You will love this recipe if…
If you’re on a diet:
You will love this recipe because it makes a gigantic serving for only 40 calories. (Seriously, the serving is huge.) Who eats a 1/2 cup serving of ice cream anways? 
If you’re not on a diet:
You will love this recipe because you can up the calories by making it into a brownie sundae, by pouring on chocolate syrup, or by opting for the peanut butter version. Yes, there is a peanut butter version.
Above: ice cream sundae with an Ultimate Fudge Brownie.
Can you see how fudgey the brownie is?
I’m telling you: I’m obsessed with those brownies! As for the ice cream: it could not be easier to make. And there are unlimited variations—you can add coffee, mint extract, fruit, chocolate chips… I haven’t even begun to try out all the combinations I’ve dreamed up for this incredibly-versatile recipe.
Volume Ice Cream
(Makes 1 huge serving)
- 1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
- very scant 1/16 tsp salt (don’t omit)
- sweetener (such as 1 stevia packet or 1T sugar)
- 1 cup almond milk (I used unsweetened Silk. See below for substitution notes.)
- optional: add-ins such as fruit, peanut butter, or extracts
Mix the ingredients together in 1 or 2 shallow plastic containers. Freeze. (You could also use an ice cube tray.) Once frozen, pop the blocks out of the container (I thaw for 30 seconds in the microwave first) and blend in your Vita-Mix. (If you don’t have a vita-mix, you’ll probably have to thaw longer, but you can still get a yummy ice milk.)
This ice cream—when made with almond milk—has a very light texture (perfect for summer). For a creamier texture that’s more like real ice cream, try using at least 1/4c canned coconut milk (or maybe even creamer?). You can, of course, also sub other non-dairy milks for the almond. But if you do this, play around with the amount of vanilla extract, sweetener, and add-ins. (For example, an already-sweetened milk will probably need less added sweetener.) To make it look like real ice cream, see the “ice cream trick” link at the very bottom of this post.
Nutritional Info:
- Calories: 40
- Fat grams: 3
- Sugar grams: 0
Add 60 calories for this version: Cake-Batter Ice Cream.
Add 80 calories for the Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream.
The peanut butter version has about 70 calories per 1/2 cup serving (or 140 for the entire recipe)
Warning: This is an extremely voluminous recipe, so if you’re like me and need to watch that you don’t get full before you’ve taken in enough calories, I recommend eating this as part of a sundae or adding some extras to the basic recipe. ‘Cause it will fill you right up!
This ice cream goes well with Deep-Dish Cookie Pie.
Just thought I’d throw that out there. I couldn’t pass up an opportunity to use that photo, since it’s one of my favorites. In an upcoming post, I’ll tell you all about the chocolate sauce that’s on my ice cream sundae in the first photo—it’s not your average chocolate syrup! (It’s called Barleans chocolate-raspberry omega swirl.)
For ice-cream tricks, see: How to make it look like ice cream.
{ 228 comments… read them below or add one }
Mmmm ice creammm
I am so going to try and make a PB ice cream and a cookie dough ice cream!! Oooh and a snickerdoodle one!
I LOVE THIS!!!!!!!!!!!! perfect for summer AND i totally thought u were gna pull out the ice cream maker which i do not have!! LOVE YOU
I’m in love with chocoalte chip cookie dough ice cream. My husband likes chocolate brownie ice cream with chocolate sauce and chocolate chips and chocolate sprinkles – your variation above would have him insta-drooling.
Ah… and perfect timing too… the weather up here is getting hot! (Yes, I think 22C/72F is HOT.) I always wondered how freezing soymilk and then tossing it in the Vita-Mix would turn out… thanks for answering that question! Mmm… can’t wait to try this.
Let me see if I’ve counted correctly… there are exactly FOUR types of chocolate in your husband’s favorite ice cream? I wonder if he is somehow related to me…
I often wonder if he is… because that would make us cousins somehow and that would be awesome!
Oh yes it would!
Wow, and I have thought that the only voluminious thing possible were oats
) AI love this, thanks for the recipe 
My fave ice-cream? Cinnamon, vanilla, pistacchio – three favourite flavours for me:)
PHEW i am SO glad theres no oce cream maker involved!! I’ve ne’er been able to make it cos of that! Aah I can’t WAIT to make this!! Mmm I’m thinknig chocolate soymilk and peanut butter…drool… Seriously I am SO excited about this!!
Fave flavour? Cookie dough. I haven’t had that since becoming a vegan so I think thisneeds to change now!
had to jump on this one because 1) i too have never tried to make ice cream myself because i haven’t ever been able to use one of those actual ice cream makers and thus don’t own one and 2) chocolate chip cookie dough is my fav kind of ice cream! actually, that Ben & Jerry’s Half Baked….ya, i’ll power through a whole pint. just like u said, katie, who the heck is satisfied with a measly 1/2 cup?!?! so i’m gonna have to try and make my own and hope i don’t muck it up somehow with my kitchen lameness. i have a question though and this may sound dumb: do u think the best way to go about the cookie dough part would be to make the ice cream, make a bunch of your cookie dough balls separately, and then add them in? or do u think there is a way to try working in that cookie dough dip with the ice cream step? again, sorry if this sounds like a really obvious question! one again, thanks for the recipes!
I’d definitely add them later. Otherwise, when you pulverize, the cookie dough bits will be pulverized too and you won’t have separate chunks of cookie dough. But then again, that might taste delicious! It wouldn’t be cookie dough ice cream because there’d be no separate cookie dough pieces… but it might taste even better!
okay, duh, that should have been obvious. sorry! but thanks so much for letting me know anyways!!
