Simple Vegan Chocolate Ice Cream | Coconut Free + Nut Free!
This is truly the BEST vegan chocolate ice cream recipe. Not only is it incredibly simple, lower in sugar, and only 5 ingredients, but this secretly healthy chocolate ice cream is also coconut free and soy free- we’re just using oat milk! This vegan chocolate ice cream will be your new favorite chocolate ice cream, dairy free or not!
The best vegan chocolate ice cream WITHOUT coconut!
This vegan chocolate ice cream recipe right here is truly the only homemade ice cream recipe you need (that is, if you’re a chocolate ice cream lover!).
But really: this homemade dairy free ice cream not only tastes just like classic chocolate ice cream, but it’s scoop-able, creamy, rich, indulgent, and decadent. The perfect ice cream to keep you cool all summer long.
All while also being entirely yet undetectably: dairy free, lower in sugar, made with only 5 wholesome ingredients, and entirely soy free, coconut free and nut free! (And if you love nut free coconut free vegan ice cream, then you’ll also love my vegan vanilla ice cream recipe too!).
Yep, you got it- there’s no coconut after taste to this vegan chocolate ice cream. Just pure, indulgent and creamy chocolatey-goodness! Plus, this chocolate ice cream recipe comes together so easily in an ice cream maker.
The trick to this ice cream? Making a super thick eggless chocolate custard before making the actual ice cream. This helps not only yield a more scoop-able texture, but it also keeps this vegan ice cream super creamy rather than icy!
5 ingredient chocolate ice cream:
This homemade chocolate ice cream recipe could not be any simpler. You’ll only need 5 ingredients to yield the creamiest and richest tasting vegan chocolate ice cream that even dairy lovers will LOVE! All without the after taste of coconut or soy.
Ingredients:
- Oat milk: I used store bought, but you can also use homemade oat milk.
- Chocolate: for this recipe, the darker the chocolate, the better. I actually recommend using 100% chocolate, such as the chocolate chips from Pascha Chocolate. But you can also use stevia sweetened or 85% if you like a bit more sweetness.
- Sugar: you can use either coconut sugar or granulated sugar here. Coconut sugar will keep this vegan chocolate ice cream entirely refined sugar free.
- Cocoa powder: to add some richness and depth to the chocolate.
- Pinch of sea salt: quite literally JUST a pinch. And it makes all the difference! Trust me!
How to make homemade vegan chocolate ice cream
For the full written instructions and ingredient measurements, see the bottom of this post in the recipe card. You can also hit the “jump to recipe” button at the top of this post! Here, we’ll go over a brief overview of the steps, along with providing visuals for a better understanding of the recipe.
As I mentioned above, this vegan chocolate ice cream comes together so simply using an ice cream maker. In fact, it’s really only 4 simple steps to achieve the ultimate homemade chocolate ice cream recipe.
1. Pre-Ice Cream Prep Stage
If you’ve used an ice cream maker before, then you know that you’ll need to chill the ice cream canister 24 hours before beginning. This means that when you want chocolate ice cream, you actually will need to think ahead a bit! However, sometimes our cravings our spontaneous (especially when it’s randomly a super hot day!).
I like to keep my ice cream canister always in the freezer during the summer. That way, it’s always ready to go and make the ice cream!
2. Make the chocolate custard
The next part of making homemade ice cream is, again, super easy! You’ll whisk everything together in a saucepan on medium to low heat until the chocolate melts and the sugar dissolves. The mixture should be quite thick! Then we’ll chill the custard in the next phase.
3. Chill the custard
This step is incredibly easy BUT SUPER IMPORTANT. The reason being is that hot custard going into your ice cold ice cream canister will immediately warm the ice cream canister and prevent the ice cream from actually forming.
You’ll need to chill your custard for about 2-3 hours, until there is absolutely not warmth to the custard. That way, when you pour your liquid chocolate ice cream into the machine, it immediately churns into ice cream.
4. Churn the vegan ice cream + serve!
When your custard is chilled, it’s time to churn your vegan chocolate ice cream! Every ice cream maker is slightly different, but the steps are fairly straight forward. Pour your custard into your machine and turn it on. Then allow the ice cream maker to churn the ice cream for about 30 minutes.
