The most incredible Vegan Mocha Ice Cream inspired by the popular Starbucks Ice Cream . Dairy-free, vegan, oil-free ice cream that combines chocolate and espresso. Super creamy and made with cashews. You will be blown away by this heavenly bowl.
My favorite combo ever is chocolate and espresso/coffee. I used to be obsessed with the Starbucks ice cream, but now I’m obsessed with this one! Vegan Mocha Ice Cream (Starbucks Copycat)
This one is the best ice cream I’ve EVER had, non-vegan included. My hubby exclaimed it was “better than Starbucks” and definitely, by far, the best ice cream recipe I’ve made to date. I will most likely stick with this recipe as my go-to base from now on. Seriously, better than any ice cream I’ve made using coconut cream.
This tastes identical to dairy ice cream. I found the perfect balance of ingredients. It is just too addicting.
MORE VEGAN ICE CREAM RECIPES
- Vegan Vanilla Birthday Cake Ice Cream
- Blueberry Cheesecake Ice Cream
- 4 Ingredient Vegan Chocolate Ice Cream
- Dark Chocolate Almond Ice Cream
- Vegan Java Crunch Ice Cream
- Raspberry Sorbet
- Vegan Vanilla Cheesecake Ice Cream
- Vegan Blueberry Cheesecake Ice Cream
If you make this recipe, be sure to leave feedback below and share your pic on Instagram or Facebook and tag me @thevegan8 #thevegan8!
Vegan Mocha Ice cream (Starbucks copycat)
Ingredients
- 1 heaping cup (150g) whole raw cashews
- 1 1/2 cups canned "lite" coconut milk (Highly recommend the Thai Kitchen or Taste or Thai brands. Do NOT use the Polar brand, it is nothing but fillers and will not work.)
- 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons organic coconut palm sugar gives a richer flavor than regular sugar
- 2 tablespoons raw agave helps with the texture by preventing ice crystals
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons fine ground instant espresso adjust to your preference depending on how strong you want it, or omit for a chocolate flavor
- 1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
Instructions
- Add all of the ingredients to a power blender, such as a Vitamix, and blend for a couple of minutes on the highest setting until completely creamy and smooth. If you do not have a power blender, soak the cashews for 5-6 hours (the longer you soak, the creamier your ice cream) first in a bowl covered with room temperature water. Drain and rinse them and pat them dry. Add to your blender with the remaining ingredients.
- After you have gotten it completely smooth, taste and add any more espresso if desired.
- Pour the mixture into your ice cream maker and churn until firm and a soft serve consistency forms. Place in the freezer in an airtight container for a couple of hours to harden before eating. If it completely freezes overnight, just remove it a few minutes before serving.
If you make this recipe, please do not re-post it in full on your site, please link to me instead giving proper credit. I work very hard to create my recipes and share them for free, so please be respectful and link properly. If you are inspired by this recipe, again, please give proper credit and do not simply post it on your site.
Hello Brandi
I would love to make this ice-cream but do not have a ice-cream churn. What would you suggest I use in place of the churn? Would an electric beater work on slow?
Can’t wait to try this ice-cream as since going vegan it’s the one item I REALLY MISS — ICE-CREAM!!!
Thanks so much.
Melanie
Pietermaritzburg, Kwa-Zulu Natal
SouthAfrica
Hi Melanie! It’s going to be pretty icy without an ice cream maker, however, you can try this other ice cream recipe I wrote that does not require an ice cream maker and just add espresso powder to it. It’s SO GOOD. Or you can make this mocha one and try to follow my freezing method steps on this other recipe. Let me know what you try. They are both so delicious!
https://thevegan8.com/2015/07/02/4-ingredient-vegan-chocolate-ice-cream/
Laaahhhhhhhhh! (The angels sing, after tasting this ice cream)
Trying to make the best of hot Seattle weather, I decided to try this recipe. So delicious. I dont LOVE hot weather; but I do LOVE this ice cream! Thank you!
Hahahaha, love that!! SO glad you loved this Meg, thank you for the feedback!
Made this today with cashew milk, left out the coffee. Loved it. Two dairy eaters tried it and declared it better than anything store bought! Thank you for sharing your recipes. Will definitely try others!
Wow, so awesome to hear! Thank you so much Diane for the amazing feedback!
I want to really try this. I was wondering if there is a substitute for the cashews? My family and I are allergic to treenuts. We are fine with coconut, so I will use coconut milk in this recipe. Would seeds work, like sunflower or pumpkin? Just trying to figure out how to make it work so my family can enjoy it.