I LOVE mocha chip/cappuccino ice cream, matcha ice-cream, red bean ice cream and most favourite– Cookie Dough ice cream!!! Will make it tomorrow! And I agree with Emma– thanks for giving us this wonderful recipe that doesn’t require an ice cream maker!
Very COOL
I will have to get some Vanilla Milk or something to give this a try!! I love Mint Choc ice cream ( so all your spinach ice cream and mint recipes are a definete fav of mine)
I’ve been waiting for this recipe!! “YUM!!” is all I can say
My favorite ice cream flavor? Extra dark chocolate chocolate chip. Yep, chocolate all the way for me
Although I did have this amazing banana pudding ice cream once, raspberry holds a special place in my heart, and I tried a vegan strawberry gelato that tasted EXACTLY like strawberry cake! Still, chocolate ranks number one 
<3 <3
yummy that looks delish
. I don’t think that my blender would like frozen almond milk, but we’re planning on getting a new blender anyways.
YUM. This looks amazing! I am thinking cookies and cream or strawberry “cheesecake”…
Thanks for the recipes!
My favorite has always been good ole’ vanilla with rainbow sprinkles
This looks perfect to me!!
Now, I really need to get a VitaMix…
Thanks, Katie!! BTW, the pic of ice cream on deep dish cookie pie looks AWESOME!
Aww thank you!
i am trying this the minute I get home from work today! I bet it would be great also to add in fresh berries before freezing (or blended berries!)
now that it is strawberry picking season, I have so many fresh strawberries! do you think that you would be able to create some fantastic strawberry (or other berry) deserts?! what fruit goes better with chocolate than strawberries
I’m definitely planning on making some strawberry shortcake pancakes in the near future!
This looks so good! Too bad my Magic Bullet is awful at these sorts of recipes
Favorite ice cream: I love strawberry but my absolute favorite is cookies n cream!
I bet it could manage a sorta Wendy’s-frosty type texture!
Holy Moly! This looks amazing! I might be making this today! My favorite flavor is cookies and cream! Delish! Although, there used to be this little cafe where I grew up that made the most amazing peanut butter ice cream! I have not found a suitable replacement since
I LOVE ice cream this time of year. Once again, you are a genius!
I think you have struck gold! I have also done this.. b ut I blend 1/2 a banana and some almond milk & vanilla in my magic bullet.. and then freeze it.. and eat it like an italian ice!!
Genius! I can’t wait to make it!
My favorite Ice cream flavor probably has to be chocolate peanut butter or cake batter. I think your idea of adding mint and chocolate sound divine though!
I have an idea for a cake batter version… no idea if it’ll work, but I’m excited to experiment!
I think my 2-year-old’s reaction to that top picture sums it up: “Oh, wowee, look at that!”
Aww lol adorable!!!
Since I’ve been trying to get on the wagon of veganism lately, I’ve found that So Delicious Chocolate Peanut Butter ice cream is AMAZING!!
cookie dough. yup. definitely cookie dough.
There’s nothing better than ice cream in the summer, and this looks amazing. My favourite flavour is mint chocolate chip, but I haven’t had any for years because there aren’t a lot of vegan ice cream flavours in the UK. I think I’ll have to remedy that soon by making my own. I bet that chocolate sauce would be amazing with mint chocolate chip ice cream. I’m really excited to learn more about it – I was wondering why you were using something so sugar laden and it never occurred to me that there could be a healthy version!
Yup, lol this chocolate syrup is (I think) sugar free!
Oh, lordy, that looks amazing! Think I may make some tonight! Do you think I could pour the mixture into my ice cream maker to freeze it?
Honestly, I don’t know anything about ice cream makers!
I really should dig mine outta the garage and play with it. I remember making an awesome pb-banana ice cream from the cookbook, Voluptuous Vegan, once!
Oh, I like this recipe!
Unfortunately, my food processor broke down while blending frozen bananes for a vice cream…
Is a Vitamix better and stronger?
Yes, it’s MUCH more powerful than your average food processor. You can turn frozen fruit into “ice cream” without even adding any liquid!
Thanks! I really have to buy one!
For me, it really depends on the actual ice cream brand or store. There’s an AMAZING ice cream company in Canada called Cows, and they have THE best bubblegum ice cream on the face of the Earth. All of their other flavours are flipping delicious, too, of course, but their bubblegum is undoubtedly the best. If it’s So Delicious, though, which I regularly enjoy, I like the Chocolate Obsession with chocolate chips and chocolate syrup swirls.
I’ve been looking for their chocolate chip cookie dough one, though, since that is another flavour I adore…
Can’t wait to try this recipe out with some dark chocolate almond milk when I’ve got some more space in my freezer! I’m definitely taking you up on your serving suggestion and serving it with a fudge brownie.
Thanks for another great healthy but delicious recipe!
I MUST try this! Thank you so much for this easy recipe! While it was so hot around here the last weeks, I was craving ice cream (no vegan ice cream available where I currently live
) and now I just want to go out and buy some almond milk to try this recipe 
My absolute fav is mint chocolate chip, too. Also, I really like rasperry, yoghurt (I guess you can just add some soy yoghurt and a tiny bit of lemon juice for tang), and vanilla icecream with pb and crashed salted peanuts. Oh yum, I am so gonna make ice cream this week!!
Katie. You are genius. Have I ever told you that? You made this icecream look so georgous in this picture!!! I’m excited to try it! I’ve never gotten my scoops looking that pretty from home-made icecream! What is your trick? haha. wait NOW I SEE a post for that!!!!!
And what I would add? I would add my freezer chocolate chips (:
xo
Em
http://pureglowsixteen.blogspot.com
Yes, the trick is to use an ice cream scoop!
