full of delicious flavor and creates an amazing soft texture in the ice cream. You can also adjust the sweetener a little bit if you want less sugar.
You can also use is raw honey in place of the maple syrup, if you prefer.
Vanilla extract: Of course, this is what adds the beautiful vanilla flavor to the ice cream and it adds to the creamy texture with a touch of alcohol.
Sea salt: This optional ingredient can be adjusted up, down or left out altogether according to your specific preferences. I like to add a bit because it seems to bring out the other flavors perfectly.
Homemade Ice Cream Tips and Tricks
It’s very important to follow the manufacturer instructions for your specific ice cream maker! Make sure to read them before making your ice cream.
The freezer bowl needs to be completely frozen for 24 hours in a flat, upright position to ensure it will work and freeze properly. I like to keep mine in the back of my freezer, so I can have it ready whenever I suddenly want to make some ice cream.
Always prep your ingredients and blend them before taking the freezer bowl out of the freezer. You want to only remove the bowl when you have everything else ready as it defrosts very quickly.
Use your ice cream maker according to the provided instructions. Many machines require you to turn it on first and then add your blended ingredients after the bowl has begun turning. Doing this will prevent any uneven freezing.
You can serve homemade ice cream either straight away as soft serve ice cream or you can freeze in an airtight container for at least 2-3 hours. Then just let it defrost for a few minutes after removing from the freezer before scooping.
If you want a better seal over the ice cream when freezing, use a sheet of parchment paper and cut it a little bigger than the level ice cream. Press the parchment against the top of your ice cream to lock out any extra air.
Equipment to Make Ice Cream
- To make this recipe, you need a high powered standing blender. This is the one I use and love for so many things.
- You also need an ice cream machine that makes 1.5 quarts of ice cream. This machine is very simple and will work perfectly.
Vegan Ice Cream Recipe:
Vanilla Vegan Ice Cream
This homemade vanilla ice cream is perfect to add alongside any homemade dessert or enjoy on it's own! Easily made with only 3-4 ingredients with a super creamy and sweet result.
Course Dessert
Keyword vegan ice cream
Prep Time 5 minutes minutes
Freezing Time 20 minutes minutes
Total Time 25 minutes minutes
Servings 8
Author Adrianne
Ingredients
- 2 13.5 ounce cans coconut milk** (USE FULL FAT COCONUT MILK)
- 3/4 cup pure maple syrup
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1/8 teaspoon sea salt (optional)
Instructions
First, you need to prepare your ice cream maker. If you’re using an electric ice cream maker, the bowl needs to be frozen for a full 24 hours before using. Be sure to remove from the freezer right before adding the ingredients, as it starts defrosting quickly, and needs to be as cold as possible.
Add coconut milk, maple syrup, vanilla extract and sea salt to a blender and blend for 1 minute until all ingredients are combined well.
Prepare ice cream maker and take the inner bowl out of the freezer to assemble.
Turn on the ice cream maker first and let it rotate for a few seconds in order to come to full speed. Pour in your blended ingredients while its turning and wait until it’s frozen to your desired consistency. My ice cream maker takes about 20 minutes for this recipe but make sure to follow the instructions for your machine.
You can serve immediately as a soft serve texture or transfer ice cream to a container with a lid and freeze for at least 3-4 hours.
To serve ice cream after freezing, remove from freezer and allow a couple minutes to defrost. Doing this create ultra soft, scoop-able ice cream.
Enjoy alone or on top of any of your favorite desserts at home! Take a look at my dessert recipes for any suggestions!
Recipe Tips*
I have always had great success with this recipe using Thai Kitchen coconut milk. It has added guar gum that makes it very thick and creamy.**
More Fun and Healthy Treats
Here are a few more fun and healthy treat recipes you may want to try! Go ahead and check them out!
- Oatmeal Fudge Bars (Gluten Free + Vegan).
- Vegan Cookies Stuffed with Homemade Nutella (Gluten Free + Dairy Free).
- Easy Chia Seed Pudding (Paleo + Vegan).
Thanks For Visiting
This post is a recipe for easy, vegan ice cream made with only 3-4 ingredients! I love creating recipes and sharing them with you all on this website! For that reason, I’m grateful for all the support and feedback I receive so, please don’t hesitate to leave a comment below! If you have any questions, comments or ideas for future recipes let me know and thank you for visiting my blog today!