Thanks
Hi Lane! I wouldn’t recommend subbing cashews, nothing else will work quite the same for this exact recipe. I would suggest instead making this recipe that is not made from nuts and you can add espresso to it and get a very similar taste. Just leave out the almonds 🙂
https://thevegan8.com/2014/07/08/dangerously-dark-chocolate-almond-crunch-ice-cream/
I made this today and I must say it was FABULOUS! I got an ice cream maker for a wedding gift and have been waiting for the perfect recipe to use it, and when I saw this and read the ingredient list (I had all of the ingredients already!) I started soaking my cashews and put my ice cream bowl in the freezer right away so I could make it the next day. THIS ICE CREAM IS AMAZING! The texture is EXACTLY like dairy ice cream. I haven’t had ice cream in a long time and the store bought ones are full of junky ingredients and are so expensive. I will definitely have to go through all of the other ice cream recipes because I was just blown away by this one. I did make a couple of tiny changes- I used regular organic cane sugar, I used lite canned coconut milk, and instead of espresso I used pumpkin spiced coffee. I highly recommend using a flavored coffee in this recipe, it really makes it stand out! Unless you like plain ol’ espresso, it is I am sure just as great!
Yay!! SO, so happy to read this feedback Meaghann! Thank you so very much for breaking in your ice cream maker with this recipe. I’m so thrilled you loved it so much! Any sugar and lite milk will basically yield the same taste, so they are easily interchangeable. That pumpkin spice coffee sounds so yummy! So glad you loved the texture, the combo of ingredients really makes it ridiculously creamy, it’s my favorite too! You should totally try the 4 ingredient ice cream and the cheesecake vanilla one, so so good! The peanut butter one is excellent too. Thanks again!
Is there a way to enjoy this without an ice cream maker? I move every three months with my whole life in the back of my jeep. I can’t really devote the space to one. I’ve never used one, so I’m not sure what exactly it does to the mixture. Thanks!
Hi Vanessa, ice cream makers help to incorporate air while chilling the ice cream, so it makes a big difference in the texture being light and creamy. But I would suggest making this recipe instead. I created it to not need an ice cream maker and it’s one of my most popular recipes on the blog. It’s incredibly creamy and chocolatey and you could always add espresso to it. You do need a blender though. Or at the very least, a stick hand blender. Here it is. So easy too! https://thevegan8.com/2015/07/02/4-ingredient-vegan-chocolate-ice-cream/
FAVORITE ICE CREAM RECIPE EVER!! ? My family has enjoyed several of your ice cream recipes, Brandi, but I was looking for one that didn’t use coconut milk for a change. This recipe is PERFECT! I used unsweetened vanilla cashew milk, 2TBS dark cocoa and the rest regular cocoa, and no espresso. This was the most decadent chocolate ice cream I have ever tasted, vegan or not. To top it off I made your peanut butter caramel and drizzled it on top. Yuh-Umm!! My daughter likes when I make your regular caramel sauce and layer it with the ice cream while it is still soft so it hardens up with the cream. Guess I will just have to make this recipe again and do just that. 🙂 Many thanks for yet another winner, Brandi!
Holy wow, this feedback had me salivating while reading it! Thank you so much Colleen for such an incredible feedback! It made my day! This and the 4 ingredient chocolate ice cream are my favorites. What a great idea to add the peanut butter caramel on top. YUM! Thank you so much!
Hi there, is there an alternative to using an ice cream maker for this recipe? Xx
Hi Irini! I have never tried it without an ice cream maker. You can try this other ice cream which is my most popular chocolate ice cream and is done without an ice cream maker. You can add espresso to it as well if you like. It’s rich, creamy, chocolatey and my favorite as well. Here is the link: Please come back and let me know what you think of it and leave feedback on whichever recipe post that you ended up making! 🙂
https://thevegan8.com/2015/07/02/4-ingredient-vegan-chocolate-ice-cream/
I was wondering the same thing. What if one froze the coconut milk/cream in ice cube trays (as one would with ‘banana ice cream’) and then blended up all the ingredients. Theoretically should work…the frozen coconut milk should freeze everything else
Hi Angie! You are welcome to try that if you like, just know it will be more slushy-like, versus a solid scoop-able ice cream. Also, the ice cream maker is what makes the ice cream very creamy because it incorporates air as it is churning. So, if you don’t use an ice cream maker, just know it will get much harder as it freezes solid (any leftovers you have), so you will need to let it thaw a while and it may have bits of ice in it.
My crack!
Haha, I’m so happy you love this so much!
