This vegan chickpea ice cream is a dairy-free game changer! No coconut milk or cashews here. The base of this chocolate ice cream is made with chickpeas, sunflower seed butter, and dairy-free chocolate, and the result is SO good it just might become your new favorite vegan ice cream!
What Makes It Different
Friends, this chocolate dream tastes every bit as good as it looks! Not only will no one believe this chocolate ice cream is vegan, they'll never know there are protein-rich chickpeas hidden inside.
Over the past year I've had so much fun creating alternative vegan ice creams with a base of oats and nuts (no coconut milk in these either). Here are the flavors I've shared so far:
- Vanilla-Maple
- Lemon
- Butter Pecan
- Pistachio (no cashews)
- Cranberry
- Pumpkin
As much as I LOVE those oatmeal-based ice creams, I was craving a new challenge. I also wanted to share a nut-free vegan ice cream for all the folks out there with nut allergies.
Related: Like the idea of chickpea desserts? Try these chickpea cookies!
Using Chickpeas and Corn Starch in Ice Cream
A couple of years ago I heard about an ice cream place in Portland, Oregon, called Little Chickpea that uses chickpeas in their vegan ice creams. It was pretty big news, so you may have heard of them, too.
I fully admit, initially the idea of adding chickpeas to my ice cream didn't sound all that great, which I guess is why it took me so long to get around to this experiment. Now I'm kicking myself!
This is easily one of the best vegan chocolate ice creams I've ever tasted.
The chickpeas are completely undetectable (thank you, chocolate), and the mouthfeel of this ice cream, especially once it gets all melty, is LEGIT like heavy cream. It actually feels fluffy in your mouth. Shout out to corn starch for that extra creamy element.
When you get to the final photo in the post, just before the recipe, look at the way the melted ice cream clings to the sides and bottom of the pan, and you'll see exactly what I mean.
Simmering corn starch with a portion of the milk creates a beautifully silky texture. Using corn starch in ice cream is often referred to as Sicilian-style.
But on the flip side of the melty stuff, chickpeas have a magical way of preventing this ice cream from melting as quickly as other recipes. So feel free to savor every bite and take your time while enjoying your scoops!
Ingredients
To make chocolate chickpea ice cream here's what you'll need:
- 1 cup cooked chickpeas - I used canned; rinse and drain very well
- 7 ounces dairy-free chocolate - look for a semi-sweet chocolate, one that's around 60 - 65% cacao; 70% is also good, but will be slightly less sweet.
- 2 cups unsweetened non-dairy milk, such as soy or oat
- ⅓ cup roasted sunbutter - I used Trader Joe's, but any brand is fine.
- scant ½ cup organic cane sugar
- 2 tablespoons corn starch
- ¼ cup cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
How To Make It
Preparing chickpea ice cream is pleasantly simple.
- First, whisk together cocoa powder, corn starch, and 1 cup of milk in a small saucepan.
- Bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat, and cook just until thickened, about 1 to 2 minutes. Be sure to whisk constantly. It will look like chocolate pudding (but it's not sweetened, so I don't recommend sneaking a taste... yet).
- Set the "pudding" mixture aside, and grab a blender. Blend the remaining cup of milk with the chickpeas, sugar, sunbutter, vanilla, and salt.
- Melt the chocolate, and add it to the blender. Also add the pudding, and blend until fully incorporated. Now give it a taste. If you used a darker chocolate, this is where you may want to add a bit more sugar. Totally up to you!
- Freeze according the instructions for your ice cream maker. Now it will be the consistency of soft-serve.
- For firmer, scoop-able ice cream, transfer to a freezer-safe container, and freeze for anywhere from 2 hours to overnight.
Tip! Keep in mind that anytime after 3 or 4 hours the ice cream will be VERY hard straight out of the freezer. So just let it hang out on the kitchen counter for a bit, maybe 20 minutes or so, depending on exactly how long it was in the freezer.
FAQs, Tips, and Substitutions
No, this recipe uses the actual chickpeas, not the chickpea liquid called aquafaba.
Tahini is another nut-free option that tastes great with chocolate. Or if you're okay with nuts, feel free to use almond, cashew, or peanut butter.
My two personal favorites are soy and oat milk. In addition to the chickpeas, soy milk adds even more protein, which is great. You can also use coconut or almond milk, if those are easier for you.
Well, I wouldn't go that far. It IS still ice cream. So even though it's quite a bit healthier than dairy-based ice cream, it is still fairly high in fat and sugar.
I haven't tested this recipe yet without an ice cream maker, but I suspect the standard no-churn method will work. Be sure to check out my other vegan ice cream recipes for tips on no-churn!
