This Vegan Samoa Ice Cream is the ultimate coconut ice cream. It features homemade Samoa cookies, toasted coconut, and delicious healthy caramel sauce! This is the perfect vegan ice cream for all!
My favorite cookie during Girl Scout cookie season has been and will always be Samoas. The combination of the chocolate, shortbread cookies, and toasted coconut and caramel layer is simply to die for.
I always hated waiting for the season (and after going vegan I thought I wouldn't be able to enjoy them at all), therefore I decided to start experimenting in the kitchen and developed my Gluten-Free Vegan Samoa Cookies. And what's better than cookies? Cookies in ice cream!
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Jump to:
- Vegan Samoa Ice Cream Ingredient List:
- How To Make Samoa Ice Cream:
- Substitutions:
- Vegan Samoa Ice Cream Variations:
- What You Will Need To Make Homemade Samoa Ice Cream:
- How To Store Homemade Vegan Ice Cream:
- Frequently Asked Questions:
- Related Healthy Vegan Dessert Recipes:
- Vegan Samoa Ice Cream
- More Vegan Ice Cream Recipes:
Vegan Samoa Ice Cream Ingredient List:
This vegan samoa ice cream recipe is one of my personal favorite ice cream recipes. It takes a little more work than some of my other recipes, but it's absolutely worth it. The good news is you can find all the ingredients for this recipe at your local grocery store.
- Soaked Raw Cashews - I love using raw cashews for this homemade ice cream base. They're incredibly creamy, and they are full of fiber vitamins, and minerals. Make sure you're using raw cashews and not roasted ones. Roasted contains highly processed oils, and will not work as well when trying to achieve the right smooth and creamy ice cream texture. The cashews will need to soak in water for a couple hours before making this base or else they will not blend properly.
- Full Fat Coconut Milk - One of the main flavors in Samoa Ice Cream is coconut, so what better way to achieve that flavor than real coconut milk? I love using coconut milk as a dairy-free ice cream base regardless, but I really love it for this recipe in particular.
- Medjool Dates - To achieve the ultimate caramel flavor and sweetness, I went with Medjool dates. I love using Medjool dates because they're super sweet and have the perfect natural caramel flavors of the beloved Girl Scout cookie.
- Vanilla Extract - Vanilla extract helps to balance out all the flavors. I always recommend using Mexican Vanilla. It has a much deeper flavor and instantly elevates the flavor of this Samoa Ice Cream.
- Coconut Extract - I find that a little bit of coconut extract really helps to achieve the perfect coconut flavor. Make sure to use pure coconut extract, and not artificially flavored coconut.
- Shredded Coconut - I love adding some shredded coconut to this recipe to add texture and flavor.
- 2 Ingredient Vegan Caramel - No Samoa recipe is complete without caramel sauce. My 2 Ingredient Vegan Caramel recipe is the ultimate healthy and easy caramel sauce to add to this recipe.
- Vegan Gluten-Free Samoas - (optional, but recommended) I love adding chunks of my Vegan Gluten-Free Samoas. These Samoa cookies are my pride and joy. They taste just like the classic Samoa cookies (or sometimes called caramel delites), and they're entirely whole foods plant-based!
See the recipe card for quantities.
How To Make Samoa Ice Cream:
Making this homemade Samoa Ice Cream is a little bit of a labor of love because you have to prepare the other recipes ahead of time. However, I promise you it will be worth it.
I recommend that you make the 2 Ingredient Vegan Caramel, and the Vegan Gluten-Free Samoas ahead of time.
1. Begin by combining the cashews and pitted dates together in a medium bowl. Cover with water and place in the fridge to soak for a couple hours, or overnight. The dates should be super soft and the cashews plump and soft.
2. Once the dates and cashews have softened, strain them and add them to the blender. Add the coconut milk, vanilla extract, and coconut extract. Blend the mixture until silky smooth.
3. Mix the shredded coconut into the ice cream base, and then add it to the ice cream maker. Churn for 25-30 minutes, or until it sticks to the paddle and resembles a soft serve (churning time varies by machine).
4. Chop the Samoa cookies into bite-sized pieces and begin assembling the ice cream in an ice cream container, large mixing bowl, or loaf pan. First, add half of the coconut ice cream, then add the caramel sauce, and finally the cookie bits to the top of the ice cream. Mix until evenly combined, and repeat this process.
5. Cover the ice cream and place it in the freezer for a couple of hours or until solid. Scoop and enjoy!
Hint: The best way to remove ice cream from an ice cream machine is with a rubber spatula. It won't scratch the freezer bowl and it will get every last bit of ice cream out.
Substitutions:
There are a variety of substitutions that can be made to this Samoa ice cream recipe if needed. Here are some of the common ones.
- Coconut Cream - You can use coconut cream in place of coconut milk for an extremely rich ice cream (in my opinion this would be like using heavy whipping cream in place of heavy cream), or you can use lite coconut milk for a low-calorie version.
