Vegan Vanilla Ice Cream
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This easy vegan vanilla ice cream is made with vanilla beans and vanilla extract. It’s rich, creamy, and the perfect base for many ice cream flavors!
If you’re looking for an indulgent vanilla vegan ice cream that tastes like ACTUAL vanilla, you just found the only vanilla ice cream recipe you’ll ever need.
With just 5 ingredients, you’ll get a creamy, non-dairy vanilla ice cream that’s delicious on its own but can also be turned into any ice cream flavor!
Forget the cones and bowls.
Try this sweet and dreamy vanilla coconut ice cream on top of pumpkin cinnamon rolls or dessert nachos (swap dairy butter for vegan butter) for a change!
Why You’ll Love This Vegan Vanilla Ice Cream Recipe
- This vegan vanilla ice cream makes the perfect base for any ice cream flavor you can dream of! Infuse it with different extracts, syrups, and powders, or stir in delicious goodies for texture variety.
- This vanilla vegan ice cream is nut-free and dairy-free! You can also easily swap the plant-based milk and sweetener to suit your diet and preferences.
- Anyone can make this dairy-free ice cream. Just blend the 5 ingredients together and churn!
Ingredients And Substitutions
Coconut milk – No icy vegan ice cream here! Thanks to its fat content, full-fat canned coconut milk ensures your non-dairy vanilla ice cream will come out rich, creamy, and oh-so-decadent.
Vanilla creamer – Instead of the usual cashew ice cream base, this vanilla coconut ice cream combines full-fat coconut milk and vanilla creamer for the perfect creamy texture.
Sugar – You can also use maple syrup for a more complex sweetness in your creamy ice cream base.
Vanilla extract – Obviously, vanilla is the key ingredient in vanilla ice cream.
Vanilla bean pods – This vegan vanilla ice cream gets its pleasant marshmallow-like flavor from actual vanilla!
Add flair to your homemade vanilla ice cream and incorporate mix-ins during the last few minutes of churning in the ice cream machine!
Out of ideas? How about some chocolate morsels or chopped peanut butter cups?
Or, for something unique, try granola and add a blackberry swirl!
The key is to not churn the swirl directly into the ice cream mixture so it doesn’t just disappear. Instead, layer the drizzles of the cold blackberry puree with the creamy ice cream in a container.
Tips For Making This Recipe
Chill Your Bowl and Coconut Milk
The ice cream maker bowl should be completely chilled for the ice cream to firm up. Refrigerating the cans of coconut milk beforehand will also help the ice cream freeze faster when you make it.
Toppings Won’t Hurt
Vanilla ice cream is never boring! Serve this dairy-free vanilla ice cream with anything from a peanut butter drizzle, date caramel, sliced almonds, crushed double chocolate chip cookies, or strawberry compote.
Serve Immediately or Freeze for Later
This vanilla coconut ice cream has a soft serve consistency after churning. For a more scoopable texture, freeze it for a few hours before serving.
Vanilla Vegan Ice Cream Recipe FAQs
How do you scrape a vanilla bean pod?
It’s actually quite simple! Split the vanilla pods lengthwise, then scrape out the seeds with the back or tip of a knife.
Why does ice cream need salt?
You can add salt to this creamy vanilla ice cream to balance its sweetness and enhance its flavor in general. Salt also assists in the ice cream’s freezing process.
Can I use the base recipe to make other ice cream flavors?
Definitely! In fact, our vegan chocolate ice cream and cookies and cream ice cream use the same coconut milk ice cream base.
How can you prevent ice crystals in vegan ice cream?
When storing your vegan vanilla ice cream in the freezer, place parchment paper on its surface before covering it. This extra step helps prevent ice crystals from forming!
What does vodka do to homemade vegan ice cream?
You can add vodka to your homemade ice cream to prevent the formation of ice crystals.
More Delicious Vegan Dessert Recipes
- Creamy Vegan Vanilla Bean Ice Cream
- Bunny Tail Energy Bites
- Vegan Marshmallows
- Plant-Based Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Vegan Gluten-Free Lemon Bars
I found this recipe for Cocoa Syrup that I HAVE to try!
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Vegan Vanilla Ice Cream
Ingredients
- 2 cans coconut milk, refrigerated
- 3/4 cup vanilla creamer
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 2 vanilla bean pods, scraped
Instructions
- Chill the ice cream maker bowl in the freezer overnight.
- Add the ingredients to the blender and blend until smooth and creamy.
- Chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes so the mixture is not warm when you add it to the ice cream maker.
- Churn according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
- Serve immediately or transfer to a freezer-safe container for a firmer ice cream.
- For easier scooping, take the vegan vanilla ice cream out of the freezer at least 10 minutes before serving. Store in the freezer for up to 2 weeks.
Notes
- The ice cream maker bowl should be completely chilled for the ice cream to firm up. Refrigerating the cans of coconut milk beforehand will also help the ice cream freeze faster when you make it.
- Vanilla ice cream is never boring! Serve this dairy-free vanilla ice cream with anything from a peanut butter drizzle, date caramel, sliced almonds, crushed double chocolate chip cookies, or strawberry compote.
- This vanilla coconut ice cream has a soft serve consistency after churning. For a more scoopable texture, freeze it for a few hours before serving.
