Summer. Winter. Who cares when! Dairy-free ice cream is a joy at any time of year, and when you can knock up your own with recipes like this, all the better!
Knowing exactly what goes into your favorite frozen treat makes things a whole lot more palatable, which is why I decided to put together this vegan ice cream roundup in the first place. While they are still treats, they’re a million times healthier than the store-bought junk found in the freezer aisle.
So, without further ado, let’s churn out our first recipe…sorry!
Chocolate Banana Ice Cream Made for Our Health
When it comes to making a good dairy-free chocolate ice cream, I always find adding some banana to the mix makes it extra delicious. Personally, I love Alyssa’s version found over on Eating Bird Food. It’s just perfect.
On her blog, Alyssa lets you in on her delicious chocolate banana ice cream secrets. She uses almond milk instead of animal-based dairy, which means this ice cream is always blissfully sweet and full of flavor, and almond butter to make the mixture nice and thick as well.
Don’t worry, though, it’s super simple to make. Go check it out now!
READ NEXT: BEST HOME ICE CREAM MAKER
Strawberry Ice Cream sans Churning
Sometimes, making ice cream requires a churn mechanism of some kind. However, Ester Perez offers a spectacular strawberry ice cream that can be made without any churning whatsoever. Sweet!
It comes with rich flavors and a beautiful texture. For added creaminess, she suggests using corn-free xanthan gum to tighten up the mixture, and it works really well. Within five to six hours, I find this recipe turns out sumptuous strawberry ice cream that can’t be beaten.
This delicious dairy-free ice cream recipe can be found on her brilliant blog, Nurture My Gut.
READ NEXT: IS DARK CHOCOLATE VEGAN?
Delightful Coconut Milk Ice Cream
Shannon of Plum Street Collective offers a delicious ice cream recipe focusing on coconut milk as the star ingredient. Actually, this recipe only calls for three ingredients, total: coconut milk, sugar or agave nectar, and vanilla. How cool is that?
Because of coconut milk’s thick texture, this ice cream doesn’t freeze too fast, making it less icy when compared to other recipes. Not only is it great for vegans, it’s also wonderful for pregnant and nursing mothers who cannot eat regular dairy ice cream…despite their cravings!
This recipe will suit everyone.
FIND THE BEST DAIRY-FREE DOUGHNUTS HERE!
Salty and Sweet Sea Salt Caramel Coconut Ice Cream
Dana, also known as the Minimalist Baker, produces one of my favorite salty and sweet ice creams with this amazing recipe. She combines caramel, coconut, and sea salt into an irresistible flavor festival for your palate.
While most people picture ice cream as a summertime treat, she suggests that this one can be enjoyed during any time of year…and I agree! It includes natural sweeteners from the seven ingredients required to make the concoction, so no worries there, either.
Instead of going with a churn, this one sits in a bread loaf pan to chill in the freezer. Simple, yet oh-so effective.
CHECK OUT OUR DELIGHTFULLY DAIRY FREE CUPCAKE RECIPE ROUNDUP NEXT!
Shortbread Ice Cream with Huge Flavors
While strawberry tastes great in ice cream on its own, it tastes even better when paired with shortcake. Aimee offers this sweet recipe on her blog, Wallflower Kitchen.
She emphasizes the point that fresh shortcake doesn’t need to be made in order to create this ice cream. Instead, leftover shortcake fits the bill for this recipe perfectly.
Not only is this ice cream dairy-free, if you follow Aimee’s other recipe for grain-free cookies, you can make it paleo too. Amazing!
Coconut Milk Ice Cream with a Cinnamon Blast
Gin of Eat Healthy, Eat Happy offers a different take on coconut milk ice cream. She adds a healthy helping of cinnamon to the flavor profile, which works amazingly well.
The cinnamon is quite prominent in this recipe, though, so people who are not fans of this particular spice should be aware and switch things up accordingly. For cinnamon lovers like me, however, you’re in for a treat (don’t forget to check out my cinnamon guide, too!).
As well as being free from dairy, this recipe is gluten- and cholesterol-free with the sweetness coming from either maple syrup or agave nectar. Delicious!
READ NEXT: IS LACTIC ACID VEGAN?
Devilish Brownie Batter Ice Cream
Time to go down under for this devilish brownie batter ice cream.
On his blog, The Big Man’s World, Aussie Arman emphasizes the ease with which this dish comes together. With only uses four ingredients and no churning, there are no excuses for you not to try this one out.
It’s a cheat treat, for sure.
READ NEXT: IS NUTELLA VEGAN?
Beyond Green Pistachio Ice Cream
Natalie of Feasting on Fruit offers a truly wonderful lean, green pistachio ice cream recipe here.