- Sweetener - You can replace the dates with ½ cup of either coconut sugar, date sugar, or vegan sweetened condensed milk.
Vegan Samoa Ice Cream Variations:
There are a couple of fun ways to mix up this recipe. Here are some of my favorite variations to try.
- Hot Fudge Sauce - Drizzle some vegan hot fudge sauce on top of this ice cream for extra chocolate goodness. I've linked my favorite vegan chocolate sauce. You can also add a handful of chocolate chips.
- Samoa Ice Cream Sandwiches - Instead of mixing the Samoa cookies into the ice cream base, you can put the ice cream between two Samoa cookies. If you plan to do this make sure to freeze the ice cream until it is firm and then cut out circles of ice cream.
- Samoa Ice Cream Pie - You can line a spring form pan with Samoa cookies and then top it with the ice cream and freeze it for a sliceable ice cream pie.
What You Will Need To Make Homemade Samoa Ice Cream:
Making homemade ice cream may seem intimidating at first, but it's actually quite easy and it's much better than store-bought. Here's what you will need to make this ice cream.
- High-Speed Blender - Any kind of blender should work for this recipe. However, I strongly recommend using a high-speed blender such as a Vitamix. They are expensive, but in my opinion, they are worth investing in if you cook often.
- Ice Cream Maker - I recently upgraded my ice cream maker, and I couldn't recommend it enough. It makes ice cream in 25 minutes (compared to my previous one which would take 40+ minutes). The ice cream comes out smooth and creamy, and it's easy to clean.
- Ice Cream Containers - Any airtight container will work or even a loaf pan wrapped in foil. However, If you make homemade vegan ice cream often, I recommend purchasing reusable ice cream pints.
As always you can find all my go-to equipment on my Amazon storefront or my affiliate page.
How To Store Homemade Vegan Ice Cream:
The way you store homemade vegan ice cream recipes can be tricky. If you just plan to store this Samoa ice cream overnight, you can simply wrap the loaf pan or bowl with aluminum foil and you'll be all set. However, if you plan on storing this ice cream for an extended period of time, I recommend using an airtight container like the reusable ice cream containers mentioned in the previous section. If stored properly this ice cream will keep for up to two months in the freezer.
Frequently Asked Questions:
If you haven't invested in an ice cream maker, but still want to make this Homemade Samoa Ice Cream, don't worry, there are still ways to make it! I still strongly recommend investing in an ice cream machine (it's a game changer), however, I completely understand that it is not a super common kitchen appliance.
To make this vegan ice cream no churn, all you need is a blender and ice cube molds. Follow the recipe steps up to the point of adding to the ice cream machine.
Instead of pouring into the machine, pour into the ice cube molds. Place the molds in the freezer and freeze until solid. Once frozen, add back into the blender with a touch of plant-based milk and blend until smooth and creamy. Then resume the recipe steps as usual.
Related Healthy Vegan Dessert Recipes:
Looking for more delicious vegan dessert recipes? Make sure to check out some of the other recipes on my website!
If you try this Vegan Samoa 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!
Vegan Samoa Ice Cream
Equipment
- 1 medium bowl
- 1 ice cream container
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw cashews
- 1 can full fat coconut milk
- 1 cup medjool dates
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon coconut extract
- ½ cup shredded coconut
- 1 batch 2 ingredient vegan caramel
- 5 cookies Vegan Gluten-Free Samoas
Instructions
- Begin by combining the cashews and pitted dates together in a medium bowl. Cover with water and place in the fridge to soak for a couple hours, or overnight. The dates should be super soft and the cashews plump and soft.
- Once the dates and cashews have softened, strain them and add them to the blender. Add the coconut milk, vanilla extract, and coconut extract. Blend the mixture until silky smooth.
- Mix the shredded coconut into the ice cream base, and then add it to the ice cream maker. Churn for 25-30 minutes, or until it sticks to the paddle and resembles a soft serve (churning time varies by machine).
- Chop the Samoa cookies into bite-sized pieces and begin assembling the ice cream in an ice cream container, large mixing bowl, or loaf pan. First, add half of the coconut ice cream, then add the caramel sauce, and finally the cookie bits to the top of the ice cream. Mix until evenly combined, and repeat this process.
- Cover the ice cream and place it in the freezer for a couple of hours or until solid. Scoop and enjoy!
More Vegan Ice Cream Recipes:
Looking for more homemade vegan ice cream recipes to try out? Make sure to check out some of my other delicious recipes!
Holly
Very good. I love the caramel. I think my family is getting addicted to your ice cream recipes!
Choclette
I'm in. It looks so decadent and delicious and yet it's sort of healthy. Love desserts like this. You are a genius.
Jenn
Omg YUM!
Jacqui
Such an amazing recipe and perfect for the upcoming seasons!
nancy
i wasn't quite sure what samoa was but dang these girl scout cookies and ice cream! wonderful recipe