Homemade Vegan Vanilla Ice Cream (nut free, dairy free)
Homemade Vegan Vanilla Ice Cream is made with just four ingredients, no coconut milk and no nuts. It’s incredibly smooth, light and creamy with a rich vanilla flavour.
Servings: 10
Calories: 249kcal
Ingredients
- 2 vanilla beans
- 200 g caster sugar
- 300 g aquafaba from 2-3 cans chickpeas
- 600 g plant-based double cream
Instructions
- Split the vanilla pod lengthways with a sharp knife and scrape out the seeds.
- Place the caster sugar, 200g (¾ cup) water, the vanilla pod and the scraped seeds into a medium-sized saucepan. Heat gently, stirring occasionally just to disperse the seeds, so the sugar slowly dissolves into the water.
- Bring to the boil and continue gently boiling on a medium heat until it reaches between 110°C- 114°C (230°F-237°F) on a sugar thermometer and forms a syrupy consistency. This usually takes between 15-20 minutes. Keep a close eye on the syrup and check the temperature frequently to avoid overcooking it.
- While the syrup is cooking, whisk the aquafaba in a large mixing bowl using an electric whisk (or stand mixer) until it forms stiff peaks.
- Once the sugar syrup reaches 110°C- 114°C (230°F-237°F), slowly pour it into the whipped aquafaba in a thin, steady steam, whisking continuously. The mixture will turn thick, glossy and increase in volume.
- In a separate bowl, whip the plant-based double cream until it thickens into firm peaks. You will probably find it doesn’t thicken as much as real cream but soft-firm is good enough.
- Gently fold the cream into the glossy aquafaba until fully combined.
- Cover the bowl and refrigerate overnight to allow the mixture to chill completely.
- The following day, remove and discard the vanilla pod.
- The recipe makes approximately 1kg of ice cream, so you may find it easier to churn in two batches, depending on the capacity of your ice cream maker. Weigh out half the mixture and return the remaining half to the refrigerator until you’re ready to churn it. It can be kept chilled for a further 24 hours.
- Pour the chilled ice cream base into your ice cream machine and churn for 35-40 minutes, or according to the manufacturer’s instructions, until it reaches the consistency of soft-serve ice cream.
- Transfer the churned ice cream to a freezer-safe airtight container and smooth the surface. Freeze for at least 8 hours, or preferably overnight, until firm enough to scoop and serve.
Notes
This makes a generous batch of ice cream, about 1kg (or 1 ½ US quarts) which is more than many domestic ice cream makers can churn in one go. I like to prepare the full quantity, then divide the mixture in half before churning. You can churn both halves as classic vanilla ice cream, or use one half as a blank canvas for another flavour by stirring in your favourite flavourings or mix-ins before churning (lots of ideas above). It’s an easy way to make two different ice cream flavours from a single base.
- This ice cream is best eaten within about four weeks of churning for the smoothest texture.
- I don’t recommend making this recipe without an ice cream machine. I used the Cuisinart Ice Cream & Gelato Professional ICE100BCU and usually costs about £200. However, you can buy relatively cheap ones if you don’t want a major investment- discussed in the post above.
Nutrition
Calories: 249kcal | Carbohydrates: 38g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Sodium: 300mg | Potassium: 0.4mg | Sugar: 24g | Calcium: 0.2mg | Iron: 0.01mg