How to Make the Best Non Dairy Ice Cream (vegan friendly)

Looking for a non dairy ice cream recipe that can form the base of any flavours and toppings you add to it? I’ve got you covered!

It’s no surprise to any of my friends that coconut is one of my favourite ingredients. And for good reason: it tastes so good in so many things!

Sure, you may have had it in soups, in cookies, in desserts, in drinks, maybe even in salads… but in ice cream?

In ice cream, coconut milk is simply sublime. It makes a vegan ice cream that is incredibly smooth and unctuous.

If you’re looking for an ice cream dairy alternative, nothing comes as close to replicating the mouthfeel of a creamy ice cream as full-fat coconut milk.

This recipe is terrific because it’s simple and straightforward.

I’m also sharing two of my favourite variations: Roasted Peach + Orange Mint and Roasted Cherry + Dark Chocolate. They are just as easy as the base recipe, I promise.

Here’s everything you’ll need to make the base for this non dairy ice cream recipe.

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How to Make this Non-Dairy Ice Cream Vegan

I love honey in this recipe because it adds sweetness and flavour. I was lucky enough to use honey produced on my own property courtesy of our friends, but any raw honey would be nice. Any “flavoured” honey like a dark buckwheat honey will add additional flavour to your final creation.

If you don’t eat or don’t like honey, you can easily substitute another liquid sweetener of your choice (maple syrup, coconut syrup, agave syrup, date syrup, brown rice syrup, etc.). All of these are vegan so this would achieve a vegan ice cream.

This basic recipe is delicious on its own… but check out my two variations below for two options that make this ice cream even more special.

Non dairy Ice Cream Variations (2 more recipes)

Variation #1:

Roasted Peach & Orange Mint coconut milk ice cream

My Roasted Peach + Orange Mint coconut milk ice cream is a not-too-sweet, floral treat with nuggets of freshly roasted Ontario peach.

To make the Roasted Peach + Orange Mint variation, start with the non dairy coconut milk base above, then add:

• 1 cup of roasted peaches, chopped into small pieces. Don’t make these pieces too big because larger peach pieces will be too hard to chew through.
• 1 tablespoon of finely diced orange mint (any kind of mint will do, but it must be fresh; dried mint is absolutely NO substitute here–indeed dried mint would be a crime in this!)

Make the ice cream according to the instructions in the coconut base recipe above.  

Variation #2:

Roasted Cherry & Dark Chocolate coconut milk ice cream

My non dairy Roasted Cherry + Dark Chocolate ice cream features caramelized fruit and lovely ribbons of chocolate throughout. It also has a gorgeous blush colour from the cherries.

To make the Dark Chocolate + Roasted Cherry variation, start with the non dairy coconut ice cream base above, then add:

• 1 cup of roasted cherries, chopped (in my opinion, the smaller the better; my cherries were tiny shards, almost a puree once I was done)

If you don’t have a cherry pitter, the easiest way to pit fresh cherries is to roast them first. Then pit them by pushing each pit through the cherry’s now soft flesh. Saves a lot of time this way!

For this non dairy ice cream version, add the cherries and then turn your ice cream maker on. Wait until the ice cream is almost completely set up before adding the final ingredient. This took about 10-12 minutes for me.

You will then need:

• 75 g of chocolate, melted (any good quality semi-sweet chocolate will do)

Without turning the ice cream maker off, slowly pour the melted chocolate through the ice cream chute or opening. As the machine churns, the chocolate will freeze into thin ribbons that wind their way through the ice cream.

If your ice cream maker doesn’t have a chute to add ingredients, you can turn the machine off. Gently fold in the chocolate, and then turn the machine back on to fully incorporate it.

And that’s it!

Why Make Non dairy Ice Cream

So many of us have allergies or intolerance to conventional dairy. I’ve talked about some of the common symptoms or signs of dairy allergies and intolerance before.

Luckily, full-fat coconut milk can replace dairy quite easily. So, you can make a non dairy or vegan ice cream recipe that everyone can enjoy. Try using coconut milk to make your own homemade non dairy ice cream and I think you’ll be suitably impressed.

Try one or both of my variations. You might find it fun to shop for ice cream ingredients in your pantry!

But first: what is your favourite non dairy ice cream flavour? The one flavour that you could eat, over and over again, without ever getting tired of it?

Life is a plate… eat up!

Ashleigh

P.S. Want more non dairy ice cream recipes? Try this simple strawberry-banana soft serve ice cream.