Smooth.
Creamy.
Sweet, drippy ice cream, cascading into a delicious pool of vanilla.
Yes, it’s winter. But I can’t keep this dreamy recipe to myself for the next four months. And actually, I really like eating ice cream in the winter.
One of my favorite memories is of a Christmas my family spent with relatives in Italy. The weather was bitter cold and rainy, and yet we knew it’d be a sin to leave without sampling the famed Italian gelato. Therefore—decked in hats, scarves, and heavy coats—we sat in a little gelateria, clumsily using gloved hands to spoon the rich, creamy dessert into our mouths. I’ve never tasted ice cream as delectable as on that blustery December day.
Perhaps this memory is what prompted me to pull out my ice cream maker a few days ago, in the ugliest weather we’ve experienced so far this year. The frustrating thing about ice cream makers is that you can really only make one batch per day, since the base needs to be completely frozen for optimum performance.
And I am not a patient person! If a recipe experiment doesn’t come out perfectly the first time, I immediately want to try again. My first attempt at making a healthy ice cream was awful. Loosely following a recipe from The New York Times, I mixed cornstarch in with my almond milk. The result was not an ice cream; it was a paste! In my second attempt, I reduced the amount of cornstarch, but it was still pasty. So, on day three, I omitted the cornstarch altogether…
Perfect!!
Feel free to customize this basic recipe any way you want! Add cocoa powder for healthy chocolate ice cream, berries for a sherbet, or even crushed candy canes and peppermint extract for a Christmas treat.
Four Ingredient Ice Cream
- 2 cups milk of choice or nondairy creamer or coconut milk (see note below)
- 1/4 cup sweetener of choice: such as pure maple syrup, brown sugar, or xylitol for sugar-free
- pinch stevia or 1 extra tbsp sugar
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1 and 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- optional ingredients for whatever flavor you desire
Mix all ingredients (except optional ingredients, if they are chunky) in a dish. If you have an ice-cream maker: simply transfer to your ice cream maker and watch the magic! (I have a Cuisinart, and it took 12-14 minutes to turn the liquid into ice cream. Warning: Make sure your ice cream maker’s base is completely frozen before use, or it will NOT work!!) You can eat it straight from the machine, or freeze a few hours for firmer texture. Homemade ice cream is best the day it’s made, but you can technically thaw it out and it will keep for a few weeks. If you don’t have an ice-cream maker, see nutrition link below:
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**A word about the milk: If you use only almond milk, the texture is more foam-y (in a good way, if that makes sense!) than creamy. If you use only nondairy creamer or full-fat canned coconut milk, the texture is more like ice cream. If not serving right away, be sure to thaw a little if your freezer is super-cold. Also, I’d probably stay away from fat-free milks, such as ricemilk.
If you are using all almond milk and still want it creamier, you can freeze the ice cream and then re-blend it in a Vita-Mix for Vita-mix ice cream. The end result is incredibly creamy, without the fat and calories of using the coconut milk or creamer.
Do you have a favorite ice cream flavor?
Mine’s always been mint-chocolate chip. But plain chocolate is a close second. Coconut’s good, too! And cookie dough, peanut butter, cookies-n-cream… probably the only flavors I’m not big on are sorbets or sherbets.
Here’s a list of flavors: Over 100 Healthy Ice Cream Recipes.
(All of the recipes in the above link can be made without an ice-cream maker.)
So, I forgot to half the rest of the ingredients (I only had 1 cup of non-dairy vanilla almond milk left), and by following the recipe normally with table syrup (fake maple syrup, basically), it ended with a caramel sugar-y flavor! It was great! 🙂
could you omit the extra sweetner if using sweetened cream & the stevia?
Sorry, I have never tried it so I don’t know.
I finally got an ice cream maker this weekend and immediately looked up this recipe, because it’s one I’ve been wanting to try for ages. Honestly………….. IT WAS THE BEST DAIRY-FREE ICE CREAM I’VE EVER TASTED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
So creamy, smooth, delicious. It’s like heaven in a bowl. My Cuisinart ice cream maker is my new best friend. I can tell were going to be inseparable. 🙂 And I especially thank you for posting this amazing recipe. I’ve struggled to find a good dairy-free ice cream and this definitely makes the cut. Thank you, thank you, thank you! 🙂
Aw you are so welcome! And you remind me that I need to take my Cuisinart out again. I always forget to use it!
Hooray!! We have an ice cream maker and I’ve been looking for a lactose-free ice cream recipe so I am so excited to have happened across yours! One question, though: do you have approximations of how much to use for liquid ingredients (like Bailey’s, for example)? I don’t want it to come out too runny. Thanks!
If you’re using something strong, you only need a little. But if you’re using anything more than a couple tbsp, maybe reduce the milk by that amount?
My name is Ami and I’m an ice cream addict! This recipe inspired me to request an ice cream maker for Mother’s Day, which I got 🙂 Since then, this has become a staple in my freezer. It’s SO delicious. Thank you for sharing it!
hey katie do u think this would work if i used stevia instead of agave? i attempted to make some just now and it got stuck to the icecream maker like ice!! i used goodkarmas flax milk maybe next time ill try almond breeze?
Sorry, I haven’t tried it.
hey katie do you think this would work with stevia instead of agave? my body doesnt react well with sugar too much sugar =/ thanks so muc! your seriously an inspiration!! i check your blog more than once a day..embaressed to admit tht but what can i say your amazing!!
Thanks for the great info.! I just bought A NEW ICE CREAM MAKER FOR $10 at Aldi and needed a recipe using almond milk instead of dairy.
Yum! This is officially the third recipe of yours I have made. I made it with Blue Diamond Original Almond Milk in my Cuisinart Ice Cream maker, and it was awesome! Yes, I’d say it was kind of foamy, or like whipped ice, but MAN is it good! And for the calories, you can’t beat it!
I found your blog in January, and that was one-month in to a big weight loss venture I am on, and now I’ve lost 70 pounds. 🙂 Thanks, dear, for your great recipes and great help!
P.S. – I’m an Army wife living in Japan, so I love that you use ingredients that I can (mostly) find even in a very un-Vegan country!
Aw, thanks Amy!
I actually used to live in Japan… I’m surprised you can even find the Blue Diamond almond milk now. I remember visiting when I lived in China. Feel comforted in knowing at least Japan is more vegan-friendly than China ;).
Mmm, very simple recipe! I used goats milk (I’m allergic to coconut, and didn’t want to experiment with something I’ve never tried (non-dairy creamer)), more brown sugar than called for, no stevia, and extra vanilla.
THEN I mixed in 2 packages of Swiss Miss Hot Chocolate powder, and threw it in my mixer. I patiently cranked it for about 40 minutes, and when it was juuuust thick enough, I slowly added about 3 tablespoon fulls of smooth creamy peanut butter, a little bit at a time, so I would have soft chunks of it spread throughout.
It was still a little soft for my liking, so I’ve put it in the freezer to freeze up a little more before eating it…. I’ll stir it with a spoon before I go to bed, and again when I wake up, to make sure it doesn’t turn into a rock, and try it tomorrow evening. The taste testing I did was veeeery good! (I’m a BIG fan of chocolate and peanut butter combined.) So hopefully it’ll be even better when it solidified! 🙂
I’ll try making something with almond milk next!! 😀