Vegan Ice Cream: Brands and Homemade Recipe

Vegan ice cream is easiest to choose when you start with its base. Coconut and nut milks usually deliver the richest texture, oat milk tastes mild and creamy, and soy milk provides a balanced, familiar scoop.

If you are comparing vegan ice cream brands, look beyond flavor names. The base affects richness, melt, sweetness, and whether the finished dessert tastes distinctly of coconut, nuts, oats, or soy.

Plant-Based Ice Cream Styles: Coconut, Oat, Soy, and Nut

Each base creates a different style of plant-based ice cream. Choose according to the flavor and texture you want.

Coconut milk: Full-fat coconut milk contains enough fat to create a dense, smooth scoop. It works especially well with chocolate, mango, lime, and toasted coconut. The main drawback is its noticeable coconut flavor, which may show through delicate flavors.
Oat milk: Oat-based ice cream has a mild, slightly cereal-like flavor. It often feels creamy but lighter than coconut or nut versions. Oat milk suits vanilla, coffee, caramel, and fruit flavors, especially when you want the added ingredients to lead.
Soy milk: Soy provides protein and moderate richness, so soy-based frozen desserts can taste balanced and creamy. It has a mild bean-like note that usually disappears under chocolate, peanut butter, or strong fruit flavors.
Nut milk: Almond, cashew, and other nut bases can produce a rich, smooth texture. Cashew tends to taste especially buttery, while almond has a more recognizable roasted-nut flavor. Nut-based desserts pair well with praline, chocolate, cinnamon, and coffee.

For the richest result, choose coconut or cashew. For a neutral everyday scoop, choose oat. Soy offers a useful middle ground, particularly in recipes with bold mix-ins.

Vegan Ice Cream Brands by Base: Oatly, So Delicious, and Ben & Jerry’s

These brands illustrate the main differences, although formulas can vary between flavors and product lines.

Oatly: Oatly frozen desserts use an oat base with a gentle grain flavor. Their texture is generally smooth and easy to pair with fruit, cookies, chocolate, or coffee. Choose Oatly when you want a creamy scoop without a strong coconut or nut taste.
So Delicious: So Delicious is well known for coconut milk frozen desserts. These tend to be rich, dense, and distinctly coconut-forward. They are a strong choice for tropical flavors or anyone who prefers a fuller mouthfeel. The brand has also produced other plant-based formulas, so check the base listed on the carton.
Ben & Jerry’s Non-Dairy: Many Ben & Jerry’s Non-Dairy flavors use sunflower butter rather than coconut, oat, soy, or nuts. The result is dense and indulgent, with substantial chunks, swirls, and inclusions. Choose this style when mix-ins matter as much as the base.
Tofutti: Tofutti is a representative soy-based option. Its frozen desserts have a familiar, moderately creamy profile and often work well for people who prefer a less coconut-forward flavor.

Read the ingredient list when you need a specific base. “Non-dairy” describes the absence of milk ingredients, but it does not identify the fat source or predict texture by itself.

What Makes Vegan Ice Cream?

Vegan ice cream contains no dairy milk, cream, or butter, and it typically contains no eggs. Manufacturers replace dairy fat with coconut oil, coconut milk, nuts, oats, soy, sunflower seeds, or another plant ingredient.

A successful formula needs more than a milk substitute. Fat creates a smooth mouthfeel, sugar keeps the mixture from freezing solid, and dissolved solids reduce large ice crystals. Stabilizers such as guar gum or locust bean gum may improve scoopability and slow melting.

Some recipes use starch, nut butter, dates, or maple syrup for extra body. The goal is a mixture that freezes firmly but remains soft enough to scoop after a short rest.

The Best Vegan Ice Cream Recipe: Churned Coconut-Oat Base

This best vegan ice cream recipe combines full-fat coconut milk for richness with oat milk for a softer, milder finish. It makes about 1 quart, or six half-cup servings.

Ingredients

One 13.5-ounce can full-fat coconut milk
1 1/2 cups plain, unsweetened oat milk
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon fine salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Method

Whisk the sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a medium saucepan. Gradually whisk in the oat milk and coconut milk until smooth.
Cook over medium heat for 5 to 7 minutes, whisking often. The mixture is ready when it lightly coats a spoon and reaches about 180°F. Do not let it boil vigorously.
Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the vanilla, then blend the base with an immersion blender for about 30 seconds. This distributes the coconut fat evenly.
Pour the base into a covered container. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight. It must be thoroughly cold before churning.
Churn the cold base in an ice-cream maker for 20 to 25 minutes, or according to the machine’s instructions. Stop when it looks like thick soft serve.
Transfer the churned ice cream to a shallow, freezer-safe container. Press parchment directly onto the surface, cover, and freeze for 3 to 4 hours.
Let it stand at room temperature for 5 to 10 minutes before serving. It should yield slightly to a scoop without becoming runny.

No-churn option: Pour the chilled base into a shallow metal pan and freeze for 45 minutes. Stir vigorously, then repeat every 30 minutes for about 2 1/2 hours. Once thick and icy around the edges, blend until smooth and freeze for another 1 to 2 hours. The result will be creamy, though usually firmer and less airy than churned ice cream.

Preventing Icy Texture

Icy vegan ice cream usually lacks enough fat, sugar, dissolved solids, or agitation. These adjustments make the biggest difference:

Use full-fat ingredients: Choose full-fat coconut milk, not a low-fat beverage. If using nuts, blend them completely smooth.
Measure sugar accurately: Reducing the sugar can make the mixture freeze hard and develop coarse crystals. Use the stated amount unless you are also changing the formula.
Chill before churning: A warm base freezes slowly, allowing larger ice crystals to form. Refrigerate it until completely cold.
Churn at the right stage: Stop when the mixture resembles soft serve. Over-churning can make the texture heavy, while under-churning leaves it dense and icy.
Freeze quickly and protect the surface: Use a shallow container, press parchment or plastic wrap against the ice cream, and seal it tightly.
Do not repeatedly thaw and refreeze: Serve what you need, then return the rest to the freezer promptly. If the ice cream becomes rock-hard, rest it for 10 minutes before scooping rather than microwaving it.