I hope you had a wonderful 4th of July or Canada Day! We went up to Lake Tahoe on the 3rd to see the fireworks at Kings Beach with a good friend. The 4th was actually a mellow day for us, so I decided to take advantage of the downtime and whip up a recipe that had been on my bucket list for a while, dairy-free Chocolate Chip Ice Cream without coconut! It’s adapted from the Purely Vanilla Ice Cream recipe in my flagship book, Go Dairy Free 2nd Edition.
It’s funny, but ice cream, not cheese, was my biggest fear when I went strictly dairy free. I refused to settle for sorbet, and wanted to enjoy sweet, creamy bliss just like everyone else. Over the years, some delicious dairy-free ice cream brands have emerged to keep my cravings at bay. But it wasn’t until I started making my own dairy-free ice cream that I finally found my food freedom.
Suddenly, it wasn’t about picking between the small selection of pints my local store carried, some with questionable ingredients. And “all natural” didn’t mean settling for just one type of base, with the same underlying flavor and consistency. Yeah, coconut, I’m talking about you. I love you, but vanilla coconut ice cream is never really vanilla. And although coconut cream delivers on richness, sometimes I want something a little less heavy.
At home, I can use a range of ice cream bases, and have total control over the ingredients. For this Chocolate Chip Ice Cream, I chose a simple unsweetened milk beverage and neutral-tasting oil to let the vanilla and chocolate shine. And to keep with the allergy-friendly and additive-free theme, I used Enjoy Life Mini Chocolate Chips. They’re certified vegan, non-GMO, made in a top allergen-free facility, and contain just cane sugar, natural chocolate liquor (non-alcoholic), and cocoa butter (yes, it’s dairy free!).
I actually use Enjoy Life chocolate almost exclusively in my baking, snacks, and treats. Although my milk allergy is no longer highly sensitive, I’ve still had symptoms from a few of the “may contain milk” chocolate brands. Rather than fret, I declare my food freedom by picking up a brand that I can trust.
And to help all of you eat freely, I’ve made this Chocolate Chip Ice Cream recipe completely vegan, coconut-free, and top 11 allergen-free. The base is even quite flexible. You can use your favorite milk beverage and choose the oil based on your flavor and nutrition choices. So grab some gluten-free cones and get scooping. It’s time to enjoy a taste of food freedom on this hot summer day.
Thanks to Enjoy Life Foods for sponsoring this post, and helping so many of us enjoy our food freedom. You can #EatFreely with them on Instagram and Twitter. As always, the honest opinions, stories, photos, recipe, and product love are my own.
Special Diet Notes: Dairy-Free Chocolate Chip Ice Cream
By ingredients, this recipe is dairy-free / non-dairy, coconut-free, egg-free, gluten-free, grain-free, nut-free, peanut-free, soy-free, vegan, vegetarian, and top food allergy-friendly.
- 3 cups cold unsweetened dairy-free milk beverage (I used Ripple pea protein milk; see Milk Beverage Note below)
- ¾ cup organic cane sugar (can substitute part agave nectar)
- ½ cup rice bran oil, non-GMO canola oil, or other neutral-tasting oil
- 2 teaspoons vanilla paste or pure vanilla flavoring (can substitute vanilla extract or the seeds from 1 whole vanilla bean)
- Pinch salt
- ¾ cup dairy-free mini chocolate chips (I use Enjoy Life Chocolate)
- Put the milk beverage and sugar in your blender. Blend until the sugar dissolves, about 1 minute.
- With the motor running, very slowly drizzle in the oil. Continue to blend until creamy and emulsified, about 1 minute.
- Add the vanilla and salt and blend briefly to combine.
- Churn the mixture in your prepared ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s directions or use one of these methods. If churning, it will take longer than coconut-based ice cream since there is very little saturated fat in this blend. Expect at least 45 minutes.
- During the last few minutes of churning, add the chocolate chips. They will stir in as they churn.
- Pack the soft ice cream into a chilled, freezer-safe container and freeze for 4 hours for a soft-set ice cream or overnight for hard-packed ice cream.
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92 Comments
YES!!! A dairy free ice cream recipe without coconut or banana!! I must try this
I hope you get the chance to Kristen!
Really a nice recipe and I am looking forward to making it. The scoops look perfect.
I hope you get the chance to Ginny!
