Who doesn’t like a creamy, cool, thick, sweet dessert with more than 1,000 flavors? Summers are the perfect time to indulge in a bowl full of sweet scoops. But for those who have dietary restrictions keeping them away from dairy sweets, vegan ice creams are the perfect alternative.
Vegan ice cream is ice cream that is made without using any kind of dairy product. Yes, it’s possible to enjoy creamy and delicious ice cream without milk.
Some vegan no-churn ice creams are made using frozen bananas also. Such dairy-free ice creams are also known as “nice creams”.
Here we have shared a basic vegan vanilla ice cream recipe. The secret ingredient of this recipe is full-fat canned coconut and cashew milk which gives it the best texture and creaminess.
Recipe
Preparation time: 30 mins
Chilling time: 8 hours
Total time: 8 hours 30 mins
Servings: 16
Ingredients
1 cup of raw cashews, overnight soaked
2 cans of full-fat coconut cream
1 tablespoon vanilla extract or 1 vanilla bean
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
Take a high-speed blender to blend the soaked cashews, coconut milk, vanilla bean extract, sugar, and sea salt together to get a 100% smooth mix.
Without Ice cream maker
- Place ice cream mixture in a freezer-safe container and place it in the freezer and let it sit there for 1 hour.
- Whisk semi-frozen mix slightly after 20 minutes to avoid it getting too hard and icy for the next 3-4 hours.
- The mixture will start getting thicker after each whisking until it’s firm enough to scoop out.
- Serve immediately or after it’s been in the freezer overnight, thaw for 5-10 minutes and scoop with an ice cream scooper.
Using Ice cream maker
- This mixture can get hot while blending so place it in the fridge for 4-6 hours to get it chilled.
- When chilled remove this freezer base (final ice cream mixture) from the fridge.
- Set up an ice cream machine and place the ice cream maker freezer base into the machine. Run the ice cream maker as per its manual instructions, for about 20-25 minutes of churning., until the ice cream becomes thick and smooth
- Now transfer this soft-serve ice cream into a flat base container. Cover it with cling wrap or use an airtight container to store ice cream. Now wrap the outside of the ice cream container too. This will ensure it’s all protected from ice crystal formation.
- Place the container in the freezer for at least 4 hours to set up completely or overnight if desired or it can be enjoyed immediately like soft serve.
- After keeping it at least 4 hours in the freezer, remove the container from the freezer and allow it to sit for at least 5 minutes at room temperature.
Scoop, serve and enjoy your sweet bowl of goodness with your favorite toppings.
Serving suggestion
- Enjoy it in bowls or cones.
- You can also add hot fudge and sprinkles on top.
- A warm vegan chocolate brownie will go perfectly with this vegan vanilla ice cream.
Storage
For the best taste and texture, don’t store it for more than 2 weeks.
Always cover your final ice cream mix with cling wrap or use an airtight container for chilling and storage, otherwise, ice particles will form in it and result in hard ice cream.
Health Benefits
Vegan ice cream can be healthier than regular ice cream by using sugar substitutes like maple syrup or coconut sugar. Ingredients used in this recipe benefit your health, from antioxidants to all the healthy fats of coconut milk and cashew milk.
Tips and tricks
- Use full-fat coconut milk not lite or coconut powder to get a perfect creamy texture.
- The vanilla extract used in this recipe doesn’t just add taste and aroma but it helps our vegan vanilla ice cream not become an icy mess. Alcoholic vanilla extract is best because it helps to keep things smooth. It helps to keep vegan ice cream ice-free and provides a fantastic smooth texture.
- If full-fat coconut cream is not available then you can keep coconut milk in the refrigerator overnight, turn the can upside down. In the morning pour out the liquid collected on the top. Use the solids of the coconut cream from the jar.
So friends this vegan vanilla ice cream is something you will not regret if you eat it all for dessert. This ice cream recipe will surely make you drool.
Happy eating friends!!