I notice that the ice cream starts to thicken after about 10 minutes and even more so after another 10-20. That’s typically when you can serve the chocolate ice cream immediately or store the ice cream in an ice cream container in the freezer for whenever you want a scoop!
Check out these super cute ice cream containers that you can use to store your homemade ice cream.
Can I use another dairy free milk for this chocolate ice cream recipe?
I specifically designed this recipe to be both coconut free and soy free (along with nut-free!). That being said, I have tested this with almond milk, as I know it’s a popular choice out there. It doesn’t yield the creamiest results…and it definitely tastes “healthy.”
I would stick to using the oat milk if I were you! It truly creates the creamiest healthy chocolate ice cream without tasting healthier at all!
Can I make this homemade ice cream recipe without an ice cream maker?
This healthy homemade chocolate ice cream will turn out best using an ice cream machine. This is because we’re using oat milk here, which isn’t as high in natural fats as other dairy free milks. With less fat means that there’s more of a chance for an uneven texture if just frozen without churning.
But I get it- I was super resistant to getting an ice cream machine at first too. After all, I’ve made plenty of no churn delicious dairy free ice cream recipes on the blog before. But an ice cream machine truly is a game changer if you want to be better than a store bought or ice cream shop scoop (trust me with this recipe, you will be!).
If you’re still not sure whether you want an ice cream machine, check out this post. Baking Bites goes a bit more in depth as to how an ice cream maker really more evenly distributes the ice crystals throughout the ice cream.
I really would recommend using the ice cream machine. My top recommendation for an ice cream machine is the Cuisnart Pure Indulgence. It’s not as big of an investment as other ice cream machines, really durable, and honestly makes the best ice cream…and is super easy!
Healthy chocolate ice cream topping ideas + add ins:
If you wanted to make this vegan chocolate ice cream extra fun, you can churn in some add-ins 5 minutes before it’s done churning, or top your super creamy homemade chocolate ice cream with:
- Crushed vegan Oreos
- Edible cookie dough bits
- Vegan sprinkles
- Pitted cherries
- More chocolate chips
- Chopped up homemade vegan candy
- Vegan caramel sauce
- Homemade cashew butter
You are just going to love this super easy vegan chocolate ice cream recipe! It’s honestly hands down the best homemade chocolate ice cream I’ve ever had…and beats store bought any day! The perfect healthier dessert for a super hot summer day or whenever you want a sweet treat.
Happy churning!
More vegan ice cream recipes you’ll love:
Homemade Vegan Cookie Dough Ice Cream
Vegan Cookies n’ Cream Ice Cream
Want to save this recipe for later? Add it to your favorite recipe board on Pinterest!
If you make this recipe, please be sure to leave a comment and a rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ below. This helps others to find the recipes! As always, I absolutely love to see your beautiful creations on Instagram and Pinterest, so be sure to tag me there as well!
PrintSimple Vegan Chocolate Ice Cream | Coconut Free + Nut Free!
- Prep Time: 2
- 120, chilling time:
- Cook Time: 10
- Total Time: 12 minutes
- Yield: 12 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Ice Cream Maker
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This is truly the BEST vegan chocolate ice cream recipe. Not only is it incredibly simple and only 5 ingredients, but this secretly healthy chocolate ice cream is also coconut free and soy free- we’re just using oat milk! This vegan chocolate ice cream will be your new favorite chocolate ice cream, dairy free or not!
Ingredients
- 555 mL unsweetened vanilla oat milk
- 180 grams granulated sugar or coconut sugar
- 7 ounces vegan dark chocolate
- 65 grams cocoa powder
- Pinch of sea salt
- Recommended Ice Cream Maker: Cuisinart ICE-30BC Pure Indulgence 2 Quart Automatic Ice Cream Maker
Instructions
- Make sure that you’ve frozen the ice cream container for at least 24 hours before beginning.
