The Most Important Tip To Remember For Making The Creamiest Vegan Ice Cream

Gone are the days when vegans suffered through pints of uninspiring vegan ice cream. There are now plenty of vegan brands available that taste like the real creamy deal. But as with regular ice cream that's mass-produced, you should always check the label to make sure that the ingredients are pure and additive-free. Your best bet is to make vegan ice cream yourself, with or without an ice-cream maker, but because it relies on plant-based oil or fat for texture and, in some cases, flavor, you'll need to make a couple adjustments to the ice cream's base.

We couldn't think of a better person to ask for advice in making vegan ice cream than Tyler Malek, co-founder and head ice cream maker for Salt & Straw, the brand known for its boundary-pushing flavors. Of the 1000-plus flavors that Malek has created, at least 20% are vegan, which are highlighted in Salt & Straw's monthly menu series. 

"The biggest tip is to understand, what we call in the industry, your 'total solids' in the ice cream mix," Malek told Tasting Table. In a dairy-based ice cream, the solids are composed of butterfat, sugar, and the minerals and proteins that naturally occur in milk. "We typically target about 45% solids and 55% water," Malek further explained. When you're making vegan ice cream, you'll get the best results by trying to match the same ratio with vegan-based ingredients, like using oat milk instead of regular milk or coconut oil rather than butter.

Salt & Straw is unique in that it uses whole ingredients when blending the ice cream base. The majority of ice cream shops rely on a pre-made mix of cream, milk, and sugar that's sourced from local dairies, which is then flavored and poured into an ice cream maker. The mixes don't contain eggs, and so guar gum and seaweed-derived carrageenan are added to hold the ice cream together. Without eggs, vegan ice cream needs some sort of thickener, and sometimes, cornstarch or arrowroot is added to give the ice cream a not-altogether pleasing pudding consistency. There are many alternative non-dairy milks to choose from when making vegan ice cream, but because they lack fat, the ice cream will turn out thin and watery. Some recipes call for coconut milk, but even the full-fat version isn't enough to produce a creamy ice cream. 

By adding coconut cream — not to be confused with sweetened cream of coconut — to the mix with coconut milk, the combined fat content gives smooth results. Of course, with so much coconut in the mix, your vegan ice cream will be coconuty, but by adding chocolate, vanilla, instant coffee powder, mint, or tropical fruits, the flavor won't be as intense. Vegan ice cream doesn't always need fat, and you can try "nice cream" with bananas as the lone ingredient. Or by tossing in some cocoa powder, cocoa nibs, and maple syrup, you'll get a delicious chocolate banana ice cream.