Easy Vegan Chocolate Ice Cream Recipe (2024)

Last modified: June 26, 2020. Originally posted: May 9, 2020 By Sophia DeSantis

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Are you looking for a frozen treat, that not only tastes amazing but is filled with nutrition? This easy vegan chocolate ice recipe will be your new BFF!

We love ice cream around here, especially chocolate. So I put my creating brain in and came out with this amazingly rich protein packed treat!

Chocolate Flavored Vegan Ice Cream

If it was up to the little one, he'd live on ice cream. I mean, top it with some cookies and I totally get it. But since he's a monster without some healthy protein, I thought I'd put the two together!

What is vegan ice cream made of?

There are a million and one ways vegan ice cream can be made, with new ideas coming every day. This new recipe is a prime example!

Some of the most common bases for vegan ice cream are:

• bananas
• cashews
• coconut milk
• almond milk
• soy milk
• Aquafaba (the juice from a can of chickpeas)

And now, I have proven that you can also use chickpeas! I also have another very odd ingredient. Don't judge until you try it. It's....tomato paste. Yep.

You read that right. It helps bring out the rich flavor of the chocolate. I promise that it's amazing.

Is vegan ice cream healthy?

Like any food, this depends on what's in it. Just because something is vegan, doesn't mean it is healthy. This recipe, is definitely on the healthier side!

However, healthy to me is a wide spread word. What is healthy for one person isn't necessarily healthy for another. I personally feel like healthy means made of ingredients that are mostly whole food based.

Keeping homemade ice cream soft in the freezer

The thing about ice cream in the freezer, much like anything you put in there, is that it freezes. LOL So you may wonder why store bought varieties are so soft.

The answer is in the gums they use in the ingredients. They help keep ice crystals from forming, and help keep the ice cream fluffy and soft.

Other techniques out there like using the right amount of sugar or alcohol, can help lower the freezing point and therefore keep the ice cream from getting super hard. But it doesn't always work.

I also scoured the internet and found this tip about keeping it in a plastic bag that was interesting enough to try.

After trying it, I can't say it helped a ton but I think it helped a little. The concept of the bag insulating the container so ice crystals don't form does make sense. I think it would work better with store bought ice cream that has ingredients to help it as well.

Storage tips

The best way to store ice cream is in a specific ice cream container or a pan covered in plastic wrap. You want to keep ice crystals from forming, so placing plastic flush against the top of the ice cream itself helps.

You can also then keep your container or pan in a plastic bag like described above to further help if you want to give that a shot.

When you are ready to eat it, defrost for about 5-15 minutes before you dig in, depending on the inside temperature of your house.

Also, you should eat your homemade ice cream within the first few freezing times for the best results. Every time you defrost and then refreeze ice cream it will form more ice crystals making it harder.

You can store it in individual servings as well so you can just take one out at a time to eat and not have to defrost the entire container.

How to Make Vegan Chocolate Ice Cream

This recipe can't be any easier! It takes two steps to get that ice cream into the freezer. The hardest part is the waiting!

1. Put everything into a blender and blend until smooth.
2. Transfer to a container. Or if you have an ice cream maker pour into that and churn. See below on tips to make this even better without an ice cream maker.
3. Once frozen, scoop and enjoy! This ice cream base is thick and almost pudding like. This helps make the end result uber creamy. The other good news is that this is ready to eat within 2-3 hours depending on your freezer.

Mix in ideas

We love changing this up a bit to make it even more decadent. Here are some of our favorite mix ins:

• Chocolate chips
• Crushed graham crackers
• Marshmallows (make sure to get a vegan marshmallow to keep it vegan)
• Sprinkles
• Chopped nuts
• Chocolate sauce
• Nut butter
• Shredded coconut
• Vegan brownie chunks
• Vegan chocolate chip cookie chunks
• Crushed oreos
• Vegan caramel sauce
• Dried cherries or raspberried
• Freeze dried strawberries
• Turtles or Peanut Butter Bites

How to serve

We love ice cream in any way shape or form. We try and mix it up to keep it exciting. Here are some of our faves:

• Sugar cones
• Wafer (or cake) cones
• Waffle cones
• Bowls
• Waffle bowls
• Just with a spoon into our mouth

How to make without an ice cream maker

You definitely don't need an ice cream maker to make ice cream at home. It's a great tool to have, I like the Cuisinart brand, but not needed for a great result.

While an ice cream maker will give you smoother softer ice cream, it often is more on the soft serve side overall, so you may want to freeze it anyway.

You can simple place in a container and freeze, but if you want to mimic the churning of an ice cream maker, there is a way. Here are the steps to take:

1. Put the ice cream base into a freezer safe container.
2. Every 30-40 minutes, use a spoon to mix the contents around. You are sort of mimicking what an ice cream maker does.
3. Set the timer, you'll forget. Trust me.
4. After about 2-3 hours, you will have hard ice cream but soft enough to serve!

Freezer temps vary so yours can take less or more time.