Vegan Espresso Chip Ice Cream that’s dairy-free and uses only 5 ingredients! It’s creamy, rich and so delicious. This recipe does require an ice cream maker, but it’s worth the investment!
Nothing says warm weather like ice cream! The sweet flavors, the cool relief from the heat, the mess it makes on your hands…it brings you back to being a kid again.
Like so many of us, I’m a big fan of ice cream. But I don’t love the way it makes me feel afterwards. Not sure about you, but ice cream always leaves me with a stomachache. Not fun. It also leaves me with eczema on my elbows after eating too much dairy. Definitely not fun. Every once in awhile I deem dairy worth the splurge, if the circumstances call for it. Like when I visited Italy and couldn’t escape the amazing gelato sold on every corner. Or when summer hits you like a semi and all you want is something cold and sweet. Bring on the sticky hands!
But mostly, if I can avoid dairy, I do. That’s why I make lots of dairy-free recipes like my Vegan Espresso Chip Ice Cream! And to be honest, this recipe mimics dairy based ice cream so closely that I surprise myself every time I make it. It never fails! Each time I whip up a new batch I think, “Man! I can’t believe this is dairy-free!” It’s pretty cool when you can astonish yourself, just saying 🙂
Let’s get to the bottom of it:
So the base of this ice cream is made from full fat coconut milk and sweetened condensed coconut milk. The coconut milk gives it the rich, decedent texture and the sweetened condensed coconut milk adds just the right amount of sweetness.
Want to reduce your sugar intake?
To please the masses and make this recipe truly vegan, I use vegan chocolate chips. These are available at most health food stores or online. However, if you want to reduce your overall sugar intake, you can swap out the vegan chocolate chips for cacao paste. Don’t worry; it will taste just as delicious!
No-churn vs. ice cream maker
Although there are some no-churn ice cream recipes out there, (I make a pretty mean Healthy No-Churn Mint Chip Ice Cream, btw) nothing compares to an ice cream that’s been made in an ice cream maker.
No churn ice creams don’t seem to hold in the freezer very well (unless you like eating icy rocks), so you usually have to eat them immediately after their creation. This might seem tempting for a binge session, but it’s not so great if you want to enjoy multiple servings over multiple days.
On the other hand, churned ice cream seems to hold its texture a little better. That way you can put it in the freezer and take it out the next day and continue to scoop and enjoy! I prefer to let my Vegan Espresso Chip Ice Cream sit on the counter for about 10 minutes before re-scooping, but that’s it!
The Ice cream maker I use is by Cuisinart and is very affordable and easy to use.
Final thought:
The espresso in this recipe is very tasty, but totally optional. If you don’t like the flavor of coffee ice cream or are sensitive to caffeine, you can absolutely omit it and still have a delicious chocolaty, chocolate chip ice cream 🙂
If you can’t find vegan sweetened condensed coconut milk in a store near you, here’s a recipe to make your own:
Homemade Vegan Sweetened Condensed Coconut Milk Recipe
Specialty Equipment and Ingredients for This Recipe
Vegan Espresso Chip Ice Cream
Vegan Espresso Chip Ice Cream
Ingredients
- 1 can full fat coconut milk
- 2/3 cup sweetened condensed coconut milk*
- 2 heaping Tablespoon espresso powder finely ground espresso beans
- 2 Tablespoons cocoa powder
- 1 dropper full liquid stevia
- Pinch sea salt
- 1/4 cup vegan chocolate chips** or chopped cacao paste
Instructions
-
Place everything except the chocolate chips into a blender*. Blend at a low speed and work up to a higher speed. Add the chocolate chips, reduce blender speed back down to low and blend again for 2 - 3 seconds to incorporate the chocolate throughout.
-
Pour blended contents into an ice cream maker and process. After 10 minutes, give it a quick stir with a rubber spatula to ensure that the chocolate is mixing throughout. Churn for another 15 minutes. Enjoy immediately, or for firmer ice cream freeze for about 2 hours before serving.
-
Store leftover ice cream in a sealed container in the freezer. When serving again, remove from the freezer for about 10 minutes before scooping. This ice cream should stay creamy, scoop-able and delicious between freezes.
Recipe Notes
*If you can't find sweetened condensed coconut milk in a store near you, here is a recipe to make your own: Homemade Vegan Sweetened Condensed Coconut Milk.
**I prefer Enjoy Life Mini Chocolate Chips.
***For best results use a high powered blender such as a Vitamix. If that is not an option use a food processor instead.
****Leftover ice cream can be stored in a sealed, airtight container in the freezer for up to 2 months. Take out of the freezer 15 - 20 minutes before enjoying.
Made this recipe? Let us know with a comment below or tag us with your photos on Instagram @NaturalTastyChef or on Facebook @Alison Charbonneau, Natural Tasty Chef! We LOVE hearing about and seeing your re-creations 🙂
5 thoughts on “Vegan Espresso Chip Ice Cream”
Comments are closed.