Dairy-Free Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Recipe with No Coconut! (2024)

FAQs

What is a good non-dairy substitute for ice cream? ›

As far as dairy-free ice cream goes, coconut ice cream is by far the best. Full-fat coconut milk adds enough richness to create a texture that is super creamy, smooth, and not at all icy. It's rich, decadent, and every bit as good as the real thing.

Dairy-less frozen desserts replace milk and cream with alternatives like coconut, soy, oat, cashew, or almond milk. Many other ingredients remain the same between the dairy and dairy-free versions. And, just like dairy ice cream, non-dairy ice cream can vary widely in terms of sugar, fat, and calorie content.

This is because, says Cyrus, "non-dairy milks generally have high water content and low fat content, which creates hard, icy crystals when frozen." The more water that is present as ice, the faster the product will melt, and those changes in melting affect the "creamy" perception.

It was originally marketed as being "non-dairy" despite containing the milk protein casein; it now also includes skimmed milk.

Heavy cream

Heavy cream is made by scraping fat from fresh milk and is especially common in high-fat foods like creamy soups, sauces, and ice cream. It's much higher in fat than coconut milk and can replace it in equal quantities in most recipes ( 12 ).

Plant-based fats are the best way to thicken vegan ice cream. Coconut cream, full-fat coconut milk and coconut oil will give the creamiest and thickest results. Cornstarch and tapioca starch can also be used to thicken but the end result will be a little more icy and a little less creamy.

The common thickeners in non-dairy ice creams are guar gum, xanthan gum, acacia gum, carrageenan, and locust bean gum. These ingredients are added to enhance the texture of liquid to mimic the viscosity of a rich creamy ice cream. Guar, acacia, and xanthan gum can all be added to a recipe while cold.

Organic Coconutmilk (Filtered Water, Organic Coconut), Organic Cane Sugar, Organic Coconut Oil, Organic Tapioca Syrup, Pea Protein, Locust Bean Gum, Guar Gum, Natural Flavor, Vanilla Bean Specks.

What ingredients should you avoid when going dairy-free? ›

Banana based - you need to cut banana, freeze it, add some flavorings (like nuttella, cinnamon or other) and blend it (still half frozen) until smooth. Then put it back into freezer. No sugar added.

Oat Milk. Oat milk is perhaps the creamiest of all the plant milks. Its thick creamy texture means it's one of the closest plant-based milks to resemble dairy milk. Oat milk is quickly becoming a favorite non-dairy alternative to milk with popular brands like Oatly disrupting the traditional milk industry.

A common - and better - emulsifier for ice cream is soy lecithin, which can be derived from soybeans, sunflowers and rapeseed. Soy lecithin has a neutral taste, and also allows you to make egg-less ice cream.

But the likely answer—according to this test at least—is that premium milk is better for ice cream not because it's fresher, but because it's fattier. If you're wondering, this doesn't mean that more fat = better all of the time. Too much fat can dull an ice cream's flavor and leave a waxy feeling on the tongue.

A sorbet does not contain any dairy products and is more acidic, which results in tart flavors. Another difference between sorbet and ice cream is it is a sweet alternative for those with non-dairy* dietary needs or lifestyle preferences.

Lactose-free is not the same as dairy-free. The main difference between the two is that lactose-free products can be made from real dairy milk while dairy-free products are made from plant sources such as nuts and grains. While all dairy-free products are lactose-free, not all lactose-free products are dairy-free.

You may find that cutting out all dairy makes you feel your best. However, this may not be necessary for everyone. You may notice that you can tolerate cheese but not ice cream or yogurt but not milk, for example.