How to Make Dairy Free Ice Cream

Co-authored by wikiHow Staff

Whether you're allergic to dairy, lactose intolerant, or you've taken up a vegan diet, opting out of dairy products doesn't have to mean you can never experience the joys of ice cream again. There are lots of ways to make dairy-free ice cream. Once you know how to make it, you can experiment by adding your own flavors, such as chocolate, mint, or strawberry.

Ingredients

Coconut Milk-Based Ice Cream^{[1]
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2 cans (14-ounce/414-milliliters) coconut cream or full-fat coconut milk
½ cup (100 grams) agave nectar, maple syrup, honey, or cane sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Banana-Based Ice Cream^{[2]
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2-3 overripe, frozen bananas
2 to 4 tablespoons (30 to 60 milliliters) almond milk or coconut milk
Pinch salt

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Making Coconut Milk-Based Ice Cream

1
Freeze the bowl or your ice cream maker at least 24 hours ahead of time. If you do not have an ice cream maker, don't worry; you can still make this ice cream.
2
Pour all of the ingredients into a blender or food processor. Try to use coconut cream if you can; it will give you the creamiest ice cream. If you cannot find any, you can use full-fat coconut milk.^{[3]
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Research source} Be sure to shake the cans well before opening them and pouring the contents into the blender/food processor.

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3
Add some flavor, if desired. This recipe will give you basic vanilla-coconut flavored ice cream. You can add some extra ingredients to enhance the flavor of your ice cream, however. Here are some idea to get you started:
- If you want chocolate ice cream, increase the sweetener to ⅔ cup (135 grams) and add ¾ cup (75 grams) of cocoa powder.^{[4]
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- For mint chocolate chip ice cream: use ½ teaspoon of mint extract instead of vanilla extract, and ½ cup (65 grams) of powdered sugar instead of your usual sweetener. If you want the ice cream to be green, add 2 drops of green gel food coloring.^{[5]
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- If you want to make strawberry ice cream, purée 2½ to 3 cups (500 to 600 grams) of sliced, frozen strawberries, then add the rest of the ingredients. You may want to decrease the sweetener to ⅓ cup (65 grams) and the vanilla extract to ¼ teaspoon.^{[6]
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4
Blend the ingredients together until everything turns smooth. This should only take 1 to 2 minutes. From time to time, you may have to pause the blender/food processor, and scrape any lumps or clumps down the sides and towards the bottom.
5
Freeze the ice cream base in your ice cream maker. Follow the instructions that came with your ice cream maker, as each one will be a little different. It will take about 20 minutes for the ice cream to freeze.
- If you don't have an ice cream maker: pour the mixture into a metal loaf pan and stir in your extras. Put it into the freezer, and cover it with a sheet of wax paper. Stir it every 30 to 60 minutes with a whisk. It will take about 6 hours for the ice cream to freeze.^{[7]
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6
Stir in any desired extras using a rubber spatula. At this point, your ice cream is done and ready for freezing. You can, however, step it up by adding in ¼ to ½ cup (50 to 100 grams) of extras, such as chopped nuts, sprinkles, or chocolate chips. Be sure to match your extras to the base flavor!
- If you are making mint chocolate chip ice cream, you might want to stir in ¼ cup (45 grams) of chocolate chips (dark chocolate or vegan).^{[8]
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- If you are making strawberry ice cream, you might want to stir in ¼ cup (50 grams) of chopped, frozen strawberries.
7
Transfer the ice cream into a freezer-safe container, and freeze it for at least 4 hours. If the container does not have a lid, press a piece of wax paper over the ice cream's surface. This will prevent ice crystals from forming.^{[9]
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Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Making Banana-Based Ice Cream

1
Peel, slice, and freeze the bananas ahead of time. If you have not already done so, peel and slice 2 to 3 bananas, and put them into a plastic bag. Leave them in the freezer overnight so that they are nice and firm.
2
Add all of the ingredients into a blender or food processor. The more milk you add, the creamier the ice cream will be. You can use almond milk or coconut milk—or any other non-dairy milk.
- If you are making mint chocolate chip ice cream, use only 2 bananas. All other flavors will require 3.
3
Add some flavor. Bananas are sweet on their own, but not everyone likes their taste. You can change the flavor to a certain extent by adding some additional ingredients. Here are some ideas to get you started:^{[10]
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- To make chocolate ice cream, add ¼ teaspoon of vanilla extract and 3 tablespoons of cocoa powder.
- To make mint chocolate chip ice cream, add ⅛ teaspoon of peppermint extract. You can also add a drop or two of green gel food coloring.
- To make strawberry ice cream, add 1 cup (200 grams) of sliced, frozen strawberries and ⅛ teaspoon of vanilla extract.
- To make vanilla ice cream, add ½ teaspoon of vanilla bean paste or ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract.
4
Blend until everything is smooth. From time to time, you may have to pause the blender/food processor, and push any lumps or clumps down towards the bottom with a rubber spatula. Keep blending until everything is evenly mixed together.
5
Stir in some extras for texture. At this point, your ice cream is done. You can step it up by adding in some extras, however. Toss in some chopped nuts, chocolate chips, or sprinkles, and gently fold them in with a rubber spatula.
- If you are making mint chocolate chip ice cream, you might want to stir in a handful of chocolate chips (dark chocolate or vegan).
- If you are making strawberry ice cream, you might want to stir in a handful of diced, frozen strawberries.
6
Serve the ice cream, or freeze it for another 30 minutes. At this point, the ice cream is ready as a soft-serve style. If you want it to be more firm, transfer it into a freezer-safe container, and leave it in your freezer for 30 minutes.^{[11]
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Community Q&A

Question

How would I make butter pecan ice cream vegan?

Community Answer

It isn't possible to provide a whole recipe in this answer box for something so complex. However, you would need something creamy and fatty to give that "buttery" texture, so coconut cream would do well for that aspect, along with vegan "butter" and you could use almond or coconut milk for the milk component. This request will be noted and someone may be able to add such a recipe to wikiHow in due time.
Question

Can I use full cream milk instead of cream?

Community Answer

Yes, you can.
Question

Is there a way to make it without a blender?

Community Answer

You can try using a whisk, though this will take a while.