Want to make homemade vegan ice cream without an ice cream maker, or do you have a new machine and need a vegan recipe? Quick popsicles or creamy protein ice cream for after your workout? Here, I’ll show you how vegan ice cream works, simply, with or without an ice cream maker, using coconut milk and bananas, and variations from chocolate with fleur de sel, to date caramel, to protein powder.
By the way, I use the WMF 3-in-1 Mini 300 ml ice cream maker* for my homemade vegan ice cream. If you have a bigger one, you can adjust the amounts accordingly.
As a quick base recipe, here’s my current favorite homemade vegan ice cream: chocolate ice cream with flaky salt. Inspired by eating ice cream with my friend Kelly, who pulls little packets of salt out of her bag that she’s picked up from somewhere, and sprinkles them generously over her chocolate ice cream as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Of course I had to try it too! And I was an instant fan. Chocolate ice cream with salt is amazing. I also added some chocolate chunks and a bit of peanut butter to the recipe, so it tastes a little like vegan Snickers ice cream too, since that’s my favorite popsicle. You’ll find the popsicle recipes further down, no ice cream maker needed for those.
Homemade Vegan Ice Cream: What You Need to Know
The biggest difference between vegan and classic ice cream is fat. In conventional ice cream, cream and egg yolk provide creaminess and prevent hard ice crystals from forming. For the vegan version, you need to solve this differently, and the simplest answer is canned coconut milk. The high fat content makes the difference.
In addition, natural, relatively healthy ingredients like banana, cashew butter, or peanut butter help bind the mixture and give the ice cream substance.
If you leave out the maple syrup and chocolate chunks in the base vegan chocolate ice cream recipe, this homemade vegan ice cream is sugar-free. The same goes for the banana ice cream without the date caramel (recipe further down).
With an ice cream maker, you get a slightly airier, finer texture, as the machine stirs continuously during freezing, preventing crystal formation.
It works without an ice cream maker too, but it needs a different process and a bit more time.
Homemade Vegan Ice Cream: With or Without an Ice Cream Maker
Recommended Equipment
Ingredients
- 250 ml coconut milk
- 1 banana
- 2 tablespoons cacao powder
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon peanut butter
- 1 pinch of salt
- 25 g dark chocolate chopped
- 1/4 teaspoon flaky salt
Instructions
Without Ice Cream Maker
- Add all ingredients except the chopped chocolate and flaky salt to the blender, blend, then pour into an airtight container with a lid. Add half of the chopped chocolate and place in the freezer for at least 3 hours. I recommend stirring the mixture every hour.
- Now spoon the ice cream into two small bowls, sprinkle with the rest of the chocolate and flaky salt, and serve immediately. You can also leave the ice cream in the freezer for more than 3 hours, but then you want to take it out about 15 minutes before serving
With an Ice Cream Maker
- Add all ingredients to the blender and blend. Turn on the ice cream maker and slowly pour in the mixture. Let it run for 15–20 minutes, depending on how firm you like your ice cream. When it's almost done, add half of the chopped chocolate into the machine.
- Now either spoon the ice cream into two small bowls, sprinkle with the rest of the chocolate and flaky salt, and serve immediately. Or transfer to a 300 ml container and store in the freezer and take it out about 15 minutes before serving.
Nutrition
More Flavours of Homemade Vegan Ice Cream
Banoffee Ice Cream with Salted Caramel (with or without an ice cream maker)
Love banana? The Vegan Banana Ice Cream with Date Caramel is creamy, sweetly delicious, and has the same basic structure.
Hojicha Ice Cream Mini Cheesecakes (no ice cream maker needed)
It gets even more special and creamy with the Vegan Hojicha Ice Cream Mini Cheesecakes: ice cream meets cheesecake with a subtle tea note. You can also swap the hojicha (roasted green tea powder) for matcha.
How to Make Vegan Popsicles (No Ice Cream Maker Needed)
For popsicles, you’ll need a popsicle mold*. You can order this, and the popsicle sticks come included.
Snickers Protein Popsicles
Vegan Snickers Protein Popsicles with salted date caramel, protein powder, roasted peanuts, and chocolate coating.
Matcha Popsicles with White Chocolate
Creamy Vegan Matcha Popsicles with coconut milk, white chocolate, and green tea powder.
Pink Pitaya Popsicles
Vegan Dragon Fruit Popsicles: pink and creamy. Coated with dragon fruit powder and white chocolate.
FAQ
How Long Does Homemade Vegan Ice Cream Keep?
Well sealed in the freezer, two to three weeks. After that, the texture suffers a bit, but the taste stays fine.
The Ice Cream Is Rock Hard, What Now?
Let it thaw at room temperature for ten to fifteen minutes before scooping. Homemade ice cream without stabilizers always needs a little time to soften.
Can I Substitute Almond Milk for Coconut Milk?
Almond milk has much less fat, so the result will be less creamy and prone to ice crystals. We tried it with an extra spoonful of peanut butter, and found it okay, but not quite as delicious and creamy as with coconut milk.
Fresh from the fusion kitchen