Corn starch adds a velvety smooth texture to ice cream similar to that of custard-based ice creams (those use eggs instead). Corn starch is vegan, inexpensive, and readily available in grocery stores. It's possible that another starch could be substituted, like tapioca, but I haven't had a chance to test it yet. If possible, I recommend sticking with corn starch for this particular recipe.
I hope you enjoy this nut-free vegan chocolate ice cream as much as we do. In case you can't tell, I'm completely enamored with it and can't wait to create more flavors!
If you try the recipe I would love to hear from you in the comments below, and be sure to leave a star rating to let everyone know how it turned out!
📖 Recipe
Chocolate Chickpea Ice Cream (Nut Free!)
Ingredients
- 2 cups unsweetened non-dairy milk such as soy or oat - I used plain soy.
- ¼ cup cocoa powder
- 2 tablespoons corn starch - or arrowroot
- 1 cup cooked chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- scant ½ cup organic cane sugar
- scant ⅓ cup sunflower seed butter, salted - Feel free to substitute tahini OR your favorite nut butter if okay with nuts, such as peanut, almond, or cashew.
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt - Add another pinch of salt if using an unsalted seed/nut butter.
- 7 ounces dairy-free chocolate (approx. 60 to 65 % cacao solids) - See Notes for selecting a chocolate.
Instructions
Prep:
- If using an ice cream maker with a removable canister, be sure to freeze the canister for at least 24 hours before making ice cream. Also note that the churned ice cream needs about 2 to 3 hours in the freezer to reach a firmer, scoopable consistency.
Make the ice cream:
- In a small sauce pan, whisk together 1 cup of milk, cocoa powder, and corn starch. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, whisking frequently. As soon as it begins to simmer, reduce heat to medium-low. Whisking constantly, cook until thickened, about 1 to 2 minutes. It will look similar to pudding. Remove from heat, and set aside.
- In a blender (see Notes) combine the remaining 1 cup of milk, chickpeas, sugar, sunbutter, vanilla, and salt. Blend on high until completely smooth, about 1 minute.
- Melt the chocolate using a double-boiler or by placing in a microwave-safe bowl and microwaving in 15 to 20 second intervals (stirring in between) until melted. Add the melted chocolate to the blender, and blend until smooth and fully incorporated.
- Add the cocoa "pudding" to the blender, and blend again. If the mixture feels warm at this point, refrigerate for 30 minutes to 1 hour. It doesn't necessarily need to be cold as it goes into the ice cream maker, but definitely no warmer than room temperature for the best results.
- Churn the mixture according the instructions for your ice cream maker. With my Cuisinart 2 Quart machine it takes about 22 minutes to reach soft serve consistency.
- For firmer, scoopable consistency transfer the ice cream to a freezer-safe container. Freeze for 2 to 3 hours. After 3 or 4 hours, and definitely once the ice cream has been in the freezer overnight, it will be VERY hard straight out of the freezer. It's important to let the ice cream soften at room temperature for at least 20 to 30 minutes before scooping, depending on how long it's been in the freezer.TIP: consider using smaller, individual serving-size containers, but keep in mind small containers will freeze and thaw more quickly than described here.
Notes
Estimated Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition information is an estimate and will vary depending on the exact amounts and specific products and ingredients used. We calculate this information using the online calculator cronometer.com.
Aurelie
Hey hey, is it possible to do it without sugar? Maybe using a chocolate that has already some sugar in like 85% chocolate? Thank you!
Lori
Hi Aurelie, the chocolates recommended do already include sugar, as that sweetness is an important part of the recipe. If you were to reduce the sugar overall I'm not sure how it might affect the texture.
Lynn M
Rich creamy amazing
Lynn M
My go to. Meant to give 5 stars.
Jeanette
Do you think I could use this recipe with the Ninja Creami?
Lori
Hi Jeanette, I don't actually have experience with the Ninja Creami, but I remember looking into it before when another reader asked (on a different recipe). And yes, it should work. Let us know if you give it a try!
Jazmyne
Great recipe!
To everyone who asked, I did a 1 to 1 substitution of tapioca for the corn starch. It worked fine! Just note that the pudding will thicken faster once it starts boiling.
Vicki
I just stumbled across your recipes and this is a God send for me and my family. All the vegan recipes I find have the ingredients my family is allergic to (soy, coconut, peanuts, gluten) I’m so excited to start trying these out. Thank you so much for not sticking with the norm ingredients!!
Lori
Thank you for the kind message, Vicki! I'm so glad some of the recipes will be helpful. That's my goal! I hope you and your family enjoy the ice cream, and the oat-based ice creams, too!
