Vegan Vanilla Bean Ice Cream With Vegan Magic Shell

This Vegan Vanilla Bean Ice Cream With Vegan Magic Shell is the perfect summer treat. It's made with real vanilla bean and natural cacao for the ultimate healthy ice cream. This recipe is vegan, refined sugar-free, and gluten-free!

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This Vegan Vanilla Bean Ice Cream and Vegan Magic Shell is the perfect healthy summer treat! It's made with simple ingredients, and it's such an easy recipe! This nostalgic treat is perfect for kids and adults!

the vegan vanilla ice cream with the vegan magic shell and ice cream toppings

I love making homemade vegan ice cream recipes during the summer. Ice cream is my favorite dessert from my childhood, and the only thing better than ice cream is ice cream with a chocolate magic shell.

I've made a homemade magic shell recipe for my Peanut Butter And Jelly Ice Cream as well as my Chocolate Sunflower Ice Cream; however, neither of these is chocolate like the classic Smucker's magic shell.

This post is sponsored by Wilderness Poets - A company that aligns with The All Natural Vegan Mission. Thank you for supporting brands that make The All Natural Vegan Possible!

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This recipe features several affiliate links, meaning I will earn a small commission if you purchase through these links.

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Ingredients:
How To Make Vegan Vanilla Bean Ice Cream With Vegan Magic Shell:
Substitutions:
Vegan Magic Shell Variations:
What You Will Need To Make This Vegan Vanilla Bean Ice Cream With Vegan Magic Shell:
How To Store This Vegan Vanilla Ice Cream And Magic Shell:
Top Tip:
Frequently Asked Questions:
Related Vegan Ice Cream Recipes:
Vegan Vanilla Bean Ice Cream With Vegan Magic Shell
More Recipes Using Vanilla Bean Powder:
Reviews

Ingredients:

I love this ice cream recipe because you just need simple ingredients for both the vegan vanilla ice cream and the vegan magic shell.

the vanilla ice cream with a scoop taken out of it to show the creamy texture

For The Vegan Vanilla Bean Ice Cream:

SPiN Vanilla Almond Milk Concentrate - These nut milk concentrates have quickly become one of my favorite products. They're extremely easy to use and very versatile. Since you can adjust the amount you're using, you can use it to make thick creams like in this ice cream recipe, or light nut milks for everyday use. I love the vanilla flavor because it's naturally sweetened and full of vanilla flavor.
Vanilla Bean Powder - The best way to instantly enhance the flavor of any vanilla ice cream recipe is to add vanilla beans. I love Wilderness Poets Tahitian vanilla bean powder because the vanilla flavor is so pure. Vanilla bean powder is an investment, but totally worth it in my opinion!
Full-Fat Coconut Milk - I always recommend using full-fat coconut milk in homemade vegan ice cream recipes. I wouldn't recommend using coconut cream, because it is too fatty, but full-fat is just the right amount.
Medjool Dates - Although the SPiN vanilla almond milk concentrate is sweetened, I like to add dates to achieve the perfect amount of sweetness for this vegan vanilla ice cream. Dates are full of vitamins and minerals and are high in fiber.
Water - You will need water to soak the dates and activate the SPiN. I use the same water for both to avoid wasting any of the sweetness from the dates.
Tapioca Syrup (optional) - I always recommend using tapioca syrup when making homemade ice cream recipes. It helps to prevent the ice cream from freezing completely, and it makes it smoother.

For The Vegan Magic Shell:

Cacao Paste - Cacao paste is a very pure form of chocolate. It is simply just the ground cacao beans. This is different than cacao powder, or cocoa powder (the more refined version you find at the grocery store) because it contains the natural fat and fiber found in cacao beans. In my opinion, it makes the best hard chocolate shell. I get mine from Wilderness Poets because the quality is superior.
Maple Crystals - I love sweetening my chocolate magic shell with maple crystals because they are an unrefined sweeteners, and they work just like cane sugar. This will result in a slightly gritty texture that I absolutely love. If you want to avoid the texture, you will need to melt the maple crystals and oil together before adding the cacao paste.
Coconut Oil - You can either use refined coconut oil, or unrefined coconut oil (refined has less of a coconut taste). When you melt coconut oil with cacao paste it creates the perfect liquid chocolate mixture that turns into a hard chocolate shell as soon as it hits the cold ice cream.

Ice Cream Toppings:

Raw Almonds - I love adding Wilderness Poets raw almonds for added crunch and flavor.
Cacao Nibs - I like using both their unsweetened and sweetened cacao nibs for delicious ice cream toppings.

