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Home » Recipes » Vegan Sweets

No Churn Vegan Vanilla Ice Cream

Published: Aug 2, 2021 by Lexi

21 shares
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You don't need an ice cream machine to make our smooth and creamy no churn vegan vanilla ice cream, which gets its texture from coconut milk and cashews and its fresh flavor from vanilla beans.

overhead view of vegan no churn vanilla ice cream in scoops.
Jump to:
  • 🍨 Why We Love This Recipe
  • 🥛 Ingredients
  • 📋 Ingredient Notes
  • 🔪 Step-by-step Instructions
  • 💭 Expert Tips and FAQ
  • 🍽 Related Recipes
  • 📖 Recipe

🍨 Why We Love This Recipe

  • No churn: All you need for this recipe is a blender and a loaf pan. No ice cream machine required! This takes a lot of guesswork out of making ice cream and cuts down on the potential cost as well.
  • Totally vegan: since we use cashews, coconut milk and coconut cream, this recipe is 100% vegan. It's also soy and gluten free.
  • Totally customizable: this no-churn vegan vanilla ice cream base is a blank canvas for whatever flavor combinations you can dream up. Add in something summery like fresh berries or a swirl of homemade jam, or something more decadent like crushed oreos and peanut butter (or my favorite: cookie dough!). The possibilities are endless!
Front view of ice cream in a small jar with a drizzle of chocolate and sprinkle of chopped nuts.

🥛 Ingredients

Here's everything you need to make this no churn vegan vanilla ice cream:

Overhead shot of ingredients including vanilla beans, cashews, coconut milk, etc.

📋 Ingredient Notes

  • Cashews: It's super important to soak the cashews in water before blending to ensure that you ice cream blends well and has the right texture. Also be sure to use raw, unsalted cashews – the cashews are more for texture than flavor.
  • Vanilla: We used a combination of vanilla beans and vanilla extract to flavor our ice cream, but you can sub out the beans and extract for 1 tablespoon of vanilla bean paste. You really want to go heavy on the vanilla here – it is the predominant flavor, after all!
  • Make sure to use a full fat coconut milk and coconut cream. Coconut milk and coconut cream are not the same ingredient – coconut cream refers specifically to the thick cream layer at the the top of a can of coconut milk, whereas coconut milk also includes the liquid below.
  • Sweetener: You can use agave or maple syrup in this recipe.

🔪 Step-by-step Instructions

This no churn vegan vanilla ice cream comes together in just a few simple steps:

PREP: Soak cashews in room temperature water for 2-3 hours, then drain and rinse.

(1 & 2) Add all ingredients to a high speed blender and blend until smooth.

On the left: ingredients in blender after blending. On the right: blended mixture in a pan before freezing.

(3 & 4) Pour into pan of choice and freeze for at least 8 hours or overnight.

On the left: ice cream in pan after freezing. On the right: Ice cream balled into scoops in the pan.

💭 Expert Tips and FAQ

  • Try vanilla bean paste: You can sub out the 2 vanilla beans and 2 teaspoon vanilla extract for 1 tablespoon of vanilla bean paste, which may be easier to find than vanilla beans.
  • Be sure to use a can of full-fat coconut milk and not anything labeled "lite", etc, which will not be thick enough for this no churn vegan vanilla ice cream.
  • How to store no churn ice cream: you can certainly use a specialty ice cream storage container, which are specifically made to keep the ice cream frozen with added insulation to prevent freezer burn. We find it easier and more cost effective to use a loaf pan, but be sure to wrap well in plastic or reusable wrap to prevent freezer burn. Another pro tip: save a leftover store-bought ice cream container and use that!
  • Let the ice cream thaw at room temperature for 15 minutes before scooping. Otherwise, it will be very hard to scoop.
  • Add-ins: this no churn vegan vanilla ice cream is a blank canvas. Feel free to add in anything your heart desires! A few of my favorites: peanut butter cups, graham cracker crumbs + mini marshmallows + chocolate chips, fresh berries, etc.
  • Uses: you can use this no churn vegan vanilla ice cream for all sorts of recipes. We love using it in these ice cream bars, ice cream cake, affogato, with a warm berry crisp, in ice cream sandwiches and so much more.
How do I prep a vanilla bean?

