Heyoooo! Alright, so we are in crunch time, no? Or the ‘oh crap I forgot to get so-and-so a gift’ time (title not long enough, right?). Also, who put Thanksgiving so close to Christmas this year? Let’s never do that again because time is flying way too fast now.
Thankfully, most of the people in my life love food as much as I do, so edible gifts like vegan vanilla ice cream are totally acceptable and appreciated. This vegan ice cream and topping combo will be a win for a hostess with the mostess gift or gift to a foodie friend.
Something that I have always always loved and adored is ice cream. One year while I was in high school, I decided to try every type of snowstorm (like a Dairy Queen Blizzard) from my hometown’s local ice cream joint. You better believe I succeeded at that goal that summer. Maybe I went to that ice cream place twice in a week a few times, but I had no shame, it was a claim to fame for me. After that summer of ice cream binge, I was always the go-to for snowstorm recommendations.
Needless to say, when I transitioned to eating more of a vegan diet, I was looking for ways to replace my regular dairy ice cream intake. I’ve done the soy ice cream deal. It’s fine and all, but it’s just never the same (or as the boy in my life says, ‘doesn’t have the same mouth feel’). While vegan vanilla ice cream really isn’t something I’ll be eating all the time, it’s nice to have an alternative that is satisfying to indulge in.
After some of my other ice cream experiments, I wanted to go back to the vanilla basics, but without it being all boring and just blah. Since vanilla beans and homemade vanilla extract have become two of my favorite items in the kitchen lately, it was time to create something simple and basic, while also easy.
How to make vegan ice cream
Making ice cream—vegan or not—is one of the easiest treats you can make. The only tough part about making homemade vegan vanilla ice cream is the amount of time you spend waiting for the ice cream to churn, and then the additional time you spend waiting for it to firm up in the freezer. To make this vegan vanilla ice cream, all you have to do is mix together the ingredients and add the mixture to the chilled bowl of your ice cream maker.
Since I am too impatient to boil and whisk together ice cream ingredients and then wait for them to cool before transferring to the ice cream maker, I went ahead and used powdered sugar instead of cane or granulated sugar. Also, full fat coconut milk is just the way to go. I’ve made homemade vegan ice cream with the light stuff and while it is fine, it, again, just isn’t the same.
Another key vegan ice cream ingredient is xanthan gum. I know xanthan gum sounds super sketchy, but it’s a useful ingredient to keep in your pantry as it prevents ice crystals from forming in this ice cream and also keeps things from separating. If you don’t have xanthan gum on hand, you can definitely still enjoy this homemade ice cream. Just know that your ice cream might need to rest on your countertop for 5-10 minutes before you can scoop it properly!
P.S. I didn’t have any cute gift containers on hand at the time, but for advice on packaging ice cream for gifting hop on over to Megan’s beautiful blog for tips!
Previously on Heart of a Baker
Vegan Chocolate Peppermint Cookies
Peppermint Vanilla Vegan Coffee Creamer
Vegan Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream
PrintVegan Vanilla Ice Cream with Peppermint Magic Shell Topping
- Prep Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
- Yield: 2 cups 1x
- Category: Ice Cream
- Method: Mixed
- Cuisine: American
Description
This homemade vegan vanilla ice cream with a peppermint hard shell makes for an easy, decadent dessert during the holidays.
Ingredients
For the ice cream:
- 2 cans full fat coconut milk or coconut creme
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
- 4 vanilla beans (scraped)
- pinch of xanthan gum (to prevent ice crystals from forming)
For the magic shell topping:
- 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
- 4 tablespoons coconut oil
- 2 teaspoons peppermint extract (more if stronger mint flavor is desired)
Instructions
- For the ice cream: Whisk together all ingredients, place in bowl of pre-chilled ice cream maker and make according to manufacturer directions. Place in pan and freeze for at least 2 hours.
- For the topping: In a microwave-safe bowl, combine all ingredients. Microwave for 30-second increments until chocolate is completely melted. When serving, pour over ice cream and topping will harden.
Keywords: vegan vanilla ice cream, vegan ice cream
Karis says
Chris is like a kid when we have magic shell in the house, eating as much possible until it’s quickly gone, so I love the idea of making it!
The Frosted Vegan says
It is so so easy, totally worth it! : )
Erica says
This sounds amazing, Abby! I love vanilla bean ice cream and choc & peppermint together. Now if I could just get the energy to try to make it. I tried making vanilla ice cream over the summer and it was a total fail!
The Frosted Vegan says
Thanks Erica! I was glad this one turned out, failed ice cream is such a bummer!
Lindsey says
Brilliant! The texture of this ice cream looks perfect. And coconut oil to make magic shell? Genius! I can’ wait to try it.
The Frosted Vegan says
It really is perfect! Let me know if you try it soon!