Vegan vanilla ice cream - this rich and creamy vanilla bean ice cream is made with NO coconut meaning it has a pure, unadulterated vanilla flavour. It is rich, creamy, silky smooth and absolutely delicious. The secret ingredient is oats!
A lot of vegan ice creams use a base of coconut milk which works well as it has a high fat content similar to dairy cream. However, it's not great if you don't want an ice cream that tastes like coconut!
I love coconut and have used it to make various delicious vegan ice creams. But when it comes to classic vanilla, I want that flavour to be front and centre and the coconut would simply overpower it.
This vegan vanilla ice cream is totally different in that it uses a base of blended cooked oats, soaked cashews and plant milk.
It may sound weird making ice cream with what is essentially porridge but trust me, it makes for a beautifully smooth and creamy ice cream with a neutral enough flavour that the delicate vanilla isn't overpowered like it would be using coconut milk.
This recipe is also a great base for making your own ice cream flavours, and you can stir through whatever mix-ins you like once the ice cream is done churning.
The idea for using oats in ice cream is inspired by Miyoko Schinner's wonderful book the Homemade Vegan Pantry which is a great cookbook to own if you want to make all of your own staples; I use it loads! (Just to warn my UK readers, all of the measurements are in US cups rather than metric which is a minor annoyance but other than that it's a great book).
Here's What You'll Need To Make This Vegan Vanilla Ice Cream:
Cashews: Unroasted cashews provide creaminess to this vegan vanilla ice cream. They need to be soaked so they are soft enough to blend up to a smooth cream. You can either soak them in boiling water for about an hour, or in cold water overnight.
Porridge oats: regular rolled porridge oats or quick cooking ones are fine. You are going to simmer them with some plant milk until they are soft before blending them.
Plant milk: unsweetened soy milk is the best option here I think as it has a neutral flavour and creamy texture. (I like Alpro Unsweetened Soya milk the best).
You can use any kind of plant milk you like but bear in mind that the flavour of the milk will affect the flavour of the ice cream.
Caster sugar: I use white caster sugar (granulated is fine too) as it has a neutral flavour, I want the vanilla to be the star here! You can swap it for maple syrup or agave if you want but then your ice cream will taste like maple.
Don't reduce the amount of sugar by much or the ice cream won't be as creamy and it won't taste as good.
*Something to note, some white sugars are not vegan as they are processed with bone char. If you are in the UK then pretty much all sugar (except royal icing sugar) is vegan friendly so no worries there.
In the US I believe you may need to purchase organic sugar but check the specific brand to be sure. If the sugar is made from sugar beets then it is vegan friendly, sugar cane maybe not.
Cocoa butter or refined coconut oil: adding a bit of fat to the ice cream helps keep the texture rich, smooth and creamy. Cocoa butter gives it a hint of white chocolate flavour which I like, but if you want pure vanilla then use refined coconut oil (not virgin or it will taste like coconut).
You can omit the fat if you want but the ice cream won't be quite as creamy.
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.
Vodka: This is totally optional but a bit of alcohol helps stop the ice cream from freezing too solid (it will still be quite firm straight out the freezer however).
Vanilla: obviously to make a vanilla ice cream you are going to need vanilla! You can use either the seeds from two vanilla pods or a tablespoon of vanilla bean paste. It will still work with extract rather than paste if that's all you have but the vanilla paste is nicer.
Salt: A little bit of salt really helps to bring out the flavour and balance the sweetness.
How To Make Vegan Vanilla Ice Cream:
(For ingredients and full instructions see the recipe card below)
Make sure that the bowl of your ice cream maker has been in the freezer for long enough, mine takes 11 hours to fully freeze.
You need to soak the cashews so that they are soft enough to blend to a smooth cream. Either cover them with plenty of boiling water and leave to soak for an hour, or cover with cold water and leave to soak overnight.
Place the porridge oats in a saucepan with half of the soy milk and bring to a gentle simmer, cook for about 10 minutes, stirring often to prevent the bottom from catching, until the oats are soft.
Drain the soaked cashews well then place them in a blender with the other half of the milk and blitz until smooth.
Add the cooked oat mixture to the blender along with caster sugar, melted cacao butter or refined coconut oil, xanthan gum, vanilla bean paste or the seeds from two vanilla pods, salt and optional vodka and blend until the mixture is very smooth.
