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Vegan Lemon Ice Cream

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This Vegan Lemon Ice Cream is bursting with fresh tart lemon flavor perfectly balanced by sweetness! It is so refreshing, especially during spring and summer when it’s so hot outside. It is dairy-free, gluten-free, oil-free and only 7 ingredients! It is nut-free and has no cashews!

VEGAN LEMON ICE CREAM

My husband said I make too many chocolate desserts 🙄 and he is not a big fan of chocolate….gasp!! Well, I asked him what he would like for me to make specifically for him…he did not hesitate….”vegan lemon ice cream!” It truly is so amazing for spring.

Tart, sweet, tangy and addicting. It has a wonderful tart flavor from the lemon juice and just enough sweetness to not overpower it. I also added some apple juice for an added extra sweetness, which is perfect, because you can’t technically taste any apple juice.

INGREDIENTS NEEDED

  • fresh lemons, lots of them
  • unsweetened apple juice
  • canned lite (low-fat) coconut milk
  • canned full-fat coconut milk
  • white granulated sugar
  • cornstarch
  • maple syrup

collage of lemons and juicer

HOW TO MAKE VEGAN LEMON ICE CREAM

Step 1: Combine the freshly squeezed lemon juice and apple juice in a bowl and add to the fridge.

Step 2: Add the coconut milks, sugar, cornstarch and salt to a small pot and turn the heat to medium. As soon as the liquid starts to simmer, whisk for a couple of minutes continuously until the cornstarch and sugar have dissolved. Make sure the cornstarch has dissolved. Turn off the heat and pour the liquid into a bowl and place in the fridge to chill for a couple of hours.

Step 3: Once chilled, add the lemon juice mixture and maple syrup to a blender. Pulse just for a minute until well combined. Pour into your ice cream maker and let it run for 20-25 minutes until a soft serve consistency is reached. Eat now or let firm up in the freezer. I let mine freeze for 2-3 hours and then ate it. I loved the consistency after about 3 hours. If you freeze it overnight, let it sit for 15 minutes or so at room temperature before eating. Enjoy!

MORE VEGAN ICE CREAM RECIPES

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glass bowl of ice cream with fresh lemon slices

Vegan Lemon Ice Cream

Brandi Doming
This Vegan Lemon Ice Cream is bursting with fresh tart lemon flavor perfectly balanced by sweetness! It is so refreshing, especially during spring and summer when it's so hot outside. It is dairy-free, gluten-free, oil-free and only 7 ingredients! It is nut-free and has no cashews!
4.67 from 3 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Chilling time 5 hours
Total Time 3 hours 20 minutes
Course Dessert, Ice Cream
Cuisine American, Vegan
Yields 5

Ingredients

  • 1 cup (240g) fresh lemon juice (I got exactly a cup from 7 lemons by using my juicer)
  • 1/4 cup (60g) unsweetened apple juice (special ingredient to give it that extra special flavor!)
  • 2 cups (480g) canned low-fat coconut milk
  • 1 cup (240g) full fat coconut milk, shaken first or blended (see directions)
  • 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons organic white sugar
  • 1/8 teaspoon sea salt
  • 2 tablespoons (16g) organic cornstarch
  • 3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
  • I use this scale.

Instructions
 

  • Combine the freshly squeezed lemon juice and apple juice in a large cup and put in the fridge.
  • Add the coconut milks, sugar, cornstarch and salt to a small pot and turn the heat to medium. As soon as the liquid starts to simmer, whisk for a couple of minutes continuously until the cornstarch and sugar have dissolved. Make sure the cornstarch has dissolved. Turn off the heat and pour the liquid into a bowl and place in the fridge to chill for a couple of hours.
  • Once it is completely chilled, add the lemon juice mixture and maple syrup to a blender. Pulse just for a minute until well combined. Pour into your ice cream maker and churn for 20-25 minutes until a soft serve consistency is reached. Eat now or let firm up in the freezer. I let mine freeze for 2-3 hours and then ate it. I loved the consistency after about 3 hours. If you freeze it overnight, let it sit for 15 minutes or so at room temperature before eating.

Notes

  • If you prefer a less tart taste, then sub the 1 cup lemon juice and 1/4 cup apple juice with 3/4 cup lemon juice and 1/2 cup apple juice instead.
  • FULL FAT COCONUT MILK SUB: If you do not want to use full-fat coconut milk, you can make homemade cashew cream and use that in place of by adding 1 cup (140 g) raw cashews to 3/4 cup water to a high powered blender (like Vitamix) and blend until super smooth. Measure out the 1 cup for the recipe. DO NOT use store-bought cashew milk in place, as it is watery and filled with fillers more than actual cashews and will not taste good or be creamy.
Tried this recipe?Tag @thevegan8brandi on Instagram and use tag #thevegan8!
Keyword dairy free lemon ice cream, vegan lemon ice cream

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Comments

  1. Jody

    5 stars
    I made this today and it’s delicious! My sister had to close her restaurant for a week due to covid and gave me a ton of lemons, which I squeezed. I didn’t have apple juice but had just enough tangerine juice to add. I used two cans of full-fat coconut milk (27 ounces vs 24 for three cups of liquid, I added a dash more corn starch) which is all I had but thought it would be lovely, and it is! Just the right sweetness and a lovely texture. I’m thinking I can use the base with other flavors – it’s a snap to make. Thank you for this dairy-free, egg-free recipe!

    Reply

  2. Hayden Parthenay

    4 stars
    I tried making this today and I’ve got mixed feelings about the results. This is the first time making ice cream with coconut milk instead of heavy cream. The final product while it has a fantastic texture and consistency it has quite a aggressive coconut flavor and really ruins the flavor of an otherwise perfect ice cream. I’m going to try it again tomorrow but this time use your recommended cashew cream substitute, and I’ll also substitute the lite coconut milk with cashew milk. I’ll be sure to report back here with my findings!

    Thanks for the recipe.

    Reply

    • brandi.doming@yahoo.com

      Thank you for making it and the honest feedback! Yes, I much prefer the cashew cream version, versus full-fat coconut milk since it does leave a coconut taste.

      Reply

  4. Christina

    hi Brandi, I would like to make this recipe with coconut cream as in my country we do not have coconut creamer. I have regular sweetened almond milk at hand, how much would you suggest to decrease the sugar by? Can’t wait to try it!

    Reply

    • brandi.doming@yahoo.com

      Oh yes, that should work out the same I believe! You definitely need to make it with the coconut cream, not almond milk. Almond milk will yield WAY too icy of a texture.

      Reply

    • brandi.doming@yahoo.com

      Hi Will! Sure, I dont’ see why not. It will darken the color of the ice cream some, but should still technically work. I will add probably 1/2 cup syrup and taste it and see if you think it needs more. Let me know how it turns out!

      Reply