Easy Vegan Almond Milk Ice Cream Recipe

Almond milk ice cream is a dairy-free frozen dessert made with almond milk, sugar, and a form of fat, like coconut oil. Some recipes call for a custard base made from egg yolks, which boosts the creamy texture typically provided by milk fat in ice creams made from dairy, like traditional vanilla ice cream. You can achieve a level of creaminess using refined coconut oil, which provides fat without a discernible coconut flavor.

Almond milk ice cream is gluten-free, and depending on the recipe, you can also make it sugar-free or vegan. Other dairy-free ice cream recipes include banana ice cream, made from bananas and plant milk, and coconut milk ice cream, which is the creamiest plant-based ice cream because of its high-fat content.

You can flavor almond milk ice cream, like any homemade ice cream, with a wide variety of ingredients or extracts—though you should take into account the underlying nuttiness of the almonds before making any additions.

1. 1. Add cocoa powder to make chocolate ice cream. Add a tablespoon or two of cocoa powder to the ice cream base to evoke the rich, indulgent flavor of chocolate ice cream. Alternatively, you can swap the cocoa powder for chocolate almond milk.
2. 2. Add a scoop of nut butter. For a protein-filled sweet treat, stir in a few spoonfuls of peanut butter, almond butter, or cashew butter after the initial churn. Top the creamy almond ice cream with sliced almonds or walnuts to double down on the nutty flavor.
3. 3. Incorporate mix-ins. Almond milk ice cream is a blank canvas dessert that you can customize with an endless array of mix-ins. Try no-bake brownie bites or chocolate chip cookie dough, bits of graham cracker cheesecake crust, smashed fruit like fresh strawberries or peaches, dried cherries, chopped dark chocolate, pulverized nuts like pecan or pistachio, or a swirl of dulce de leche sauce or fudge.

There are many ways to make ice cream with plant-based milk. Here’s how to achieve the perfect dairy-free scoop:

1. 1. Use an ice cream maker. Any kind of frozen treat is easy to whip up at home with an ice cream machine—simply add the base liquids and churn according to the manufacturer’s directions.
2. 2. Try the no-churn method. You don’t need special equipment to make your own creamy almond milk ice cream at home: For a no-churn almond milk ice cream, use equal parts unsweetened almond milk, almond butter, and a pectin-rich fruit like dates or frozen banana. Blend the ingredients with any additional flavorings in a food processor or blender until they’re thick and creamy, then transfer it to a loaf pan to freeze.
3. 3. Make it vegan. Instead of whole milk and heavy cream, some almond milk ice creams rely on egg yolks for their rich, creamy texture. To make vegan ice cream, try coconut milk, coconut cream, or coconut oil.
4. 4. Choose your sweeteners. Different sugars and sweeteners will affect the final flavor and texture, so experiment to see which you prefer. Try liquid sweeteners like maple syrup, agave nectar, date syrup, granulated sugar, coconut sugar, or sugar substitutes.