Ice cream overload!! Not only is this recipe a great idea, there is a neighborhood market within walking distance of me that serves vegan ice cream by the scoop AND a vegan ice cream shop nearby too. I will definitely be prepared when it gets really hot this summer.
I already have this ice cream in the freezer (ran over there once I read the recipe) and I think I will top some of this ice cream with blondie batter. YUM!
Good call!! It’ll be like cookie dough ice cream!
Oh holy deliciousness
My favorite flavor is probably vanilla with either cookie dough or reese’s peanut butter cups!
THIS IS AMAZING! And so simple! I never need to buy icecream ever again….not that I buy it that much anyways LOL! I am gonna add some carob powder and frozen cherries when I make this!!!!
i cant beleive i didnt think of this, its so simple! including regular milk= ice cream. almond milk= healthier ice cream!!
haha thank you katie!!
I would add peanut flour for protein and pb flavor, along with swirls of jelly for a pb&J ice cream!
oh, and my fav is cookie dough ice cream. im guilty of taking out all the cookie dough pieces and leaving nothing but chocolate chips and vanilla ice cream for the next person to eat. OOPS
I love any ice cream flavor with chocolate
I can’t wait to try this! Simple as can be and a whole bowl of ice cream for only 40 cals! I want to try almond extract and matcha green tea powder!
Katie, I’m printing this right now! Delicious….I hope it works in a magic bullet.
You’ll have to thaw the frozen mixture a lot more, but you will probably end up with a yummy-tasting wendy’s-frosty-like texture!
Yes, we do this all the time in my family and have added frozen fruit puree to some and frozen coffee cubes as well except yours looks wayyy better and much more like actual ice cream. Usually mine turns out more like a milkshake or frosty but still good, I would love a vita mix tho ahhhh.
So easy and healthy! A classic Katie recipe.
I would add peanut butter and chocolate, of course.
Hahaha yes, all my recipes are easy because I am the laziest cook ever! (Or really because I am busy with other things and don’t want to spend the day in the kitchen!)
Yay for ice cream…I was wondering when I would get to finally see this recipe…how delicious, simple, and healthy! I haven’t had “real” ice cream in such a long time but I use to love cookie dough…no big surprise!
Hope you’re enjoying a wonderful day!
How neat! I never would have thought to try this. Sounds yummy!
making this now and dipping in my guilt free chocolate chip cookies i made yesterday AS SOON as it comes out of the freezer!!!!
Oooh I hope you love it!
I bet you could add cocoa powder to make this chocolate ice cream
What version of Vitamix do you have?
I’d really like to buy one, but I’m not about to invest 450-500 dollars for the 5200 one :/
Will the older versions work for this?
My version says it’s a 5200, but it’s at least 5 years old… so I’m sure it’s not the newest version. I think any vita-mix will probably work!
My favorite ice cream is definitely Mint Chocolate Chip!
Oh I so want to make almond milk ice cream, but when I tried it it turned out all icy instead of creamy
Maybe I should just get a vitamix!!
I just got a Vitamix the other day! So excited to try this!
This looks excellent- maybe i’ll try adding pumpkin and coconut to make it a pumpkin- coconut ice cream. Thanks for not using the ice cream maker which does not exist in my territory
Yay for big portion sizes! My favorite ice cream flavor (like many other commenters) is chocolate chip cookie dough. But I was also a big fan of Phish Food before I went vegan.
Phish food was my all time favorite Ben & Jerry’s flavor back in the day.
Thanks for the recipe, Katie! I’ve been making banana ice cream for years (recipe: 1 frozen banana) and it’s never even occurred to me to try blending frozen soy milk instead of pure frozen fruit. I’ve just put a batch of soon to be peppermint ice cream in the freezer (using an ice cube tray).
I need to buy a proper ice cream scoop, though, so it’ll be pretty when it comes out
I hope you like it! I really need to try the peppermint version!
If it turns out well, I’ll be sure to blog about it (linking back to you, of course).
But I’ve just realized you already did do a peppermint version (sort of) with the bananas & spinach.
Mint Chocolate is my favourite flavour for any dessert! I am trying out this recipe right now. . I have the almond milk ice cream in the freezer & I have some toppings that would definitely be CCK approved
Can’t wait to post it! No wait… can’t wait to eat it!
ooh excited to know about these secret toppings
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Sometthing tells me they start with a c and end in hocolate!
oh me oh my. drool-worthy photos katie. i applaud thee
favorite ice cream flavor: tie between cookies and cream and rocky road
I bet this recipe would be good w/ (unsweetened) chocolate almond milk + few drops of my new vanilla creme liquid stevia + tblspn of (my new to me) raw coconut crystals! yummmmmmmm
Can’t go wrong with chocolate and coconut! Hehe I think my shoe would taste good with chocolate almond milk and coconut
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Such a good idea! I would totally eat all of this myself- huge portion for only 80 calories, whoop whoop! I love the fact that you post in the morning because then I always have an idea of what to eat the rest of the day
LOL you will get REALLY cold!
I get cold just eating 1/2!
Katie what a great recipe! I’ve thought of making something simple like this with almond milk~so it works!
Love this recipe girl!!!! How would you make a chocolate version?
I tried to make one today but it turned out very bitter.. yikes!
Here ya go!
http://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2011/03/29/frozen-hot-chocolate/
they make unsweetened chocolate almond breeze too, you could always try it with that too. If you do, let me know!
YUM! Delicious and easy!
You have a gift for making healthy treats with so few ingredients. For reals. I’ve tried and I just struggle with it haha. At least I know your blogging will set me on the right path!
