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This Coffee Ice Cream is unbelievably creamy, and once you taste it, you’ll have a hard time believing it’s dairy-free! It’s possibly the best ice cream I’ve ever made, using only 3 simple ingredients. (No coconut milk required!)

coffee ice cream scooped out of pan

Why You’ll Love It

  • It’s coffee ice cream. Seriously, if you love coffee-flavored ice cream, you’ll love the flavor of this vegan version. My mother-in-law was one of my taste testers for this one, and she couldn’t believe it was dairy-free! It really does taste like “real” ice cream.
  • No complicated ingredients. I originally started testing coffee ice cream recipes with instant coffee granules, but I figured it would be even easier if you could simply use home-brewed coffee. So, that’s all you need!
  • Easy as possible. Just blend 3 ingredients until smooth, and pour into an ice cream maker.
  • It’s scoop-able. Have you ever made a dairy-free ice cream, only to find it turns rock-hard when you freeze it overnight? This vegan coffee ice cream is much more scoop-able than other recipes that use canned coconut milk. It’s still firm, but it’s not as “icy” in texture.
  • It’s naturally sweetened. This ice cream is naturally sweetened with maple syrup, so it shouldn’t spike your blood sugar quite as much as traditional versions.

Did I mention it tastes amazing? My husband literally came home from work the day after I made this, craving another scoop. It’s so good!

How to Make It

  1. Blend. Add the coffee, cashews, and maple syrup to a blender, and blend until very smooth. If you have a Vitamix, I recommend blending for a full 60 seconds, and using the tamper to make sure things are moving along. If you don’t have a high-speed blender, you may want to soak the cashews in the coffee for up to 2 hours in advance, to help them soften and blend easier.
  2. Pour. Transfer the blended mixture into the bowl of your ice cream machine (make sure it’s been frozen for 24 hours in advance, if your machine requires that) and process until the ice cream is thick, about 30 to 35 minutes.
  3. Enjoy! You can enjoy this ice cream right away with a soft-serve consistency, or transfer it to an airtight container to store in the freezer. It will be more firm and scoop-able after you freeze it for 2 to 4 hours.

You can store this cashew based ice cream for up to 3 months in the freezer, and its flavor will be best if you keep it tightly covered.

How to Make it Without an Ice Cream Maker

Don’t have an ice cream maker? You can blend this mixture together, then pour it into an airtight container to freeze until solid, about 6 to 8 hours. The resulting ice cream will be slightly more icy in texture, but it still turns out delicious.

For even creamier results, you can stir the mixture every hour or so, to help incorporate more air into the ice cream, the way an ice cream maker does. The process just takes longer this way.

coffee ice cream in bowl with coffee beans

Variations

I have more ice cream recipes coming for you all Summer long, but if you want to experiment with this recipe as a base, here’s what I’ve tried so far.

  • Almond Milk Ice Cream. Yes, I’ve tested this recipe with almonds instead of cashews, and the result is just as creamy, but the texture isn’t as nice. If you leave the whole almonds in the milk, without straining them out like you would when making almond milk, the resulting ice cream is very “fibrous.” My kids didn’t like it. If you strain out the pulp, you wind up with a more icy-textured ice cream, that is also delicious, but definitely not as creamy as this recipe. (And not scoop-able later– it freezes very hard!)
  • Pistachio Ice Cream. This one is coming soon! You can use pistachios instead of cashews, and water instead of coffee. The pistachios leave a little more fiber in the final ice cream, so it’s a little grainier in texture, but it’s totally delicious.
  • Almond Mocha Fudge. Try adding in some chopped almonds and swirls of vegan chocolate sauce, for a delicious variation.
  • Coffee Caramel Crunch. Swirl in some date caramel and crunchy cacao nibs.

Could you possibly use hazelnuts, pumpkin seeds, or pecans? Possibly! I’ll let you know as soon as I try it out, and I hope you’ll share with me in the comments below if you experiment with it, too.

coffee ice cream ready to serve from the machine

coffee ice cream scooped out of pan

Coffee Ice Cream

4.91 from 21 votes
This Coffee Ice Cream is dairy-free, and tastes just as delicious as the traditional version. Made with just 3 simple ingredients, this cashew ice cream will be your new favorite.
prep5 mins Processing Time:30 mins total35 mins
Servings:6

Ingredients
 
 

