Coffee Chip Ice Cream (Dairy-Free, Vegan, Paleo)

This Coffee Chip Ice Cream is such a delicious and refreshing treat! You’ll love the simple ingredients in this recipe, and you won’t need an ice cream maker to enjoy. Dairy-Free, no-churn, and so easy to make!

Here is a useless fact you can now know about me and my food preferences: Coffee ice cream is my absolute favorite flavor! I will go a step further and say that it’s the ONLY flavor of ice cream I eat. I am not even a coffee drinker, but boy do I love some coffee flavored desserts!

For years, I enjoyed my favorite coffee ice cream from Trader Joe’s with a few chocolate chips on top and chopped almonds. Seriously, being the picky dessert person I am, this one will always be a favorite of mine. About a year ago, I noticed that one of my favorite treats was wreaking havoc on body. Causing crazy indigestion, also drastically affecting my sleep. At first I thought it was the coffee part of the dessert, but then realized it was actually the dairy that was causing me to wake up in the middle of the night and feel terrible. So I had to stop eating it…..What a sad day!

Recently, I have been fighting those cravings for a really good coffee ice cream. Being in the middle of a crazy heat wave, I knew it was time to experiment with making my own dairy-free ice cream. And I am so happy to report that Wholesomelicious now officially has an ice cream recipe, and it is soooooooooo darn good!!!

Naturally Sweetened: 

This delicious ice cream is sweetened only with dates. The dates will soften up when the coconut cream and coconut milk are heated up on the stovetop. The cashew butter is an added bonus to this recipe! It makes it deliciously creamy, and also adds that hint of sweetness and salty to the recipe.

How to make Coffee Chip Ice Cream: 

So as I mentioned above, no need for an ice cream maker! You’ll love that you can easily whip this up using the stovetop and a blender. We’ll gather up these ingredients:

• can of coconut milk (full fat)
• can of coconut cream
• pitted dates
• instant coffee
• vanilla extract
• sea salt
• cashew butter
• chocolate chips

We start by using the stovetop and heating up the coconut milk, coconut cream, pitted dates, and instant coffee. Bring the mixture to a boil, then turn off the heat and let sit for about 10 minutes to let it cool down.

Pour the mixture into a high powered blender. Add in the vanilla extract, sea salt, and cashew butter. Blend until completely smooth. Pour into a baking pan (8×8, or loaf pan), that is lined with parchment paper.

Place the mixture in the freezer and let cool for at least 20 minutes. Remove and stir in the chocolate chips. If mixture is still a little warm, the chocolate will start to swirl (which I love!). You can also wait until it’s very cold, around 30 minutes, before adding in the chocolate chips.

Place back in the freezer for 2-3 hours, or until very firm and chilled. Use a warm ice cream scoop and stir in additional chocolate chips (optional).

Serving and Storing:

I prefer to serve this over a warm brownie (my favorite), with some chopped almonds. Otherwise, you can sprinkle in additional chocolate chips and nuts, or serve as is. If the ice cream is too cold and difficult to scoop, let it sit at room temperature for 20 minutes. Run an ice cream scoop over hot water so that it softens.

The best way to store, is to move the ice cream to an air tight container once it softens a bit at room temperature. Place back in the freezer. Each time you enjoy, let it sit out for 20 minutes or so before scooping. Well worth the wait, I promise!

Variations:

You can skip the chocolate chips for just a strict coffee flavor.

I would not substitute the coconut cream or coconut milk with anything else. This helps the ice cream to get that creamy texture, but also allows it to thicken when cold.

Want to use a different nut butter in place of cashew? Almond butter or pecan butter are the best options, although cashew is my absolute favorite.

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Coffee Chip Ice Cream

Prep Time 20 minutes

Servings 6

5 from 2 votes

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Ingredients

• 1 14oz can of full fat coconut cream
• 1 14oz can of full fat coconut milk
• 1 cup pitted dates
• 2 tbsp instant coffee
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp sea salt + more to top
• 2/3 cup cashew butter
• 1 cup chocolate chips*

Instructions

1. Begin by adding the coconut milk, coconut cream, pitted dates, and instant coffee to a medium sized saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil, then remove from heat. Let sit for 10 minutes while the dates continue to soften, and mixture cools.

2. Add the cococonut milk coffee mixture to a blender with vanilla extract, sea salt, and cashew butter. Blend until very creamy (this could take up to 3 minutes).

3. Prepare a square baking pan (8x8) or loaf pan by lining with parchment paper. Pour the blended mixture into the pan and place in the freezer for 20 minutes.

4. Remove from the freezer and test to see if it's cool. Stir in the chocolate chips. If the mixture is still a little warm, some of the chocolate chips will melt to create a chocolate swirl. You can wait to add more chocolate chips later (another 15-20 minutes).

5. Freeze the mixture for at least 2-3 hours or until firm. To serve, let it sit at room temperature for a few minutes and run an ice cream scoop under hot water to scoop out.

6. Top with any additional items like extra chocolate chips or chopped nuts. Sprinkle with additional sea salt if desired!

Recipe Notes

*Use dairy-free chocolate chips for a Vegan and Paleo version. My favorites are Lily or Enjoy Life.