This was my first attempt at creating a vegan ice cream recipe as well as my first taste of vegan ice cream. I was pleasantly surprised. The coconut milk adds the creamy and velvety texture that regular ice cream has and the dark chocolate and almonds add a wonderful crunch. I recommend using a brand of coconut milk called Thai Kitchen. I have found that sometimes coconut milk can have a smokey taste and Thai Kitchen does not. Also make sure to use the full fat variety of the coconut milk in order to achieve a creamy consistency. You can certainly use a light variety of the coconut milk, but the ice cream will end up having more of an icy texture.

Vegan Ice Cream with Dark Chocolate and Almonds

3 1/2 cups coconut milk

1 cup almond milk

2/3 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup dark chocolate, chopped

1 cup raw almonds, chopped

Making the Ice Cream

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together coconut milk, almond milk, sugar, salt, and vanilla until sugar has dissolved. Pour ice cream mixture into your ice cream maker and run the machine for about 25-30 minutes or until the ice cream is formed. Place ice cream in the freezer to finish freezing.

After about an hour, remove ice cream from freezer and fold in chopped chocolate and almonds. Return ice cream to freezer. Once firm, scoop and garnish with extra chocolate and almonds.