Healthy Vegan Gingerbread Ice Cream

This Healthy Vegan Gingerbread Ice Cream recipe is the perfect holiday treat! It's super rich and creamy and It's made with whole foods plant-based ingredients. However it's

Gingerbread is one of my favorite flavors of the holiday season. I also happen to be an ice cream lover. Therefore what's better than combining the two?

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Jump to:

• Ingredients For Gingerbread Ice Cream:
• How To Make Vegan Gingerbread Ice Cream:
• Substitutions:
• Gingerbread Ice Cream Variations:
• What You Will Need To Make This Gingerbread Ice Cream:
• How To Store This Vegan Holiday Ice Cream:
• Top Tip:
• Frequently Asked Questions:
• Related Vegan Holiday Recipes:
• Healthy Vegan Gingerbread Ice Cream
• More Vegan Gingerbread Recipes:

What Makes This Gingerbread Ice Cream Healthy?

This Gingerbread Ice Cream is the perfect dessert for the holiday season because it's so delicious and perfect for vegans and non-vegans. The best part is it is rich and creamy so it doesn't have that "healthy" taste that many healthy homemade ice cream recipes have. This recipe is:

• Vegan - This recipe is free of all animal products. This means all the products come from plants and naturally contain more nutrients.
• Gluten-Free - This homemade gingerbread ice cream does not contain any gluten products. This means it's the perfect holiday treat for anyone with gluten allergies.
• Oil-Free - This vegan ice cream is made without any oil. This means that it is higher in fiber, and has a lower calorie density than other ice creams. Since it has more fiber, it is naturally more filling as well.
• Refined Sugar-Free - This recipe is also naturally sweetened. This means that all the sweetness comes from natural, unprocessed ingredients. Therefore it has a lower glycemic impact.
• Whole Foods Plant Based - This recipe is made with all whole foods plant-based ingredients. This means that the ingredients are all-natural, and unprocessed. Therefore this recipe is highly nutritious.

Ingredients For Gingerbread Ice Cream:

This vegan gingerbread ice cream recipe is my favorite dessert to make this time of year. The ingredients are super simple and you most likely already have most of them, or you can easily pick them up at your local grocery store!

• Raw Cashews - It's absolutely necessary to use raw cashews for this Gingerbread Ice Cream recipe. Roasted cashews will not achieve the proper creaminess. They are full of unhealthy highly processed oils. I always buy my raw cashews in bulk from Wilderness Poets, because they are the best quality, organic, and affordable. My code: "NATURALVEGAN" gets you $10 off!
• Medjool Dates -  I love using Medjool dates to sweeten my vegan ice cream recipes naturally. They're sweet, rich, and have a slight caramel flavor that goes perfectly with so many flavors. I also always buy my dates in bulk, because I use them all the time, and they're more affordable.
• Full-Fat Coconut Milk - I use full-fat coconut milk to make the cream mixture extra rich and creamy. Coconut milk contains fiber and healthy fats. However it is still a very calorie-dense food, so it is best to consume it in moderation. If you are watching your calorie intake, you can use lite coconut milk for this healthy ice cream. However, this will cause it to be slightly icy (still delicious).
• Blackstrap Molasses - No gingerbread recipe is complete without a rich molasses flavor. Molasses adds the classic seasonal flavor to this ice cream, and additional sweetness and smoothness. I always go for blackstrap molasses, because it contains more nutrients and it is less processed.
• Ginger - Of course, this Gingerbread Ice Cream is full of ginger. Ground ginger is the way to go because it mixes perfectly with the ice cream base. However, you can also use fresh grated ginger for a bit of a kick and a more natural flavor.
• Cinnamon - Is just as important as ginger when it comes to anything gingerbread. Adding cinnamon is a great way to balance out all the strong spices.
• Nutmeg - I love adding nutmeg to any holiday treat. It has such a wonderful flavor that compliments so many recipes.
• Ground Cloves - If you're not a fan of "spicy" gingerbread cookies, you may want to leave the cloves out. It won't make a huge difference, but the cloves do add a bit of a kick.
• Vanilla Extract - I always recommend using Mexican Vanilla in my recipes. I believe it has a much deeper flavor. It is a bit pricier, but totally worth it in my opinion. 