Pour into a bowl, cover and refrigerate until completely cold; I leave mine in there overnight but it will take at least four hours.
Once the mixture is thoroughly chilled, give it a whisk then pour it into your ice cream maker and churn according to the manufacturers instructions until it reaches soft serve consistency.
Transfer the ice cream to a freezerproof container and freeze for about four hours before serving.
Once fully frozen the ice cream will be quite solid straight out the freezer, let it warm up at room temperature for fifteen minutes before scooping.
What If I Don’t Own An Ice Cream Maker?:
If you don’t have an ice cream maker you can still make this vegan vanilla ice cream, it just takes a bit more work and the texture will be a bit more icy.
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 then allow to freeze for a couple of hours before serving.
More Vegan Ice Cream Recipes:
Creamy vegan chocolate ice cream
Vegan peanut butter and cookies ice cream
Vegan chocolate coconut sorbet
Vegan roasted banana ice cream with rum caramel swirl
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Vegan Vanilla Ice Cream
Ingredients
- 150 g (1 cup) unroasted cashews
- 25 g (¼ cup) porridge oats
- 800 ml (3 ⅓ cups) unsweetened non-dairy milk (soy is best)
- 45 g (1 ½ oz) cocoa butter OR 3 tablespoon melted refined coconut oil*
- 160 g (¾ cup) caster (superfine) sugar (granulated is also fine)
- ⅛ teaspoon xanthan gum (optional)
- 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste or the seeds from 2 vanilla pods
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoon vodka (optional)
Instructions
- Make sure that the bowl of your ice cream maker has been in the freezer for long enough, mine takes 11 hours to fully freeze.
- Soak the cashews; either cover them with plenty of boiling water and leave to soak for 1 hour, or cover them with cold water and leave to soak overnight.
- Place the porridge oats in a saucepan with half of the milk and bring to a gentle simmer. Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring often to prevent the bottom from catching, until the oats are very soft.
- Drain the soaked cashews well then place them in a blender with the other half of the milk and blitz until smooth.
- Melt the cocoa butter or coconut oil in short bursts in the microwave. Add it to the blender along with the oat mixture, caster sugar, xanthan gum (if using), vanilla, salt and vodka (if using). Blend well until completely smooth.
- Pour into a bowl, cover and refrigerate until completely cold; I leave mine in there overnight but it will take at least four hours.
- Once the mixture is thoroughly chilled, give it a whisk then pour it into your ice cream maker and churn according to the manufacturers instructions until it reaches soft serve consistency.
- Transfer the ice cream to a freezerproof container and freeze for about four hours before serving. Once fully frozen the ice cream will be quite solid straight out the freezer, let it warm up at room temperature for fifteen minutes before scooping.
Notes
- *Cocoa butter gives the ice cream a hint of white chocolate flavour whereas refined coconut oil doesn't impart any flavour. You can omit the fat if you want but the ice cream wont be quite as creamy.
- See post above for instructions if you don't have an ice cream machine.
Bunny
love this!!!!!! made without the oil and the xanthan gum...….still delicious. My husband gave it a big two thumbs up....yay!!
Hotchocolateymilk
Thank you SO much. I hate coconut and almond milk just isn't creamy enough. This is the first recipe I've found that is coconut-milk free (even when advertised as a cashewmilk ice cream) and provides instructions for those of us in a tiny apartment with no space to buy an extra kitchen gadget. I can't wait to try this.
Amanda
How necessary is the oil? Can you substitute coconut butter or just leave it out completely?
hannahhossack
Hi Amanda, it helps to make the ice cream rich and creamy. You can omit it if you want but I personally don't think that the texture will be quite as good. I've never used coconut butter so I don't know about that but it could work, let me know if you give it a try!
callum colquhoun
Can the mixture be frozen into pacojet containers and churned? please respond if you know!
hannahhossack
Hi Callum, I have no idea what that is I'm afraid!
Hina
This looks fantastic! I can't stand coconut overpowering every flavor. I just have one question, can I substitute the oats with something else? I'm usually on paleo and while I can figure out substitutes for the other ingredients, I'm not sure what I could sub for the oats. Thank you!
hannahhossack
I'm really not sure to be honest, the oats are kind of a key ingredient!
