This cookies and cream ice cream is dairy-free, vegan, and full of delicious cookie sandwich crumbles in each bite!

July is National Ice Cream Month and Sunday July 17th is National Ice Cream Day!

ICE CREAM FOR EVERYONE!

Yes, even those of us who are dairy free.

When I discovered I needed to have a mostly dairy-free diet, I panicked. Not only because CHEESE (!!) but because ICE CREAM (!!).

I quickly realized, however, there there was no need to panic. Dairy-free ice cream honestly can be just as delicious. And, it's easy to make at home!

What you need to make this easy ice cream recipe

Cookies and cream ice cream is a flavor that everyone in our family can agree is delicious. And to make this dairy-free version, you just need a few ingredients:

canned coconut milk
granulated sugar
vanilla extract
chocolate sandwich cookies (like Oreos)

That's it!

This cookies and cream ice cream is dairy free and made with coconut milk. However, if you do not need to be dairy free, you can absolutely use heavy cream instead of coconut milk in this recipe.

How do you make cookies & cream ice cream from scratch?

Making this ice cream recipe is super simple:

Chop the sandwich cookies and set aside.
Add coconut milk, sugar, and vanilla extract to a blender and pulse just enough to blend all ingredients.
Pour coconut milk mixture into your chilled ice cream maker bowl and churn according to manufacturer's instructions.
The last five minutes of churning, add the chopped sandwich cookies into the ice cream maker and continue churning for the remaining time.
Transfer finished ice cream into a freezer safe container and cover then freeze until you are ready to serve.

This dairy-free, vegan cookies and cream ice cream is a cool, sweet treat. The consistency is between that of a traditional rich, velvety ice cream and a light sorbet.

Cooking tips for making this ice cream

Be sure to chill your ice cream maker in the freezer for at least 24 hours before making this ice cream.
I have found that between 10-12 cookies seems to be about the right amount of cookies to add to this recipe.
Remember to wait until about the last five minutes of churning to add the crumbled cookies in.
Don't forget to save a few cookie crumbles to sprinkle on top of each serving, too! Because everybody deserves a little extra cookie love, don't you think?

Is homemade ice cream healthier?

It's so easy and so rewarding to make homemade ice cream. And, it's almost always healthier, because you really just need 2-4 ingredients tops to make ice cream. I love that we can enjoy sweet treats without all of the added processed ingredients you find in most store brands.

Ways kids can help make this ice cream recipe

If you've got little ones at home, have them join the fun in making this ice cream recipe with you! Here are some of the tasks that kids can help you with:

Crushing the cookies in a plastic bag
Measuring out the sugar and vanilla.
Adding the coconut milk, sugar, and vanilla to the blender.
Pouring the liquids into the ice cream maker.
Adding the cookie crumbles to the ice cream maker at the end.

More ice cream recipes & sorbet recipes you might like

Tools for Making Ice Cream at Home

Here are a few tools that we use in our family kitchen that help make ice cream making a real treat!

An Ice Cream Maker

We like the Cuisinart ICE-30BC Pure Indulgence 2-Quart Automatic Frozen Yogurt, Sorbet, and Ice Cream Maker in Silver

A High Powered Blender

We like the Vitamix E310 Explorian Blender, Professional-Grade, 48 oz.

A Great Whisk

We use this OXO Good Grips 11-Inch Better Balloon Whisk almost every day for cooking and baking at home!

A Heatproof Spatula

This Di Oro Seamless Series Pro-Grade Large Silicone Spatula is heat resistant up to 600°F. Perfect for Baking, Cooking, Scraping, etc.