Vegan Vanilla Bean Soft Serve Ice Cream
Vegan Vanilla Bean Soft Serve Ice Cream- all you need is 5 simple ingredients to make this creamy vegan soft serve at home!
Well I guess this is proof that my craving for soft serve ice cream has reached an all new high. That’s what happens when you follow people on social media who live in bigger cities with access to these kinds of things. You find yourself drooling over one picture after another until you’ve stumbled upon a hack on how to make your own at home.
If you saw my monthly favorite post from August then you might know what I’m talking about. The recipe said it could be made with just a few simple ingredients, food processor and a pastry bag. The only hold up is that it
used heavy cream which I never buy and never will. Coconut cream on the other hand is my best friend.
So to make it all you have to do is combine the coconut cream with a little bit of coconut milk, organic cane sugar, fresh vanilla, and a pinch of sea salt in a small saucepan and simmer until the sugar has dissolved. Then you let it cool, transfer it to a Ziploc bag, and lay it flat in the freezer until its frozen.
From there you use your hands to break the solid square into separate chunks. Add those chunks to a food processor, blend till smooth, and you got yourself a creamy soft serve that’s ready to be piped into a cone.
I will admit that the end result isn’t exactly like the soft serve you get at an ice cream parlor. Those machines are tens of thousands of dollars for reason.
But if you’re willing to except a less fancy version, then I think you’ll be pleased. Also, feel free to add in whatever flavors you like, maybe mini chocolate chips or lemon zest…mmm.
You can also skip the piping part if you’re not into making it look swirled. It melts pretty quick and our AC hasn’t been working well lately so I literally had 10 seconds to take these pictures before they melted into a mess. I gave up after shooting 3 different cones but thankfully Brandon didn’t mind scarfing down the casualties. :)
Vegan Vanilla Bean Soft Serve Ice Cream
Prep Time: 15
Cook Time: 5
Total Time: 20

Ingredients:
- 16 ounces coconut cream (480ml or 3 small cans)
- 1/2 cup full fat coconut milk (125ml)
- 1/2 cup organic cane sugar
- 1 vanilla bean
- pinch of sea salt
Directions:
In a small saucepan, combine the coconut cream, coconut milk and sugar. Bring to a low boil then reduce to a simmer. Whisk over low heat for about 5 minutes, until the sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat and set aside.
Scrape the inside of the vanilla bean into the saucepan then add a pinch of salt. Stir to combine then cover and allow to cool to room temperature. Once the mixture is cool, transfer it to a quart size plastic bag. Lay the bag flat in your freezer (you can also place it on a baking sheet if there isn’t a flat surface in your freezer) and freeze until solid, for about 5-6 hours.
Once the liquid has frozen, remove it from the freezer and use your hands to bend the bag and break it into chunks. Empty into a food processor (or blender) and blend for about 2-3 minutes, until smooth. You will need to scrape down the larger pieces on the sides as you go.
At this point you should have a somewhat soft serve texture. You can serve it as is or transfer it to a large sealable container and freeze again for an hour or until it has firmed up more. When ready to pipe, scoop the ice cream into a pastry bag with a star tip and serve. Leftovers can be frozen in a sealed container for up to 1 month.
Inspired by Donna Hay
Did you try this recipe? Please let me know how it turned out by leaving a comment below or sharing a picture on Instagram with the hashtag #makingthymeforhealth. I love hearing your feedback!
I like pretty much anything frozen and sweet. haha. Are you completely vegan now?
Yes, Brandon and I both went vegan in January so it’s been over 7 months now. I’m planning to write a post on it soon! Just wanted to take my time to figure things out before I do. :)
Coconut cream is heaven! This looks amazing. I tried pineapple Dole whip (which is apparently vegan) over the weekend and I’m officially obsessed. My stomach doesn’t love real ice cream, so I think I need to try your version.
I love coconut everything AND soft serve ice cream so I’m down with this healthier plant-based version! Love those pretty sprinkles too. :)
This looks delicious! Soft serve ice cream is my favorite! I love those sprinkles on top too :)
Wow, this is SO easy!! Must try this ASAP!
Is the coconut milk, the canned coconut milk or like so delicious coconut milk. I’m new to this.
Yes canned coconut milk like what you see in the pictures of the post. :)
amazing!
this is one of the soft serve ice creams ive had. the texture is very close and it tast so good it taste like a sweet creamy cocnuty icecream. very easy to make! looks as good as pictures this therefore one of the best if not the best softserve ive tasted