Using a paring knife, split the bean in half lengthwise. Then use the blade of the knife to scrape the beans out of each vanilla bean half.

What's the difference between coconut milk and coconut cream?

Coconut cream specifically refers to the very thick cream that's made from coconut milk. When coconut milk is chilled, the layer of cream separates to create coconut cream. Coconut cream is available as a separate product from coconut milk, typically right next to each other. We used both in this ice cream because the extra coconut cream adds much-needed thickness and creaminess.

If I can't find coconut cream, can I use full fat coconut milk?

If you can't find any cream, here's what to do. Refrigerate a can of coconut milk for a few hours. The layer of cream will come to the top, so you can just scoop out the cream and not use any of the thin liquid at the bottom of the can.

Tray of ice cream with a few balled scoops.

🍽 Related Recipes

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  • close up view of vegan mint chocolate chip ice cream in small jar with fresh mint on top.
    Vegan Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream
  • overhead view of vegan cookie dough ice cream in antique tin with ice cream cones around it.
    Vegan Cookie Dough Ice Cream
  • close up view of vegan lemon blueberry ice cream in a loaf pan ice cream in scoop.
    Blueberry Lemon Ice Cream

Tried this recipe? Please leave a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page. You can also stay in touch with us through social media by following us on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook or by subscribing to our newsletter.

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📖 Recipe

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Front view of vanilla ice cream with chocolate nuts a cherry for garnish.

No Churn Vegan Vanilla Ice Cream


  • Author: Lexi
  • Total Time: 10 hours
  • Yield: 8 servings 1x
  • Diet: Vegan
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Description

You don't need an ice cream machine to make our smooth and creamy no churn vegan vanilla ice cream, which gets its texture from coconut milk and cashews and its fresh flavor from vanilla beans.


Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 1 can full-fat coconut milk
  • 1 5 oz can coconut cream
  • 1 cup raw unsalted cashews, soaked for 2-3 hours in room temp water
  • ½ cup agave or maple syrup
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • Seeds from 2 vanilla beans (or 1 tbsp vanilla bean paste)

Instructions

  1. Soak cashews in room temperature water for 2-3 hours, then drain and rinse. 
  2. Add all ingredients to a high speed blender and blend until completely smooth.
  3. Pour into a loaf pan or ice cream container and freeze for at least 8 hours or overnight. Thaw at room temperature for 15 minutes before scooping. 

Notes

You can sub out the 2 vanilla beans and 2 teaspoon vanilla extract for 1 tablespoon of vanilla bean paste, which may be easier to find than vanilla beans.

Make sure to use a full fat coconut milk and coconut cream. Coconut milk and coconut cream are not the same ingredient – coconut cream refers specifically to the thick cream layer at the the top of a can of coconut milk, whereas coconut milk also includes the liquid below. You should be able to find them next to each other at the grocery store. 

Cashews: It's super important to soak the cashews in water before blending to ensure that you ice cream blends well and has the right texture. Also be sure to use raw, unsalted cashews – the cashews are more for texture than flavor.

  • Prep Time: 2 hours
  • Freeze Time: 8 hours
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Freezer
  • Cuisine: American

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 scoop
  • Calories: 273
  • Sugar: 14.2 g
  • Sodium: 15.9 mg
  • Fat: 13.8 g
  • Carbohydrates: 20.2 g
  • Fiber: 0.6 g
  • Protein: 4.2 g

Keywords: no churn vegan vanilla ice cream

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Lexi and Beth toasting with wine.

Hi, we're Lexi and Beth, a mother-daughter team from Michigan. The recipes you'll find here are a reflection of how we bring our family together around the dinner table despite various dietary differences.

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