It can't get any easier than this simple Vegan Strawberry Ice Cream recipe that needs only 4 healthy ingredients to make and no stovetop cooking needed.
Whole Foods had their organic strawberries on sale last week so I made a batch of one of our favorite ice cream flavors in our house - strawberry!
Instead of the typical solid pink ice cream that blends the strawberries into the ice cream base, I like to make a vanilla base ice cream and add lots and lots of chopped strawberries to make sure there's some in every bite!
It takes less than 5 minutes to make with a Vitamix and you can make this with or without an ice cream maker (no-churn method).
I actually prefer the ice cream machine method for this ice cream because it has a soft-serve texture and you just add the strawberries in right at the end, so they're not frozen.
My healthier plant-based version only needs 4 clean, real food ingredients and it's vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, soy-free, paleo-friendly, contains no refined sugar, and is Medical Medium® compliant.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is This Recipe Healthy?
In my opinion, yes!
Store-bought ice creams contain dairy and unhealthy ingredients like these:
- S.A.D. (Standard American Diet) Typical Store-Bought Strawberry Ice Cream Ingredients: Milk, Cream, Corn Syrup, Sugar Liquid, Strawberries Puree (Strawberries [Strawberries, Sugar, Food Starch, Guar Gum, Citric Acid], Cane Sugar Syrup, Flavors Strawberry, Other with Flavors Natural, Food Starch Modified, Citric Acid), Milk Nonfat, Buttermilk, Strawberries (Strawberries, Sugar, Food Starch, Guar Gum, Citric Acid), Milk Fat (Whey), Flavors Natural and Artificial, Citric Acid, Mono and Diglycerides, Cellulose Gum, Guar Gum, Locust Bean Gum, Carrageenan, Dextrose, Red 40, Blue 1
This typical ingredient list contains GMO ingredients (corn syrup), dairy, and (2) food colorings.
Homemade versions are a little better, but still contain dairy ingredients such as these: whole milk, heavy cream, heavy whipping cream, half and half, refined white sugar, eggs and some even require you to cook the mixture on the stovetop.
Want More Healthy Plant-Based Dessert Recipes?
Check out these:
- Vanilla Bean Ice Cream
- Pecan Praline Ice Cream
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Swirl Ice Cream
- or my CLEAN DESSERTS Cookbook with 72 plant-based vegan + gluten-free no-bake desserts made with clean, real food ingredients just like this one that you will love!
Did You Make This Recipe?
I'd love to hear about it! Please give it a rating and leave a comment below...it would make my day! : )
Vegan Strawberry Ice Cream
Equipment
Ingredients
For the ice cream:
- 2 cans organic full-fat coconut milk (13.5-ounce cans, room temperature)
- ½ cup organic unrefined granular sweetener
- 2 teaspoons organic pure vanilla extract*
For the add-in:
- 2 cups organic strawberries diced
Instructions
- Add all the ingredients for the ice cream to a Vitamix and blend until creamy and smooth, taking care to not over process, and just enough to incorporate the sweetener into the coconut milk.
- Taste and adjust the sweetener to your preference.
- Transfer the mixture to an ice cream maker and make the ice cream according to your machine's directions.
- Option 1: If you will enjoy it right away as a soft-serve ice cream, add the chopped strawberries at the end of the ice cream cycle or when directed by your machine's instructions, then serve.
- Option 2: If you prefer a harder ice cream texture, pour the ice cream mixture into an air-tight BPA-free container.
- Add the diced strawberries and gently stir them in to make sure they are evenly distributed. Cover tightly and place the container in the freezer for 1-2 hours, or until it gets to the consistency of your preference.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition Information
Copyright Notice
The instructions, notes, and photographs for this recipe by Karielyn Tillman of The Healthy Family and Home™ website are copyrighted material. This copyrighted work is protected and licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives 4.0 International License and the Digital Millenium Copyright Act (DMCA) and cannot be legally used without my written permission.
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enda says
Did you get frozen strawberries from whole foods ad let them thaw so you could dice themz/
Karielyn says
Hi there Enda! Normally when I make this recipe, I use fresh strawberries, but I've also made it with frozen organic strawberries too. I let them thaw slightly (not all the way), but just so they're soft enough to dice them.
Thanks for the question and I hope you enjoy the recipe 🙂
Kenda says
This strawberry is cream looks delicious. What kind of ice cream machine do you have?
Karielyn says
Hi there Kenda! I use a Cuisinart ice cream maker and have had it for many years now...it's held up well as much as I use it lol!
Thanks for the question and I hope you enjoy the recipe 🙂