Today I’m super excited to share with you a vegan gluten free ice cream recipe. This is also a corn free chocolate ice cream recipe, making it incredibly allergy friendly and very inclusive.
After the recipe, I’ll also share some vegan gluten free ice cream brands for you to investigate, along with more delicious dairy-free ice cream recipes you can make at home.
Allergy Status
Free From: Wheat/Gluten, Dairy, Egg, Soy, Peanut, Fish, Shellfish, Sesame, Alliums, Apple, Avocado, Banana, Beans & Lentils, Berries, Buckwheat, Cane/Refined Sugar, Carrot, Celery, Cinnamon, Citrus, Corn, Cruciferous, Garlic, Latex Cross Reactive Foods (H/M), Legume, Lupin, Mushroom, Mustard, Nightshade, Oat, Onion, Pea & Pea Protein, Potato (Nightshade Variety), Poultry, Red Meat, Rice, Seeds, Squash & Gourd, Stone Fruits, Strawberry, Sweet Potato & Yam, Tapioca/Cassava/Yuca/Manioc, Tomato, Yeast
Friendly To: FPIES, Paleo, Vegan
Tools Needed to Make This Vegan Gluten Free Ice Cream Recipe
These are the three critical tools you’ll need to make this delicious chocolate ice cream at home.
- Blender (this is the one that I have)
- Ice Cream Machine with Compressor (I use this one)
A Proper Ice Cream Machine: Your Ticket to Creamy Ice Cream That’s Dairy & Egg Free, Vegan and Corn Free
When it comes to churning an ice cream base at home, the tool you use will make or break you. Ice cream making is truly a science, and you have to have the right fat to liquid ratios, the right sugar ratio, and so on. Without good ratios, all ice cream will fail (not just dairy free and egg free).
As an ice cream lover (seriously, it’s my JAM), know that I’ve tested many machines and ice cream making methods. When it comes to making the BEST dairy + egg + corn free ice cream at home, you need a proper countertop ice cream machine with a built in compressor.
If you plan to only make vegan nicecream, a proper churner is less critical. For all other free-from ice cream, I don’t care what trendy video you saw online. Get. The. Machine.
With the right ice cream machine, you don’t have to do a lot of work to have outstanding results. Without the machine, you either have to remember to freeze a bowl (and it’s not always successful), or you have to shake like mad with the salt method, or you have to stir ice cream as it freezes every 5 minutes.
All of those methods won’t get you what you’re after. Trust me. The reason why: They’re missing AIR. Air is the secret to super duper delicious homemade ice cream, and you’re going to want a proper machine to introduce said air to your ice cream mixture.
Now, I’m not going to lie. These machines are an investment. I have this popular Cuisinart ice cream maker, and it’s served me well. I started with a different one that was finicky, so know that brand names matter. I’ll also be picking up this ice cream machine sooner than later because I want to do some side by side tests of free-from ice cream.
Each ice cream machine will create ice crystals a little differently, has a different RPM, and so on. If you want to nerd out over ice cream machines, read this article by Ice Cream Science where he does a deep dive on the top three ice cream machines for home use. If you don’t want to nerd out, get one of the these specific top three machines: Cuisinart, Breville, and Whynter.
Corn Free, Vegan Gluten Free Ice Cream Recipe Ingredients
- 180g Organic Cashews (16.5 ounces/1.5 cup)
- 75g Organic Cacao Powder (2/3 cup)
- 1/4 tsp Sea Salt
- 1 tsp Organic Ground Vanilla
- 140mL Organic Maple Syrup (5 ounces)
- 225mL Water (8 ounces/1 cup)
Important Ingredient Notes & Substitutions
If you have a severe corn allergy, be sure to refer to my Ultimate Corn Free + GF + Top 9 Free Cookbook for corn free brands to investigate and information on truly corn free ingredient sourcing.
Cashews: These cannot be swapped for anything else, not even almonds or other tree nuts. If you’re nut free, try one of my other free-from ice cream recipes on RAISE instead.
Cacao Powder: This is not the same thing as cocoa. It’s a high quality, minimally processed chocolate product. This is the gluten free, allergy friendly, plant-based brand that I use.
Sea Salt: If you have a corn allergy, make sure you’re using truly corn free salt. For those who aren’t allergic to corn, consider using smoked salt for an extra pop of flavor.
