Looking for an amazing dairy free ice cream recipe? Make this creamy and dreamy vanilla ice cream and decadent chocolate ganache pronto!

A side view of a scoop of homemade ice cream topped with chocolate ganache and almond slivers next to the topping ingredients, a dirty scooper, and a cookbook.

The best dairy-free ice cream recipe!
Chocolate ganache is the perfect ice cream topping!
Ingredients for ice cream
Ingredients for ganache
How to make dairy-free vanilla ice cream
How to make chocolate ganache
How to store the ice cream and ganache
More frozen paleo desserts

PRINTER-FRIENDLY RECIPE CARD

Dairy Free Vanilla Ice Cream and Chocolate Ganache Recipe

The best dairy-free ice cream recipe!

If you’re looking for an amazing dairy-free treat to beat the heat that tastes just as good as real-deal vanilla ice cream, I’ve got you covered! Many years ago, I got a copy of Kelly Brozyna’s Dairy-Free Ice Cream and her vanilla ice cream with chocolate ganache can’t be beat!

An overhead shot of a scoop of homemade ice cream topped with chocolate ganache and almond slivers next to the topping ingredients.

I fell in love with her vanilla ice cream recipe and you’ll love it, too. You’d think I’d make a beeline for the chocolate ice cream recipes in Kelly’s beautiful ice cream cookbook, but NOPE. Know why?

Someone holding a copy of a paperback dairy-free ice cream cookbook.

’Cause of this little guy. (Yeah, Ollie is much bigger these days but I’m not gonna switch out these old photos!)

A smiling Asian boy is sitting criss crossed on a kitchen counter.

As soon as he spied me dragging my long-neglected ice cream maker out of the garage, my then six-year-old vanilla ice cream fanatic knew what was up. And he wasn’t shy about pointing out precisely which recipe he wanted me to make.

A smiling Asian mom is showing a small Asian boy a dairy-free ice cream cookbook recipe.

Chocolate ganache is the perfect ice cream topping!

Vanilla packs a huge wallop, and is anything but boring. According to Cook’s Illustrated, vanilla’s a “flavor potentiator” that not only increases our perception of sweetness, but also our ability to taste other ingredients that accompany it—like nuts, fruit, coffee, and chocolate.

But as much as I share Lil-O’s love of vanilla, there’s no way I was going to let someone who can’t even tie his own shoes keep me from my beloved dark chocolate.

The compromise? Ganache, baby. GANACHE.

An overhead shot of homemade chocolate ganache in a glass container.

As Kelly points out, ganache (a.k.a. fancy chocolate sauce) can be made dairy-free, too; just substitute full-fat coconut milk for the heavy cream. Drizzle some ganache over a scoop (or three) of Kelly’s rich, dairy-free vanilla ice cream, add a sprinkle of toasted slivered almonds, and you’re all set for one of the best frozen treats you’ve had since going paleo.

A hand is taking a spoonful from a scoop of homemade vanilla ice cream topped with chocolate ganache and almond slivers.

Ingredients for ice cream

Medjool dates: The sweetener in this paleo ice cream is simply Medjool dates!
Full-fat coconut milk: The base of this dairy-free ice cream is a combination of unsweetened coconut milk and a nut milk of your choice.
Almond milk, cashew milk, or hemp milk (I use my Homemade Vanilla Almond Milk)
Vanilla extract
Unflavored gelatin or guar gum (optional): I use Great Lakes brand gelatin per Kelly’s recommendation (don’t use collagen peptides by mistake): Slowly stir 1 tablespoon of gelatin into ¼ cup boiling water until it completely dissolves. The gelatin helps with the texture of the ice cream but you can leave it out if you’re making vegan vanilla ice cream.

Ingredients for ganache

Full-fat canned coconut milk: I like using coconut milk for the ganache because other nut milks aren’t normally fatty enough.
Dairy-free dark chocolate, chopped: I normally chop up dark chocolate bars (ranging from 70% to 85% cacao) that I would snack on, including Green & Black Organic Dark Chocolate and Alter Eco brands. If you’re too lazy to chop up the chocolate, you can use Hu Gems or Guittard Sante Chocolate Chips.

