15 Healthy Vegan Ice Cream Recipe Ideas (2024)

Cool down with these 15 healthy vegan ice cream recipes that are plant based, whole-foods focused, gluten free, delicious, and perfect for a healthier treat when you are craving something cold and sweet!

15 Healthy Vegan Ice Cream Recipe Ideas (1)photo by Natts Eats

Droolworthy & Healthy Vegan Ice Cream Recipes

I honestly believe there can never be enough healthy vegan ice cream recipes out in the blogosphere. Never. There’s no such thing as “oversaturating” the recipe world with ice cream!

Whether it’s cold, creamy dark chocolate, tart and sweet peach, or chunky cookie-dough deliciousness, I’m down for any healthy ice cream flavour you throw my way. Also, I was pregnant at the time I wrote this recipe roundup post so…no explanation needed!

Last summer I put together a delicious homemade dairy free ice cream roundup and going with my motto that there can never be too many ice cream recipes to try, today I’m sharing 15 more healthy and totally vegan ice cream recipes!

Whether you can tolerate dairy and/or don’t follow a vegan or plant-based diet, are a strict vegan, or just like to dabble in plant-based eating, there will guaranteed be at least one healthy ice cream option in this list for you!

The Vegan Ice Cream Recipes List:

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Creamy Vegan Mint Brownie Ice Cream from Minimalist Baker

It’s such a classic combination, mint and chocolate. This delicious recipe by Minimalist Baker is a must-make with easy raw brownie bits and a simple homemade vegan mint ice cream.

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Vegan Caramel Ice Cream from Delight Fuel

This delicious and creamy cashew based vegan ice cream is swirled with a simple homemade 5-minute tahini date caramel for a mind-blowing combination.

15 Healthy Vegan Ice Cream Recipe Ideas (4)

Healthy Cookie Dough Blizzard Recipefrom NITK

While not a traditional ice cream recipe, this blizzard is one of my favourite simple and healthy cool ice-cream treats to enjoy in the summer with a quick banana based “nice cream” and easy vegan cookie dough chunks.

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5-Ingredient Peanut Butter Cup Nice Cream from Pinch Of Yum

Five ingredients, easy-peasy-lemon-squeezy. There’s really no excuse not to try this delicious and simple recipe from the lovely Pinch Of Yum!

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4-Ingredient Healthy Chocolate Ice Cream from The Loopy Whisk

It doesn’t get any easier than this tasty and dreamy dark chocolate ice cream with a simple and healthy chocolate sauce for drizzling.

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Healthy Almond Pistachio Frozen Yogurtfrom NITK

This lovely green ice cream alternative, a vegan frozen yogurt, is super tasty and has a lovely flavour to it for a light and healthy cold snack or treat. While the recipe calls for honey you can swap the honey for agave or coconut nectar for a strict-vegan version.

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Homemade Vegan Strawberry Ice Cream from Natt Eats

This lovely vegan ice cream recipe is rich and creamy with a combination of fresh strawberries and coconut milk. Perfect for when strawberries are fresh, in season, and amazingly sweet…nature’s candy.

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Vegan Cookies & Cream Ice Cream from Healthy Happy Life

While this recipe isn’t the healthiest of all vegan ice creams, it is a healthier alternative to a typical store-bought dairy-filled cookies & cream ice cream ice cream you might find, and healthier alternatives are what this is all about.

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Watermelon Mint Ice Cream from Feasting On Fruit

This magical combination of mint and watermelon along with coconut cream and maple syrup is an absolute must on those scorcher days in the summertime.

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Creamy Peach & Walnut Ice Cream from The Awesome Green

While I don’t often think of combining peaches and walnuts, I’m totally intrigued by this lovely looking and sounding vegan ice cream from Ana of The Awesome Green who recommends grilling the peaches for this mouthwatering recipe.

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Vegan Mint Chip Ice Cream from The Modern Proper

Another magical mint ice cream recipe from The Modern Proper, this one combines raw cashews with coconut cream, cane sugar, and chopped dark chocolate.

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Lemon Nice Cream from Krolls Korner

Lemon isn’t a super common flavour of ice cream but should not be overlooked. Not only is it refreshing and perfectly sweet, there’s the added benefit of antioxidants and vitamin C!

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Dreamy Vegan Chocolate Almond Sundae from Dolly & Oatmeal

Dreamy is right, this recipe is as dreamy as it gets with a rich dark chocolate homemade vegan ice cream topped with fresh raspberries, almonds, and a simple homemade chocolate sauce.