I really appreciate this recipe, thank you so much! My daughter loves it and I do too. She missed ice cream since they took away the soy option and now I can easily make it at home. Food allergies to dairy, egg, peanuts, tree nuts, and coconut. I’m using this as a base for other flavor ice creams too. Thank you, thank you, thank you. ❤
That makes my day! I’m so glad you are both enjoying it Jordan!
That consistency looks perfect. Just like the ice cream I used to get at the local shop when I was a kid. Can’t wait to try this!
Thanks Jordan! I hope you do get the chance to try it!
This chocolate chip ice cream looks phenomenal! I agree that while coconut milk is delicious, I don’t always want that flavor to dominate. For a while, it seemed like every vegan product out there was using coconut. It’s nice to have some alternatives that let the other flavors in a dish shine.
I know! I have to admit, I reach for coconut cream often, but lately I’ve needed a break!
This ice cream looks so good! I have to make it this Summer! I hope you had a great Fourth as well!
Thanks Kristina!
I definitely need an ice cream maker. I haven’t had chocolate chip ice cream in forever! And this looks perfect!
They’re fun and so inexpensive Jenn! Space can be the only issue 🙂
Homemade ice cream for the win! This looks so creamy and delicious! A cone of this chocolate chip ice cream would be the perfect ending to my day.
Always a win with homemade dairy-free ice cream 🙂
This looks like the perfect summer recipe! Thinking I may need to invest in an ice creamer maker this summer!
Yes, you definitely need to Whitney!
I’m loving this recipe Alisa, especially because its also banana free. I’m so tired of banana based ice cream. But this sounds like a perfect base too, even without the chocolate chips (although we’re HUGE ELF fans also!).
Too funny! I’m getting this comment a lot. I’ve got a healthier ice cream recipe coming up, so I’ll stay away from banana 🙂
I love coconut so I’d probably use the coconut oil instead of rice bran, but good for you for using rice bran for this recipe – a great oil to use! Wonder how it would taste with avocado oil?
Yes, that would be delicious! But you would need to warm the mixture if using coconut oil, then let it cool before churning. That would make it very thick, too! Which could be a good thing 🙂 I have avocado oil on hand, but was worried about the green hue. I bet it would be delicious though! So many great ideas!
That’s a great recipe, since most dairy-free ice cream use some type of nut milk or coconut milk as the base. I’ve never seen or heard of rice bran–where do you find it??
Sorry if that was confusing Megan! That is the oil ingredient. I changed it to be more clear. Rice bran oil is a great all-purpose oil. 🙂
This ice cream looks incredible. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a more perfect scoop than in these pictures, Alisa! Just pulled my ice cream maker out so I guess I need to put this recipe together!
Aw, thank you so much Lorie, I’ve been practicing my scooping skills 🙂
thank you for not giving me another banana ice cream and trying to pretend it’s the same 🙂 this really sounds like what the original would taste like!!
Haha, nope, this is dessert with pure vanilla goodness.
YES! I agree. So many recipes I click on it and see it’s just bananas! While I love it, it’s definitely not ice cream!
I just had a chocolate chip I’ve cream cone for the first time in awhile over the weekend. My favorite! I don’t have an ice cream maker so I am going to have to try one of your other methods!
Well if you have a little space, I recommend getting an ice cream maker Maria! Mine cost $15 – worth every little penny.
I could easily never eat cheese again….but ice cream is a different story! No way could I live without it!
A kindred spirit – I love it!
This looks so good! Thank you for reminding me that it’s time to pull my ice cream maker out of the closet!
Oh yes, we’re way into ice cream season Dianne. Get churning!
Those cones are adorable! And the mini chips are just the right size! YUM.
Thanks Brianna! They are perfect little crunchies in the ice cream.
Amazed to find a dairy-free, nut-free ice cream recipe! Wish I would have seen it before we went to gluten-free camp last week!
I think it’s a great one for kids, too!
Hi, could we add cocoa powder or something to make it different flavors and how would we do that?
Yes, you can blend some in to taste. You might want to add more sweetener, depending on how deep you want the flavor. I would personally blend in cocoa powder a tablespoon at a time, taste testing as I went to find the right amount.
I love the term ‘food freedom’. What a great way to look at making an alternative that works for you.
I’m all about loving the food we can enjoy freely rather than sorrow about what we can’t or shouldn’t eat. Life’s too short and there are too many great foods! 🙂
Aah that looks so good! I love homemade ice cream.
You and me both Becky!