(Plus, as an extra topping, I grabbed some toasted slivered almonds from my pantry.)

How to make dairy-free vanilla ice cream

Grab your dates and put ‘em in a high speed blender…

…after removing the pits, of course.

A smiling Asian boy is sitting on a kitchen counter, opening up a Medjool date to reveal the seed inside.

Closeup shot of pitted medjool dates in an open blender cup.

Pour in the coconut milk…

Pouring canned coconut milk into a blender with some pitted medjool dates.

…and purée until smooth.

An Asian woman in glasses is blending a dairy-free ice cream batter in a blender while a young Asian boy looks on.

Add the almond milk…

Pouring almond milk from a liquid measuring cup into a small saucepan on the stovetop.

…vanilla extract…

…and thickener. (Pour the bloomed gelatin mixture into the blender last, just before puréeing the ice cream mixture.)

Pouring bloomed gelatin into a blender filled with dairy-free ice cream batter.

Blend until smooth.

An Asian woman has her hand on the lid of a blender filled with a dairy free ice cream mixture.

An overhead shot of dairy-free vanilla ice cream batter in a blender ready to be frozen.

Freeze for about an hour or refrigerate until cold.

Putting a blender filled with dairy free vanilla ice cream batter into the refrigerator.

Pour into the ice cream machine and churn per the manufacturer’s instructions.

A smiling Asian woman is pouring dairy-free vanilla ice cream batter from a blender into an ice cream maker.

How to make chocolate ganache

In the meantime, grab your chopped dark chocolate and make the ganache.

Finely chopped dark chocolate on a wooden cutting board.

In a small saucepan, warm the coconut milk over medium heat until it begins to simmer.

Place the chocolate in a bowl, pour the hot coconut milk over it, and let it sit for 1 to 2 minutes.

Pouring hot coconut milk onto shaved dark chocolate in a glass mixing bowl to make ganache.

Whisk as the heat of the coconut milk melts the chocolate. Continue whisking until the milk and chocolate are well combined.

A blue spatula is stirring chocolate ganache in a glass mixing bowl on top of a wooden cutting board.

Once the ice cream’s ready…

A young Asian boy is helping his mom pull the plastic paddle out of an ice cream maker after it is finished freezing the ice cream.

…you can stick it in the freezer to firm up a bit, or just scoop it out…

A closeup of a metal ice cream scooper scooping some homemade dairy-free vanilla ice cream.

A metal ice cream scooper is placing a scoop of dairy free vanilla ice cream in a glass bowl.

A scoop of vanilla paleo ice cream in a small glass bowl next to an ice cream scooper, chocolate sauce, and toasted almond slivers.

An overhead shot of a scoop of dairy-free and paleo vanilla ice cream in a small glass bowl with a spoon in the bowl.

…spoon on some ganache…

A spoon is lifting up some chocolate ganache to put on a scoop of homemade paleo ice cream.

Drizzling chocolate ganache on a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

…top it with some slivered almonds…

A hand is sprinkling toasted almond slivers on a scoop of homemade paleo ice cream with chocolate sauce on top.

A spoonful of homemade vanilla ice cream topped with chocolate ganache and almond slivers is about to be eaten by an open mouth.

…and go to town!

A smiling Asian boy is holding a white bowl filled with dairy free vanilla ice cream topped with chocolate ganache.

How to store the ice cream and ganache

Homemade ice cream can be stored in an airtight container in the freezer for up to three weeks. The ganache can be stored in the fridge in a sealed container for up to a week. If the ganache is too solid, you can nuke it in the microwave in 15 second intervals or until it’s the right consistency.

More frozen paleo desserts

Looking for more recipe ideas? Head on over to my Recipe Index. You’ll also find exclusive recipes in my cookbooks, Nom Nom Paleo: Food for Humans (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2013), Ready or Not! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2017), and Nom Nom Paleo: Let’s Go! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2022).

PRINTER-FRIENDLY RECIPE CARD