This Vegan Ice Cream Recipe Is So Good You Won’t Be Able to Tell What’s Missing

I have a confession: I’m not a vegan. Living in Wisconsin has ingrained my love for cheese curds, mile-high cream puffs and pretty much anything dairy too deep for me to ever give the stuff up. And that’s why I was so blown away by this Almond Butter Swirl Ice Cream. Despite its super creamy texture and decadent flavor, it was made without a lick of dairy or any other animal product.

Made with a combination of coconut and almond milk, this vegan ice cream recipe is the perfect summer dessert for those who follow a vegan or dairy-free diet. Balanced with a dash of sea salt, this ice cream isn’t too sweet and has a nice almond nuttiness. Plus, chocolate.

Enticed? Keep reading for the step-by-step instructions below.

By the way, these are the surprising foods you shouldn’t give a vegan.

How to Make Vegan Ice Cream

This dairy-free ice cream comes from Taste of Home’s Community Cook, Courtney Stultz.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup almond butter
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 2 cups coconut milk
• 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips (we love Pascha’d semisweet chips)

Yield: 1 quart

Tools:

• Ice cream maker

Step 1: Prepare the ice cream mixture

First, mix the sugar and sea salt into the almond butter. Then, slowly stir in the coconut and almond milk a cup at a time, until the mixture is smooth and creamy.

Test Kitchen Tip: Feel free to substitute your favorite nut butter in for the almond butter. If you’re new to anything other than peanut butter, check out our definitive guide to nut butter. You can also switch out the almond milk for unsweetened coconut or soy milk, if you have a nut allergy.

Step 2: Freeze in machine

Pour the ice cream mixture into your ice cream machine’s cylinder is two-thirds full. You might have to do this in batches, depending on the size of your machine. Process the ice cream mixture according to the manufacturer’s directions.

Test Kitchen Tip: No ice cream maker? No problem. This is the best method for making ice cream without a machine.

Step 3: Add chocolate

About five minutes before the end of the machine’s process, melt the chocolate chips. You can do this by microwaving it in a bowl in 30-second intervals until it’s completely melted. That’s not the only way to do it, though. Here’s how to melt chocolate 5 easy ways.

Once the chocolate is melted, slowly pour it into the machine as it continues to churn. Let the ice cream continue in the machine for a minutes or two to distribute the chocolate evenly.

Step 4: Fully freeze

After it’s done in the machine, transfer the ice cream into an ice cream container, like this one from StarPack. ($15) Pop it in the freezer for about two hours, or until it’s firmed up.

Step 5: Scoop!

Once the ice cream is firm, pull it out and get scooping. Serve this completely vegan ice cream with some crushed nuts, more chocolate chips or coconut milk whipped cream!

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