Skip the dairy, and the ice cream maker, with this vegan horchata no-churn ice cream. It’s infused with a touch of cinnamon and a generous splash of vanilla for a cool Mexican-inspired treat. Serve it topped with Mezcal Dairy-Free Caramel Sauce for an adult-worthy indulgence.
Vegan Horchata No-Churn Ice Cream is Easily Whipped Up
No churn ice cream is usually made with heavy cream and sweetened condensed milk. But this version is lighter in taste and mouthfeel thanks to whipped aquafaba. It might sound exotic, or downright strange, but aquafaba is simply the liquid from canned chickpeas. It’s got a thick, gelatinous consistency that’s similar to egg whites, and performs much like them too. You can read more about it in my Aquafaba Guide.
The original dairy-free horchata ice cream recipe uses vegetable oil, but we prefer to keep it on-flavor and soy-free with rice bran oil. You can actually use any neutral-tasting oil, like safflower, sunflower, vegetable, extra-light olive (not extra-virgin!), or non-GMO canola. It’s your choice! If you opt to use coconut oil, make sure it is melted and all of your ingredients are brought to room temperature before beginning. Also note that the resultant dairy-free ice cream will set up firmer with coconut oil.
This Vegan Horchata No-Churn Ice Cream recipe with photo was shared with us by McCormick from their 2019 Flavor Forecast.
Special Diet Notes: Vegan Horchata No Churn Ice Cream
By ingredients, this recipe is dairy-free / non-dairy, egg-free, gluten-free, nut-free, peanut-free, soy-free, vegan, and vegetarian.
- ½ cup full-fat canned coconut milk
- ¼ cup sweetened rice milk
- ¼ cup rice bran oil or other neutral-tasting oil
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¾ cup aquafaba
- ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- In a large bowl, whisk together the coconut milk, rice milk, oil, and cinnamon until combined.
- Put the aquafaba and cream of tartar in a mixing bowl and beat on high speed with a mixer until stiff peaks form, about 10 minutes. Reduce the speed to low and add the powdered sugar and vanilla. Once incorporated, increase the speed and continue mixing until the mixture is well blended.
- Fold ⅓ of the aquafaba mixture into the coconut milk mixture just until combined. Repeat this with the remaining aquafaba, being careful not to overmix and deflate the aquafaba.
- Transfer the mixture to an 8-inch square baking dish. Wrap tightly with plastic wrap and freeze until solid, at least 4 hours or overnight.
- Scoop and serve with desired toppings, such as mezcal dairy-free caramel sauce.