Rich and creamy vegan chocolate ice cream - this is the creamiest vegan chocolate ice cream with no hint of iciness and a rich chocolate flavour. Made with cashews and coconut milk for the smoothest, most decadent texture. NO bananas!
Vegan ice cream isn't hard to make, but it does tend to be made with a coconut milk base which isn't quite creamy enough to give you the richest, creamiest, non-icy result; and unless you are using really strong flavours your ice cream will taste like coconut.
I love coconut but I don't want to be restricted to only eating coconut flavoured ice cream forever; and while the lighter, healthier ice cream is nice, sometimes you want something a little more decadent.
This rich and creamy vegan chocolate ice cream is definitely decadent, and although it does use some coconut milk it doesn't taste at all like coconut; just intensely chocolatey!
I made it using a base of part full fat tinned coconut milk and part blended cashews. This results in a milder flavoured base so it is easier to mask the coconut; and the cashews make it richer and creamier than coconut milk alone would.
It has an incredibly smooth and creamy texture and an intense chocolate flavour. I think it is the best chocolate ice cream I have ever made, vegan or otherwise! It is very rich, so you only need a small scoop, but I am perfectly capable of devouring at least three!
Lets Break Down The Ingredients:
Cashews: Soaked and blended with water, cashews make a delicious, rich cream which is perfect for making a smooth and creamy ice cream.
Coconut milk: Full fat tinned coconut milk adds extra creaminess - no light or drinking varieties please!
Xanthan Gum: Pretty much all commercial ice creams contain some sort of stabiliser such as guar gum. This helps to stop the ingredients from separating and keeps the ice cream smooth and creamy. Because guar gum is not so easy to get hold of, I used xanthan gum which is sold in most supermarkets and does the same job. You can omit it if you can't get hold of it.
Cocoa Powder: A combination of cocoa powder and dark chocolate gives the best chocolate flavour. Either Dutch process, natural or cacao powder will be fine.
Instant Espresso Powder: A little bit of coffee powder enhances the chocolate flavour; you can't taste it at all but it does definitely elevate the flavour. You can omit it if you want.
Salt: Again, most chocolatey things benefit from the addition of a little salt to help bring out the flavour.
Vanilla Extract: Another flavour enhancer; also optional.
Caster Sugar: Caster/superfine sugar dissolves easily but you can swap it for another type of sugar if you prefer. I haven't tested using maple syrup/agave so I am not sure how swapping for a liquid sweetener would affect the texture. Ice cream needs a certain amount of sugar for the best texture; reducing it could result in a more icy ice cream.
Dark Chocolate: I use 70% dark chocolate. As the chocolate is the prominent flavour here make sure that you use a good one.
Cornflour/Cornstarch: Most non-vegan ice creams are made using a custard base that is thickened with egg yolks, though the famous Jeni's ice cream is thickened with cornflour instead, meaning that the ice cream is creamy but the flavour isn't overpowered by eggyness. I thickened my ice cream with cornflour which makes it extra thick and creamy, but if you want less of a pudding-like texture then you can omit it.
How To Make Rich And Creamy Vegan Chocolate Ice Cream:
(For ingredients and full instructions see the recipe card below)
*For the best results make sure that you follow the recipe closely. As always, I highly recommend using the gram measurements (with a digital scale), rather than the cup conversions. Cup measurements are simply not accurate enough for baking and I cannot guarantee the best results if you use them.*
Cover the cashews in boiling water and set aside to soak for at least half an hour then drain. (You can also soak them in cold water overnight instead).
Place the soaked cashews in a blender along with 250ml of water and blend until very smooth.
Add the full fat coconut milk, xanthan gum, cocoa powder, espresso powder, salt and vanilla extract and continue to blend until the mixture is completely smooth. There should be no hint of grittiness if you rub some of the mixture between your fingers - you don't want lumpy ice cream.
Place the sugar and chopped dark chocolate in a saucepan and add half of the cashew mixture. Stir over a low heat until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth then remove from the heat.
Place the cornflour in a bowl and gradually whisk in the rest of the cashew mixture, making sure that there are no lumps. Just add a small drop of the the cashew mixture at first and whisk until totally smooth before gradually whisking in more, this way you will avoid lumps of cornflour.
Pour the cornflour mixture into the pan of chocolate mixture in a thin stream, whisking constantly. Make sure that you whisk it in as you pour it into the pan; because you are pouring cornflour into a hot mixture it can start to thicken immediately and you don't want it to form lumps.
Place the pan over a low heat and whisk until it comes up to the boil and thickens then remove from the heat and pour into a bowl.
Skip this step if you are not adding the cornflour/cornstarch.
Cover with greaseproof paper directly on the surface to prevent a skin from forming then place in the fridge until completely cold. (I leave it in there overnight)
Once chilled the mixture will be very thick. Give it a good whisk then churn in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturers instructions. (See below for instructions on how to churn it without an ice cream maker).
Transfer to a container and place in the freezer to firm up a little more before serving. Once the ice cream is fully frozen it will be quite firm; let it sit out at room temperature for a bit before scooping.
What If I Don't Have An Ice Cream Maker?:
If you don't have an ice cream maker you can still make this vegan chocolate ice cream, it just takes a bit more work.
Once the base is chilled, pour it into a large freezerproof container and pop it in the freezer. Every 30 minutes or so, remove it from the freezer and give it a quick whisk with an electric mixer to break up any ice crystals then return it to the freezer.
Repeat this until it reaches soft-serve consistency. As the cornflour version of this ice cream is so thick, you may find it easier to omit the cornflour so that the base is thinner and therefore easier to whisk.
If you want a lighter vegan chocolate ice cream then give my chocolate coconut sorbet a try; it isn't as rich but is still delicious and chocolatey!