For people who aren’t too keen on coconut products, this dessert is a clear winner. Natalie mentions the fact that this delicious green nut’s flavor is underrated, and I agree wholeheartedly. Why aren’t more bloggers using these little green gems?
In order to add some fat and thickness to this recipe, she uses peanut butter, so people with related allergies to them need to be careful. That being said, there are other alternatives…and Natalie tells you all about one such ingredient in her post.
Go read it now!
RELATED: PEANUT BUTTER VEGAN?
Sinfully Creamy Chocolate Ice Cream
Amrita of the Crazy Vegan Kitchen is next up, and she offers us this creamy chocolate ice cream that simply cannot be resisted…just look at it!
Amrita recommends you whizz this up every 45 minutes or so, which avoids rock hard, ice-ridden ice cream that cannot be scooped, but the effort is well worth it. Look at the picture again. Seriously!
This recipe uses cashews, coconut cream, coconut milk, cornstarch, and xanthan gum to give it that oh-so silky, creamy texture. A little touch of salt and instant espresso brings out the chocolatey-ness even further, making this recipe a must for all cocoa lovers.
RELATED: CHOCOLATE RECIPES FOR VEGANS
Dairy-Free Coffee Ice Cream
While espresso is a side ingredient in the previous ice cream, coffee steps forward as the main ingredient in this one.
Seven Roses’ Francesca offers this delicious ice cream that is cruelty-free, soy-free, and full of flavor. It plays on the Coppa del Nonno recipe from Italy wonderfully. For coffee freaks, this is a must-have addition to your dessert repertoire.
That being said, people who aren’t coffee lovers can still easily exchange the powdered coffee in this recipe for cacao powder instead. For thickening purposes, this dairy-free ice cream recipe uses coconut cream and maple syrup to great effect. It’s delicious, go check it out now.
A Raspberry Take on Coconut Milk Ice Cream
Coconut is a popular ingredient in vegan ice cream (amongst a gazillion other things, as my coconut guide lays out) for a good reason. It stands up well to freezing, and it provides plenty of subtle flavors without being too overwhelming. This recipe proves the point beautifully.
Thea Tilburg from Baking Magique found inspiration from her Swedish heritage to make this recipe from fresh raspberries, and it works wonderfully well. For an extra bit of crunch, pistachios can be added into the mix (something I’d definitely recommend).
This recipe does make use of natural cane sugar, but that can be switched fairly simply if you’re trying to keep your intake to a minimum.
DON’T MISS OUR MARVELLOUS VEGAN MUFFINS ROUNDUP!
Minty and Chocolatey Dairy-Free Ice Cream
Nerdy Mamma, Chantal, provides this remarkable recipe for mint chocolate vegan ice cream that I find just irresistible. It looks and tastes just like the full dairy version, but without all the guilt and cruelty, naturally.
Despite looking like it’s come straight from a professional ice cream maker’s scoop, this recipe is really easy to put together…which could prove to be my downfall. Go take a look at the full ingredients list and method here – if you dare!
Walnut and Peachy-Keen Ice Cream
Ana from The Awesome Green created this to-die-for walnut and peach vegan ice cream, and you’re going to be so glad she did.
It’s rich and creamy texture comes from the bananas used to create the base and they also add a slight hint of the tropics to the flavor profile, which I love. In addition, using bananas means you don’t have to use additional sweeteners, either, which is always welcome.
The walnuts in this recipe can be toasted, and the peaches grilled if you want to take things to another level. While these additional steps adds to the workload, doing so does bring yet another dimension to the flavor. Yummy stuff!
Butterless Butter Pecan Ice Cream
Michele of Paleo Running Momma offers this recipe for homemade butter pecan ice cream. Don’t fret, vegans, no cows were milked during the making of this dessert! In place of the butter, it uses coconut milk and maple sugar. Coconut sugar can be used in place of the maple sugar, though, if you can’t get your hands on it.
I love how Michele recommends reducing the coconut milk and sugar down to a coconuty version of sweetened condensed milk on the stove; it really works wonders. The pecans used in the recipe can be toasted or not, depending on flavor preferences. Either way, this ice cream is a hit!
Dairy-Free Cookies and Cream Ice Cream at Last!
This recipe pleases me greatly!
The ever-brilliant Kelly over at The Pretty Bee provides a cookies and cream ice cream that doesn’t use any dairy at all. It does use chocolate sandwich cookies, though, so make sure you purchase vegan-friendly sandwich cookies for this recipe.
I don’t really need to tell you that, do I? Sorry!
The inspiration for this recipe comes from Dairy Queen’s Cookies and Cream Blizzard, and the result is spectacular! You’re going to love this one, promise!.
