Now who doesn’t enjoy ice-cream? Okay, there are people who don’t. But hey, we’re not here to divide the population on food habits, but to celebrate the foods, recipes and food preferences of everyone. And ice cream is definitely one of them. And vegan today is not a niche category anymore. It comprises a huge section of our society and there are recipes galore to meet the requirements of the vegan population. So here we are sharing some recipes that have been favorites and have been awarded too. You may want to try your hand at a couple of them.

Best Vegan Vanilla Ice Cream

Ah, the good ol’ classic vanilla ice cream. It’s exactly what the name is: the best!

Ingredients

  • 3 cups cashews(390 g), ½ cup (65 g) if just making enough for the ice cream
  • ¼ cup water(60 ml)
  • 1 ¼ cups organic sugar (250 g)
  • 4 tablespoons cocoa butter
  • 4 tablespoons coconut oil
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup coconut milk (240 ml)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 vanilla bean

Special Equipment

 Ice cream maker

Preparation

  • Place the cashews in a large bowl. Add enough room-temperature water to cover the cashews. Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and soak overnight.
  • Place the bowl of an ice cream machine in the freezer overnight.
  • Add the cashews and soaking water to a blender. Blend, starting on low speed and increasing to high until smooth and frothy, about 40 seconds. Strain into a large bowl through a fine-mesh sieve or cheesecloth.
  • Reserve 1 cup (240 ml) of cashew milk for the ice cream and store the rest in the refrigerator for up to a week for another use.
  • In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the water and sugar and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture is clear, about 2 minutes. Whisk in the cocoa butter, coconut oil, and salt. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside.
  • In a blender, combine the cashew milk and coconut milk. Blend on low speed. With the blender running, pour in the sugar mixture to emulsify. Continue until well-blended, about 2 minutes.
  • Pour the mixture into a large metal bowl and mix in the vanilla extract. Scrape in the seeds from the vanilla bean and whisk to combine.
  • Chill the base in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
  • Add the chilled base to the ice cream maker and churn for 1 hour, or as long as the machine requires, until thick and creamy.
  • Transfer the ice cream to a loaf pan and freeze overnight.
  • Scoop and serve immediately.
  • Enjoy!

Vegan Strawberry Coconut Ice Cream (No Churn)

 You only need 4 ingredients for this! The coconut cream makes it incredibly creamy, the strawberry flavour is really prevalent in it and the maple syrup adds a delicious sweetness to it. It isn’t over sweet, but just right to stay refreshing for the summer. The vanilla bean actually ties it all in. It added a huge amount of flavor to it and these beautiful specks of vanilla.

It’s so easy to make, and as long as you remember to whisk it, it won’t be icy. Now go forth, and make ALL the ice cream!

Ingredients

  • 4 cups frozen strawberries
  • 28 oz coconut cream from cans of coconut milk
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract or 1 vanilla bean, split and seeded
  • ½ cup maple syrup

Method

  • Add the coconut cream to a food processor or blender and blend for a minute or two.
  • Add the frozen strawberries, coconut cream, vanilla extract, and maple syrup into a food processor or blender and mix together until thick and creamy and combined.
  • Place the ice cream base into a freezer-safe container in the refrigerator for 2 hours to set up before freezing.
  • Freeze the ice cream according to the manufacturer’s instructions for your machine.
  • Place all ice cream base into a freezer-safe container and place in the freezer and allow to freeze for 1 hour. Ensure it is covered.
  • Whisk slightly every 20 minutes to avoid it getting too icy for 3-4 hours. It should be getting thicker after each whisking, until it’s firm enough to scoop.
  • To eat: serve immediately or when you are ready for it (after it’s been in the freezer), thaw for 5-10 minutes and scoop with an ice cream scoop.

Also Read: Different Uses and Health Benefits of Coconut

Banana Ice Cream – 1 Ingredient

Now this one is gluten-free, dairy-free, sugar-free and guilt-free!

If you have a bunch of bananas in your fruit bowl, as they start to ripen (before they get mushy and bad), lay them on a cutting board, slice them up and freeze them for a couple of hours. Once they’re frozen, put them in a zip top bag or a sealed container.

If you can find frozen bananas in your store, even better!

Ingredients

  • 8 ripe bananas, sliced

Method

  • Spread the banana slices onto a plate and freeze for 1 to 2 hours.
  • Add the bananas to a food processor and process until smooth, scrape down the sides if needed.
  • Transfer to a glass or plastic storage container with a lid, and store in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Peanut Butter Banana Ice Cream

This healthy three-ingredient peanut butter banana ice cream is so easy to whip up on a hot summer day when you’re craving ice cream and is a great way to use up those overripe bananas. You can even make this ice cream without a machine.

 Ingredients

  • 2 large overripe bananas, cut into slices and frozen at least 2 hours
  • ¼ cup creamy peanut butter
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Method

  • In a food processor, process the frozen banana slices, peanut butter, and vanilla for a few minutes or until smooth (if the mixture is too crumbly and won’t smooth out, press the mixture together and it’ll smooth out).
  • Spoon it into a freezer-proof container and freeze for at least 1 hour before serving.

Normally, you may think that ice cream is a delicacy that only the non-vegans can enjoy. But with the wide variety of non-dairy alternatives available, why should you miss out on this delicious treat?

Related: Try These Quick And Easy Vegan  | Vegan Alternatives to Traditional Baking Ingredients