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This bright and refreshing vegan mango ice cream has a gorgeous, creamy texture that you’d never guess is dairy-free. And it’s totally straightforward to make. Here’s how.
Why we love this recipe
Call this a hot take from a recipe developer, but I don’t think homemade ice creams are always better than the excellent pints found in the freezer section. That said, they certainly can be when you know what you’re doing, and especially if you’ve got particular needs to fill.
This vegan mango ice cream is well worth the minimal effort it takes to make. It:
- Pops with bright yet nuanced mango flavor
- Has a beautifully creamy consistency
- Stays well-behaved in the freezer
- Makes a lovely dessert for a Cuban, Mexican, or Indian dinner, to name a few
What you’ll need
Here’s a glance at the ingredients you’ll need to make this recipe.
The base
- Coconut milk makes a great base for vegan ice creams, and paired with mango, it’s a no-brainer. Use full-fat, canned coconut milk, not the stuff in the refrigerator case (which is watered down like crazy). You’ll use the entire can, including the cream, which is solid at room temperature, and the liquid. Brands vary pretty substantially in quality, so it pays to find one you like. Here I’ve used the 365 brand from Whole Foods, which works very well in this recipe.
- Arrowroot powder makes a great thickener for vegan ice creams. It contributes similar characteristics that egg yolks would do in a traditional ice cream recipe, from thickening power to creaminess and chewiness. Arrowroot powder can be derived from any of several varieties of tubers and is naturally vegan and gluten-free.
- You’ll use half granulated sugar, half light corn syrup to sweeten this ice cream. Their inverse chemical structures prevent the ice cream from crystallizing, and corn syrup also contributes that hint of delightful chewiness that all the best ice creams have. Be sure to use a brand of sugar that’s been processed in a vegan-friendly manner, if that’s important to you — some brands aren’t.
- Since vodka doesn’t freeze solid, a tiny bit helps keep many homemade ice creams from getting too firm. You can leave it out if you prefer.
The flavorings
- Frozen mango is easy to work with, and tends to be flash-frozen at the peak of freshness. If you prefer, you can use fresh mango, peeled, removed from the stone, and diced.
- A little bit of vanilla extract and ground cardamom take the flavor profile to the next level. The quantity of cardamom called for in the recipe provides a very subtle background note of warm, cozy flavor — you can add more if you’d like it to be prominent.
- A small amount of salt gently amplifies the flavors without making the ice cream taste salty.
How to make it
Here’s an overview of what you’ll do to make a great batch of vegan mango ice cream. You can see the steps in action in the video that accompanies this post, and get all the details in the recipe card below.
- First you’ll bring the coconut milk, sweeteners, and arrowroot to a boil for 90 seconds.
- Blend all the ingredients together until perfectly smooth.
- Pour into your ice cream maker and churn.
- Ice cream can be eaten right away or frozen for up to a week. That’s it!
Expert tips and FAQs
Even though it uses coconut milk as a base, this ice cream does not have a prominent coconut flavor. If you’d like to enhance the coconut vibes, you can add shredded coconut and/or coconut extract to the ice cream base.
Absolutely. You can use the exact same formula with cherries, any type of berries, peaches, nectarines, or a combination.
Absolutely. Depending on your ice cream maker, you may need to make it a few hours in advance at freeze it to achieve a scoopable consistency. Ice cream will keep at peak quality for up to a week in the freezer. Remove from freezer for several minutes before serving.
More favorite frozen desserts
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Vegan Mango Ice Cream
Ingredients
- 1 13.5- ounce (400 ml) can full-fat coconut milk
- 2 teaspoons (6 grams) arrowroot powder
- ¼ cup (60 ml) corn syrup
- ¼ cup (50 grams) sugar
- 2 cups (275 grams) frozen cubed mango
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) vodka
- 1 teaspoon (5 ml) pure vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
Instructions
- Pour most of the coconut milk into a medium pot, reserving a few tablespoons of the clear liquid to pour into a small bowl.
- Add arrowroot powder to the bowl and whisk with a fork until perfectly smooth. Pour mixture into pot.
- Add corn syrup and sugar to pot.
- Set pot over medium heat. Whisk until contents are perfectly smooth, and then from time to time.
- Bring mixture to a gentle boil, then boil for 90 seconds, whisking slowly every 30 seconds or so. Remove from heat.
- Place cubed mango into blender along with vodka, vanilla, cardamom, and salt. Pour in coconut milk mixture.
- Blend until perfectly smooth, starting on low and ending on high. If you don't have an ice cream maker with a condenser (or if you do and prefer a shorter churn time), chill mixture before proceeding.
- Pour contents into ice cream maker and churn according to manufacturer’s instructions.
- Ice cream is ready to eat if you like a softer consistency, or you can transfer it to an airtight container, place a piece of parchment or plastic wrap directly on the surface before positioning the lid, and freeze for several hours to firm it up to scoopable consistency.
Notes
- Use full-fat, canned coconut milk, not the stuff in the refrigerator case (which is watered down like crazy). Brands vary pretty substantially in quality, so it pays to find one you like. Here I've used the 365 brand from Whole Foods, which works very well in this recipe.
- Arrowroot powder makes a great thickener for vegan ice creams. It contributes similar characteristics that egg yolks would do in a traditional ice cream recipe, from thickening power to creaminess and chewiness. Arrowroot powder can be derived from any of several varieties of tubers and is naturally vegan and gluten-free.
- You'll use half granulated sugar, half light corn syrup to sweeten this ice cream. Their inverse chemical structures prevent the ice cream from crystallizing, and corn syrup also contributes that hint of delightful chewiness that all the best ice creams have. Be sure to use a brand of sugar that's been processed in a vegan-friendly manner, if that's important to you — some brands aren't.
- Frozen mango is easy to work with, and tends to be flash-frozen at the peak of freshness. If you prefer, you can use fresh mango, peeled, removed from the stone, and diced.
- Since vodka doesn't freeze solid, a tiny bit helps keep many homemade ice creams from getting too firm. You can leave it out if you prefer.
- A little bit of vanilla extract and ground cardamom take the flavor profile to the next level. The quantity of cardamom called for in the recipe provides a very subtle background note of warm, cozy flavor — you can add more if you'd like it to be prominent.
- A small amount of salt gently amplifies the flavors without making the ice cream taste salty.
- Even though it uses coconut milk as a base, this ice cream does not have a prominent coconut flavor. If you'd like to enhance the coconut vibes, you can add shredded coconut and/or coconut extract to the ice cream base.
- You can use the exact same formula with cherries, any type of berries, peaches, nectarines, or a combination.
- Depending on your ice cream maker, you may need to make it a few hours in advance at freeze it to achieve a scoopable consistency. Ice cream will keep at peak quality for up to a week in the freezer. Remove from freezer for several minutes before serving.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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