Vegan Vanilla Soft Serve (No-Churn!)
I scream, you scream, we all scream for soft serve! Isn’t that how it goes? This fluffy, creamy, and oh-so classic vegan soft serve has all the nostalgic goodness you know and love, with no dairy or ice cream maker required.
Just 6 ingredients and simple methods, friends. Let us show you how it’s done!
It all begins with a happy accident we discovered a couple years ago. When you blend coconut milk with vanilla extract and then freeze it, some scientific magic (probably the alcohol in the vanilla) prevents it from freezing firmly. To the coconut milk and vanilla, we also add a little cashew butter, sugar, and sea salt for extra creaminess, sweetness, and flavor.
After blending the sweet, creamy dairy-free milk, we pour it into an ice cube tray and pop it in the freezer to await the next ice cream craving.
Once they’re frozen (and the craving for ice cream strikes), the coconut vanilla ice cubes get added to a food processor with a little liquid (in the form of almond milk). The result? A thick, creamy, SOFT SERVE-style vanilla ice cream in minutes!
We hope you LOVE this vegan soft serve! It’s:
Creamy
Fluffy
Sweet
Classic
Easy to make
& SO delicious!
Enjoy it in a bowl or on a cone with your favorite toppings. Magic shell, caramel sauce, berry compote, and hot fudge are some of our faves! It would also be perfect for topping summer cobblers, crisps, and cakes (recipe coming soon!).
More No-Churn Ice Cream Recipes
If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo @minimalistbaker on Instagram. Cheers, friends!
Servings 6 (~1/2 cup servings)
ICE CUBES
- 1 (13.5-oz.) can full-fat coconut milk (use a smooth, creamy brand // we used Field Day)
- 2 Tbsp cashew butter (we like Artisana)
- 1/4 cup organic cane sugar*
- 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 1/8 tsp sea salt
SOFT SERVE
FOR SERVING optional
-
ICE CUBES: At least 6 hours before you wish to enjoy the soft serve, prepare the sweetened coconut milk ice cubes.
-
For the ice cubes, place the coconut milk, cashew butter, cane sugar, vanilla, and salt into a high-speed blender and blend until smooth — about 1 minute. Transfer the mixture to an ice cube tray — it should make ~14-16 standard-size ice cubes (as recipe is written). Freeze for at least 6 hours.
-
SOFT SERVE: To a food processor (our preferred method) or high-speed blender, add all of the coconut milk ice cubes and the almond milk (starting with the lesser amount — 2 Tbsp as the recipe is written). Pulse or blend until all of the ice cubes have completely broken down and you’ve achieved a thick, smooth consistency. You may need to stop and stir a few times to get it moving, or add more almond milk 1 Tbsp (15 ml) at a time until it mixes more easily. If using a blender, use the blender’s tamper, pressing down to help it mix.
-
Enjoy immediately! If storing for later, place in an airtight container and freeze. Once refrozen, the texture will be firm, scoopable, and creamy but will be much more dense/icy than the fresh soft serve. Let sit for 10 minutes before scooping.
*Loosely adapted from our Creamy Vegan Vanilla Ice Cream.
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated with the lesser amount of almond milk and without optional ingredients.
Serving: 1 (half-cup) serving Calories: 178 Carbohydrates: 11.6 g Protein: 1.8 g Fat: 13.8 g Saturated Fat: 10.9 g Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.5 g Monounsaturated Fat: 1.6 g Trans Fat: 0 g Cholesterol: 0 mg Sodium: 67 mg Potassium: 130 mg Fiber: 0.1 g Sugar: 9.6 g Vitamin A: 0 IU Vitamin C: 0 mg Calcium: 11 mg Iron: 0.7 mg
