Vegan Cookie Dough Ice Cream

Cookie dough ice cream is my lifelong favourite, and this vegan version is pretty spot on! One of my goals for 2021 was to make more ice cream at home and stop buying it (easier since shopping in person means that we can’t buy any frozen food anyway).

Ever since making cookie dough at home a while back, I’ve been wanting to turn it into ice cream. Turns out it is absolutely delicious, and no eggs in sight.

While some of my vegan ice cream recipes don’t use any starches, just full-fat coconut cream, this one utilises (organic) cornstarch to make a thickened custard. It’s like a packaged pudding, and churns up into a nice smooth ice cream. Not quite as soft as my honey lemon ice cream, maybe, but about the same as vegan stuff from the shop.

So make it at home! You can control exactly what goes into it and save some cash, too.

Scroll to the bottom of the post or click “skip to recipe” above to see the recipe card with full ingredient measurements and instructions.

Ingredients

• Non-Dairy Milk: I like coconut milk, but others will work (see substitutions).
• Maple Syrup: to sweeten, but there are other options.
• Cornstarch: this is the thickener, what makes a pudding. I always use organic cornstarch.
• Vanilla: powder, bean, paste, or extract.
• Cookie Dough: this edible vegan cookie dough!

Method

Make sure the base for your ice cream maker is fully frozen before starting.

Add the milk, maple syrup, cornstarch, and vanilla to a small saucepan. Whisk to combine, making sure no lumps of cornstarch remain.

Cook the milk mixture over low heat, stirring constantly, for 8-10 minutes. After cooking, the custard should be thickened and coat the back of a spoon as pictured.

Cover and allow the custard to come to room temperature before refrigerating until chilled through, about four hours. If you haven’t already made the cookie dough, now is a good time.

Once the custard is fully chilled, churn it according to your ice cream maker instructions. Once the ice cream is churned, stir in the cookie dough pieces.

Either serve immediately as soft serve, or scoop the ice cream into a tin or container to freeze through. Once frozen, thaw for 10-15 minutes in the refrigerator before scooping.

Tips and Notes

It is not absolutely necessary to switch the ice cream into a different container before freezing. I always do because it might take a few days to eat, and I might want to make ice cream again before then. You can certainly freeze it right in the ice cream maker base if preferred.

I know it’s a two-step process here which might throw some of you off, but the cookie dough is so quick to throw together that it doesn’t feel like much work. You can make the custard base and while it’s chilling make the cookie dough.

I haven’t tried making this without an ice cream maker. It will probably work to freeze the custard in ice cube trays and then blend in a high speed blender until smooth (add the cookie dough after blending) but I don’t think the granita method would be a good option here.

Custard takes time to cook down, whether you’re using starch or eggs. You’ll know when it’s done when the back of a wooden spoon is coated in a good layer, as pictured above.

Substitutions

While I recommend full-fat coconut milk, other non-dairy milks can be used too. Coconut milk gives the best creamy texture, but since this is a custard base, it’s possible to use something like almond milk. If you’re making it at home, reduce the water by about 25% in whatever milk you choose.

I used cornstarch because it seems to be what most people have at home, and it does work a little differently from my more often utilised arrowroot. Tapioca or arrowroot starch can be used, but you’ll probably need about a teaspoon extra.

If the ice cream doesn’t need to be fully vegan, definitely go for honey as the sweetener. It helps to prevent ice crystal formation and makes for a smoother end result.

You could also sweeten with coconut or even brown sugar, for a more cookie-like flavour. If using a granulated sweetener, heat it with the milk and vanilla until dissolved before adding the cornstarch.

Try mixing the cookie dough into chocolate coconut milk ice cream for a double chocolate version!

More Ice Cream and Frozen Desserts

Dreamy Peanut Butter Banana Popsicles
Blueberry Swirl Coconut Milk Popsicles
Vegan Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream
Lemon Elderflower Popsicles
Coconut Chai Ice Cream Bars

More No-Bake Desserts

Coconut Panna Cotta
Chocolate Puffed Quinoa Bars
Dark Chocolate Coconut Bars
Vegan Chocolate Mousse