This deliciously creamy dark chocolate ice cream is so delectable, you won’t miss the dairy! Here’s an easy vegan ice cream recipe to make at home.
We’ve been experimenting with riffs on vegan ice cream for a while. Why vegan ice cream? Neither Alex nor I eat strictly vegan / plant-based. But since there are so many traditional ice cream recipes out there, we enjoy the challenge of experimenting with non-dairy ice cream. Also, vegan ice cream tends to sit better with my stomach. And this one–to us vegan ice cream is just as good as the real thing. While we’ve got quite a bit of other flavor variations: mint chocolate chip, Jamocha almond fudge, and salted chocolate pistachio, we decided we needed another one: a straight up dark chocolate ice cream. Keep reading for the recipe!
How to make vegan dark chocolate ice cream
The secret to this vegan dark chocolate ice cream is…full fat coconut milk! And in this case, the dark chocolate flavor covers it so it’s not too coconut-y, just rich and refreshing. Cornstarch also helps to give the vegan ice cream more of a body. And simmering the mixture until it is thick and using liquid sweetener like agave or maple syrup also helps for a creamy texture. And the flavor? Though it’s made of coconut, this version had no trace of coconut taste to my palate, instead overwhelmed by the burst of dark chocolate ice cream flavor.
What’s the best ice cream maker?
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 dark chocolate ice cream is naturally sweet, dairy free, gluten free, and vegan. But mostly to us: it’s just delicious! Would you give it a try! Let us know in the comments below!
Looking for other delicious healthy dessert recipes?
Outside of this vegan dark chocolate ice cream, here are some of our favorite delicious and healthy desserts:
- Amazing Gluten Free Chocolate Cake
- Bliss Bites (Healthy No Bake Cookies)
- Chocolate Chip Gluten Free Skillet Cookie
- Chocolate Tahini No Bake Vegan Cookies
- Chocolate Chip Almond Flour Skillet Cookie
- Easy Bananas Foster Recipe
- Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Fudgy Vegan Brownies
- Chocolate Sweet Cherry Vegan Tarts
- Chewy Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies
- Chocolate Peppermint Cups
- Mint Chocolate Chip Vegan Ice Cream
- Healthy Peanut Butter Buckeye Balls
- Simple Apple Crisp in a Jar
This dark chocolate ice cream recipe is…
Vegetarian, gluten-free, vegan, plant-based, and dairy-free.
Print
Vegan Dark Chocolate Ice Cream
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Yield: 1 quart 1x
Description
This deliciously creamy dark chocolate ice cream is so delectable, you won’t miss the dairy! Here’s an easy vegan ice cream recipe to make at home.
Ingredients
- 2 15-ounce cans full-fat coconut milk
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- ⅓ cup agave syrup
- ⅓ cup coconut sugar
- 3 ½ ounces vegan dark chocolate, 70% cocoa
- ⅓ cup cocoa powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
- Freeze the ice cream maker base overnight.
- In a small bowl, mix ½ cup coconut milk with 2 tablespoons cornstarch and set aside.
- Add the remainder of the coconut milk to a medium pan. Warm the coconut milk over medium low heat for a minute or two, whisking to incorporate the solids. Then add ⅓ cup agave syrup and ⅓ cup coconut sugar. Break the chocolate into pieces and add to the coconut milk; stir until thoroughly combined. Whisk in the cocoa powder, then the cornstarch mixture. Heat until the chocolate mixture is thickened, 6 to 8 minutes (do not boil). Remove from heat and stir in 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla.
- Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a 1-gallon Ziplock bag. If churning immediately, place the bag in an ice bath for 30 minutes until cool; if churning the next day, refrigerate 4 hours or overnight (either way, the mixture should be as cold as possible before churning).
- Churn the ice cream in the ice cream maker until it thickens to the consistency of soft serve. Eat immediately for a soft serve consistency, or for a hard ice cream texture, freeze using the following instructions: press a piece of parchment or wax paper into a sealable container, then scrape the ice cream into the container using a spatula, making sure to scrape in the bits frozen to the edges of the ice cream maker base. Freeze for 4 hours for a hard ice cream texture.
Notes
Note: Due to the need to chill the ingredients before churning, we recommend starting this recipe the night before serving. Adapted from The Kitchn
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Frozen
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: Dark Chocolate Ice Cream, Ice Cream Recipe, Vegan Ice Cream, Creamy Dairy Free Ice Cream
Hi Sonja and Alex! I have a question – why the regular and light coconut cream? Was there a reason for this, in terms of taste and texture, or did you simply want to cut some of the fat out?
We tried several variations and liked this one the best!
Hi Marnie! My stomach is a bit sensitive to high-fat foods, so I found the combination of light with regular coconut milk was a little easier for me to handle. However, you could make it with all regular coconut milk too! Good question!
This is such a brilliant idea! And I love the simplicity and more natural element of this recipe as opposed to using a milk or cream base. Looking forward to trying this over the weekend (although I’m can’t ever pass up mint chip, so that may have to come first). ;)
This sounds so delicious! Love the flavour combo!
YES! I am so excited to try this. I have really been on a roll making ice cream after purchasing a Cuisinart ice cream maker at a rummage sale for $2.50 last summer. I haven’t tried any dairy-free varieties besides sorbet, so this makes my day. Thank you!
Just gorgeous. Can we come over again? :D
Please?! :)
This looks incredible! I’ve been a bit smitten with the chocolate coconut ice cream from Trader Joe’s and am excited to try this one at home. YUM! –Meg
Let us know if you tried it out! I’m dying to see if someone likes it as much as we do or if it’s just us :)
From a fellow ice cream fiend… Beautiful!
Mmmm … my favorite kind of chocolate … dark! This looks amazing. My husband and I have been making fruity ice creams & sorbets this summer with coconut milk/cream, but we haven’t ventured into chocolate yet. I will have to give this a go!
Yum! This looks perfect :) I can’t believe I haven’t tried a chocolate coconut milk ice cream before! Must try :)
Love your photo! Sounds like a great recipe, I look forward to giving it a try!