This vegan coffee ice cream is rich and smooth with a delightful buzz of coffee and melting notes of vanilla and cinnamon. A handful of crunchy, candied walnuts gives the cool, velvety ice cream all the texture it needs. One spoonful and you’ll be hooked!
Made with a few ingredients and an ice cream maker, this ice cream comes together very easily. Whether you are following a vegan diet or not, this coffee ice cream is the perfect refreshing summer treat with a kick of caffeine!
If you enjoy Philadelphia-style ice creams, try my chocolate almond ice cream and mango cherry frozen yogurt. These have been adapted from David Lebovitz's Perfect Scoop.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
✨This vegan coffee ice cream is so smooth, velvety rich, and luscious, you won’t believe it's dairy-free!
✨Perfect for coffee lovers - It's got that bold coffee flavor with a little caffeine kick!
✨The candied walnuts add a fabulous crunch that's irresistible.
✨With just a few pantry staples and an ice cream maker, this eggless coffee ice cream is a cinch to make.
✨Easily customizable so you can use decaf coffee, add a coffee liquor, or use dairy milk and cream to make a non-vegan version!
Recipe Ingredients
Coffee: I used instant coffee in this recipe. Both caffeinated and decaffeinated will work well here.
Coconut milk: Full-fat coconut milk is the best here. You can use cashew milk too. It's just as creamy and rich.
Coconut cream: For making the ice cream extra creamy!
Sugar: Regular white granulated sugar works well. You can substitute with coconut sugar or cane sugar.
Vanilla bean and Cinnamon stick: For a beautiful, well-rounded flavor profile. Feel free to leave out the cinnamon if you wish.
Please see the recipe card for full information about the ingredients and quantities.
How to Make Vegan Coffee Ice Cream
Step 1: In a medium-sized saucepan, combine coconut cream, milk, coffee powder, sugar, vanilla bean, and cinnamon stick.
Step 2: Stir over very low heat until the sugar dissolves. Take it off the heat. Let this mixture cool and then chill it in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours.
Step 3: Stir the chilled mixture and take out the vanilla bean and cinnamon stick. Scrape out all the vanilla pods from the bean using a small knife, into the mixture.
Step 4: Freeze in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions. Add the crushed candied walnuts right at the last minute of churning. Pour this into a freezer-proof container and freeze for 6 to 8 hours or overnight.
How To Make Candied Walnuts
In a pan, heat sugar and walnuts till the sugar melts entirely. The trick is to keep stirring the sugar on low heat; otherwise, it will burn.
Once the nuts are coated in the melted sugar, sprinkle some sea salt and transfer them to a parchment paper-lined tray. Wait for them to cool, chop them up, and then add to the ice cream.
Make sure you leave some candied walnuts to garnish the coffee ice cream while serving.
You can use this method to make any candied nuts, and not just for ice cream. Store the candied nuts in a jar, and they make for delicious munchies.
Top Tips
- Leave the vanilla pods and cinnamon stick in the coffee cream mixture as it cools. It imparts more flavor.
- Make sure the canister of your ice cream maker is frozen. It's best to place it in the freezer for at least 24 hours before churning the ice cream.
- Chill the coffee ice cream mixture very well, for at least 6 hours or even overnight. The colder the mixture, the faster the ice cream will set in the ice cream maker.
- If you're using brewed coffee instead of instant coffee, please make it strong! Otherwise, the coffee flavor will be diluted.
- Candied walnuts are an optional step. While they may not be necessary, they are utterly delicious here!
How To Serve
Scoop the coffee ice cream, top it off with some more candied walnuts, and enjoy. That’s how my home slurped it up. But you can always drizzle some caramel sauce and serve.
Blend a scoop in Korean banana milk to make an indulgent banana coffee milkshake! Add a scoop or two to your Vietnamese iced coffee for a decadent treat!
Serve alongside my choco chip shortbread cookies or sandwiched between two oatmeal raisin cookies…so yum!
Recipe FAQs
Yes, you can. It requires a bit more time and patience, though.
Pour the coffee cream mixture in a large bowl and freeze it for 1 to 2 hours. Take it out of the freezer and beat vigorously with a whisk/ electric beater or simply blitz it in your blender. Pour it back in the bowl and freeze again. Repeat this process 2 more times. Every time you whisk or blend this, you are breaking down the ice particles and making the mixture smoother. The last time you blend it, add the crushed candied walnuts. Pour this into an airtight container and freeze for 6 to 8 hours or overnight.
Yes, this coffee ice cream does have some caffeine in it! But you can easily make this ice cream with decaf coffee instead, if you prefer.
Use ⅓ cup of strong brewed coffee. Omit an equivalent amount of coconut milk.
📖 Recipe
Vegan Coffee Ice Cream
Ingredients
- 10 oz Coconut cream
- 13.5 oz Coconut milk, full fat
- 3/4 cup Sugar
- 2 tbsp Instant coffee powder
- 1 Vanilla bean, split in half lengthways
- 1 Cinnamon stick
Candied Walnuts Optional
- 1/3 cup Walnuts
- 2 tbsp Brown sugar
- 1/4 tsp Sea salt
Instructions
- In a medium-sized saucepan, combine coconut cream, milk, coffee powder, sugar, vanilla bean, and cinnamon stick. Stir over very low heat until the sugar dissolves. Take it off the heat.
- Let this mixture cool and then chill it in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours.
- Stir the chilled mixture and take out the vanilla bean and cinnamon stick. Scrape out all the vanilla pods from the bean using a small knife, into the mixture.
- If using ice-cream maker – pour and freeze in your ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions. Add the crushed candied walnuts right at the last minute of churning. Pour this in an airtight container and freeze for 6 to 8 hours or overnight.
- By hand – Pour the mixture in a large bowl and freeze it for 1 to 2 hours. Take it out of the freezer and beat vigorously with a whisk/ electric beater or simply blitz it in your blender. Pour it back in the bowl and freeze again. Repeat this process 2 more times. Every time you whisk or blend this, you are breaking down the ice particles and making the mixture smoother. The last time you blend it, add the crushed candied walnuts. Pour this in an airtight container and freeze for 6 to 8 hours or overnight.
Candied Walnuts
- Place the walnuts and brown sugar in a saucepan.
- Cook on low heat, stirring continuously till the sugar melts and coats the walnuts. Turn off the heat and sprinkle the sea salt.
- Transfer to a small sheet of parchment or baking paper. Let the walnuts cool.
- Roughly chop them in small bits for the ice cream.
- Store in an air-tight jar.
Notes
- Leave the vanilla pods and cinnamon stick in the coffee cream mixture as it cools. It imparts more flavor.
- Make sure the canister of your ice cream maker is frozen. It's best to place it in the freezer for at least 24 hours before churning the ice cream.
- Chill the coffee ice cream mixture very well, for at least 6 hours or even overnight. The colder the mixture, the faster the ice cream will set in the ice cream maker.
- If you're using brewed coffee instead of instant coffee, please make it strong! Otherwise, the coffee flavor will be diluted.
- Candied walnuts are an optional step. While they may not be necessary, they are utterly delicious here!
Shalini says
Hi can you give a recipe which does not use an ice cream maker
Natasha Minocha says
Hi Shalini, all of my ice cream recipes have instructions for manual churning too. I do have a Jamun ice cream which is a no-churn one. Hope this helps 🙂
Meera says
Need to try this!!
Natasha Minocha says
Yay! Thanks Meera! 🙂