In order to keep the cookies from becoming mushy, follow the Kelly’s guideline for only adding the cookies about five minutes before the ice cream maker finishes its job. What are you waiting for?
Head over to Kelly’s blog now! Oh, and if you’re pondering the big Are Oreos Vegan? question, click the link to find out.
NEED MORE SWEET INSPIRATION? SEE OUR VEGAN DESSERT RECIPES ROUNDUP!
Holy Chunky Monkey, Ben & Jerry’s
Emilie from Emilie Eats provides a chunky monkey ice cream that even Ben & Jerry’s biggest fans would love.
Some of the ingredients include pitted dates and unsweetened applesauce, as well as other vegan favorites. Furthermore, a dash of cinnamon can be used as well. Naturally, you can make the dash as light or heavy as you like (and I like a heavy dash!).
The key to creaminess of this recipe, however, is the bananas and it can be easily whipped up in a blender and then frozen. That said, Emilie suggests using a Vitamix or something similar if one is available.
This flavor-filled ice cream also meets the requirements of Paleo practitioners, so it’s likely to keep everyone happy. Love it!
A Taste of the Florida Keys with Key Lime Ice Cream
Another lean and green ice cream worth considering comes from Julia at The Roasted Root. This key lime, vegan ice cream also meets the guidelines for Paleo diets, as it doesn’t use any refined sugar, which is an added bonus. The inspiration for this dish comes from Julia’s no-bake vegan key lime tarts, which are also divine.
The key to the beautiful green color lies with a secret ingredient, which also enhances the overall creaminess, too. Can you guess what it is? I won’t spoil it…head over to Julia’s blog to find out!
Lemon Ice Cream Gone Coconut-y
Lauren from Wicked Spatula is a woman after my own heart! Why wait for summer to enjoy deliciousness such as this?
Her toasted lemon ice cream offers something a little different from the usual flavors, which is always welcome. She also encourages her readers to experiment with the flavors as they go, so you can use her recipe as a foundation and add more lemon or coconut as you go if you want to be bold.
This dairy-free ice cream recipe is one I’ll be making time and again. Thanks, Lauren!
Ultimate Apple Pie Ice Cream Achieved
Brianne from Vancouver provides this scrumptious apple pie ice cream with a cinnamon crumble swirl on her blog Natural Girl, Modern World.
Apple pie ice cream has become extremely popular in various parts of the world as of late, and I’m all for it if they taste as good as this! Brianne does an awesome job teaching her readers how to achieve that elusive creamy texture rather than the icy nastiness long-term vegans will remember, and the flavor is absolutely on point, too.
Head over to her site now and get the full recipe and instructions for this wonderful dessert.
Cheesecake Ice Cream with an Awesome Caramel Swirl
Our penultimate recipe comes from Loving It Vegan’s Alison, and it deserves a drumroll. Pity I don’t know how to type a drumroll. Anyway…
As you may already be aware, I’m a huge cheesecake fan (see my dairy-free cheesecake recipe roundup for proof) so this got me incredibly excited. So excited, in fact, that I almost missed a deadline making this bad boy. Almost!
Suffice to say, everything turned out okay…including the ice cream. Better than okay. IT’S SO GOOD!
Don’t say I didn’t warn you. This recipe is dangerous!
Simple Raspberry Ripple Ice Cream
There are many benefits to using raspberries, especially since they contain antioxidants and essential vitamins, but this berry doesn’t have to be the main feature to add a great deal of flavor to the dessert. A simple raspberry ripple works just as well, and this one from Gloria, The Greedy Vegan, is a classic.
A plain, yet delicious, vanilla ice cream base plays host to the ripple, and arrowroot powder and coconut milk are the key to creaminess once again here. If you’re looking for an evocative dairy-free ice cream, this stunning recipe may well become a go-to that you’ll return to time after time.
Dairy-free ice cream to die for, or what?
When it comes to cruelty-free ice cream, dairy-free gets things done!
These recipes are all delicious, but I’m sure you have a favorite, too. If you do, let me know in the comments below…I want to try it!
About The Author:
Lisa Williams
Lisa Williams is a committed vegan, passionate animal welfare advocate, and keen follower of too many v-friendly food blogs to mention. She started happyhappyvegan.com back in 2016 because she felt there was a need for more straightforward information on plant-based living.
Back then, too many sites seem to either concentrate solely on recipes or be too intimidating or inaccessible for the v-curious, and she wanted to change that. The landscape is certainly a whole lot different now!
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So much deliciousness all in one post ♥
thank you so much Lisa for including one of my recipes among these amazing icecreams. Only problem: I want them all, NOW! 😀
No problem at all, Francesca. Imagine how I felt compiling it!
I love your blog. Keep up the great work ?