Well, i made more ice cream yesterday…..except this time, i triple the recipe…lol…
Oh Brandi, this was an awesome recipe…for the 1st time in my whole entire life, i tasted a non dairy ice cream, and it was DELICIOUS….i added some of it into my protein shake this morning and it is to die for…thank you for creating this recipe….Love it!
YAY!! Best feedback ever, thank you Elilta! So glad to hear you and your husband loved it so much!
Hallo again,
Great blog and inspiring recipes! the Starbucks copycat mocha ice cream is definitely one of the best raw creams I have ever tried and I have tried many as I am compiling a book on raw creams. Loooove it, have made it several times already and just have one now in the freezer, just in case, when the mood or craving starts,….ha, ha! So, keep up the great work!
Thank you so much Alex for taking the time to leave such awesome feedback! I appreciate it so VERY, very much! I love hearing about when people make my recipes, so feel free to leave me feedback on any you make. I love it! I’m so glad you loved the ice cream, it is my favorite too! 🙂
Can you use raw cashew pieces instead of whole raw cashews? That is all I could find. I am going to give it a try. Thanks.
Yes, sure…just make sure to get the accurate weight measurement of 142 grams, since the smaller pieces will fill up more in a cup than whole cashews. Otherwise, then yes it should still definitely work! Please let me know how it turns out! Thank you. 🙂
This is just the blog I have been looking for!!! Thank you Thank you! I am a new vegan, 11.19.13, so just under two months so I have much to learn and this is perfect. I adore the saying “Anything you can eat, I can eat vegan.” and boy do you prove this! I loathed cooking and preparing food before and I suddenly have a new infatuation with it, it’s like a lifestyle project. I am greatly looking forward to this new lifestyle, thank you so much for making it so much easier for us Newbie Vegans! 🙂
You are so sweet Rachel! I’m so thrilled you found me!! I really hope you love the recipes, and PLEASE let me know when you make them! Thanks so much for stopping by and saying hello 🙂
looks so creamy & delish. Yum!
Thank you, it definitely is 🙂
Wowed. Beautiful ice cream. The picture’s making me drool!
Thank you so much Ayesha!
You’ve created quite an ice cream, Brandi. Who needs dairy when there are such wonderful alternatives available. Congratulations and good luck with the re-blog. 🙂
Thanks so much John!
You have right John. Wonderful alternatives! ^_^
This looks fantastic! I’ve been wanting to experiment with making my own healthy ice cream, but haven’t had a chance yet. I can’t believe you can grind up a bunch of cashews and turn it into ice cream. Amazing! I love all your recipes. 😉
Yep, cashews are pretty much miraculous!! 🙂 It is shocking how much this tastes just like regular ice cream.
ON MY WAY, this looks SO GOOD!
Thank you so much Pavithra!! 🙂
I remember when I couldn’t go a day without sucking down one of those Starbucks Ice Cream sticks!!! Uhhhhh swoooon!
Haha me too! Thankfully, I don’t have to now! 🙂
I’ve never been happy with a vegan ice cream before so I’m hoping for this one. Especially in my favorite flavor.
Looking forward to giving it a try this weekend, Thanks!
I hear ya Angela! Most vegan ice creams I’ve tried were so bad, I’m shocked they were even approved to be sold, haha! I have a few vegan ice cream recipes on my blog, they are good, but nothing as authentic and dairy tasting like this one. My hubby used to consume half gallons of ice cream in one sitting. His very favorite dessert is ice cream, so when he exclaimed this was better than Starbucks, I knew I had to share it. It really is delicious. We al have different opinions though, so I hope you love it as much as we do! Please let me know, I’m dying to hear your feedback! 🙂
Oh and p.s. another popular ice cream on my blog with great feedback (all non-vegans) is my almond butter ice cream. That’s a good one to try as well, but this one is my fav for sure.
I can’t wait to try it, and others as well, I’m sure. I pinned it to our Vegan Community board and it too off!
Would love to send you an invite to join us if you’d like. You do need to ‘follow’ the board first before it will
send an invite. Let me know on that and I’ll keep you updated on my ice cream quest 😉
Sorry, forgot the board link: http://www.pinterest.com/heidrunkarin/vegan-community/
Oh, wonderful, thank you so much for sharing Angela!! 🙂 I’ll follow the board now 🙂
Hmmmm? Not sure why your name isn’t coming up to do an invite yet.
Try following my boards and I’ll try again. Pinterest is always tricky on it’s invite criteria.
http://www.pinterest.com/cannedtime/
Is it possible to make this recipe without agave?
Yes, just use extra maple syrup in it’s place. Let me know what you think of it!
I finally have access to both agave syrup and maple syrup now. Excited to try it out this Christmas 🙂
Yay, enjoy Veerie!