Double Chocolate-Almond Vegan Ice Cream Sundae Recipe

I’m a sucker for all things nut butter – especially sweet homemade nut butter sauces. And what goes better with nuts than chocolate? So in honor of chocolate ice cream day (yes, no joke, our chocolate ice cream love dates back to the 18th century!), I made this chocolate almond vegan ice cream sundae with a quadruple dose of almonds and a double dose of intense chocolate.

Of course, if almond isn’t your top nutty pick, you can substitute peanut butter, cashews, or even go nut-free (see my notes below for substitutions).

Of course, I started with a rich and creamy base of dairy-free chocolate ice cream! In keeping with the almond theme, and for a lower sugar treat, I used Almond Milk Chocolate Non-Dairy Ice Cream. Next up was a thick layer of buttery almond sauce, made with “raw” almonds, protein-rich vanilla almond milk, and sweetened with maple syrup.

For the grand finale, I topped this vegan ice cream sundae with allergy-friendly mini chocolate chips and maple almonds (sliced almonds can be used instead).

As you can see, it’s hot here, darn hot! Summer has hit insanely early, bringing temps in the triple digits, so it was near impossible for me to take some good pictures as my vegan ice cream sundae “prop” quickly melted. Though I must admit that it was equally delicious in its cool part liquid state.

Special Diet Notes: Chocolate-Almond Vegan Ice Cream Sundae

By ingredients, this recipe is dairy-free / non-dairy, egg-free, gluten-free, grain-free, peanut-free, soy-free, vegan / plant-based, and vegetarian.

For a nut-free vegan ice cream sundae, you can use 2 tablespoons of sunflower seed butter in place of the almonds, vanilla coconut milk beverage or rice milk in place of the almond milk, omit the nut topping (why not double the chocolate chips?!), and use chocolate coconut milk ice cream as your base. Just change the name to a Buttery Chocolate Vegan Ice Cream Sundae!

Double Chocolate-Almond Vegan Ice Cream Sundae

Prep time

15 mins

Total time

15 mins

This recipe was created in honor of National Chocolate Ice Cream Day and So Delicious Dairy Free.

Author: Alisa Fleming

Serves: 8 sundaes

Ingredients

½ cup unsalted almonds or ¼ cup creamy almond butter
⅓ cup maple syrup (can sub another sweetener, if desired)
¼ cup melted coconut oil (see note below for options)
2 tablespoons vanilla almond milk beverage (I used So Delicious Almond Plus Protein), plus additional as needed
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
Two pinches sea salt
2 pints dairy-free chocolate ice cream (I used So Delicious Almond Milk Frozen Dessert)
Dairy-free mini chocolate chips
Sliced almonds (I used maple-vanilla coated almonds!)
Coarse sea salt (optional)

Instructions

If using almonds, grind them in a spice grinder or small food processor until they powder or even begin to turn a bit buttery.
Place the ground almonds or almond butter, maple syrup, coconut oil, almond milk, vanilla, and pinches of salt in your blender, and whiz until smooth. If using ground nuts, it will thicken as it sits. Simply blend in more almond milk to your desired consistency once ready to use.
Scoop the ice cream between eight dishes (you can do just one or more servings, and save some of the sauce for later!), drizzle on the sauce, top with chocolate chips, almonds, and if desired, a sprinkling of coarse sea salt (I can't get enough of the sweet and salty contrast!).
Store any leftover sauce in the refrigerator for up to a few days - it can also be frozen. Note that the sauce will set-up. Reheat it before using again, whisk, and if needed, whisk in some more almond milk to your desired consistency.

Notes

Oil: I like to use coconut oil for its buttery taste and because it thickens the sauce as it cools. You can use another oil if you would prefer that the sauce stay quite fluid - almond oil would be ideal.