- Make the chocolate custard: in a medium saucepan on medium heat, whisk together all the ingredients. Continue whisking until the chocolate has completely melted into the oat milk. Remove the custard from the heat and allow the mixture to cool at room temperature for 10 minutes. Then transfer the custard to chill in the fridge for 2-3 hours. There should be no heat coming from the custard when you’re ready to make the ice cream. If there is, then you need to chill longer. Any heat will alter the temperature of the ice cream mixer, preventing the ice cream from actually forming.
- Make the ice cream: once your custard is chilled, follow the instructions of your ice cream machine, pouring the custard into the ice cream container and turning the machine on. With the specific ice cream maker I recommended, it took about 25 minutes to churn.
- Once the ice cream has churned and thickened, transfer the ice cream to an ice cream storage container and store in the freezer. Scoop and serve as desired!
Notes
Vegan Chocolate Recommendations: I recommend using either Pascha Chocolate 100% chocolate chips (the ice cream will still be very sweet, just really rich!) or their stevia sweetened chocolate chips.
Oat milk: you can make your own oat milk or use store bought. For store bought, I recommend Forager Project or Planet Oat.
Sugar: you can use granulated sugar or coconut sugar. I haven’t tried a keto-friendly granulated sugar and know that sometimes those alter the taste and texture drastically so use with caution (i.e. I can’t recommend it, but if you want to experiment, you’re more than welcome too!)
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/2 cup
- Calories: 174
- Sugar: 16.9 g
- Sodium: 85.6 mg
- Fat: 8.6 g
- Saturated Fat: 5 g
- Carbohydrates: 24.1 g
- Fiber: 4 g
- Protein: 3.3 g
- Cholesterol: 0.3 mg
dumb question – what is the ice cream container, when you say to freeze that before starting? Is that a part of the ice cream maker?
Not a dumb question at all! Yes, that’s part of the ice cream maker! Some companies call it a container, others a bowl so it’s a bit confusing. But it’s the middle insert that you’ll freeze!
thanks 🙂 🙂 gonna try this using sweetener not sugar, will let you know how it goes!
Perfect!! Enjoy 🙂
Hi,
My daugther have allergies to egg and dairy and tried your recipe out of desperation and for me as a first timer father went very well.
Would you be so kind as to share a possible vanilla and strawberry version. Still learning. Thanks
Hi Jaco!
Oh, I’m so happy to hear it went well! Thank you so much for giving it a go. I actually do have a few different vegan vanilla ice creams up already, and am currently working on a strawberry one. Here are the vanilla versions:
https://thebananadiaries.com/vegan-vanilla-ice-cream-recipe/
https://thebananadiaries.com/paleo-vanilla-ice-cream-vegan/
https://thebananadiaries.com/vegan-chocolate-chip-cookie-dough-ice-cream/
Enjoy!
Does this make 2 quarts?
Hi Kristie! It will make about 1 quart of ice cream!
Also, any chance it would work if the insert was frozen for a few hours, not 24? Wanting to make this for a birthday today…
This is a little tricky, as I’m not sure the insert will be frozen enough- which would then mean that your ice cream won’t churn enough, but if it does develop some icicles in the mixture (which should happen during churning), you can freeze the rest of it for a few hours after it’s churned for a little. It should then be able to still work! It just won’t be as churned as using an ice cream machine to make it in its entirety. I hope that helps!
I just made this yesterday on stream. My dear this recipe was GREAT!! The only change I made was I used my dark choc coco powder. I have not had a good bowl of dairy free ice cream in years. It’s well balanced but best of all it’s so decadent. If anyone is on the fence about making this….just DO IT!
I am sharing your recipe and links to all I know.
You just made my day!! Thank you so so much for giving it a go, and so glad you agree 🙂 It’s truly my favorite chocolate ice cream too!! Enjoy, and thanks for being here!
Would it work as well with date syrup or honey?
Very good. First time I found ice recipe that did not turn hard and have to let sit out for 10 mins. before you use it. nice. Do you have a recipe that containers no cocount milk or creamed milk.
Hi Britt, I just made your vegan chocolate ice cream for the first time this evening. I did get it a little too chocolatey, but it turned out great and is delicious. My grandson has severe food allergies, and it’s starting to be hard to find ice cream in the grocery grocery stores that he can eat, so I searched online and found your recipe. I am so thankful for it!!