Cookie dough. Who doesn’t want some? (Rhonda, if you raise your hand one more time, I swear…)
I’ve been on quite the ice cream kick lately…well, for the last 27 years.
Before completely dropping dairy last year I was having ice cream at least once a week. Hello Dairy Queen twist cone with sprinkles (<- the best).
Now that it’s officially summer and I’m off dairy but still craving the sweet, creamy stuff, I just have to make it myself! And when it turns out this good, I’m totally OK with that.
This ice cream is so simple, requiring no fancy methods and just 10 ingredients! Likely items you already have on hand too, especially if you’re vegan or dairy free.
If you were to tour my pantry at any given time, you’d likely find multiple cans of coconut milk, lots of raw cashews, and an eggplant or two. You never know when you need to whip up a dairy-free pasta or dessert.
In addition to requiring simple ingredients, it’s also fast to make!
Once blended, simply chill your batter for 1 hour in the freezer and then add to an ice cream maker. While it’s churning, whip up your cookie dough. In the last few minutes, throw in the dough! It’s super easy and SO worth your time.
Look at that creamy goodness. And once you freeze it up, it somehow gets even more delicious. You’re going to love it. It’s
SUPER creamy
Perfectly salty-sweet
Decadent
Studded with chocolate chips
Loaded with peanut butter cookie dough
Seriously satisfying
& Perfect for sharing or smooshing between two chocolate chip cookies
What? Who said that…
If you’re a fan of peanut butter cookie dough, and you’re the type that will never turn down ice cream, this is the recipe for you. It’s begging to be made and kept in your freezer this summer.
Even if you’re not dairy-free, if you have vegan or dairy-free friends they would love you for making this for them. It’s like a hug in a cone. Trust me. I ate one and it totally felt like a hug (maybe better).
I don’t have to sell you on this anymore. MAKE this ice cream! And if you do, please take a picture and tag it #minimalistbaker on Instagram or Twitter. It kinda (always) makes my day when you guys make our recipes. Cheers!
Vegan Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream
Ingredients
ICE CREAM
- 1 1/4 cups raw cashews (soaked overnight // or at least 6 hours // then drained)
- 1/4 cup brown sugar (or granulated)
- 1/4 cup agave nectar or maple syrup (or honey if not vegan)
- 1 14-ounce can full-fat coconut milk (reserve a little for the cookie dough)
- 2 1/2 Tbsp coconut oil (melted)
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
COOKIE DOUGH
- 3 Tbsp vegan butter or coconut oil
- 1/2 cup crunchy or creamy salted natural peanut butter (I like Trader Joe’s)
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour (you could sub a GF blend, but it will be slightly grainier in texture)
- 1/4 cup dairy-free mini chocolate chips (such as Enjoy Life)
- 1-2 Tbsp coconut milk or other non-dairy milk
Instructions
- The night before, place your ice cream churning bowl in the freezer to properly chill. Also, make sure you soak your cashews overnight OR the next day for at least 6 hours. Be sure to drain before adding to blender.
- Add all ice cream ingredients to blender and blend until creamy and smooth, scraping down sides as needed. Use the “liquify” or “puree” setting if you have it. You want it to be completely creamy and blended.
- Chill mixture in the freezer for 1.5-2 hours, or in the fridge overnight.
- Add chilled mixture to ice cream maker and churn according to manufacturer’s instructions – about 45 minutes. It should look like soft serve. If for some reason it doesn’t thicken enough, put the mixture (still in the ice cream churning bowl) and pop it back in the freezer to thicken before churning once more.
- In the meantime, add vegan butter, peanut butter, brown sugar and vanilla to a mixing bowl and use a mixer or wooden spoon to combine. Add flour a little at a time and stir until thick and slightly crumbly. Add in a little coconut or other non-dairy milk to add moisture. Lastly, add chocolate chips and stir once more. Transfer to fridge or freezer to chill.
- Once the ice cream is thick like soft serve, add in 3/4 of the cookie dough, crumbling it with your hands as you add it in.
- Then transfer to a freezer-safe container and sprinkle in the last bits of cookie dough for extra texture. Cover well and freeze for at least 4-6 hours or until firm.
- Set out for 15-20 minutes before serving to soften. Will keep for up to 1 week, though best when fresh.
Notes
*Recipe (as originally written) yields about 4 1/2 – 5 cups.
*Cookie dough adapted from Cupcake Project
*Prep time does not include additional freezing time – only hands-on prep.
LJ says
Is there a way to make this oil, sugar, and gluten free?
Hmm, possibly! We’d suggest this cookie dough and then omitting the oil from this recipe and perhaps using a little coconut cream for extra creaminess. Without the sugar the texture will be more icy, but you could possibly try omitting or using a 1-1 granulated monk fruit + erythritol sweetener.
