Vegan Ice Cream Bars

These homemade vegan ice cream bars are surprisingly easy to make with a no churn vanilla ice cream base, chocolate coating, toppings, and no special equipment required! The perfect summer treat.

Jump to:

• 🍨 Why We Love This Recipe
• 🍫 Ingredients
• 📋 Ingredient Notes
• 🔪 Step-by-step Instructions
• 💭 Expert Tips and FAQs
• 🍽 Related Recipes
• Reviews

🍨 Why We Love This Recipe

• No churn homemade vegan ice cream base: our vegan vanilla ice cream base is made with a blend of soaked cashews, coconut cream, vanilla bean and maple syrup. It comes together quickly in a blender and it's no churn, so you just pour into a pan and freeze until set! Easy, creamy and delicious.
• No special equipment or popsicle molds needed! No expensive ice cream machine or specialty molds – just a square baking pan and some cheap popsicle sticks!
• Customizable: Feel free to customize by changing up the ice cream flavor (or using a store-bought variety) and toppings. The options are endless!
• So. Ridiculously. Delicious. Need I say more?!

🍫 Ingredients

Here are the key ingredients you'll need to make these vegan ice cream bars:

📋 Ingredient Notes

• Coconut milk: be sure to use full fat canned coconut milk in this recipe. It's different from other plant-based milks that you find in cartons. It is often located near Asian grocery staples. Note that some canned coconut milks are "lite" – don't use those for this ice cream or it won't be creamy enough.
• Coconut cream: one can of coconut milk isn't quite enough, so we also add in a bit more full fat coconut cream. It typically comes in a smaller can (5oz) and you only need the full fat layer on top of the can. If you can't find any, use another can of full fat coconut milk, but only use ¼ cup of the thick cream at the top of the can.
• Cashews: be sure to use unroasted, unsalted nuts in these vegan ice cream bars! The cashews are soaked, which allows them to blend into a perfectly cream base for this no churn ice cream.
• Sweetener: Agave and maple syrup are interchangeable in these vegan ice cream bars, although maple tends to have a stronger flavor. You can also use another liquid sweetener of choice.
• Chocolate: we use semi-sweet or around 72% dark chocolate for the chocolate coating. Feel free to go darker if preferred!
• Vanilla: for extra flavor, we use both vanilla extract and vanilla beans in the ice cream base. If you don't have any vanilla beans, you can just use the extract.

🔪 Step-by-step Instructions

PREP: Soak cashews in room temperature water for 30-60 minutes. Drain and rinse. Line an 8x8 or 9x9" pan with parchment paper and set aside.

(1) Add all ice cream ingredients to a high speed blender and blend until completely smooth and creamy.

(2) Transfer to pan and place in freezer. Freeze until completely set – about 4 hours. 

(3) Once the ice cream is set, remove from pan. Slice into 9 squares. Insert a wood popsicle stick into each ice cream square, being careful not to go all the way through. 

(4) Return to freezer. Meanwhile, add chocolate and coconut oil to a microwave safe bowl. Microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring well between each interval, until fully melted. Prep any desired toppings and set aside – you'll need to add them right away as the chocolate freezes up quickly. 

(5) Remove ice cream bars from freezer and use a spoon to coat completely in melted chocolate. Immediately add toppings and return to freezer. Work as quickly as possible to prevent too much ice cream melting. 

(6) Enjoy right away or return to freezer for another hour to make sure they fully set.

💭 Expert Tips and FAQs

• Pro tip: for best results, let the ice cream re-freeze between each step. We return the ice cream to the freezer for at least 30 minutes after cutting into squares, and then again after coating in chocolate to make sure they're perfectly set. Of course if you don't mind the mess, you can move faster, but patience is key!
• Don't skip the coconut oil: we add a significant amount of coconut oil to the melted chocolate, which helps loosen it up for easier coating. It also makes the chocolate coating softer, almost like a magic shell, so these vegan ice cream bars are easy to eat and not too messy. Plus, since coconut oil is solid at room temperature, it helps the chocolate set much faster.
• Store-bought: If using store bought ice cream for the ice cream base, you'll need about 4 cups total. 
• Storage: Once the ice cream bars are fully frozen, store in a large tupperware container between layers of parchment paper to prevent freezing. If storing for an extended period of time, be sure to store in a sealed container to prevent freezer burn.
• Topping ideas: the options are truly endless! You can keep it super simple with just a basic chocolate coating, or you can go crazy (like we did). Here are a few of our favorite combinations:
  • S'mores: mini chocolate chips + mini marshmallows + graham cracker crumbs
  • Coconut: toasted or un-toasted, shredded or flakes work!
  • Drumstick: crushed up waffle cones + peanuts
  • Strawberry shortcake: crushed freeze dried strawberries + crushed cookies
  • Sundae: sprinkles + cherry
  • Chocolate chip: mini chips work best here
  • Oreo (or another crushed cookie of choice!)
  • Almond: almond flakes work best, or another favorite nut or seed
  • PB cup: chopped peanut butter cups (we used these ones!)

🍽 Related Recipes

Tried this recipe? Leave a comment with a star rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ below. You can also snap a photo and tag @crowded_kitchen on Instagram. We can't wait to see what you're cooking!

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