This chocolate vegan ice cream recipe is ultra creamy and delicious without using dairy! Here are the secrets to making it at home.

Ever get the Sunday night blues? That jittery feeling in your stomach that the work or school week is only a night’s sleep away? The pressure to fully utilize those last, fleeting moments? I’ve had a weekly case of the Sunday night blues for years, though I’ve finally learned to alleviate it with some mental tricks. A friend of mine combats it with a date to the ice cream shop with his wife. How fun is that? In honor of the Sunday night blues, Alex and I created this vegan ice cream recipe. It’s creamy, frosty, and tastes oh so delicious: without using dairy. Here are our secrets!

Why a vegan ice cream recipe?

Why make a vegan ice cream recipe? Alex and I don’t eat strictly vegan / plant-based. But since there are so many great traditional ice cream recipes out there, we enjoyed the challenge of experimenting with non-dairy versions. Here’s why we got into vegan ice cream:

Plant based ice cream is a fun variation. It’s no stretch to claim this vegan ice cream is just as good as the real thing! It’s lusciously creamy and delicious, a feat without using dairy. Consuming less dairy can be better for you and the planet, so why not try it once and a while?
It’s not quite as rich as traditional ice cream. While I do eat dairy, I’ve noticed vegan ice cream tends to sit better with my stomach. I don’t feel as indulgent after I eat it!

How to make this vegan ice cream recipe

Creamy vegan ice cream is difficult to achieve. Because real dairy has lots of fat to keep the texture creamy, sometimes vegan ice creams turn out icy and unsatisfying. We’ve cracked the code to making the perfect texture. Here are our secrets:

Full-fat coconut milk. You absolutely must use full fat milk here! Ice cream needs fat to get creamy.
Cornstarch. A little cornstarch helps to thicken the ice cream to get the right smooth texture.
Liquid sweetener. Using a liquid sweetener in combination with a granulated one helps to make the texture perfectly creamy.

We tried all these tricks and were amazed at the result, much improved from our last take on coconut ice cream, which became a very icy when frozen for storage. And the flavor? Though it’s made of coconut, it has just a hint of coconut when you take a bite, overwhelmed by the burst of salted chocolate flavor.

Salt and pistachios optional

When we made this vegan ice cream recipe, Alex and I added two mix-ins that are completely optional! Add them if you’d like:

Sea salt. If you love salty and sweet, you’ll love the sea salt mix-in! I’m a huge fan. But if you’re not into salted chocolate (like Alex), feel free to omit it.
Chopped pistachios. We also added chopped pistachios to add a bit of elegance. I love chunks in my ice cream, so it was just perfect. But you can use any nut or mix-in — see below!

What else to do with coconut milk? Here are 15 recipes to use up a can.

Variations on vegan ice cream: more flavors!

You can vary this vegan ice cream in so many ways! Here are some different options for flavoring:

Vanilla vegan ice cream: Omit the chocolate and cocoa powder. Increase to 2 teaspoons vanilla extract. If you’d like, add the beans from 1 vanilla bean pod.
Mint chocolate chip vegan ice cream: Omit the chocolate and cocoa powder. Add 2 teaspoons peppermint extract and 2 ounces chopped chocolate as a mix-in. (Go here for more.)
Chai vegan ice cream: Omit the chocolate and cocoa powder. Add ¼ teaspoon each ground cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and cardamom.
Chocolate peanut butter ice cream: Add in ¼ cup peanut butter with the coconut milk.
Mix ins: Chocolate chunks, chopped almonds, walnuts or peanuts, fudge stripe, crushed candy, crushed cookies, etc

What’s the best ice cream maker?

Lastly, what’s the best ice cream maker? Alex and I use this 2 quart ice cream maker and love it! It’s a great holiday or birthday present to ask for if you don’t want to splurge for it.

Churning the ice cream takes about 15 minutes. After it’s done you can eat your ice cream right away for a soft serve texture. Or, follow the instructions in the recipe below to freeze it to a hard ice cream texture: it takes about 4 hours to freeze up!

This vegan ice cream recipe is…

Vegetarian, gluten-free, vegan, plant-based, and dairy-free.