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 and ever since making vegan 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 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.

Ingredients

• Non-dairy milk: while I highly 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 cashew milk. If you’re making it at home, reduce the water by about 25% in whatever milk you choose.
• Maple syrup: if the recipe doesn’t need to be fully vegan, you can use honey instead of maple syrup, which will help to keep the ice cream soft. 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.
• Cornstarch: this is the thickener, what makes a pudding. I always use organic cornstarch. Substitute arrowroot or tapioca, but use a teaspoon extra.
• Vanilla: powder, bean, paste, or extract. If using vanilla bean, split and cook it with the custard.

Step by Step

Step 1: add the milk, maple syrup, cornstarch, and vanilla to a small saucepan.
Step 2: whisk to combine, making sure no lumps of cornstarch remain.
Step 3: 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.
Step 4: cover and allow the custard to come to room temperature before refrigerating until chilled through.

Step 5: once the custard is fully chilled, churn it according to your ice cream maker instructions.
Step 6: once the ice cream is churned, stir in the cookie dough pieces.
Step 7: transfer to a pre-chilled freezer safe container or serve immediately.
Step 8: store in an airtight container and thaw for a few minutes before scooping.

Recipe 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.

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

How to Store

The churned ice cream should be kept in an airtight container in the freezer and will last about a month. Thaw for a few minutes before scooping and serving.

Expert Tips

• Don’t over churn: this is a common pitfall for vegan ice creams because they don’t need as much time to churn. If over-mixed in the ice cream machine, they’ll end up icy and very hard. Stop mixing as soon as it reaches soft serve consistency.
• Whisk well: any remaining lumps of cornstarch will make for a lumpy custard and, in turn, a lumpy ice cream.
• Chill the container: this will make a big difference in preventing the ice cream from melting immediately when transferred to the storage container. I usually freeze mine for about an hour beforehand.

More Ice Cream and Frozen Desserts

Dreamy Peanut Butter Banana Popsicles
Blueberry Lemon Popsicles
Vegan Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream
Lemon Elderflower Popsicles

If you make this Vegan Cookie Dough Ice Cream or any other dairy-free dessert recipes on Occasionally Eggs, please take a moment to rate the recipe and leave a comment below. It’s such a help to others who want to try the recipe. For more OE, follow along on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest, purchase the Occasionally Eggs cookbook, or subscribe for new posts via email.

Occasionally Eggs

by Alexandra Daum

If you’re looking for approachable, seasonal vegetarian recipes, you’re in the right place! Occasionally Eggs is all about healthier plant based recipes that follow the seasons.

Find vegetarian staples, refined sugar free desserts, and hundreds of vegan recipes. All OE recipes are vegetarian, dairy free, and refined sugar free.