See the recipe card for quantities.

How To Make Vegan Gingerbread Ice Cream:

Making this Gingerbread Ice Cream is super easy. It is a bit time-consuming, but not very hands-on, so it's the perfect easy recipe for the winter months. 

1. Begin by combining the Medjool dates and raw cashews in a large bowl and covering them with water. Place the bowl in the fridge to soak overnight, or for at least 4 hours. Make sure that the freezer bowl is frozen as well.

2. Once they are soft, strain them and add them to the high-speed blender with the remaining ingredients. Blend on high for a full minute, or until silky smooth.

3. Pour the mixture into the ice cream machine and churn for 25-35 minutes (depending on your machine). It should stick to the paddle when it is ready. 

4. You can either serve it immediately, or you can scoop it into the ice cream containers and freeze it until firm. Once it is firm (after about 2 hours), scoop and serve!

Hint: You can add some of the water that the dates and cashews were soaking in for added sweetness!

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Substitutions:

There are plenty of easy substitutions that can be made to this gingerbread ice cream recipe if needed.

• Spice Blend - if you don't have all the spices on hand and you want to achieve the gingerbread spice mixture, you can use a pre-made blend. Pumpkin pie spice contains almost all the warm spices and will work great. I still recommend adding the same amount of ginger the recipe calls for since the blend isn't super ginger-heavy. To do this add up the total measurements of the spices, excluding the ginger, and that will give you the amount of the spice mixture you need.
• Dark Brown Sugar - You can replace the dates with dark brown sugar. Keep in mind that dark brown sugar is a refined sugar and does not contain any fiber. Therefore I still recommend dates. However, if you need to you can use ⅔ cup dark brown sugar per 1 batch.

Gingerbread Ice Cream Variations:

I love this vegan ice cream recipe because there are so many easy variations that can be made to the recipe.

• Caramel - Add some of my 2 Ingredient Vegan Caramel for a delicious gingerbread ice cream with caramel sauce.
• Cookie Crunch- Chop up some of my Healthy Vegan Gingerbread Men Cookies and add the cookie chunks to the ice cream for added texture. This is my favorite way to make this recipe.
• Cookie Sandwich - You can scoop the ice cream between the gingerbread men cookies to make gingerbread ice cream sandwiches! 

What You Will Need To Make This Gingerbread Ice Cream:

There are a couple of pieces of equipment you will need to make this holiday ice cream recipe. Equipment can have a big impact on how a recipe turns out. Here's what I recommend using to make this recipe:

• High-Speed Blender - I strongly recommend investing in a high-speed blender if you are interested in making homemade dairy-free ice cream recipes. The ice cream will turn out much smoother and overall better. I use a Vitamix, but most high-speed blenders will work just fine.
• Ice Cream Maker - I have used a couple of ice cream makers, and I can confidently say the ice cream maker you use makes a difference. This is the one I started using recently, and it is by far the best one I have tried, I love it!
• Bowls - You will need a large or medium bowl to soak the cashews and dates in.

As always you can find all my go-to equipment on my Amazon storefront or my affiliate page.

How To Store This Vegan Holiday Ice Cream:

Making homemade ice cream is great because you can easily store it and keep it for weeks!

I recommend storing this gingerbread ice cream in an airtight container, or a reusable ice cream container. It will keep better in an airtight container. If stored properly this recipe will keep for up to 3 months. If you are just planning on storing it for a day or two, you can use a large bowl and plastic wrap.

Top Tip:

Blend this ice cream recipe until there are no bumps. It isn't really possible to over-blend, but it is possible to under-blend. Therefore I recommend blending it until it resembles heavy cream.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Related Vegan Holiday Recipes:

Looking for more Christmas treats? Check out some of my other delicious recipes!

If you try this Healthy Vegan Gingerbread Ice Cream recipe, I’d really love to hear your thoughts in the comments below. I’d also really appreciate a recipe card rating! Thank you for supporting The All Natural Vegan!

More Vegan Gingerbread Recipes:

Love anything and everything gingerbread? Try some of my other gingerbread recipes!