This no-churn vegan vanilla ice cream is a rich and decadent dessert. No bananas or coconut milk in this recipe! It's sweetened with dates for a true vanilla ice cream.
My no-churn ice cream recipes have become a thing on TikTok. People seem to like these recipes and I think it's because they are easy, made with healthy ingredients, and don't require any equipment.
I've been thinking about making a vanilla ice cream for a while now, but I wasn't sure how it was going to turn out. My other ice cream recipes have a strong taste that covers up any flavor from the nut butter. (Nut butter adds fat, and therefore richness to the ice cream, so it's essential.)
But I was pleasantly surprised when this ice cream turned out just as dreamy as my other recipes.
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And this ice cream is even healthier than my other recipes.
It's date-sweetened vegan ice cream. No maple syrup. Just dates.
So you get all the fiber and nutrients from the dates that you wouldn't get with maple syrup. And the ice cream is still sweet and caramely.
Why I love this Date-Sweetened Vegan Vanilla Ice Cream
- Dietary needs - this ice cream is vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, oil-free, sugar free
- Not just sugar-free, fruit sweetened - there's no added sugar in this recipe, the ice cream is sweetened only with dates
- And no coconut - lots of vegan ice cream recipes use coconut milk. I avoided it in this recipe for two reasons: 1) to give an option for people with coconut allergies and 2) so the vanilla ice cream doesn't get a coconut flavor
- No-churn - If you have an ice cream maker, great, use it. But this recipe is intended to be no-churn, so you aren't missing out if you don't own one
- Whole food ingredients - the ingredients are simple, real foods.
- And, selfishly - I just love vanilla. I choose vanilla over chocolate every time. Maybe I'll convert some chocolate fans with this recipe
Ingredient Notes
- Non-Dairy Milk: I recommend using almond, oat, or cashew milk to avoid any strong flavors. I used homemade oat milk.
- Nut Butter: I recommend cashew butter or almond butter, since they have the most neutral flavor compared to other nut butters. Head over to Wilderness Poets and use code ELIZABETH10 to get $10 off your purchase of cashew butter. If you are allergic to nuts or would prefer to have a nut-free ice cream, use full-fat coconut milk instead.
- Dates: medjool dates are ideal for this recipe - they are soft and very sweet. Barhi dates also work well. Either way, make sure your dates are soft. To soften them, soak the dates in some hot water for a few minutes.
- Unsweetened Applesauce: I use applesauce in this recipe for texture. Applesauce isn't as liquid as milk and it's also not as solid as nut butter. If there's too much non-dairy milk in a recipe that isn't churned, the texture can become icy instead of smooth. But if there's too much nut butter, the ice cream will be really dense. The density isn't necessarily a problem, except it's a lot denser than regular ice cream (when I first tested this recipe, I was using it to make ice cream floats and the ice cream didn't float!!). So, applesauce helps lighten the texture, and you can't taste it at all. But if you don't want to use applesauce you can use an additional ¼ cup of non-dairy milk and ¼ cup of nut butter.
- Vanilla Bean: I went for full vanilla flavor and used the seeds of a vanilla bean. Head over to Wilderness Poets and use code ELIZABETH10 to get $10 off your purchase of vanilla beans. Vanilla extract also works.
- Salt
How to make No-Churn Vegan Vanilla Ice Cream
Step 1. Add the non-dairy milk, nut butter, dates, applesauce, vanilla seeds/extract, and salt to a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth.
Step 2. Transfer to a freezer-safe container and freeze for 2-3 hours, or overnight.
Step 3. When ready to eat, let the ice cream thaw several minutes before scooping. Enjoy!
FAQ & Expert Tips
Yes. Since this ice cream is sweetened with dates, you need a blender or food processor to puree the dates. I recommend using a blender because it will result in a smoother ice cream.
If you don't have a blender or food processor you have a few options:
1. Buy date paste or date syrup instead of whole dates. Then, just whisk all the ingredients together.
2. Use maple syrup as the sweetener instead.
Yes. If you don't want to use dates, you can use ⅓ cup of maple syrup.
Sub the nut butter for 1 cup of coconut cream.
This ice cream IS scoopable, just like regular ice cream. But it will be pretty solid if you take it out of the freezer and try to scoop immediately.
To get the perfect consistency, thaw for 5-10 minutes at room temperature. You'll know it's the perfect consistency when the edges of the container start to get melty.
Store this ice cream in the freezer.
You can store it in the container you made it in. Be sure to add some type of lid or plastic wrap to avoid the ice cream picking up any other flavors in your freezer.
I typically transfer the ice cream to a freezer safe zip top bag, which keeps it sealed and saves space.
Recipe Prayer
Thank you God for this date sweetened vegan ice cream. Help us to enjoy this treat and the warm weather. Amen.
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📖 Recipe
Date Sweetened No-Churn Vegan Vanilla Ice Cream
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 ½ Cup Non-Dairy Milk
- 1 Cup Cashew or Almond Butter OR 1 Cup Full Fat Coconut Milk
- 6 Pitted Medjool Dates
- ½ Cup Unsweetened Applesauce
- Seeds of 1 Vanilla Bean or 2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract
- Pinch Salt
Instructions
- Add the non-dairy milk, nut butter, dates, applesauce, vanilla seeds/extract, and salt to a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth.
- Transfer to a freezer-safe container and freeze for 2-3 hours, or overnight.
- When ready to eat, let the ice cream thaw several minutes before scooping. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is an estimate.
John
Hi, tried the recipe as an alternative to store bought ice cream and my family loved it. My question is the nutritional facts per serving?
Thank you
Elizabeth
Hi John, So glad that your family enjoyed the recipe! The nutrition facts are listed at the bottom of the recipe card. This recipe makes six servings at 336 calories each. All the specific nutrient information with the macro breakdown is listed above in the card.
Harsha
Hi. Would I be able to omit the applesauce? Or what would be an alternative to this?
Elizabeth
Hi! Yes, that is totally fine. I have a note about this in the post: if you don't want to use applesauce you can use an additional 1/4 cup of non-dairy milk and 1/4 cup of nut butter.
Lucy
What kind of plant milk did you use? Did it contain gums to make it thicker and more creamy? If so, will it affect the ice cream's texture if I use thin oat milk made of only oats, water, and salt?
Elizabeth
Hi Lucy - I've had the most success with oat milk in this recipe! I typically do use a store-bought milk that has fillers/gums, but the ice cream will be perfectly fine with a homemade/clean oat milk. The creamy texture comes from the nut butter and dates, the milk is really just to thin it out. Let me know what you think when you try!
Lucy
It turned out great! I put it in the freezer for a few hours, and it was easy to scoop right when I took it out, so I didn't have to wait to enjoy it!
Elizabeth
Amazing! So glad it worked perfectly for you!