Creamy and delicious vegan mint chocolate chip ice cream is made with simple ingredients! It’s creamy, refreshing, and easy to make!
We’re big ice cream lovers here! While ice cream is a big summer time treat, we eat it any time of year!
And I love making my own plant based ice cream! It’s easy, inexpensive, and you can use your choice of ingredients.
This vegan mint chocolate chip ice cream is so delicious! It’s my daughters’ favorite flavor! And I like it a lot, too! It’s creamy, full of refreshing mint flavor, and loaded with bits of yummy dark chocolate. A perfect ice cream for cooling off in the summer, or for enjoying during the holidays.
I was surprised recently to find out how much controversy there is about mint ice cream. Apparently, many people really dislike it, saying it makes them feel like they’re eating toothpaste. I find this amazing, because we really love it. Is this similar to people who like and people who dislike cilantro?
I flavor the ice cream with peppermint extract instead of fresh mint. Using fresh mint can give a bitter taste to the ice cream.
Ingredients for vegan mint chocolate ice cream
- Soy Milk – other non-dairy milk can be substituted
- Organic sugar – if you want a less processed sweetener, feel free to substitute with maple syrup or agave
- Raw cashews – helps make the ice cream creamier
- Corn starch – this helps thicken the ice cream base
- Salt
- Vanilla extract
- Peppermint extract
- Vodka (optional) – a very small amount of vodka is added to prevent the ice cream from freezing as solidly.
- Dark chocolate – read the label to make sure the chocolate you choose is vegan. I found vegan chocolate bars at Trader Joe’s. You could also use vegan chocolate chips.
How to make this vegan mint ice cream
Step 1: Make the ice cream base
Place the non dairy milk, cashews, sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a high speed blender and blend until smooth.
If you don’t have a high speed blender, you will need to soak the cashews ahead of time. This can be done either by soaking overnight, or by placing the cashews in a pan of water, bringing to a boil, and letting the cashews sit in the hot water for 15 minutes.
Pour the blended mixture into a medium sized pot and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly.
Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract, mint extract, and vodka (if using).
Step 2: Chill the ice cream base
The ice cream mixture will need to be chilled before churning in the ice cream maker. Pour it into a large jar or other closed container and chill in the refrigerator for 4 hours to overnight.
Step 3: Freeze the ice cream
Pour the chilled ice cream mixture into the frozen bowl of an ice cream maker. Churn ice cream according to the manufacturer’s instructions for your ice cream machine. I really like my Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker.
Once the ice cream starts to thicken, add the chopped chocolate.
When it is done churning, it will have the texture of soft serve ice cream. It can be served immediately, or for firmer ice cream pour into a bread pan or freezer safe container and freeze until solid. I like to use this silicone bread pan and covering it with plastic wrap.
After removing the ice cream from the freezer, allow it to sit for 5 minutes for easier scooping.
Substitutions:
- Instead of organic sugar, you can sweeten this ice cream with maple syrup, agave, date syrup, or coconut sugar.
- If you want green mint ice cream, color the ice cream with fresh mint leaves, spinach, or green food coloring.
- Use mini chocolate chips like those from Enjoy Life instead of chopped chocolate bars.
Vegan ice cream tips:
- Make sure to chill the ice cream maker bowl for at least 24 hours before making the ice cream. It needs to be cold enough to freeze the ice cream.
- Chill the ice cream base until it is completely cooled or it will not freeze properly.
- Be sure to cover your churned ice cream when placing it in the freezer to solidify. Uncovered ice cream will form ice crystals.
Frequently asked questions:
While I’d like to say this dairy free ice cream is healthy, it is still a treat to be consumed only once in a while. It is lower in fat that regular ice cream, but is still high in sugar and has cashews mixed in to help with the creaminess. This added fat and sugar makes this a celebration food. That said it is a healthier option than dairy based ice cream.
Yes, you can, but it won’t be quite as creamy as with an ice cream maker. For no churn ice cream, pour the chilled ice cream base into a sheet pan and freeze until solid. Break the frozen ice cream into chunks and puree in a food processor. Then transfer the pureed ice cream into a covered container and freeze until solid.
Enjoy these other vegan ice cream recipes:
For other delicious desserts, see:
- Blueberry Oat Bars
- Oil Free Vegan Sugar Cookies
- Chocolate Mug Cakes
- Fat Free Apple Crisp
- Oil Free Vegan Gingerbread Cookies
- Double Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes
- Gingerbread Popcorn
- Vegan Chocolate Pudding
If you’re looking for a topping for this vegan ice cream, try my Aquafaba Whipped Cream.
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Vegan Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 cups soy milk
- ¾ cup organic sugar
- ⅜ cup raw cashews
- 3 tablespoon cornstarch
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¾ teaspoon peppermint extract
- 1 tablespoon vodka optional
- 54 grams dark chocolate chopped
Instructions
- Blend the soy milk, sugar, cashews, corn starch, and salt in a high speed blender. (See note)
- Pour the contents into a saucepan. Cook over medium heat until the mixture is thickened.
- Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract, peppermint extract, and vodka.
- Transfer the mixture into a glass jar or covered bowl and refrigerate until completely cooled.
- Freeze the ice cream mixture in an ice cream maker. When the ice cream begins to thicken, add the chopped chocolate or chocolate chips.
- Then transfer to a covered freezer safe container and freeze until firm. I like to use a silicone bread pan and cover with plastic wrap.
- Allow the frozen ice cream to sit on the counter for 5 minutes before scooping.
