This Homemade Dairy-free Vanilla Ice Cream recipe is so easy to make it will quickly become your go-to summer treat with its creamy texture and flavor that will keep you coming back for more.
Prepare your ice cream maker per its instruction manual. If you need to freeze the bowl before making ice cream freeze it. If you are doing the no-churn method, proceed to step 2.
In a blender, combine all of the ingredients to make ice cream. Puree the mixture until it is completely smooth, about 2 minutes or so.
Pour the mixture into a saucepan over medium heat and stir it frequently just until the gelatin is fully dissolved. DO NOT let the mixture come to a boil. This should take about 4-5 minutes.
Pour the mixture into a bowl and place it in the fridge to cool for about 4 hours or until it is no longer warm. You want the mixture cold before you put it into the ice cream maker.
Once the ice cream base is chilled, place it in the bowl of your ice cream maker and churn per your machine's directions. (If you are not using an ice cream maker, place the chilled base into the freezer. Whisk or stir the mixture every 30-45 minutes to help keep it smooth and reduce the mixture from forming ice crystals as the ice cream base chills. Leaving it lightly covered in between. Continue until the mixture is thick.)
Place the churned ice into a freezer-safe container and let it chill for 4-6 hours to let it entirely set up. If you like more of a soft-serve consistency, you can eat it straight from the machine.
Notes
Sugar– This might seem odd as a trick for ice cream, but you might be surprised to know that it is actually one of the secrets to getting the homemade ice cream really soft and creamy. So don’t skimp on the sugar or try to sub in an alternate because you won’t get the same texture.Gelatin – The gelatin in this recipe helps to keep the final ice cream smooth and creamy without getting icy or hard in the freezer.
No Machine Method
Follow the instructions until it’s time to chill.
Once the base is chilled, place it in a freezer-safe container and place it in the freezer.
As the base chills whisk or stir the mixture every 30-45 minutes until it is fully set. This movement will help to break up any potential ice spots that try to form since the machine is not churning it.
When the mixture is thick (like soft-serve), you can lightly cover it and let it finish chilling at least 4 hours or overnight for a firmer ice cream.