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First of all, let me make this really easy for you. If you have an ice cream maker, like this Cuisianart one I have, you can just buy vegan yogurt (coconut, almond, soy, rice, whatever your pleasure is) and put it into your ice cream maker and that's frozen yogurt. So let's start there.
Of course, that's not where we stop. I've recently fallen in love with making soy yogurt in my Instant Pot. Part of the "I have used my Instant Pot every day since purchasing it just before Thanksgiving," situation.
I've used two different methods now, and I like them both, so they are here on my post about Instapot Soy Yogurt. So I had a quart of yogurt (made using the second method- with probiotics) that I had strained some, but was still fairly thin, and I had added some maple syrup and vanilla to taste. The kids liked it, but were kind of unsure, "Do we drink this? Use a spoon?" I put a little on my daughter's oatmeal and she like that. Very creamy. Anyway, there was still a full quart to use up, and the kids had just had to turn down cow's milk ice cream at a birthday party this weekend, so I got out the ice cream maker and blended up the quart of homemade vanilla yogurt with one can of sweetened condensed coconut milk. Then I just poured it in the ice cream maker and set it and forget it for about 20 minutes. It was so creamy and sweet. Sweeter than most homemade, which made it especially treat-like for the kids. I might try with unsweetened homemade next time and make it strawberry or another flavor. I'm looking forward to experimenting more. 
Ingredients
1 quart soy or soy and coconut blend yogurt (recipe above, or store bought unsweetened soy yogurt) 1 can Sweetened Condensed Coconut Milk 1 tsp vanilla extract Blend ingredients in blender to fully incorporate, and then pour into ice cream maker for about 20 minutes, until thick consistency reached.
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 Last week, I wrote a Throwback Thursday post about vegan ice creams, including homemade recipes. I don't seem to have gotten over that, since today I found myself mixing up an all new recipe. For some reason I had planned on chocolate, and had one of those moments (rare moments) where I thought, "I'm just not in the mood for chocolate." Instead, I wanted maple and pecan. I got some maple extract recently, to amp up the maple flavor in baked goods, in addition to maple syrup as my sweetener of choice. I can't get enough of the maple-y goodness. As I started mixing the ingredients, it tasted to me like french toast, which I've also been craving lately. The cinnamon was an afterthought that turned into the perfect addition to give it the flavor I wanted. You could use more cinnamon, but my husband isn't a fan, so I went mellow on it. Recipe2 cans coconut milk 1/2 cup maple syrup 1 tsp maple extract 1 tsp vanilla extract 1 tsp cinnamon pinch salt Mix all ingredients in a bowl or ideally a large measuring bowl with pour spout and put in ice cream maker for about 20 minutes. Top with pecans and more cinnamon for the full effect, or be like my kids and go simple. The Gadget Nice Cream, You Scream, We all Scream for Dairy-Free Ice Cream!
It's been about a decade since I cut dairy from my diet completely. I wish I could say it was for the cows, who I have always felt such love and esteem for, but it was my own selfish digestion that caused that particular dietary change. I have always been lactose intolerant, but in my early-mid twenties, something shifted and milk no longer just gave me discomfort, it began making me violently ill. It was super fun times- not.
Since then, I've spent many moons learning to replace dairy in my diet, and ice cream was definitely on the short list of Things I Need Dairy-Free Versions Of. Over the years, I've met many people who share my dairy discomfort, as well as many vegans who have an ethical repulsion for dairy. Whatever the path, if you find yourself seeking dairy free ice cream options- you are in luck! Head to the Store
Most grocery stores (even in areas that don't seem "vegan-friendly") have a few dairy-free options. Peta Kids has this great list of common brands that you can find in the grocery store. If you have more options, there are all kinds of ice creams available commercially that are smaller batch. My personal favorite is Nada Moo, which isn't as widely available (I can't get it in my small town), as it's the creamiest. I DID recently find the new Non-Dairy Ben and Jerry's options and they did not disappoint. The peanut butter cookies and cream is my favorite, ideally mixed with the coffee and caramel one. The options in the store these days not only have the non-dairy goodness, but they also come with rice, almond, coconut, or cashew base, so there really is something for everyone. You can also often find vegan sorbets, like Haagan Daz mango or raspberry sorbet.
Make Your Own
My husband and I are both allergic to dairy, so when we got an ice cream maker for our wedding, we were thrilled to try out making our own ice cream! It took a while to get the hang of it though, and we had many flops. Finally, my friend Tara gave me a foolproof recipe:
1 can coconut milk (full fat) 1 small can coconut cream (or just the cream from a second can of full fat coconut milk) Then you add sweeteners/flavors/add ins of choice. I like maple syrup, vanilla, and crushed up Newman's O's for a cookies and cream that is perfection. Really, the possibilities are endless: You can use various extracts or fruit or nuts for whatever flavor you can imagine! For a Cashew Coconut Blend, you can try the ice cream I used for my birthday ice cream cake. It was so creamy and delicious! Nice Cream
Nice Cream is a term used primarily for blended up frozen bananas and/or other frozen fruit. You can use a quality blender, food processor, a machine specifically designed for it like "YoNanas" or similar, or in my case you can use a Champion Juicer like our Rainbow Sherbet recipe.
There's a million ways to make this, just blending up frozen bananas and other fruit (bananas aren't essential, but make it creamy and sweet naturally). You may need to add a tiny bit of juice or non-dairy milk to blend it, but if you add too much you get a smoothie- so beware. My favorites are banana peach, banana mango, or banana blueberry. You can also blend in peanut butter, cocoa powder, or matcha powder for peanut butter, chocolate, or green tea ice cream. Toppings
Peanut Butter Caramel Sauce: This was a huge hit at an ice cream demo my daughter and I taught last night. It's simply 2 parts Brown Rice Syrup and one part creamy peanut butter. It is gooey, sweet, and caramely good. Stir both ingredients together and try not to just eat it all with a spoon. It's nice on top of our ice cream or swirled in.
DIY Magic Shell in either chocolate, green tea, or peanut butter flavor: Mix some warmed coconut oil (just warm enough to be liquid) with either cocoa powder, matcha powder, or powdered peanut butter and then add some maple syrup to taste. It should be like a nice thick syrup consistency, but then when you pour over your ice cream it will harden. Sprinkles: Let's Do Organic makes great vegan sprinkles that are fun for baking and for topping sundaes Healthy Toppings: Fun health food toppings like cacao nibs, hemp seeds, chia seeds, goji berries, and nuts give the look and whimsy of a classic sundae and give great nutrients as well!
If these aren't enough, check out this list compiled by Buzzfeed:
29 Amazing Vegan Ice Cream Recipes |
I wrote a children's book, How Our Vegan Family Celebrates, to help vegans and vegan allies know how to include vegans in their celebrations and give affirmation to vegan kids who may feel alone. The book goes through holidays throughout the year and has a section at the back with parent tips!
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AuthorI love cooking and playing in the kitchen with my toys, so let me share that joy with you and your family to bring the FUN back into the kitchen! Categories
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