Maple Syrup: If you have a corn allergy, make sure you’re using a truly corn free maple syrup. This can also be swapped for honey if you don’t follow a vegan diet.
Vanilla: You can use 2 tsp of organic vanilla extract in place of the ground vanilla if needed.
Water: If you don’t have a corn allergy, you could tweak the flavour of this ice cream by using a plant-based milk you enjoy. Coconut milk for example would be very interesting, but it needs to be the boxed/watery style, not the full fat canned style.
Chocolate Corn Free Ice Cream Directions
Place your empty blender container on your kitchen scale and tare to zero. Add all of the ingredients (don’t forget to tare between weighted ingredients). Blend on high until super ultra mega smooth. You don’t want any nut fragments in your ice cream base.
Transfer the blender contents to your ice cream machine and churn for 40 – 50 minutes, or until the desired consistency has been reached. It may take a little longer than normal since the ice cream mixture may be warm after a long time in your blender. However, the compressor in your ice cream machine will cool it right down.
That’s it. Now you have to patiently wait for your ice cream to be ready (it’s much easier said than done).
Alternative Instructions: No Ice Cream Machine
OK, I know I spent a good amount of time telling you why you need an ice cream machine. Now, I’m going to share the most delicious experiment with you that I’ve been quietly testing for over a year now: faux ice cream made with milk ice cubes. You’re going to have to do a little math to make this work, but let me tell you, I’ve been eating some VERY tasty faux ice cream straight from my blender with this method.
- Blend your cashews and water together on high speed until super smooth.
- Transfer this mix to an ice cube tray like this one. You might need two trays. Once they’re frozen solid, transfer to a freezer baggie and label.
- Optional: repeat this step several times so you have sets of cashew water cubes ready to go at all times.
- Place your empty blender container on your kitchen scale, tare to zero, and add cashew ice cubes until it looks like a good serving to you.
- Do a quick ratio equation to determine how much cacao and maple to use. If you used half the cubes (about 200g), you’d use 38g cacao and 70mL maple syrup.
- Add the right amount of maple syrup to the blender (don’t forget to tare to zero first).
- Add the right amount of cacao, then a teaspoon of vanilla extract and your sea salt.
- Blend on high until smooth. You may need a plash of milk to bring it together, but use it sparingly to avoid making a smoothie.
The result should be a super thick blended chocolate milk that eats like ice cream and it’s HELLA DELICIOUS. I’ve been doing this for almost a year now with my safe vanilla and safe milk and dang… soooooo good. Now, I’ve never frozen the leftovers from this since I only make the amount that I want to eat right then. If you freeze leftovers, let me know how it goes.
Also, make sure you manage your expectations. This is ice cream adjacent, and you won’t have the air. BUT! it will be incredibly delicious.
Fun Ways to Enjoy Your Vegan Gluten Free Ice Cream
There are so many want to enjoy gluten free, allergy friendly ice cream. You could make an ice cream bar and let people choose toppings, or you can make something really special that will compliment this recipe. Here are a few ideas to get you started:
- Create a smoky spicy caramel sauce and drizzle it on top.
- If you love coffee, make a coffee glaze and drizzle on top.
- Add 2 – 3 drops organic food grade peppermint oil (not the same thing as an extract) to the ice cream base before you blend. This makes for a delicious holiday scoop.
- Serve your chocolate corn free ice cream with homemade cookies and make an ice cream sandwich.
- Add fresh sliced strawberries on top (and maybe some dairy free whipped cream as well).
Vegan Gluten Free Ice Cream Brands to Purchase
Here are brands that offer some kind of vegan gluten free ice cream option. Some of these brands are exclusively vegan + allergy friendly, whilst others offer a product.
In all cases, please do your due diligence. I am in no way personally vouching for these ice cream brands, their manufacturing equipment, and so on. You’ll need to contact them for shared allergen information if that’s an issue for you.
Also, take time to explore the whole line of brands that interest you. Some offer nationwide shipping, and some have amazing flavors such as caramel, cookie dough, strawberry, chocolate, apple pie, and so much more.
