Why You’ll Love It
It’s easy to make. Inspired by my 2-ingredient almond milk recipe, you don’t even need to have almond milk on hand to make this ice cream. You’ll make it naturally, simply by blending together almond butter and water. (But, you can use store-bought almond milk, if you prefer!) It’s allergy friendly. This recipe is naturally gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegan. (No egg yolks required!) If you need a nut-free recipe, you can experiment with using tahini or sunflower seed butter, too. You control the sweetness. Maple syrup is the natural sweetener in this vegan ice cream recipe, and you can use a little less, or a little more, depending on your preference. Just keep in mind that the flavor will become less prominent when frozen, so you usually want to add a little more sweetener than you think you’ll need to an ice cream recipe. It’s easy to customize. If you have another nut butter on hand, like cashew butter or peanut butter, you can make other ice cream flavors, too! Be sure to try Pistachio Ice Cream and Peanut Butter Ice Cream for tested variations.
Ingredients You’ll Need
What’s in almond milk ice cream?
Almond butterWaterMaple syrupVanilla extract
Unlike traditional ice cream recipes, there’s no need for eggs or cream. The almond butter adds creaminess to this dairy-free ice cream!
How to Make Almond Milk Ice Cream
Before you get started, make sure the bowl of your ice cream maker has been frozen for at least 24 hours in advance, if your ice cream machine requires it. (You’ll find tips for making this without an ice cream maker below.)
- Blend the ingredients. Add the water, almond butter, maple syrup, and vanilla extract to a high-speed blender and blend until very smooth and creamy.
- Process. Pour the blended mixture into the frozen bowl of your ice cream maker, and let it churn until it’s thick and creamy, about 30 to 35 minutes. Don’t have an ice cream maker? You can pour this mixture into an airtight container and store it in the freezer until firm, about 6 to 8 hours, or overnight. Be sure to stir it often, every hour or so if you can, to help incorporate air into the mixture. This helps make it more creamy, rather than icy.
- Enjoy! You can eat this ice cream right away for a soft-serve consistency, or transfer it to an airtight container and freeze for 2 to 4 hours, or until it’s firmer and scoop-able. Almond milk ice cream turns out a little icier than coconut milk ice cream, but you can let it soften on the counter for 10 to 15 minutes before serving again, if you need to freeze it overnight.
Common Questions & Substitutions
Can you use whole almonds? I originally tried making this ice cream the same way I make my cashew-based coffee ice cream. I thought I could blend whole almonds, maple syrup, and water, and then process it in the ice cream maker for the easiest ice cream ever. Wouldn’t that be nice? Unfortunately, the texture from the whole almonds is far too fibrous. Even though the flavor was good, my kids couldn’t choke down the texture. Neither could I. It’s just not appealing with SO much fiber. Can you use plain almond milk? When you omit the almond butter, and use only almond milk, the ice cream will have more of an icy, slushy texture. It’s definitely NOT creamy on its own. What does almond butter do? Adding almond butter to this recipe adds the much-needed creaminess that you can’t get from almond milk on its own. When you use raw or homemade almond butter, the almonds don’t contribute a strong “roasted” flavor, and you’ll get a creamier, richer ice cream that tastes amazing. Can you use another sweetener? Of course! You can use honey if you don’t need this recipe to be vegan, but in that case I’d only use a 1/4 cup because the flavor is more overpowering than maple syrup. And you can most likely use a 1/2 cup of coconut sugar, or more to taste, if you’d rather use a granulated sugar. Looking for more flavors? Try these variations below.
Chocolate Ice Cream. Add a 1/2 cup of cocoa powder to the mixture, and use 3/4 cup maple syrup total. Blend and process as directed, for a rich, chocolate flavor. You can add a 1/4 cup cacao nibs for crunch, or a 1/3 cup mini chocolate chips for a double-chocolate version.
Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream. Add 1 teaspoon of peppermint flavoring to this recipe, and process as directed. When the ice cream is thick & creamy, you can fold in a 1/3 cup of mini chocolate chips, or a 1/4 cup of cacao nibs for a sugar-free alternative.
More Dairy-Free Ice Cream Recipes
Banana Ice Cream. Frozen bananas become ultra-creamy when frozen, and break down quickly for a naturally-sweet & healthy ice cream! Avocado Ice Cream. The avocado gives this ice cream a natural green hue, making it the perfect base for a mint chocolate chip flavor. Coffee Ice Cream. Possibly one of the best ice cream recipes you’ll ever taste. Chocolate Coconut Milk Ice Cream. This ice cream tastes so good, you can’t even tell it’s not made with dairy. If you try this homemade Almond Milk Ice Cream recipe, please leave a comment & star rating below letting me know what you think!
