Vegan Date Ice Cream (Nut-Free Option, No Coconut)

Close up of a scoop of vegan date ice cream made with sunflower seeds.

Vegan Date Ice Cream (Nut-Free Option, No Coconut)

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 10

Churn & freeze time: 3

Total Time 3 20

Servings:8 servings

Author: Lori Rasmussen, My Quiet Kitchen

This date-sweetened non-dairy ice cream is perfectly creamy and made with just 5 wholesome ingredients! Adapted from our popular vegan oat milk ice cream, this recipe is also free from coconut and oil. And with a nut-free option using sunflower seeds, everyone can enjoy healthy vegan ice cream!

Ingredients
US Customary | Metric

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

Please review the Equipment section and other helpful information in the post above.

No ice cream maker? I haven't tested this recipe yet without an ice cream maker, but if you have a no-churn method you typically use, I'm sure it will be fine. If you're not familiar with no-churn, see the "No Churn Instructions" this post: vegan eggnog ice cream.

Note 1: Lately we can only find thick-cut rolled oats instead of the thinner type we used for years. With thick-cut, you don't need as much. If you have a kitchen scale, this makes it easy. Simply weigh out 20 grams of oats. Otherwise, if you think the oats are somewhat thin, use 4 tablespoon (¼ cup). If they seem thick, use 2.5 Tbsp.

Note 2: The dates should be fresh and plump for the easiest blending. If you don't have a scale, pack the pitted dates into a measuring cup. You should have a little less than 1 cup.

Note 3: I used raw sunflower seeds. I'm sure roasted is fine, too. In fact, it might even be better, like Sunbutter!

Store in an airtight container in the freezer. Soften at room temp for about 10 minutes before serving.

Nutrition