Vegan Eggnog Ice Cream

A spoon scooping up creamy, melting eggnog ice cream from a metal loaf pan.

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 10

Freeze time 4

Total Time 4 30

Servings:8 servings

Author: Lori Rasmussen, My Quiet Kitchen

Dairy-free and vegan, this eggnog ice cream is full of the festive flavors of the season! It's irresistibly creamy thanks to oats, oat milk, and cashews and calls for just 9 simple ingredients.

Yield: makes about 4 cups (or 2 pints)

Ingredients
US Customary | Metric

3½ cups unsweetened oat milk (preferably not a low-fat variety) - or a combination of soy, cashew, or oat
¼ cup rolled oats
1¼ cups raw cashews - If you don't have a high speed blender, sub ½ cup raw cashew butter
½ cup pure maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon nutmeg
½ teaspoon cinnamon
⅛ teaspoon cloves
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
3 Tablespoons bourbon (1.5 fl oz) - see Notes

Instructions

Planning:

For no-churn instructions, refer to the section above.
If using an ice cream maker with removable canister, be sure to freeze the canister for at least 24 hours before you plan to make ice cream. Also note that the ice cream mixture needs time to chill before churning (about 1 hour), and the churned ice cream needs several hours in the freezer to reach a firm, scoop-able consistency.

Make the ice cream:

In a small sauce pan, combine 1 cup of the milk and the oats. Bring to a simmer, and cook until soft, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a bowl to cool.
In a blender combine 1½ cups of milk with the cashews. Blend on high until completely smooth. Add the remaining 1 cup milk, oatmeal, maple syrup, vanilla, spices, salt, and bourbon. Blend until smooth, and refrigerate until chilled.
Churn the ice cream mixture according manufacturer's instructions for your machine. Once it has reached a soft-serve consistency, you can obviously enjoy some now, or scoop it all into a freezer-safe container, cover, and freeze for about 4 hours.
Around the 4 hour mark, and definitely once the ice cream has been in the freezer overnight, it will be fairly hard. Let it soften at room temperature for about 10 minutes before scooping.

Notes

Bourbon

Alcohol is often added to homemade ice cream for a softer consistency. Here, it's also an important part of the eggnog flavor. However, it's fine to omit the bourbon if needed. You can also sub spiced rum if you don't have bourbon.

Storage and Serving

Store the ice cream in an airtight container in the freezer for up to two weeks (if it lasts that long!).

Nutrition