Have you been on the hunt for the best vegan chocolate ice cream? Look no further! This ice cream is creamy, rich, and oh so decadent. Perfect for those chocolate lovers out there. No, it doesn't taste like coconut or cashews. Nor does it have big ice crystals. Nope. This recipe is so smooth, so creamy, and way better than store-bought. Want to fool your non-vegan friends? Then use this recipe because it's THE BEST vegan chocolate ice cream.
If you don’t know already, I’m a chocoholic. I love chocolate more than anything, brownies, cookies, candy - and you guessed it, ice cream. As a kid, I wasn’t very adventurous with my ice cream flavors. I would always gravitate towards the chocolate flavor, whether it had nuts, brownies, or cookie chunks in it, I would get it. And this summer, I wanted to make my own vegan ice cream that tasted like the real thing.
I've been on a mission for a really good churned-based ice cream for a while now. I saved up to buy myself an ice cream maker attachment for my stand mixer, so I can make my own ice cream out of it. Upon my research, a lot of homemade vegan ice creams out there either use bananas or coconut milk as a base. While that's all fine and dandy, I'm honestly not the biggest fan of those. I wanted to create an ice cream that didn't have a base that overpowered the flavor I wanted. And after multiple tests, I've found the best combination to create the most luxurious vegan ice cream in the world.
What ingredients do you need to make the best vegan chocolate ice cream?
- Homemade cashew milk. Yes, homemade cashew milk is key to this recipe. Store-bought will not cut it. The reason being is that the texture of this homemade cashew milk is thick, pretty much like heavy cream. This will help create that nice creamy consistency we want in ice cream. This is important to the recipe, and can't be replaced.
- Coconut milk. Together with the cashew milk, will create a nice neutral flavor. This also adds to the texture of the ice cream. Leaving this out will make this ice cream taste more like cashews.
- Sugar. To make it sweet!
- Cocoa Powder. To give it that chocolate flavor.
- Instant espresso. Adding espresso will enhance the chocolate flavor. Don't worry it will not make it taste like coffee.
- Cacao butter. This is a KEY ingredient for this recipe. It gives the ice cream a clean flavor, a better mouthfeel, and a slower melting rate. This also helps with the texture of the ice cream, making it really creamy and smooth. It cannot be substituted.
- Refined coconut oil. Together with the cacao butter, it brings the ice cream together by adding fat and richness.
- Vanilla extract. For flavor.
- Semi-sweet chopped chocolate. You can't just add cocoa powder and be done, nope. Adding real chocolate will make it extremely decadent, fudgy, and so chocolatey that you'll forget you're name.
Do I really need an ice cream maker?
Yes, you do. I know, I know...I normally try to make recipes as easy and accessible as possible, but if you want to make great ice cream, then you’ll need to invest in one. For me, I had a stand mixer, so I saved up and bought the ice cream maker attachment for it. These machines are designed to churn the ice cream, prevent large ice crystals from forming. If you’ve ever wondered why making vegan ice creams without a machine is so icy, it’s because of that reason. Ice cream churned in a machine will have more air whipped into the mixture, which results in a smooth creamy product.
However, If you really want to try this ice cream without a machine, I found a method from Binging with Babish, in which he hand churns the ice cream with his makeshift ice cream maker. Keep in mind that this method will take the longest and takes the most effort. To watch that video, click here.
If you like this recipe, you might want to check these out:
- Vegan Ube Ice Cream (No Churn)
- Vegan Halo-Halo (Filipino Shaved-Ice Dessert)
- Mango Float (Filipino Ice Box Cake)
If you’d tried this recipe out let me know in the comments! Don’t forget to follow me on Instagram @flouredframe and don’t forget to tag me when you create my recipes! Happy cooking!
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📖 Recipe
Best Vegan Chocolate Ice Cream
Equipment
- Ice cream maker machine or ice cream bowl attachment for stand mixer
- High-speed blender
- Fine mesh sieve
- Measuring spoons
- Medium-sized heat proof bowl
- Large saucepan
- Whisk
- Medium-sized metal bowl
Ingredients
Cashew milk
- 110 grams raw cashews (soaked in hot water)
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 170 grams water (this is not to soak the cashews with)
Ice Cream Base
- 150 grams granulated sugar
- 60 grams water
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 25 grams Dutch-processed cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon instant espresso
- 30 grams cacao butter
- 60 grams refined coconut oil (see notes )
- 240 grams coconut milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 113 grams Semi-sweet Baker's Chocolate ()
Instructions
24 hours before:
- Put the bowl for your ice cream machine into the freezer to freeze.
Cashew milk
- In a medium-sized bowl, soak the cashews in hot water and lemon juice overnight. The next day, drain and rinse the cashews.
- In a high-speed blender, add the cashews along with 170 grams (¾ cup) of water. Blend until smooth and creamy. You are looking for a heavy whipping cream consistency. If it’s too thick add a bit more water.
- Pour the cashew milk through a fine-mesh sieve. This is to get any pieces of cashews that did not blend together. Measure out 1 cup of the milk, you will have a bit leftover. You can use that for something else! Set it aside until ready to use.
Combining it all together
- In a saucepan, combine the sugar and 60 grams (¼ cup) of water. Place over medium heat. Whisk until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is clear. Do not let it come to a boil.
- Next, whisk in the cocoa butter, coconut oil, and salt. Continue to whisk until the cocoa butter and coconut oil has melted. Remove the saucepan from the heat, and add in the chopped chocolate. Whisk until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth.
- To the blender, add the coconut milk, vanilla extract, and vanilla bean paste to the cashew milk. Blend together at low speed.
- While the blender is running (keep on low speed), slowly pour in the chocolate mixture to emulsify. Continue to mix on low until well blended, about 1 minute.
- Pour the mixture into a metal bowl, and place it in the fridge to chill for 30 minutes, or until the mixture has cooled.
- Pour the cooled mixture into the ice cream machine and churn according to the machine requirements until you reach a soft-serve consistency. Depending on the ice cream machine, this could take anywhere from 25-45 minutes.
- Transfer the ice cream to a loaf pan or an insulated ice cream tub and freeze overnight. Scoop and serve immediately. Enjoy!
Notes
- Cashew milk: This cashew milk cannot be replaced with a store-bought product. The texture of this homemade cashew milk is thick, pretty much like heavy cream. This is the consistency you are looking for in this recipe.
- Does it taste like cashews or coconut? Nope! The chocolate is a pretty strong flavor and you won't be able to taste either one!
- What does instant espresso do? The addition of coffee will help enhance the flavor of chocolate. You won't taste it at all.
- Why refined coconut oil? First of all, with refined coconut oil, you will not get that coconut taste. So please, make sure the label says REFINED and not UNREFINED. Unrefined will make the ice cream taste like coconut. Secondly, along with the cacao butter, this also helps with the texture of the ice cream.
- I can't find cacao butter in-store, can I skip it? Unfortunately, no. Cacao butter is a key ingredient in this recipe. It helps create that velvety soft texture in the ice cream. Without it, you'll get a more icy, almost sorbet-like consistency. You can easily buy this online, check it out here: https://amzn.to/3sYTFIq
- Do I really need an ice cream maker for this? Yes. This recipe is strictly for an ice cream maker. These machines are designed to churn the ice cream, creating smaller ice crystals. Which results in a smooth creamy product. If you really want to try this ice cream without a machine, you can try this method from Binging with Babish. However, keep in mind that this method will take the longest and takes the most effort.
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