This looks amaaazing! Pretty sure I need to make the brownies to go with it.
Mmm that looks yum! Perfect to store until an ice cream craving hits!
Yum! Ice cream is my favorite!
That photo of the Deep-Dish Cookie Pie is stunning!! From the ooey gooey center of the cookie pie to the melty ice cream on top to the drizzle over the…all THREE of those elements are super hard to master photographically-speaking and you clearly have got it down pat. Nice.Work.Katie.
I will skip ice cream and just have cookies/cakes/brownies. Always have been meh about ice cream, i know. But Id rather have ooey gooey desserts.
Aww I love you, Averie
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And lol if you came to Tx, you’d need the ice cream! But wait, I guess it’s pretty hot where you are too (and where you used to live!).
Looks delish. 40 calories is defo not enough for me tho, nut butter and chocolate sauce here I come !!
Where do you get your ideas? This looks so good! But, is it creamy? I dont really get it, since it is so low in fat.. But it sure looks heavenly
My favorit ice creams flavors is chocolate and pistacio+chocolate chips . Yum!
If you use a higher-fat milk, such as coconut milk, it will be creamier. With almond milk, it’s more of an ice-milk consistency… but it still looks like ice cream! Either way, it’s fun. It just depends on which texture you’d rather have.
AMAZING idea! I can’t believe I didn’t think of it before! I’m going to add pecans and butter extract to make butter pecan
Ooh now THAT sounds amazing!
This sounds great. Now I am not going to lie… I go for super rich, full-fat ice cream but this could work! I will let you know how it goes, I like the sound of coffee in there. I know I will add like 3 cups of toppings regarldess.
Use coconut milk! Super rich
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I am definitely a vanilla girl through and through. That way you can add toppings to suit your taste. This looks amazing Katie!
OH, KATIE.
I love that you taste-test all these recipes for me, so when I make them I know they’re awesome.
I cannot wait to make myself some ice-cream like this!
As for flavors, mine is pretty much vanilla bean. But before I went vegan, Ben and Jerry’s had a flavor called “Mission to Marzipan” (which I think is now discontinued) and it was like an almond ice cream with almond cookie chunks and a marzipan swirl. It was a triple dose of almond, lol. Now THAT would be a flavor I’d like to veganize!
With the Silk almond milk, this recipe really does have a vanilla bean flavor… at least I think it does! If you try it and don’t think so, feel free to yell at me if this chocoholic’s vanilla tastebuds are not up to par
CCK I got a new cookbook today about beans, grains and pulses etc. It had an amazing tofu/ date/ apple ice cream recipe! literally just those 3 ingredients- amazing!
see my current semolina-fad on my blog. i need some ideas from a creative mind…
That sounds delicious!
I don’t think I’ve ever worked with semolina!
Not sure if my blender could do this but I am definitely going to try! YUM
I think as long as you thaw it long enough, you can still get an ice-milk-type consistency. Not ice cream, but the taste will at least be the same!
Oooh I wish I had a Vita!!! My favorite flavor combo is definitely chocolate peanut butter. YUM!
OH MY GOSH!!!! I HAVE TO MAKE THIS!!!! YUMMMMMMMMMM!!!! I LOVE YOU KATIE!!!! YOUR RECIPES ARE THE BEST!!!
You’re killing me. I want to make every single thing you post! Thank goodness it’s all healthy.
another genius recipe, sounds great! I love that you don’t need an ice cream maker which is why I always shy away from homemade ice cream. But it would be great to just make a much as you want and not be tempted by the entire gallon sitting in the freezer!
YUM! What a perfect summertime dessert! My favorite ice cream flavor is Coffee Oreo.
Thank you so much for your wonderful blog! I often felt sorry for myself as a vegan because I can’t eat all my favorite sugary junk foods anymore. Your single-lady friendly treats are low in sugar and look just delicious. I can’t wait to try all of your recipes and give feedback. Also, thanks to you, I started using stevia and I am never looking back. I just made an awesome chocolate frosting with it that did NOT give me a sugar headache. SCORE!
Also, I can’t stand the “angry vegans” (you know what I’m talking about). I want to live life to the fullest and I don’t want to spend a minute on being a preachy jerk.
Aw your comment made me smile, Joan!
What upsets me about the vegans you mentioned is that some of them actually accuse me of being a bad vegan simply because I DON’T preach… and yet more people eat vegan foods because of my blog in a DAY than they have probably influenced in their entire lives! I understand we all want the same thing, and so they’re well-intentioned. But if someone threw red paint on a coat I was wearing, it wouldn’t cause me to change… if anything, it’d just make me hate vegans, which is completely the opposite of their goal!
Sorry for rambling… and thanks again for your sweet words
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Oh and this ice cream brownie sundae is the best ever.
I’m jumping on the ice cream love train. I just bought a Vitamixer! and have yet to make anything that was so good I couldn’t stop talking about it. I think this might be it. In addition, I have had your brownies open in my browser for 5 days now just waiting for the right time to make them. I think it’s about time!
Word of the wise: Be wary of all the recipes that come with the vita-mix! I never had success with a single one
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But lol you’re going to love your vita-mix
Wheeeeee, that looks amazing! Maybe after I finish my frozen hot chocolate I’ll make up some of this.
You make me happy, haha.
By the way, I made your single-lady carrot cake cupcake today and it was WONDERFUL. It was so satisfying, but sans the guilt!
I can’t wait to see some more chocolate sauce, too!
Aw you made ME happy
I wonder if my crack-pot blender could take this? I hope so, becuase I ALWAYS eat more than half cup of ice cream. What a lame serving! And 1 tablespoon of nut butter as a serving? I have made it my mission to officially ignore serving sizes– they are always wrong.
