To make your own vegan ice cream is pretty simple, as long as you get a few items and ingredients in stock. There are a few good commercial brands but they are expensive, and rarely found in supermarkets. If you eat dairy, go for organic brands to avoid factory-farmed milk. Once you know how to make ice-cream, you can use up gluts of fresh produce to make unique flavours. Life is made easier with an ice-cream maker (chill the bowl, ready in 20).
Coconut milk is a good replacement, but choose a brand free from monkey-harvesting like Biona. Another option often used is cashew milk. You can make your own or make cashew cream. Use your own choice of natural sweeteners from maple syrup to rice malt syrup.
Check paper inserts of medications, as some foods (grapefruit, green veggies) are contraindicated. Avoid nuts, seeds and nut/seed butters for young children. Choose palm-oil-free vegan butters. See foods to keep away from pets (including chocolate, grapes & raisins, coffee & alcohol, nutmeg/mace & xylitol, if used).
- Incredible Vegan Ice Cream is a book by a New York mother who founded her own ice-cream chain, after inventing healthy versions for her young family. These use a unique coconut milk base that is blended with fresh ingredients and natural sweeteners to make rosewater saffron and peanut butter mud pie.
- Super Vegan Scoops offers luxury recipes for ice-cream cakes and vanilla ice-cream sandwiches, along with coffee and dark chocolate ice cream, Baklava Sundae and Green Grape Sherbet.
Good Brands of Vegan Ice Cream
Most of these are packed in cardboard. However, some may have plastic packaging, which you can recycle at most supermarket bag recycling bins.
Booja Booja (Norfolk) is made from 5 natural ingredients (cashews), in cardboard tubs: Gorilla Vanilla, Honeycomb Caramel, Raspberry Ripple, Caramel Pecan Praline, Hazelnut Chocolate Truffle, Hunky Punky Chocolate, Chocolate Salted Caramel, Mint Chocolate Truffle
Whole Creations offers vanilla or strawberry frozen treats
The same company also make ‘posh puds’
MiiRO makes salted caramel, peanut butter and chocolate hazelnut vegan versions of Magnums
Jude’s Ice Cream makes vegan ice-cream in cardboard tubs: vanilla, salted caramel, chocolate.
Little Moons is a new company by Japanese siblings, inspired by their country’s ‘little ice-creams’. The two vegan versions are in tropical or chocolate flavours.