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Vegan Strawberry Peach Sorbet from Peanut Butter Plus Chocolate

When you are feeling like a change from the rich chocolate and vanilla ice cream flavours, give this light and sweet peach and strawberry combo a try with a fun add-in of gluten free graham cracker bits for extra crunch

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Easy 3-Ingredient Pumpkin Pie Ice Creamfrom NITK

While you might not be thinking of pumpkin during the summer months, this simple 3-ingredient pumpkin ice cream (made with store-bought vegan vanilla ice cream) is incredibly easy and worth keeping on your must-make list for the fall!

Back in my nutritional consulting days it was very common to hear my clients complain about how dairy products (ice cream, cheese, milk, etc.) left them feeling gross and bloated with a range of other unmentionable symptoms. I was always happy to point them in the direction of healthy dairy-free or vegan alternatives they could try instead.

If you are like one of those clients and need to pass over the ice cream often, these 15 delicious recipes are an answer to your ice cream woes! Or maybe you are just aiming to eat healthier, these recipes are the answer too! I’d love to know which one peaked your interest. Tell me about it in the comments and be sure to pin the photo below to save this roundup for later!

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15 Healthy Vegan Ice Cream Recipe Ideas (2024)

FAQs

What do vegans eat for ice cream? ›

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.

What replaces milk in vegan ice cream? ›

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).

What milk is vegan? ›

Vegan milk is any milk that is made from plant-only sources — an alternative that is just as suitable for all the same purposes of regular milk. The majority are sourced from beans and nuts including soy, almond, and macadamia, but can also be sourced from oats, coconuts, and even rice.

How to 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.

What is the healthiest ice cream ever? ›

Halo Top, Arctic Circle—and even Breyer's—are all offering low-calorie, low-fat alternatives to ice cream. When compared to traditional ice creams, Halo Top offers about a quarter of the calories of Ben & Jerry's or Haagen-Dazs flavors. The brand also offers a fraction of the fat.

How to make homemade ice cream in 5 steps? ›

Here are the easy-peasy steps:
  1. Simply whip 2 cups of heavy cream, by hand or with an electric mixer, until stiff peaks form.
  2. Slowly drizzle in a chilled can of sweetened condensed milk.
  3. Add your desired flavorings or mix-ins.
  4. Remove to an airtight container and freeze. It's that simple!!
Jul 29, 2015

How to make ice cream in 10 minutes? ›

Step 1In a small resealable plastic bag, combine half-and-half, sugar, and vanilla. Push out excess air and seal. Step 2Into a large resealable plastic bag, combine ice and salt. Place small bag inside the bigger bag and shake vigorously, 7 to 10 minutes, until ice cream has hardened.

What is the best plant-based milk for ice cream? ›

The secret is nothing more than coconut milk. Full-fat, creamy coconut milk. Other vegan milk substitutes, like almond milk or soy milk, just don't cut it when it comes to ice cream. You need the fattiness and unctuousness that can only be found in a can of coconut milk.

Why is my vegan ice cream icy? ›

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.

How do you thicken non-dairy ice cream? ›

To thicken vegan ice cream, use a combination of high-fat plant-based milk and natural thickening agents such as arrowroot powder, cornstarch, or xanthan gum. Additionally, incorporating soaked and blended cashews can add extra thickness to the mixture.

Can vegans eat normal ice cream? ›

That being said, normal ice cream is a no unless the vegan in question cheats on their “diet”, but there are plenty of vegan ice creams that one can eat. The easiest way to explain being vegan is that you basically become a herbivore. No eggs, no milk or cheese, no meat, no gelatin, some vegans even don't use honey.

Can vegans eat dairy Queen ice cream? ›

Vegan Treats

The vast majority of Dairy Queens's Classic Treats as well as their Moolattes, cones, cakes, cupcakes, and smoothies cannot be made vegan, but here are the few treats vegans can enjoy, too. Non-Dairy Dilly Bar (Available in single-serve and multipacks of six.)

Can a vegan have ice cream? ›

There is now enough vegan ice cream on the market that those of us who avoid dairy for whatever reason now have exponentially more choices than we did even five years ago. Big, non-vegan ice cream companies have gotten in on the game, as have grocery store brands and a myriad of start-ups.

Are McDonald's ice cream vegan? ›

"Vanilla Reduced Fat Ice Cream Ingredients: Milk, Sugar, Cream, Corn Syrup, Natural Flavor, Mono And Diglycerides, Cellulose Gum, Guar Gum, Carrageenan, Vitamin A Palmitate." -- https://www.mcdonalds.com/us/en-us/product/vanilla-cone.html... It does contain dairy, but they can't legally call it ice cream.

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