My favorite ice cream flavor is mocha… the soy one with the chocolate ribbons in it! Yum. But when I was little, my favorite was strawberry flavor, so I have a soft spot for it. Would you believe I haven’t had a strawberry soy ice cream? Must change that asap! If only the temperature would go above 65 degrees…
I think you’ll have to thaw it a little more, pre-blending, so it won’t be as ice-cream-like… but you can probably get a Frosty-like consistency that still tastes yummy!
Love this idea!! I am totally trying this!!!!
Delicious!!!
I go through phases when it comes to ice cream flavors: first it was Rocky Road, then it was chocolate chip cookie dough, and now I’m into mint chip.
OH. MY. GOD. This looks RIDICULOUSLY amazing, and it seems so easy!!!!!!!! I can’t wait to read how to make the chocolate syrup! This is my dream dessert!
Just mixed some up and put it in the freezer. Looking forward to tomorrow nights dessert
Oooh I hope you like it!
I do this all the time! I usually add protein powder though. I like chocolate protein powder and jam to make a fun chocolatey fruity ice cream. I always add extra cocoa powder too because there’s no such thing as too much chocolate!
That looks delicious!!!! My Vitamix needs to arrive ASAP so I can make this. I love banana “ice cream” but it gets high on the calories when I add other ingredients, plus it’s not nearly as big of a serving so I’m super excited to try this since it’s a lot lower in cals for the portion.
Mmm cold desserts = pure amazingness in the summer time.
I can’t wait to try this! I love vanilla ice cream but i don’t eat it too often because it’s not the most figure friendly thing.
I’m so confused by your posts sometimes Katie. It’s seems that you are trying to advocate for positive body image etc and yet you go on about diet all the time and now making a big deal over no make-up. Diet and makeup are both strongly tied to superficial aspects of our human existence and are huge traps for all women to become obsessed with. The way we advocate for change in a positive direction is as important as what it is we are advocating for. I hope you may consider this in the future.
Fiona,
Your comment is confusing to me because my entire “no makeup” post was about how women SHOULDN’T give in to society’s pressures and look a certain way, not how we should.
Also, I never said I advocated going on a diet for vanity’s sake. Please be aware that there is another reason people sometimes need to watch calories: for their health. A lot of my readers have Diabetes, high blood pressure, and other health issues and therefore they NEED lower-calorie, healthier options. So I AM advocating for positive change in that I don’t want anyone to ever feel like he/she can’t eat good food just because he/she is on a diet.
But if you find my posts offensive in any way, you are free to not read them.
thanks for the reply Katie. I’m sorry if I misdirected my general frustration with society at you. I’m also an Aussie and we really don’t so openly talk about calories etc which perhaps is quite normal for you. What you have said with respect to your readers and their requirements makes sense. Please forgive me if I have upset you.
Aw Fiona, it means so much to me that you came back to respond. I am frustrated by society too, which was the entire meaning behind my “no makeup” post. I want people–me included–to know that it’s NOT ok for society to tell us we need to cover our “imperfections.”
As for calories, yeah they’re pretty much everywhere around here! I openly say that I don’t believe in calorie-counting, but I do know that A LOT of my readers have said it works for them. So I sometimes include calorie counts to help them out.
This looks amaaaazing. I love ice cream sundaes! You are making me so hungry!
Oh my gosh! Super excited to try this!!
Anything without the use of an ice cream maker is a winner in my book!
I tried this recipe last night, and it was awesome! Thanks for posting it!
I don’t have a Vitamix, but I put some in a quart sized ziplock bag, and put that inside a gallon sized ziplock bag filled with ice and salt. Then just rolled it gently around for about 15-20 minutes. The ice cream came out about the consistency of soft-serve frozen yogurt…yummy!
The picture of the brownie sundae is beautiful; you are so talented.
Oh wow, I wanna try that!
I just made this with unsweeted almond milk, stevia, and instant coffee. It’s definitely more icy than creamy but still very delish! I think next time it needs some extra fat (maybe frozen canned coconut milk?) or maybe some guar/xanthan gum. Idk! I want to experiment with it now!!
I absolutely LOVE ice cream, but definitely not the high calorie, high fat content. This looks like a wonderful alternative. I can’t wait to try it!
I got so excited about this recipe that I’ve made it despite not having any vanilla essence OR coconut essence in the house! Cinnamon it is
Katie, I made this today and it’s so good! I am trying to stay away from added sugars and this is so good with vanilla stevia. I made it in a non-Vita and you are right, it’s kind of like a Frosty – but a delicious, healthy Frosty. Can’t wait to try more of your recipes. Thanks
I’m so excited you liked it!
adding this with some frozen banana might make a tasty addition =)
I don’t know how to say this without being creepy but… I LOVE YOU!!
I realized I was lactose-intolerant a few months ago and had a really hard time switching to dairy-free foods. I’ve tried so many of your recipes (and stalkeringly commented after making each one because I ended up loving it so much
)because they really taste like the real deal – they don’t taste like so many vegan treats do. but converting to a dairy-free diet I had such a hard time giving up ice cream! I LOVE ice cream and banana soft-serve wasn’t quite cutting it for me. I tried this today and it was delicious (although it didn’t turn out nearly as pretty as yours did). thank you Katie!!
LOL! Oh I love you right back! So ha! Now we’re both creepy
.
(P.S. my trick is scooping it out with an ice-cream scoop!)
Word. This is SO good! I actually like it better than regular ice cream. Yes, it’s true! It has an icy and yet creamy taste all at the same time. It’s awesome!
