This vegan date ice cream is perfectly rich and creamy and made with just 5 wholesome ingredients! Adapted from our popular vegan oat milk ice cream, this recipe also contains NO coconut or oil. Plus, with a nut-free option using sunflower seeds, everyone can enjoy this refined-sugar-free treat!
Why You'll Love Date Ice Cream
- This healthy non-dairy ice cream packs rich, nutty, complex flavors.
- If you use sunflower seeds, it takes on a roasty flavor reminiscent of chocolate, carob, or coffee.
- Blended oatmeal and dates make it IMPOSSIBLY creamy!
- You can use different nuts or seeds to switch up the flavor or accommodate dietary restrictions.
- And it's made with just 5 simple ingredients you can find at the grocery store!
For more nut-free vegan ice cream options, be sure to check out my Chocolate Chickpea Ice Cream and Banana Nice Cream next.
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Ingredient Notes
- Medjool dates: Look for fresh, plump dates. Ones that are old and dry will be difficult to blend. If needed, you can soak the dates in warm water, then drain, squeeze, and pat dry.
- Raw sunflower seeds OR cashews: Note that the earthy, nutty flavor of sunflower seeds does come through. So it helps if you're a fan! Combined with the warm flavor of dates, the result is like chocolate, carob, and coffee all rolled into one new and unique flavor. We like it, but it's not going to be for everyone. Cashews are more neutral, and allow the dates to shine.
- Rolled oats: Okay, what's going on with oats lately? I don't know about you, but where we live, we're only able to find thick-cut oats. Since I use rolled oats in SO many of my recipes, from ice creams and pie fillings, to oat milk and vegan cheeses, it's complicating things. The bottom line is:
- With "regular" rolled oats (sort of thin), you'll need 4 tablespoon (20 grams).
- With thicker, old fashioned rolled oats, you'll only need 2.5 tablespoon (20 g).
- Non-dairy milk: Choose a creamy, unsweetened variety such as oat, almond, soy, or cashew. I used a blend of unsweetened vanilla almond milk and plain soy milk.
- Vanilla and salt: important for overall flavor of the ice cream. I used pure vanilla extract, but you can also use vanilla bean, paste, or powder.
- Cinnamon: optional; I included cinnamon in the seed version to help balance the unique flavor of sunflower seeds and dates. You can taste the blended mixture and decide whether to include it or not. Also try pumpkin spice!
See the recipe card below for ingredient amounts and step-by-step instructions.
How to Make Date Ice Cream
Note: If you've never made vegan ice cream using the oatmeal trick, it may sound strange, but trust me! The creamy mouthfeel is legit, and in my opinion, FAR superior to coconut milk ice cream. 🙌
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First, in a small sauce pan, cook the oats in 1 cup of milk until soft, about 10 minutes. Set aside.
In a high-speed blender, combine 1 cup of milk, pitted dates, and the seeds or nuts. Slowly increase to high speed, and blend until creamy.
Add the oatmeal, vanilla, salt, and remaining milk, and blend again. Taste and add cinnamon, if desired. Refrigerate the mixture until cold.
Churn the ice cream according to the instructions for your machine. Alternatively, use your preferred no-churn method. More info on this below.
Once it has reached a soft-serve consistency, transfer the ice cream to a freezer-safe container, cover, and freeze for 3 to 4 hours.
Normally I use my Tovolo ice cream containers. But for photos I like to use a loaf pan to make it easier for you to see just how creamy it is.
Hint: I highly recommend enjoying some right away - it's SO good straight out of the ice cream maker!
Pictured above is the cashew version. You can see it has a lighter color, though the dates still give it a lovely, caramel tone.
Flavors & Mix-ins
This ice cream isn't like a neutral, plain vanilla, since both dates and sunflower seeds have their own fairly strong and unique flavors. So if you decide to experiment, choose additions that play well with nutty and roasty flavors.
- extracts - try coffee or almond
- dairy-free chocolate chips or shavings
- vegan chocolate syrup
- crumbled cookies - such as sandwich cookies or ginger snaps
If you plan to include hard mix-ins like nuts or chocolate, the best time to add those is immediately after churning. Fold them into the ice cream, then transfer it to a freezer-safe container.
Equipment
A few months ago I bought the Whynter Upright 2.1 Qt. For many years I used this Cuisinart 2-Quart Ice Cream Maker. It's a great machine, although it's much more expensive than it used to be.
I haven't tested the recipe yet without an ice cream maker, but if you have a no-churn method you like, I'm sure it will be fine. For more information on how to make ice cream without an ice cream maker, see the "No Churn Instructions" this post: vegan eggnog ice cream.