  • 1 1/2 cups brewed coffee (cooled, 12 ounces)
  • 1 1/2 cups raw cashews (206 grams)
  • 1/2 cup maple syrup (155 grams)

Instructions

  • If your ice cream maker requires a frozen bowl before you get started, make sure to freeze the bowl at least 24 hours in advance. Add the cold coffee, cashews, and maple syrup to a blender, and blend until very smooth and creamy, with no visible cashew pieces remaining.
    cashews and coffee blended together
  • Pour the blended mixture into the frozen bowl of your ice cream machine, and then process until thick and creamy, about 30 to 35 minutes.
    coffee ice cream poured into ice cream machine
  • Enjoy right away, for a soft-serve consistency, or transfer to an airtight container to store in your freezer. It will be more firm and scoop-able after 2 to 4 hours in the freezer, and will still be as scoopable as regular ice cream the next day! Store in the freezer for up to 3 months, as long as you keep it tightly sealed.
    finished coffee ice cream served in bowl

Video

Notes

Nutrition information is for a slightly heaped 1/2 cup serving. This recipe should make 3 1/4 cups total. This information is automatically calculated, and is just an estimate, not a guarantee.
If you don't have an ice cream maker, be sure to read the full post above for tips. You can still make this without one! 

Nutrition

Calories: 251kcal | Carbohydrates: 28g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Sodium: 7mg | Potassium: 302mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 18g | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 42mg | Iron: 2mg
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: vegan
Keyword: coffee ice cream, healthy, vegan

If you try this coffee ice cream, please leave a comment below letting me know how you like it! And if you try any variations, I’d love to hear about those, too.

Reader Feedback: Which ice cream flavor would you like to see next?

Megan Gilmore leaning on her white countertop.

Megan Gilmore

Hi, I’m Megan. A former fast food junkie turned best-selling cookbook author. I create healthy recipes made with simple ingredients to make your life easier.

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Comments

  1. Absolutely delicious!!!
    So creamy and not too sweet
    Made the magic shell to go with it.
    Thanks again for another fabulous recipe.
    Now I’ll have to check out the other ice cream recipes you posted this summer.

  2. I made this coffee ice cream recipe twice now, mainly for my son-in-law who is lactose and WHEY intolerant. It is good! Everyone liked it. I used cashew pieces from Trader Joe’s. The second time I made it, I opted to soak the cashew pieces in water for a few hours to soften them and then drained them. Even though the recipe does not call for that, it made the ice cream just a tad bit less gritty-ish and more smooth. It was not a huge difference. Both ways work well.

  3. Hi Megan,
    Is there a subsitution for the Cashews? Allergy stiops me from trying this recipe. I can have peanuts and almonds but no other type of nuts.
    Thank you
    Lisa

    1. I’ve tested this with whole almonds and the texture isn’t great at all, but maybe you could use almond butter? I’d try using 3/4 cup almond butter to replace 1 1/2 cups cashews.

  4. I’ve made this recipe twice so far. Both times it came out delicious. I soak the cashews in the brewed coffee until the coffee has cooled. I don’t have a high speed blender so soaking them helps. I also don’t have an ice cream maker, so I freeze it in popsicle molds. They came out perfect. So creamy and delicious. I even made the chocolate hard shell to drizzle over them.

  5. Bought the ice cream maker on Friday made the coffee ice cream on Saturday and the strawberry recipe on Sunday (used black sweet cherries since I had those in the freezer). Both recipes were simple to make and delicious. Thank you for being a food chemist. Love everything you do!

  6. I do not have an ice cream maker and just put this in the freezer last night. It was fabulous today! I made a bowl with almonds and chocolate syrup on top, tasted like I went to an ice cream shop! So delicious on a hot summer day.

  7. Hi Megan,
    First I want to say i make so many of your recipes and my family absolutely loves them!
    We love coffee ice cream! do you possibly have a recipe that doesn’t use cashews? Nuts are a tricky allergen for my family. Peanuts and Almonds we can handle. Thank you!

  8. This recipe is ingenious . It came out perfect. I used a Ninja and it was very smooth before freezing in a Cuisinart ice cream maker. (Great investment. The older model is much cheaper and works 100%) Also used Stok cold brew and our neighbors from Baird Farm Vermont maple syrup . I’ve learned than honey and maple are often not authentic. Can’t wait to try the pistachio!

  9. This was absolutely wonderful! My family loves Haagen Daz coffee ice cream. This is the answer to non-dairy ice cream. Wow!