Vegan Chocolate Ice Cream - Foolproof Recipe – Crazy Vegan Kitchen (2024)

FAQs

What is vegan chocolate ice cream made of? ›

If you can whisk, blend, and pour into an ice cream maker, you can master this easy recipe. The base is comprised of water, cocoa powder, rich coconut cream, and organic cane sugar, which is whisked together. Then comes the deep chocolate flavor: from plenty of vegan dark chocolate.

Most vegan ice creams are made with coconut milk, almond milk or soy milk. All of those bases come from plants, and none include anything that comes from an animal. If, however, an ice cream is made with coconut milk but contains egg, it is dairy-free but not vegan, since it has egg.

It's not made with low-fat or skim milk, or anything like that. Dairy-free frozen desserts typically substitute regular milk with plant-based milk such as almond, soy, coconut, or cashew milk, although there are some amazing brands (*cough, cough, Eclipse*) that take it even further.

My ice cream is icy. This is probably the most common problem with home made ice cream. And it's caused by large ice crystals forming in the mixture as it freezes. Large ice crystals are usually the result of either too much water in the mix or excessively long freezing time.

If you're limiting your sugar intake, look for the brands SmartSweets (vegan-friendly) or Zolli Candy (100 percent vegan).

Dark chocolate is usually vegan as it shouldn't contain dairy or other animal products. The best quality dark chocolate contains more than 50% cacao content and uses only a few ingredients.

What Makes Vegan Chocolate Different? Vegan chocolates are definitively chocolate. They are made from the same cacao beans, and they only become “non-vegan” when animal products such as dairy, butter or honey are added. Vegan chocolates are crafted with plant-based ingredients such as soy milk or maple syrup.

Blends of vegetable oils (60% to 80% coconut oil or palm kernel oil with 20% to 40% of a liquid oil such as sunflower oil, soybean oil, peanut oil, or olive oil) are often used in vegan ice cream production to obtain the optimum amount of solid fat.

1Use the right non-dairy milk as your base

Kaminsky says that you'll get the best results from dairy-free counterparts that are higher in fat such as canned coconut milk. She typically uses almond milk as her base, but other non-dairy milks can work (steer clear of rice milk because it tends to be too watery).

How do you thicken vegan ice cream? ›

Plant-based fats are the best way to thicken vegan ice cream. Coconut cream, full-fat coconut milk and coconut oil will give the creamiest and thickest results. Cornstarch and tapioca starch can also be used to thicken but the end result will be a little more icy and a little less creamy.

In terms of the health benefits of plant-based ice cream to humans, compared to dairy alternatives – plant-based ice-creams are often healthier and lower in saturated fat than dairy versions, however that doesn't necessarily make them 'healthy'.

At its core, plant-based ice cream is a frozen dessert that excludes traditional dairy ingredients, such as milk and cream, and instead relies on plant-derived alternatives.

When compared to dairy-based ice cream, there are potential health benefits to plant-based alternatives. Chief amongst them are lower saturated fat levels and zero cholesterol. LDL cholesterol contributes to heart and circulatory diseases. Only animal products contain it.

Commercially-produced vegan ice creams are made from soy, almond, cashew, coconut, or rice milk. These products deliver all of the delicious flavor and creaminess of ice cream without harming a single cow. Most supermarkets carry several varieties.