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I only tried the vanilla so far, but I’m excited to try other flavors
I left a remark about this under your cookie pie link, but in case there are some folks reading this that aren’t reading the other, it’s the BOMB! Low in calories? No freakin’ way…..WAY! It is the perfect thing for the heat of summer. Katie has done it AGAIN! xo to Katie
how do you get it like ice cream texture? mine was all icey!
If you want a richer texture, you need to use a higher-fat milk, such as coconut milk. With almond milk, it will have a less-rich taste, but you can get it to look like ice cream by scooping it out with an ice cream scoop.
Hope it’s OK for me to give my 2 cents….I used the 35 cal per serving almond milk from Silk and an ice cream scoop. I found that if you scoop it an wait just a couple of minutes it helps. If you dive in immediately, than it seems more icey…if you give it a couple of minutes for the cold to come off of it, it truly makes a difference.
me and my friend made this tonight and topped it with something we found in the grocery store…Cupcake Pebbles cereal! seriously tasted and smelled like cake batter in a cereal. made the ice cream amazing and like crunchy cake battery goodness. you should try it! (yes they are in fact vegan, so happy! good for ice cream toppping)
Cupcake pebbles? LOL there’s a cupcake cereal now? Too fun! I will keep my eyes peeled!
This looks incredible!
I was curious; Do you think vanilla soy milk would work for this recipe?
You’re amazing with all these delicious food ideas; Keep’em coming
It would! As I wrote in my recipe, you might have to change the sweetener amount (and maybe even the amount of vanilla). But it will work with any non-dairy milk! It’s more of an ice-milk texture with soymilk or almond milk, and more of an ice-cream texture with coconut milk. I actually like the ice milk texture better!
youre a genius!!
lol but really I love how you have a variety of recipes/recipe ideas to fit different tastebuds and lifestyles.esp for those of us on a diet/trying to lose healthily it’s a godsend psst—>if you use 1 T molasses and add ground cinnamon nutmeg and ginger to taste it tastes like a warm fall type ice cream or gingerbready 
Oh wow, that sounds so good! I love molasses, but don’t think to use it often enough!
ok CCK, I’ll level with you- I NEVER think your recipes will work. And I’m ALWAYS wrong!!
I tried the blondies this weekend (after being disgusted with the idea of beans) and prctically licked the plate clean. I tried the ice cream for the first time (after spending a week thinking it will taste like ice) and am LOVING it!
Awww this made me so happy!
im so glad that i found this blog! you seriously rock.
anyhow i have a question.. i like my ice cream creamier so using only 1/3c of coconut milk? or did you mean to add it with 1 c of almond milk? so that makes 1 and 1/3 c? OR 1/3 with the remaining of almond milk to make it 1 c? i hope i make sense..?
PLUS ii absolutely hate coconut! does that taste strongly..? how come that it is more creamier than the almond one? just wondering..
thanks!
You want a total of 1 cup of liquid.
The coconut milk (the kind from a can) will make it richer because its fat content is much higher than, say, Almond Breeze. But maybe you could try non-dairy creamer (such as Silk) instead? I don’t think it has a coconut flavor with the milk, but I am a coconut lover so maybe I am biased.
If you do try replacing some of the non-dairy milk with creamer, let me know how it goes!
I just made a double batch of the vanilla ice cream, and it’s in the freezer right now. I’m hardly waiting to enjoy some this evening!
Thanks! 
Oooo I hope you like it!!
this is AMAZING! so delicious, my whole family enjoyed it
its perfect because it fits with my diet but still lets me have my daily fix of ‘ice cream’.
im also making a grocery list now of ingredients from your other, amazing looking recipes (most notably the cookie cake!) to make soon! i love your site, its so inspiring!
Awww Shannon, that makes me SO happy!
As much as I love your attempts at healthy desserts, this simply isn’t “ice cream.” It’s frozen, icy milk with a little sweetener (more like a slushie of sorts). Seems a little misleading, no?
If you read my post, I say right in the directions that you need to use coconut milk or creamer or it’ll be more like ice milk texture. So please read my posts fully before accusing me of misleading my readers.
hey but doesnt a cup of skim milk have 80 calories not 60? im so confused :S
I don’t use skim milk in my recipes. I use unsweetened Silk almond milk.
OK, Katie, if this ice cream recipe works…I’m going to have to marry you.
LOL!
Alright, Katie. So I tried it. It’s a bit icy for me, although that could be b/c I needed to microwave it more or spin it on my Big Boss Blender some more (I traded in my Magic Bullet for the Big Boss — it’s better machine….but they don’t make ‘em anymore).
Perhaps there’s an ingredient one could add to smooth it out a bit? Half a banana? Maple Syrup? I dunno.
That said, I’ll still marry you…but only if you ask nice. (A guy needs a little romance, ya know? Heh-heh.)
Did you see my recipe notes? First and foremost is that it WILL NOT be the ice cream texture unless you use a vita-mix.
But you can try to make it creamier with coconut milk or creamer. Read the notes at the end of the recipe, but really you’ll only be able to get a Wendy’s-frosty texture with a regular blender, no matter what.
Oh, I DID see those notes…which is why I said it’s a bit too icy FOR ME. I forgot about the coconut milk suggestion tho’.
The Big Boss is like the Magic Bullet, and it generally does a better job than the bullet in terms of blending; I guess the Vita-Mix has an entirely different method.
That’s OK…I DID enjoy it! And I still think you and your site are AWESOME! So turn that frowny emoticon upside down! ;] I’ll give it another go at some point and experiment a little more and report back!
Oh the vita-mix is in a whole other league! It’s just way more powerful than any other blender (except maybe a blendtec), which is also why it’s more expensive. (Isn’t that how stuff always works? Boo.)