Ritu
Can I use oat milk instead of soy milk?
hannahhossack
Yes that's fine.
Astra
Thank you, the recipe was easy to do and tasted much better than most ready made vegan ice cream. I used vanilla extract, which was fine but I'll look out for the paste for next time. I'll definitely be adapting the recipe too, I'm thinking cardamom, saffron and pistachio next or maybe amaretto?
P Walter
Can you substitute the oats?
hannahhossack
I'm afraid that I don't know of a good substitute for the oats.
Loretta
Hello, I can’t use anything coconut or soy milk so was wondering which of these milks would be the better one to use.
Cashew, Almond or Oat?
hannahhossack
Hi Loretta, I would probably go for cashew milk.
Teri
I made the recipe exactly as indicated above (complete with vodka) and it is outstanding!!! It's rich, creamy and has a fabulous vanilla flavor - totally decadent. Great recipe - I highly recommend it.
Jackie
Has anyone tried making this without the cashews? My daughter and I are allergic to nuts.
Shannon
You could try raw sunflower seeds
David
I have used various oils (like canola) with a teaspoon (5ml) lecithin instead of coconut or cashew. I wouldn’t use sunflower seeds. They are delicious but have a very strong flavor. This is a great recipe. I’m keen to try it.
Soraya Quaine
Hello how long can you store this ice cream in the freezer for?
Hannah
Hi Soraya, generally ice cream is best eaten within about 3 months.
Julz
can you use an oil that's liquid at room temperature, or is that why you've used coconut specifically? I just never use coconut oil and would rather not buy a whole jar for one thing.
Hannah
Hi Julz, I used either cocoa butter or coconut oil because I think that the flavours of those work best here, but you could certainly swap it for another oil, just make sure that it is a mild flavoured one.
Susan Marsh
I made this just like the recipe without vodka. I added 3/4 cup cacoa and did not adjust the liquid. This will be my go to base for plant based ice cream now. I plan to try to adjust the sugar to a natural sugar or date sugar. The chocolate version was delicious.
Susan Marsh
Also, the mixture is good as a pudding even without freezing.
Julie
What ice cream maker do you use?
Hannah
I have an old Cuisinart one, the kind where you have to pre-freeze the bowl.
Adrienne Grace
The taste of coconut oil fights the vanilla, even using beans, and there's a very distinct lingering taste of cashew after you swallow. Even blending this almost 5 minutes the texture is still a bit grainy. Definitely disappointing, as it's hard to find a recipe without coconut milk or cream.
Hannah
Hi Adrienne, sorry to hear you weren't a fan. I did specify refined coconut oil however, which doesn't have a flavour. You can also omit the oil, as mentioned in the recipe notes. It sounds to me like your blender isn't powerful enough, I never have issues with graininess when blending cashews.
KJ
If I wanted to make this another flavour ~ say chocolate or peanut butter- how would you alter the recipe?
Hannah
Hi KJ, that would depend on what you wanted to add and I would probably need to test it. I have used this base recipe to make pistachio and coffee flavoured ice creams however. https://domesticgothess.com/blog/category/ice-cream/
Joyce Green
Made this for a vegan friend, she absolutely loved it! I did try some, and it was good. I would highly recommend this recipe, very easy too make.
Jeanie
Delicious! This may be best vegan ice cream I’ve ever had. So creamy and decadent. I was looking for a recipe without coconut milk. The only changes I made was to substitute guar gum for xanthan gum (I had some, and I’d read it might work better so wanted to try it out) and used bourbon instead of vodka (I’m a big bourbon fan). I used the cocoa butter instead of refined coconut oil because I wanted that hint of white chocolate flavor with the vanilla and bourbon. Wow, so good!
Laquan King
Highly appreciate this recipe, ive only tasted the warm vitamix blend so far but it was very good. I subbed avocado for the cashews, liquid stevia and silk soy plain yogurt subbed for the sugar, 1 tablespoon of coconut vs 3, and only had vanilla extract. Your base recipe is so good that it tastes great even with the subs. I'll see how the texture comes out but honestly i could eat this as a cold yogurt/soft serve. I'm considering buying a ice cream machine just for this recipe. Already thinking of alternate flavors to add to the base. Thanks again peace.