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
Cherry Chocolate Chip Ice Cream (Vegan, Dairy-Free)
Cookies and Cream Ice Cream (Dairy-Free, Vegan)- Summer Sweetness: Orange Sorbet
- Dairy Free Coffee Ice Cream with Thin Mint Cookie
Easy 3-2-1 Raspberry Sherbet
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.
Ingredients
- 1 14- ounce can coconut milk
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 12 chocolate sandwich cookies like Oreos
Instructions
- Either by hand or in a food processor, roughly chop the sandwich cookies into chunks. 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.
What's your favorite ice cream flavor?
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Pech says
Yummm... I actually don't eat ice cream much because even though I eat all the cheese, I am a bit lactose intolerant and ice cream usually gets me in trouble so I tend to focus on sorbets. But, I definitely miss the creamy texture - the problem with this recipe is that besides the dozen in the recipe, I think there will be an extra dozen while making this...
Pech says
Dozen cookies. forgot a word ha ha. I was too distracted with this thought of ice cream at 9:30 am...
Marlynn Jayme Schotland says
Haha! Love it! I am easily distracted by ice cream thoughts any time of day ;)
Citra Kale @Citra's Home Diary says
wow...this is superb Marlynn! I was thinking making something with my-dunno what to do -coconut milk . bookmarked this !
Marlynn Jayme Schotland says
Thank you, Citra! If you have more coconut milk you're not sure what to do with, I also like to use it in curries and Asian dishes. Here are a couple of my faves:
Coconut Shrimp with Rice: https://urbanblisslife.com/2015/01/07/easy-coconut-shrimp-with-rice/
Thai Peanut Curry with Jasmine Rice: https://urbanblisslife.com/2014/09/01/thai-peanut-curry/
Enjoy! :)
Dorothy at Shockingly Delicious says
It is hard to beat c&c ice cream, isn't it? Your version looks scrummy!
Michele Francisco says
I'm not an ice cream fan but coconut milk ice cream... that I can get behind! Now we need to get an ice cream maker! Damn you Marlynn ;)
Sabrina says
This is a perfect summer dessert! My husband loves cookies and cream!
Kim Beaulieu says
I adore cookies and cream ice cream. It's a staple in our household throughout the summer.
Renée ♥ The Good Hearted Woman says
Homemade ice cream is the best! I recently discovered coconut milk as an alternative for ice cream, and make about half our ice cream with it now. The consistency and flavor it brings is amazing, and when I use it, no one misses the heavy cream at all.
Jen says
I so need an ice cream maker!! And I can't believe I missed National Ice Cream Day!!!
Ashley says
Do you know if this can be made without an ice cream maker (no-churn)? Hoping to make this for a dairy-free coworker!
Marlynn Jayme Schotland says
I've never made it that way so I can't say for certain, but if you try let me know how it goes!
Garion Bracken says
How about soaking the cookies in the ice cream mix for a while before staining to churn, just to soften them up a bit
Rachel says
Can you swap the coconut milk with almond milk? I’m not a fan of the taste of coconut.
Marlynn Jayme Schotland says
Hi Rachel! I have never used almond milk in my DF ice cream before, only coconut milk, so I can't say for sure how it would freeze and hold up in comparison. If you do try it, please let us know how it turns out!
Lori says
This ice cream is SO SO SO good! I noticed that in all of the comments, no one had reviewed it after actually eating it. So I thought I'd be the first. This ice cream is perfect! I made it today and I love it! It is so expensive to buy already made dairy free ice cream, and this is so much cheaper AND I know what all is in it! Thanks so much for posting this recipe!
Marlynn Jayme Schotland says
Lori, thank you so much for your sweet comment! I am so happy that you loved this recipe! :)
Sidd says
It was delicious but it had an icy texture. Great flavour though!
Any tips on how to have a more smooth texture? Could I maybe use soymilk?
Marlynn Jayme Schotland says
Hi Sid! There are a few different things that can make dairy-free ice cream more icy versus creamy:
- make sure you use full-fat coconut milk, not low-fat
- the coconut milk brand makes a difference. I use Thai Kitchen full-fat coconut milk
-you could also try adding a small amount of thickening agent, such as cornstarch, tapioca starch, xantham gum, or arrowroot powder.
I've never used soymilk in any of my dairy-free ice cream recipes, so I can't vouch for how that would change the texture. If you try it, please let me know!
Hope that helps!