See the recipe card for quantities.

How To Make Vegan Vanilla Bean Ice Cream With Vegan Magic Shell:

Making homemade dairy-free ice cream may be a bit intimidating; however, it is much easier than you think. It is the perfect way to enjoy all your favorite ice cream flavors in a healthy way!

1. Begin by adding the dates to a medium bowl and covering it with water. Set in the fridge to soak for at least 3 hours. Make sure the freezer bowl has been frozen as well.

2. Add the dates and the water they soaked in, coconut milk, SPiN, vanilla bean powder, and tapioca syrup to a blender and blend on high for a full minute (or until all the chunks are gone and it is silky smooth).

the vegan vanilla bean ice cream in a container to freeze

3. Pour the mixture into the ice cream machine and churn for 25-30 minutes, or until the ice cream sticks to the paddle. You can either enjoy the ice cream immediately or store it in the freezer to make it extra cold.

pouring the vegan magic shell onto the vanilla bean ice cream

4. Make the magic shell by combining the cacao paste and coconut together. You can either do this in a double boiler, or in the microwave. If you use the microwave, heat the mixture in 15-second intervals. Once melted, mix the maple crystals into the melted chocolate.

5. Pour the chocolate sauce over the cold ice cream and quickly top with crushed almonds and cacao nibs. It will quickly solidify. Serve immediately and enjoy!

Hint: The chocolate magic shell solidifies quickly, so I recommend prepping the almonds and cacao nibs ahead of time.

Substitutions:

There are a handful of easy substitutions that can be made to both the vegan vanilla bean ice cream and the vegan magic shell, if needed.

Vanilla - You can use one teaspoon vanilla extract for the vanilla bean powder. However, this will affect the flavor, and it won't have as strong a vanilla flavor.
Almond Butter - Any of the almond butter SPiN nut milk concentrates will work. You can also use their cashew cream or macadamia nut milk concentrates.
Maple Syrup - You can use pure maple syrup in place of the maple crystals if needed. I recommend using 1 more block of cacao paste if you do this, since pure maple syrup is a liquid.
Oil - Coconut oil can be replaced with most vegetable oils. They won't work quite as well, but they will work. I recommend using a healthy oil like olive oil, or avocado oil.

the vegan vanilla ice cream with a scoop taken out of it to show the creamy texture

Vegan Magic Shell Variations:

This homemade magic shell recipe is great because there are plenty of fun ways to mix it up!

Peanut Butter - Replace the cacao paste with natural peanut butter to make a delicious peanut butter magic shell.
Chocolate Caramel - Add a drizzle of my 2-ingredient Vegan Caramel before pouring the magic shell on for a delicious and decadent treat.
White Chocolate - Replace the cacao paste with vegan white chocolate chips for a delicious treat.

See my Peanut Butter and Jelly Ice Cream to see the peanut butter variation.

What You Will Need To Make This Vegan Vanilla Bean Ice Cream With Vegan Magic Shell:

There are a couple of pieces of equipment you will need to make this vegan vanilla bean ice cream and the magic shell. 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 like this one. 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 in the past, and I can confidently say the ice cream maker you use makes a difference in the quality of the ice cream. This is the one I started using recently, and it is by far the best one I have tried. I love it! Plus, if you invest in an ice cream maker, you can make recipes like my Black Sesame Ice Cream or my Gingerbread Ice Cream!
Bowls - You will need a large or medium bowl to soak the dates in.

the vegan vanilla bean ice cream without a magic shell

How To Store This Vegan Vanilla Ice Cream And Magic Shell:

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

I recommend storing this vegan vanilla 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.

As for the magic shell, you can store it in a bowl or mason jar in the fridge for about a month. Whenever you are ready to use it again, melt it in 15-second intervals.

Top Tip:

Make sure to blend the ice cream mixture for as long as possible. It should resemble heavy cream with no bumps. If there are still bumps, continue to blend.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Why Does Magic Shell Get Hard?

The chocolate magic shell typically gets hard from coconut oil. However, it also gets hard in this recipe because of the cacao paste.

What Is The Best Plant-Based Milk For Ice Cream?

A combination of full-fat coconut milk and nuts is the perfect mix for creating vegan ice cream. Wilderness Poets SPiN is the ultimate addition to any plant-based ice cream.

Looking for other vegan ice cream recipes like this? Try these:

If you try this Vegan Vanilla Bean Ice Cream With Vegan Magic Shell 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!