Justin LaVance
I used 50g organic cane sugar, and 100g of my homemade "date Paste" made with 204g dates pitted, and 160g almond milk unsweetened. So fricken good I love this website and the recipes!!! Tried the wings etc and nothing is a flunk!
sally
So delicious and so easy. I've made this twice, once with almond butter and once with peanut better substituted for half of the sunflower seed butter. Both times it was excellent, very creamy and decadent. I added chopped pretzels on top and I think other toppings would be great, as well.
Kelly
I made this earlier today and it is so creamy dreamy delicious! We love it! 🙂
Lori
Wonderful, Kelly! Happy to hear everyone loved it. Thanks for the feedback!
Eva
it was very difficult to believe that this ice cream could be a true ice cream, until I tasted it while it was just half frozen in the ice cream maker. Amazing!!!! After I ate a lot of it, just from the machine, ( couldn't stop myself!!!),I offered to my sister ( who isn't a vegan). She asked me how happened and I had made an ice cream like that!!
Thank you for the wonderful recipe!!! I will have the best ice cream that hot summer in Greece!!
Lori
So happy you loved it, Eva!
Melody
I’m gonna try this can’t use any kind of nut or seed butters any substitute suggestions?! Also you mentioned high in fat?! What’s got fat other than the nut or seed butters? Please advise I’m so excited to make this!!
Lori
Hi Melody,
Yes, fat also comes from the chocolate. I don't yet have a tested option for a reduced fat version, but you can always experiment! Try omitting the seed butter, reducing the chocolate, increasing the cocoa powder and sweetener (to make up for the lost sweetness from the chocolate). You could also blend in some frozen banana for a "nice cream" hybrid. 🙂 Just keep in mind that it will be best eaten in a soft serve state because reducing the fat will make it more icy.
Let us know if you give it a try!
Laurie
Need non corn option. What best option to try, arrowroot powder or tapioca starch. Also would lessening sweetener and using carob work good. Wonder about avocado as seed/ nut replacement and suggested amount. Thank you
Lori
Hi Laurie, I would probably choose arrowroot in this case. I'm not sure about the other changes, but I'm a big fan of experimentation. Go for it using ingredients you love! I suspect the amount of carob needed will be similar. If the mixture tastes great after blending it will taste great after freezing. 🙂 Let us know if you give it a try!
Gayi
Thank you Lori for this wonderful recipe. Made it. I used the no churn method. I was surprised how smooth and creamy the ice cream turned out to be. The family loved it. Looking forward to more fruit based flavors with no nuts and coconut like this one:) Thank you again!!
Lori
Hi Gayi, thanks so much for the feedback. I'm very happy you enjoyed it!
Mmmmm fruit flavors. I've been thinking about strawberry. 😀
Ann Hough
Any progress on other flavors? I don't eat chocolate - usually substitute carob but that won't work in this recipe because of the bar of chocolate. I would love to make a fruit flavor instead!
Lori
Hi Ann, sorry, no progress on fruit flavors yet. Are you looking to keep it nut-free and coconut-free like this one? The problem is coming up with some kind of fat to replace the chocolate. If nuts, coconut, and cocoa butter are out we're pretty much just left with seeds.
As a team of one I'm slow sometimes, working my way through ideas and the to-do list. 😀 So I really appreciate the prompting! I'll give it some thought.
Karen Ricketts
Hi Lori - would I be able to do this with the "No Churn" method you describe in your Vanilla Maple Oat Milk Ice Cream Recipe? (That worked great for me, for the Butter Pecan Ice Cream too.) If not, I'll just have to buy an ice cream maker because wow, this looks amazing!
Lori
Hi Karen, if you were happy with the no-churn results for those other two ice creams then most definitely! I think you'll really like it.
I do have to say, if you enjoy making ice cream fairly often, a machine really is nice. The price seems to go up and down on the Cuisinart one I use, but it's usually pretty reasonable, and it doesn't take up too much space, which I like.
Hope you enjoy the ice cream!
Iulia
Hi looks great! Can I use tapioca starch?
Lori
Thanks, Iulia! Please see the FAQs above. I haven't tried it with tapioca but I do think it's worth a shot. Maybe reduce it to 1 tablespoon, though. Would love for you to let us know how it goes if you give it a try!
Susan
Excited to try this and was going to use tapioca starch as well (since it's what I usually have on hand). I usually UP to amount of tapioca starch to corn starch - not decrease it so I will post and hope Lulia does as well if she tries with less. Thanks Lori!!
Gayi
Whoa!! Have to try it ASAP. Thank you.
Lynn G
Thank you can’t wait to try this