- Ben & Jerry’s Non-Dairy Vegan Pint (several flavours available, contains wheat, soy, oat, legumes, and a lot of other ingredients)
- Breyers Non-Dairy Oat Milk Ice Cream (contains coconut, soy, legumes, and a lot of questionable ingredients)
- Cado – Nationwide Shipping (AMAZING reviews, avocado based, range of flavors, get in touch for most recent allergen info since it’s no longer on their website)
- Coconut Bliss (ice cream pints, ice cream sandwiches, coconut based, but they also have a milk line now, so double check allergen info)
- Deebee’s Organics (wide range of popsicles, coconut based gelato pops)
- Good Pop (gluten free ice cream sandwiches, creamy popsicles, fruit juice popsicles, fudge pops, different products have different bases, lots of organic ingredients)
- Green Girl – Nationwide Shipping (ice cream pints and ice cream sandwiches, range of flavors, coconut based)
- Higher Harvest by H-E-B (specific grocery chain, appears to have a range of flavours, contains coconut, tree nuts, seeds, legumes)
- Jenni’s Dairy Free Ice Cream (several flavours available, coconut based, brand also produces a milk-based line)
- Jolly Llama (gluten free + dairy free ice cream sandwiches and ice cream cones, contains coconut, soy and several other legumes, )
- JonnyPops (they have a range of milk based and milk free items, so read labels carefully and get in touch about shared equipment.)
- Kind Frozen Bars (contains soy, peanuts, tree nuts, may contain wheat and milk)
- Luigi’s Real Italian Ice (fruit, corn, and sugar based, lots of flavours to choose from)
- Nada Moo – Nationwide Shipping (pints, coconut based, organic, very allergy friendly)
- So Delicious has a HUGE range including almond bars, coconut + legume ice cream, cashew + coconut ice cream, and wheat + coconut ice cream sandwiches.
- Talenti Dairy Free Gelato (contains almonds, cashews, eggs, soy, has a may contain statement for other nuts, but not milk, so this may be made on DF equipment)
- Talenti Dairy Free Sorbetto (range of flavours, contains fruit, sugar, and legumes)
- Tofutti Ice Cream (corn, soy, and legume based)
- Valsoia (gelato, several flavours and bases, check website for current info)
- Van Leeuwen Non-Dairy Frozen Dessert Bars (oat based, contains coconut and soy, ice cream available, ice cream bars, and more)
- ZeBuZu Organic Popsicles
Oatly also sells a dairy free ice cream, but says “since ingredients often differ slightly between markets they aren’t available on the global site”, so I’m unable to give you ingredient details. If you choose to try this, confirm that their oats are gluten free before purchasing.
More Delicious Corn Free + Vegan + Gluten Free Desserts to Make at Home
- Vegan Danish Butter Cookies (such a great little treat that’s lightly sweetened)
- Vegan Gluten Free Chocolate Baked Doughnuts (has an old fashioned donut style texture)
- Corn Free, Vegan Apple Crumble Recipe (grain free, would taste amazing with a scoop of ice cream)
- Gluten Free, Vegan Double Chocolate Muffins (pair this with your chocolate ice cream for the ultimate chocolate indulgence)
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Answering Your Corn Free, Vegan Gluten Free Ice Cream Questions
Is there a good gluten free ice cream cone I can purchase?
The top two ice cream cone options that I’ve personally seen are:
- Let’s Do Organic Gluten Free Ice Cream Cone Cake Style
- Let’s Do Organic Gluten Free Ice Cream Cone Rolled Style
There’s also this (my kids haven’t eaten these):
Hopefully one of these options works for you. In a pinch, you can always use a graham cracker as a crunchy stand-in.
Could I use brown sugar in place of the maple syrup?
No, you won’t be able to use brown sugar because it’s a granulated sweetener. In fact, other granulated sweeteners such as maple sugar, coconut sugar, and white sugar are also off the table.
Instead, you’d want to use something like honey, date syrup, or agave, all of which are liquid sweeteners.
The important rule to remember is liquid for liquid and granulated for granulated when substituting a sweetener in an ice cream recipe.
Is this considered a dark chocolate ice cream recipe?
maybe, there’s a good amount of sweetness present. For my family, they wouldn’t call this dark chocolate, but, my kids aren’t your average kids. They’ve had the pleasure of eating artisanal free-from chocolate from all around the globe, and even had chocolate tasting lessons from a proper connoisseur. They really know and understand dark chocolate.
To the average person, this may be considered dark chocolate because organic cacao powder is rich and it’s unsweetened. If you don’t love dark chocolate, start with half the amount of cacao in your ice cream base, blend, and sample. Determine if there’s room for more cacao, and if so, add it as you see fir. If half is what you can handle, leave it there and get your ice cream into your machine to churn.