Here ya go:
Well, gosh, don’t over do it.
=op
So…..I made the recipe and liked it SO incredibly much that I decided to use the rest of the milk to make ice cream before it went bad. It measured 4 c and so I increased each ingredient by 4. So I pulled it out of the freezer (SO excited to eat some more) AND….it tastes like SALT! What did I do wrong? I’m guessing you shouldn’t increase the salt that much?!
Can it be fixed?! Can I blend it and put more sugar in there? Or add some more milk to it? PLEASE help! I don’t think I can eat the other servings. 
Oh no! Yeah, that’s the weird thing about salt… it doesn’t seem to increase the same way as other ingredients. Hmmm… can you possibly make up another serving without ANY salt and combine it with the ones you already have?
Would skim milk work for this recipe?
Sorry, I don’t know.
Hiya, Katie!
So I tried the ice cream again — this time I doubled the vanilla. I also had Silk’s brand of almond milk — this batch of ice cream came out much creamier!
So our wedding is back on.
Haven’t yet tried your other recipes, but I will! (I recently made some sugar cookies, so I’m going to have to slow down on the treats before I become a fatty).
Aww yay! Can we have a chocolate cake?
Aww yay! Can we have a chocolate wedding cake?
OF COURSE!
And then for the honeymoon we’ll re-define what “Chocolate-Covered Katie” actually means.
Hey-ohhh!
(woof!)
Is there any way to make this (successfully into ice cream, not a shake-type thing) without a Vita-Mix? I really don’t want to have to spend $300-$600 on a blender.
(I’m sorry if I come off grouchy–I’m just getting slightly frustrated. I REALLY want to use this recipe for a multitude of different flavored ice creams and I don’t plan on spending more than I make with one paycheck on something I have very few recipes for.)
To end on a less-demanding note, love your blog and I have several recipes that I would love to try in the future, particularly the pancakes. <3
I really don’t think so. You need a high-powered blender to have enough power to blend it into ice cream.
I hope you don’t mind my chiming in….the Health Master is $200 @ Target and it is great. I love mine. At least it’s a little cheaper.
Here is a flavor I came up with:
Pumpkin Pie
Add pumpkin from a can, and pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon and I always add a little guar gum or anthem gum to make it thicker!
YUM!
I LOOOVE this recipe!! Instead of using Silk almond milk, I used Almondie’s almond butter. Yes, I know it’s butter and not milk… but the beauty about this is you can make almond milk with it too! Just mix 2tbsp of almond butter with 8 ounces of water and there’s your glass of pure, raw almond milk! Thanks for sharing this recipe!!
Oh wow, I am definitely going to have to try that!
I LOOOVE this recipe!! Instead of using Silk almond milk, I used Almondie’s almond butter. Yes, I know it’s butter and not milk… but the beauty about this is you can make almond milk with it too! Just mix 2 tsp of almond butter with 8 ounces of water and there’s your glass of pure, raw almond milk! Thanks for sharing this recipe!!
How long do you mix it in the blender for?
Until it turns to ice cream… maybe 20 seconds on high? But it only works in a Vita-mix (or blendtec or something like that). It won’t turn to ice cream in a regular blender.
Hi Katie!
I just had Voluminous Vanilla Ice Cream (with strawberries) for dessert and blogged about it here http://surfnrunnr.tumblr.com/post/11853804552/strawberry-almond-icee-i-tried-katies-recipe
Mine turned out more like an icee/slushy lol but it was still good! I LOVE your blog, you are such a genius. I also tried your baked oatmeal recipe which is the simplest one I could find online but it kinda of failed ha. I will try again later. Also, I plan on making your healthy chocolate chip cookies soon!
Congratulations on deciding to work fulltime on your blog! I’m sure you have lots of opportunities coming up.
-Geri
Hi Katie!
I just had Voluminous Vanilla Ice Cream (with strawberries) for dessert and blogged about it here http://surfnrunnr.tumblr.com/post/11853804552/strawberry-almond-icee-i-tried-katies-recipe
Mine turned out more like an icee/slushy lol but it was still good! I LOVE your blog, you are such a genius. I also tried your baked oatmeal recipe which is the simplest one I could find online but it kinda of failed ha. I will try again later. Also, I plan on making your healthy chocolate chip cookies soon!
Congratulations on deciding to work fulltime on your blog! I’m sure you have lots of opportunities coming up.
Aww, I’m so excited you made it!
As for the ice-iness… did you put the vita-mix on HIGH power? (Also, maybe try thawing the strawberries a little more, pre-blending?)
Katie– I didn’t read all of your responses (192!) so sorry if this is a duplicate. for ice cream, I use chopped frozen banana’s as my “base”. I blend those w/raw cacao, or with pb, or w/strawberries, or with…. well you get the picture. The frozen banana provides a rich creamy base that can easily be flavored any way you like and it’s ready to eat immediately… my favorite part!! I wonder if you kept ice cube trays frozen w/the milk of your choice on hand if you couldn’t add your flavorings as you blend so you don’t have to wait either?
Yes, definitely!
Katie, your link on “For ice-cream tricks, see: How to make it look like ice cream.” isn’t linked anymore
. Are we missing anything good? 
I’ve made something very similar to this, only I use cold (not frozen) Almond milk, and I’ll throw in frozen fruits. Ex. I’ve made peach, strawberry, blueberry, etc. I just use whatever frozen fruit I’m feeling and vitamix instantly
Wow, thanks for letting me know! I have no idea why it did that… I found the post and re-published it, so the link should work now!!