LJ says
Thank you so much for these recommendations. I made this today in my new ice cream maker since I have family coming over. This was amazing I used date syrup instead of maple, coconut sugar instead of brown, and omitted the coconut oil. I also used another one of her cookie dough recipes and it is delicious. I follow a Whole Food Plant Based diet and I never though I would get to eat ice cream this good. It tastes better than any other vegan ice cream I have bought at the store! If you get the change to try any of Minimalist Bakers recipe take it. I have never had a bad experience from any of her recipes! Have a good day everyone!
Thanks so much for the wonderful review, LJ!
Brittany says
This recipe looks great, and I’m going to try it with a substitution for the flour in the cookie dough.
>>I would not recommend people to eat raw flour- it’s easily a source of food poisoning which can be incredibly harmful to some people.<<
Janine says
I am on an ice cream making roll. The base of this ice cream is excellent. I added a bit more vanilla. I made it lighter with almond milk. I didn’t follow the cookie instructions exactly, mistakes while rushing, it was still delicious , but I had problems making small enough pieces to stir into the ice cream. This is another great recipe. And I will definitely be making the base ice cream again and adding other ingredients like Oreos.
Love it! Thanks so much for the review and for sharing your experience, Janine!
Amelie says
What can I sub the coconut milk in the ice cream for?
Hi Amelie, You can use a thick homemade cashew or almond milk, but in that case, we’d suggest adding an extra thickener, such as arrowroot starch to prevent ice crystals. Hope that helps!
María Montoya says
Hi! I was wondering if it’s possible to substitute the cashews for almonds. Thanks!!!
Hi María! We haven’t tried this almonds so we cannot guarantee results. Cashews are ideal because they are naturally more fatty and creamy in texture, almonds might work if you soak them for longer in boiling water? But we think the results may be more icey, and not quite as smooth. Let us know how it goes if you give it a try!
Erin says
I didn’t have a ton of luck with the ice cream itself, BUT I loved the cookie dough so much that now I often make just the cookie dough (I sub in GF flour and almond butter) and leave it in the fridge and eat spoonfuls of it raw. YUM. 🍪
We’re so glad you enjoy the cookie dough, Erin! Would you mind sharing what issues you had with the ice cream? We’d love to help troubleshoot, if possible!
Alli says
I was excited to try this recipe having just acquired a Vitamix and having owned an ice cream maker for three years that had been collecting dush.
The Vitamix made the base like a dream and I put it in the freezer for about 1.5hrs and chilled the cookie dough for about 30mins. I churned the ice cream for about 25 minutes as per the manufacteurer’s booklet. When I went to remove it, I found it had really hardened in the centre and there was layer frozen to the sides and bottom. I managed to scrape it all out and put in the freezer to set, so we’ll see how it goes.
I was wondering if anyone else had experienced this happening with their machines and theories to potentially troubleshoot it. (I have a Cuisinart 2Qt which looks really close in model to the one recommended.) I had noticed that the ice cream base was really thick when I removed it from the freezer to fill the machine, to the point where I almost thought it had frozen.
Thanks in advance for any advice or feedback. This is only my second time making ice cream.
Hi Alli, we’re not quite sure what’s causing that, but perhaps try churning for slightly less time and see if that helps? Let us know how it goes!
Alli says
Thanks for the advice! I’ll definitely do that in my next attempt.
As a follow up, the finished ice cream was tasty and good texture once properly thawed. I think because it was overchurned, it was over crystalized and takes quite a long time to thaw to a creamy consistency (30 minutes plus).
Ah, gotcha! Thanks for the update! Let us know how it goes next time.
Jamie says
Hi Alli! I have this happen with my ice cream maker. If yours is like mine, there is an opening at the top. I use a skinny silicone spatula and press it against the sides as the bowl is rotating. This incorporates the hardened portions back into the mixture. If possible, I do this every several minutes during the churn.
Important to use a soft spatula so the bowl itself is not scratched.
Hope this helps!
Thank you for sharing your helpful tips, Jamie!
Margaux says
Hey, amazing recipe, great taste, everybody loves it :)
The only thing is that the ice cream turns quite hard when I take it out of the freezer. I freeze it like a soft serve, as you say, but it definitely needs quite some time to be soft enough for it to be able to be eaten. Should I add something less/more, for it to be more soft?
Thanks for all your amazing recipes
Hi Margaux! This is pretty common with homemade vegan ice creams in my experience (as they don’t contain any thickeners or preservatives). I just let it thaw for ~15-20 minutes at room temperature before scooping!
Margaux says
Okay great, thanks!
Just wondering if I did something wrong. I also made the chocolate ice cream recipe, amazing.
Thanks so much for all your great recipes, I visit your site almost every day :D
Kayla says
Thank you for this recipe :) I made it last night without the chocolate chips or an ice cream maker. Turned out perfectly! Eating it now and have decided it’s my favorite ice cream EVER!! The only thing I would do differently next time is reduce the amount of sugar.
Whoop! We’re so glad you enjoy it, Kayla! Thanks so much for sharing!