I know that ice cream doesn’t typically seem like a winter-ish dessert, but who refuses ice cream any time of year? I have a distinct memory in high school of standing outside in the rain waiting for an ice cream snowstorm (like a DQ blizzard) treat from my favorite hometown ice cream shop on opening day. In mind my, it totally wasn’t crazy to be standing in the freezing cold rain to just get colder and eat ice cream, right? While I am usually all for the usual ice cream flavors, I wanted to put a holiday twist on this frozen treat, something that screams ‘Christmas!’ and makes you want to curl up with a bowl of ice cream, even if it is snowing outside. Enter: this gingerbread and roasted cranberry ice cream.
Cranberries are usually reserved for sauces and cakes, but when you roast them they get all juicy and sweet, eschewing their tartness for a sweet, but still tart note. Perfect for mixing into ice cream! I wanted to add the usual molasses into this ice cream, adding the gingerbread component into the mix, but I found out too late that I was out of molasses and, considering I was mixing this together at 10pm on a Saturday night, I wasn’t about to wait or run out for a jar.
Instead, I whipped up a batch of my favorite date caramel and mixed it in, which ended up being a perfect swap for the usual molasses notes. The churn time for this ice cream was increased a bit because I chose to go with light coconut milk rather than full-fat coconut cream. Between cookies, cakes, and all things Christmas, a little lightening up can’t hurt, right?
Tips for making vegan ice cream
Vegan ice cream is extremely easy to make, and the whole process is similar to how regular ice cream is made. All you need to do is mix the ingredients together (make sure the cranberries have cooled before adding them to the coconut milk), and pop all the ingredients into an ice cream maker. Coconut milk results in an icier dessert, while coconut cream makes a thicker, creamier treat.
Personally, I think vegan ice cream is best eaten right away, but you can of course freeze it for later. Just make sure to let the coconut milk ice cream rest on the counter for a few minutes before scooping it (it turns rock hard in the freezer and needs some time to warm up and become perfectly creamy again!).
Previous vegan ice cream recipes on Heart of a Baker
Crunchy Caramel Apple Crisp Ice Cream
Roasted Strawberry and Vegan Lemon Ice Cream
Vegan Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream
Vegan Peanut Butter Chocolate Praline Crunch Ice Cream
Matcha Latte Float with Vegan Vanilla Ice Cream
Print
Vegan Gingerbread and Roasted Cranberry Ice Cream
- Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 4 cups 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Mixed
- Cuisine: American
Description
This gingerbread and roasted cranberry ice cream is the ultimate holiday dessert! Plus, it’s vegan and features a creamy coconut milk base.
Ingredients
- 12 ounces fresh or frozen cranberries
- 2 cans light coconut milk
- 1 cup maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ginger
- 1/8 teaspoon allspice
- 15 dates
- 1/2 cup water
Instructions
- To roast the cranberries: Preheat oven to 450ºF. Spread cranberries onto a rimmed baking sheet and roast for 20-25 minutes. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the coconut milk, maple syrup, vanilla extract, and spices. Stir in the roasted cranberries. Set aside.
- To make the date caramel: In the bowl of a food processor, blend together the dates and water until smooth. You may need to add a bit more water to keep the mixture going.
- To make the ice cream: Pour the coconut milk mixture into a bowl of an ice cream maker and prepare according the machine directions. I let mine process for about 10 minutes before adding the date caramel. Continue to process for an additional 10-15 minutes, or until mixture is fairly solid. Transfer ice cream to a pan and freeze to solidify.
Keywords: cranberry ice cream, vegan ice cream
Julia says
My eyes are popping out of my head! Gingerbread + cranberries? You little ninja, you! I LUH-OOOVE coconut milk ice cream, and love that you use maple syrup in the recipe. I need to wrap my face around this.
★★★★★
The Frosted Vegan says
I ninjaed the HECK outta this ice cream, you best believeeee!
DessertForTwo says
This sounds so good! I like ice cream in the winter, especially peppermint 🙂
★★★★★
The Frosted Vegan says
I think that’s going to be my next round, peppermint ice cream!
Sarah | Broma Bakery says
Oh please. I’m totally posting an ice cream recipe in the next two weeks. It’s always ice cream season no matter what anyone else says. At least yours has wintery flavors like cranberries and gingerbread! What a stellar combo. Pinned!
The Frosted Vegan says
Thanks Sarah! I mean, ice cream, foreverrrrr!
LaurenKellyNutrition says
I am dying over this! It’s amazing!
The Frosted Vegan says
Thank you Lauren! I’m glad my crazy recipe brain came up with it!
Molly - Doughvelopment says
I say ice cream is a 24/7 food! I absolutely LOVE it, so I totally understand the waiting in the cold rain for cold ice cream!
The Frosted Vegan says
Glad I’m not alone!!
Liz @ Floating Kitchen says
People who don’t think ice cream is winter food are no friends of mine. This looks FAB. Love the colors and the flavor combo. So creative! XO
The Frosted Vegan says
Thanks Liz! Exacccctly, which is why us ice cream lovers should stick together! xoxo
Natalie says
This looks amazing! I seriously need to invest in an ice cream maker 🙂
The Frosted Vegan says
You do! I didn’t have one for the longest time, but it’s a nice thing to have : )
I Wilkerson says
I used to make ice cream pie every New Year’s Eve. A chocolate or graham cracker crust (depending on the flavor ice cream) filled (usually) with something from Kopps. But this would be perfect for that!
The Frosted Vegan says
Ohh that sounds amazing! Need to keep that in mind!
Sherri@The Well Floured Kitchen says
I just drove by a popular ice cream place and there was a line- at 9 in December! Ice cream is always a hit in any season, and yours looks absolutely amazing. Love all the seasonal flavors.
The Frosted Vegan says
Thanks Sherri! It seems like I’m not the only one eating it year-round : )
todd wagner says
There’s no bad time of year for ice cream…especially cranberry!! Yes please!
The Frosted Vegan says
I SO agree Todd!
Jules @ WolfItDown says
I love the sound of gingerbread with cranberries, definitely holiday-tastic 😀 And the photos are gorgeous 🙂 x