Healthy Vegan Chocolate Ice Cream
If you’re looking for a healthy frozen treat that’s not made from bananas (ahem, looking at YOU, Banana Nice Cream) then this Healthy Vegan Chocolate Ice Cream is for you! Rich, creamy and velvety smooth this recipe has a secret ingredient that’s going to blow your mind!
Jump to RecipeIngredients & Inspiration
I’ll be honest: Chocolate ice cream isn’t something I really crave that often. Mostly because growing up I found most brands of (dairy-based) chocolate ice creams to taste kind of bland and boring, so I naturally gravitated towards more ‘exciting’ flavours with fruit, cookie chunks or caramel swirls.
But let me tell you — this Vegan Chocolate Ice Cream has totally blown up my stance on the matter. It is friggin’ GOOD, you guys. It’s thick, rich tasting, velvety smooth and the best part? It’s actually pretty darn healthy, too! That is mostly thanks to this secret ingredient that you totally wouldn’t expect to find in ice cream… sweet potato!
what you’ll need
- 1 small baked sweet potato
- Soy milk
- Black cocoa
- Maple syrup
- Vanilla extract
Sweet potato… in ice cream?
Yup, you heard me. I’m no stranger to incorporating sweet potatoes into my sweet treats (sweet potato brownies, anyone?). When baked, they practically melt into a sweet, ooey-gooey, caramelized ingredient that can easily replace eggs, oil or sweeteners in your desserts. So once it dawned on me to try them out in ice cream I was SHOOK, y’all.
Sweet potatoes are healthy for many reasons. A few being they’re full of minerals and vitamins like beta carotene, they’re relatively low-calorie and keep you feeling satiated, and they’re full of gut-healthy fibre!
Why We ♥︎ this Healthy Chocolate Ice Cream
In case you haven’t noticed, food prices have become pretty pricey these days practically anywhere you go. This includes things like frozen treats and ice creams. I don’t know about you, but I find it hard sometimes to justify spending $7 on a tiny pint of non-dairy ice cream when I can make something just as satisfying at home for a fraction of the price… and usually a lot healthier for me too!
Making your own Vegan Chocolate Ice Cream is one of the best treats for a few reasons:
- It uses only 5 simple and relatively inexpensive ingredients
- It only requires 5 minutes of hands on prep-time and you don’t need an ice cream maker
- It’s a healthy treat that’s full of fibre
- It’s ridiculously good and can be made with a few ingredient swaps if needed, be sure to see them in the notes section at the bottom of the recipe
How to Make Healthy Vegan Chocolate Ice Cream
This Healthy Vegan Chocolate Ice Cream whips up very easily and is well worth a little waiting time:
- Bake your whole sweet potato for 45 minutes and allow it to cool completely. Remove the skin and mash the soft flesh in a bowl.
- Add the mashed potato and all remaining ingredients to the bowl of a food processor or high-speed blender and blend on high speed for 1 minute, until it’s a velvety smooth chocolatey liquid mixture.
- Pour the liquid into a loaf tin and smooth into an even layer. Freeze for 2 hours and stir with a small spatula every 30 minutes to ensure even freezing throughout.
- Scoop and serve in small bowls with your favourite ice cream toppings and enjoy!
We all scream for vegan ice cream
This Healthy Vegan Chocolate Ice Cream is there for you when you need to satisfy those chocolate cravings with a healthy twist! I love transforming whole foods into mouth-watering treats like this, and I hope you do too! Feeling like a different kind of frozen treat? Check out my 4-Ingredient Mango Sorbet!
If you’re looking for some more healthy chocolatey treats you might like my Chocolate Avocado Cream Pie, Pomegranate Pecan Fudge, or Dark Chocolate Fruity Nut Clusters!
If you are indeed looking for some banana nice cream recipes, you should watch this video below! I show you how to make 3 flavours: Piña Colada, Blueberry, and Peanut Butter Chocolate!
Lastly, if you made this recipe and decide to share it on Facebook or Instagram, don’t forget to tag me @SteamyVegan and use hashtag #SteamyVegan! I seriously love seeing what you’re cooking up! Plus make sure to check me out on YouTube — I have HUNDREDS of videos to give you limitless plant-based inspiration!
Healthy Vegan Chocolate Ice Cream
Equipment
- 1 food processor or high-speed blender
Ingredients
- 1 small sweet potato
- 3 tbsp black cocoa (sub any variety of cocoa powder)
- 1 can sweetened condensed coconut milk (about ¾ cups)
- ¾ cup plant milk
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Bake your sweet potato: Preheat oven to 400°F and with a fork poke several holes all around the skin of the sweet potato. Place on a lined baking tray and bake for 45 minutes, or until you are able to press a fork all the way through the centre. Let it cool completely.
- Once cool, peel away the skin from the potato and mash the soft flesh in a bowl with a fork. Transfer to the bowl of a food processor or high-speed blender.
- Add all remaining ingredients to the food processor. TIP! Sift your cocoa powder through a fine mesh sieve before adding as it is notoriously clumpy and we don't want cocoa clumps in your ice cream!
- Blend on high speed until it forms a smooth liquid mixture. You may need to stop once or twice to scrape down the sides.
- Pour into a loaf tin, smooth into an even layer and freeze for 2 hours, stirring every 30 minutes to ensure even freezing. Serve with your favorite toppings and ENJOY!
Video
Notes
- Make it yourself: Add 1 can of full-fat coconut milk to a small saucepan with about ½ cup granulated sweetener of choice. Simmer on medium-low heat for about 30-45 minutes (or longer possibly) until the milk has reduced by about half and is creamy, thick and syrupy. Let cool before using.
- Coconut cream + maple syrup: Refrigerate a can of full-fat coconut milk or coconut cream until theres a thick, firm layer of cream at the top. Use ½ cup plus ¼ cup of maple syrup in the recipe.