*crosses fingers*
(Let me know if it still doesn’t work for you. It’s working for me now, but it wasn’t before.)
perfect thanks! guess if I had been able to read that post I wouldn’t have had to mention the frozen fruit rofl Tho I tend to use an over-abundance of fruit so I don’t get the soupy ice cream
This, unfortuantely, was a disaster…. I mixed it up fine but when it came to the stupid blending part I was so lost. I don’t have a vitamix, so I didn’t know what the heck setting to use. I feared it would be a smoothie consistency, but even worse, it’s like chunks of small ice =( Oh Katie.. I butchered your recipe.
Oh no Lauren! As I stress in the recipe, you NEED a vita in order to get ice cream texture
Hi Again!
I am really confused is T tablespoon? because if it is wouldn’t the peanut butter “icecream” have more calories because a tablespoon of pb has about 90 calories?
Can you also use skim milk for the almond milk?
sorry, I don’t know because I haven’t tried it.
I find a better way to give it an ice-cream like texture is to take 2 bags one (large one small), put all the ingredients in the small bag and to fill the other one all the way up with ice and 1/2 a cup of salt. Then put the small bag in the larger one and shake till its the texture you want. I find it more effective
I am so in love with these recipes. But I was wondering, what does the salt do?
It’s for taste
I started out reading comments, hoping to get my question asked….and then I scrolled down through and saw how MANY there were…and gave up! lol I have teen boys – and a vegan ice-cream addict hubby (oh, okay, I am, too.) My recipe has tons of calories, so this one appeals to me as I try to lose weight. But there is no WAY I’m going to be able to fix this for myself and leave them out. Do you think it could be multiplied and put in the ice cream freezer that so many commenters were loath to use? (It’s really not as scary as it seems…)
Yes, you definitely can! Here’s a similar recipe that uses the ice cream maker: http://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2011/12/07/four-ingredient-ice-cream
I tried this recipe last weekend and it turned out really icy, I tried blending it but my blender couldn’t process it at all, any ideas??
As written in the recipe, you NEED a vita-mix to make this recipe into ice cream
oh phooey, ah well guess i will have to get one so i can make all your fabulous ice cream recipes!!
oh my god this was AMAZING Katie! I used to eat ice cream ALL the time when I was little, and it was always a comfort food. I hate eating the overly processed diet ice creams, not only because some are loaded with god knows what, but also because they don’t taste good and you get the littlest portion! This was HUGE and amazing! I’m going to start making this in different flavors just to keep in the freezer whenever I want to have some!
We made the peanut butter ice cream using almond milk and it was AMAZING! Thank you for this recipe. We’ve not vegan and are used to regular ice cream and this was great.
wow, only 40 calories?! And it looks so delicious! I think you’re my new hero lol. Definitely cooking some of this ice cream up at the weekend
I tried the recipe but after i froze it, it was like ice! I don’t know what to do, I micro’d it and mixed it with a mixer but then it was liquid and ice chunks. Not creamy or anything at all.
I have no Vita mix, what can I do?
As it says in the recipe, you need to use a vita-mix for this recipe to be ice cream.
Well I made this yesterday afternoon, I do have to say that I do not own a Vita Mix, so what I did was mix the ingredients, left the container in the freezer and checked on it, until the mix was semi frozen. I took it out of the freezer poured the semi frozen mix into my Oster blender and re blended it until it was liquid again. I pured it back into the container and into the freezer. Today, I took it out of the freezer, I defrosted it for 30 seconds in the microwave, and checkd if it was the right texture, it needed 30 more seconds and it was perfect. The texture was just like regular ice cream!! I used Soy milk, vanilla and almond extract, 3 packets of Splenda sugar and that was it, I do recommend it! Thanks Katie!!!
Hi Katie, this looks so easy! Can’t find part of the attachment to my ice cream maker tonight so perhaps I will try the Vitamix method! I just linked to your ice cream recipe on my blog as a suggestion to go with baked apples.
aww thanks! Mmm baked apples sound really good!
Just doubled the batch and used my silicone brownie pan as did not have enough ice trays – looking forward to trying same. Have you ever added extracts to the vanilla “ice cubes” to make a different flavor? Since I have two servings now freezing was thinking I could make one huge serving of vanilla for a friend and add an extract – such as carmel – for me with the other serving.
I love your idea to use different extracts. I’ve not tried that, but I have done other flavors: http://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/baby-making/reader-recipes/vanilla-bean-ice-cream-nutritional-info/thumbnails-again/
Thanks for your quick response – it was looking at your other flavors that gave me the idea…figure I can make up a bunch of the vanilla basic “ice cubes” and then add different extracts or flavorings for each person’s favorite/request that particular day…appreciate the inspiration to experiment as a Vitamix newbie.
I just purchased a Cuisinart Ice Cream maker, and am anxious to use it..when making your icecream does coconut milk replace heavy cream in recipes?? So would I use equarl parts almond milk and coconut milk to achieve that ice cream texture?
or maybe i should say, “be the equivalent” to a cream? I am trying to achieve that soft serve icecream, using almond milk and not using heavy whipping cream (bc that defeats the purpose!!) Any suggestions to get that great ice cream texture is appreciated! Thanks!!
Sorry, I’m really confused as to what you’re asking
.
Does coconut milk help make the ice cream creamier like a whipping cream would? Just using almond milk I end up with more of a icey ..and I am trying to get a nice creamy ice cream. Make sense?!
Yes, if you use the full-fat canned type it will be much creamier
.
I’m going to try this tomorrow! Do you think, if I added some silken tofu if it would be creamier? Or, do you think your vegan greek yogurt would taste like ice cream if it were frozen?
I’ve never tried it, but edible experiments are always fun!
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