I also adapted this recipe to make an amazing vegan peanut butter and cookies ice cream; and vegan chunky monkey ice cream, check them out, They. Are. Incredible!
I also have an amazing coconut free vegan vanilla ice cream recipe!
If you tried this recipe why not tag @domestic_gothess on Instagram and hashtag it #domesticgothess
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Rich And Creamy Vegan Chocolate Ice Cream
Ingredients
- 120 g (¾ cup) cashews
- 250 ml (1 cup) water
- 400 ml (14oz) full fat coconut milk (tinned, NOT the drinking variety)
- ¼ tsp xanthan gum
- 2 Tbsp cocoa powder
- ½ tsp instant espresso powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 200 g (1 cup) caster sugar (or granulated)
- 170 g (6 oz) dark chocolate chopped
- 1 Tbsp cornflour (cornstarch)* optional, see notes below
Instructions
- Cover the cashews in boiling water and set aside to soak for at least half an hour then drain. (You can also soak them in cold water overnight instead).
- Place the soaked cashews in a blender along with the 250ml water and blend until smooth.
- Add the coconut milk, xanthan gum, cocoa powder, espresso powder, salt and vanilla extract and continue to blend until it is completely smooth. There should be no hint of grittiness if you rub some of the mixture between your fingers.
- Place the sugar and chopped chocolate in a saucepan and add half of the cashew mixture. Stir over a low heat until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth then remove from the heat.
- Place the cornflour in a bowl and gradually whisk in the rest of the cashew mixture, making sure that there are no lumps.
- Pour the cornflour mixture into the pan of chocolate mixture in a thin stream, whisking constantly.
- Place the pan over a low heat and whisk until it comes up to the boil and thickens then remove from the heat and pour into a bowl.
- Cover with greaseproof paper directly on the surface to prevent a skin from forming then place in the fridge until completely cold. (I leave it in there overnight)
- Once chilled the mixture will be very thick. Give it a good whisk then churn in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturers instructions.
- Transfer to a container and place in the freezer to firm up a little more before serving. Once the ice cream is fully frozen it will be quite firm; let it sit out at room temperature for a bit before scooping.
LoReal
This is my third time making this. It is so amazing! I alter it slightly by adding an 1/8 of cayenne pepper to bring out the chocolate flavor, I don’t use sugar instead I use 1/2 cup maple syrup, and omitted cornstarch. So flavorful and creamy. You can’t tell there isn’t any dairy in it.
Melanie
This is AMAZING!! It’s amazingly smooth, creamy, rich, and oh so chocolaty. On top of that it’s super easy. But back to the recipe...it’s creaminess is on par with frozen custard - this is some of the best vegan ice cream we’ve ever had. My kids loved it and begged for me to make it weekly (and we haven’t eaten it all yet). I can taste the coconut a bit, but I’ll take it because it’s more chocolaty than anything else...it’s just it’s got the hint enough to not be able to use this as a base for rocky road ice cream...we were debating whether I could do peanuts instead of the cashews next time for a really good chocolate peanut butter ice cream...I think I might try it just for fun next time, THANK YOU for this recipe though!! It will definitely be made again...and again...and again.
Yaz
I want to know what happens to the coconut milk mixture you blended. Do you mix it with the chocolate cashew mixture you cooked in the saucepan, and then freeze? I don’t see this part in your procedure.
hannahhossack
Hi Yaz, I'm slightly confused by your question, the coconut milk is blended with the cashews, they are not separate mixtures. If you are adding the cornflour then half of the cashew/coconut mixture is heated with the chocolate and the other half is mixed with the cornflour then added to the chocolate mixture. If you are not using the cornflour then you can just add all of the cashew/coconut mixture to the pan with the chocolate.
Yaz
Thanks a bunch Hannah. I do understand the recipe now. ☺️
Stephanie
Did you do it with peanuts??
Zufishan S
I have made this many times and LOVE this recipe. The ice cream turns out decadent. Because I don't have a good enough blender to process the cashews, I use 120 ml vegan creamer, 250 ml soy milk, 400 ml soy milk (instead of coconut milk because my friend doesn't like coconut).
Maria
Is it possible to replace the caster sugar with monk fruit and erythritol?
hannahhossack
Hi Maria, I'm afraid that I don't use sweeteners so I don't know how it would turn out. Sugar is kind of important for the texture of ice cream so you may find that it is more icy without it.
Riddhi
Would like to know the percentage of fat required in the coconut milk .
Hannah
Hi Riddhi, the one I use has 11g fat per 100ml (KTC rich and creamy coconut milk).
CL
Is it possible to omit the Xanthan Gum. It's pretty expensive and it only comes in big bags. Thank you!
Hannah
Yes you can just leave it out 🙂
Jenni
Thank you so much for this recipe! It was life changing. I recently went dairy, gluten, soy and corn free for health reasons. I was missing ice cream so much! This is a perfect, delicious, wonderful substitute. Also, I left out the cornstarch and it was still perfection.
Mary
Oh wow, just made this for the first time. It was so simple and so delicious! I'm not vegan, but am trying to get more guar gum in my diet for cholesterol lowering reasons... and a friend found this recipe. I exchanged the xanthan gum for guar and added 2.5 teaspoons or a little more. I added half a teaspoon when you said to add the gum and then the rest instead of cornflour. This meant I didn't have to heat the mixture beyond what was needed to melt the chocolate. I also used a ristretto double shot of espresso, as I don't have instant coffee. I only used 100g of sugar, that was sweet enough for me. I don't have an ice cream churn or an electric beater, so used a stick blender every 30 minutes and it turned out great after 4 x 30 minutes.
Thank you so much for this recipe.