Top Tip
- Keep in mind that both sunflower seeds and dates have their own unique flavors. If you want to add flavor extracts or other additions, choose ones that pair well with flavors similar to carob, chocolate, caramel, and coffee.
- If you use cashews instead of seeds, dates are the primary flavor.
More Vegan Ice Cream Inspo
I hope you enjoy the amazing flavor and texture dates add to this vegan ice cream. If you try the recipe, be sure to comment below and let us know!
Recipe
Vegan Date Ice Cream (Nut-Free Option, No Coconut)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3¼ cups unsweetened non-dairy milk - such as oat, cashew, soy or almond
- 3 Tablespoons rolled oats - see Note 1
- 6 ounces pitted medjool dates - about 10 large; see Note 2
- ¾ cup raw sunflower seeds (100g) OR 1 cup raw cashews (125g) - see Note 3
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 1¼ teaspoons ground cinnamon, optional - we like it in the seed version to balance the flavors
Instructions
Prep & planning:
- If using an ice cream maker with a removable canister, be sure to place the canister in the freezer at least 24 hours in advance. Also note that the ice cream mixture needs time to chill before churning (about an hour), and the churned ice cream needs about 3 to 4 hours in the freezer to reach a firmer, scoop-able consistency.
Make the ice cream:
- In a small sauce pan, simmer the oats in 1 cup of the milk until soft, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a bowl to cool.
- In a high-speed blender, combine the dates, seeds or cashews, and 1 cup of milk. Blend on high until creamy. Add the oatmeal, vanilla, salt, and remaining 1¼ cups milk. Blend again until completely smooth. Taste and add cinnamon and an extra pinch of salt, if desired. Refrigerate until cold.
- Churn the mixture according to the instructions for your ice cream maker. At this point the ice cream will be like soft serve. Enjoy now, or transfer the ice cream to a freezer-safe container (or individual serving-size containers), cover, and freeze for 3 to 4 hours. Once fully frozen, let soften for a few minutes before serving.
Notes
Estimated Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition information is an estimate and will vary depending on the exact amounts and specific products and ingredients used.
Haleema says
Has anyone tried this with tahini (sesame seed butter)?
Lori Rasmussen says
Hi Haleema, I haven't tried it, but I think tahini ice cream sounds great!
Pamela Fein says
instead of dates...can i use date syrup? would it be 1/2 cup instead up 1 cup of dates? Thank you.
Lori Rasmussen says
Hi - Yes, that works. And 1/2 cup should be just right.
E Hayes says
This recipes looks amazing! So excited to try it! Would I be able to use almonds in place of cashews?? And how would I incorporate/prepare those?
Lori Rasmussen says
Hi, yes, almonds should be fine. You'll want to blanch them and remove the skins (you can find tutorials for this online), or buy them already blanched. I would use the same amount as the whole cashews.
Kaz says
Is it possible to sub in a nut butter ? I don't have a high powered blender !
Lori Rasmussen says
Yes, definitely. You can use the same amount by weight, which is going to be around 3/4 cups nut butter (or just a bit under). Hope that helps.
Atul says
Can I use steel cut oats instead of rolled? I will cook them very well. Should be the same as rolled after being in my Vitamix blender, I think. But not sure.
Lori Rasmussen says
Hi - yes, that should be fine. I haven't tried steel cut oats in any of my ice cream recipes but have heard from others that it works well.
alexandra says
Very good!
Laura says
Tasted similar to tahini salted caramel. I may use less oats next time as the texture was a bit “gummy” but I’m very pleased with the flavor profile when I included the cinnamon. Daughter is allergic to bananas so this style was very exciting to try for our family.
Sena says
This came out amazing! I used homemade almond milk, but for the last 1 1/4 cups I used Trader Joe’s vegan heavy cream. Creamy! Just the right amount of sweetness. I will make this again.
Laura says
Tastes a lot like a salted caramel ice cream not using the optional cinnamon. Excited to try different seeds. Great mouth feel and I like the options you gave to the recipe. We used an electric ice cream gelato maker and froze the rest. Generous serving size
Kat says
What if you don’t have an ice cream maker?? Can I use oat milk? Looks amazing!
Lori Rasmussen says
Hi Kat - Yes, oat milk is great. In the Equipment section above there is a note about using the no-churn method. It should turn out just fine!
Lu y says
Have you tried this recipe using a Ninja Creami machine?
Lori Rasmussen says
Hi Luy - No, I don't have a Ninja Creami, but others have commented on my other ice cream recipes that it works well. Hope you enjoy!