Dairy-Free Peppermint Ice Cream tastes like a creamy candy cane! This festive holiday treat is light, refreshing, and you only need a few ingredients to make it.

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Jump to:

• Why You'll Love This Recipe
• 🍴Ingredient Notes
• Recipe Variations
• 🍴Step by Step Instructions
• Expert Tips
• Helpful Kitchen Tools
• Toppings & Mix-In's
• How to Store Leftovers
• Recipe Card
• Want more recipes?
• 💬 Reviews

Why You'll Love This Recipe

Your holiday season won't be complete without this homemade dairy-free peppermint ice cream! It’s so creamy and refreshing, with the perfect balance of peppermint, crunchy candy cane pieces, and little bursts of chocolate in every bite.

To give this dairy free ice cream a creamy texture, the base of this recipe is made with full fat coconut milk and raw cashews. With less than 10 ingredients, it's much healthier than anything you'll find in the grocery store!

If you love homemade ice cream like this, try my Dairy-Free Salted Caramel Ice Cream, Dairy-Free Pumpkin Spice Ice Cream, or my Chocolate Banana Nice Cream!

🍴Ingredient Notes

• Full Fat Coconut Milk - For a creamy consistency, I love using full-fat coconut milk as a dairy free alternative to heavy cream or milk. I like the brand Native Forest because it does not contain guar gum.
• Raw Cashews - To give the ice cream a thicker texture, I love adding in raw cashews. You do NOT need to soak them!
• Sweetened Condensed Coconut Milk - To achieve a beautiful creamy white color, I opted to use sweetened condensed coconut milk as the sweetener.
• Vanilla Extract - Although this is a mint flavored ice cream, I still add a little vanilla extract to balance out the flavor.
• Peppermint Extract - A high quality peppermint extract will yield the best flavor!
• Salt - A pinch of salt brings all the flavors together.
• Chocolate Chips - My favorite vegan and dairy-free chocolate brands are Pascha and Hu Kitchen. Both brands are also soy-free. You can use white, milk, or dark chocolate.
• Candy Canes - I love the Yum Earth Candy Canes because they do not contain artificial colors.

Recipe Variations

• To give the ice cream more of a candy cane look, try using red food coloring - Supernatural makes naturally dyed food coloring.
• Add a scoop of this homemade peppermint ice cream in between two jumbo Gluten-Free Chocolate Peppermint Cookies.
• If you don't have sweetened condensed coconut milk, you try swapping for ½ cup of organic white sugar.

🍴Step by Step Instructions

Step 1: Add Ingredients into Blender

Start by adding full fat coconut milk, raw cashews, sweetened condensed coconut milk, vanilla extract, peppermint extract, and salt into a blender.

Step 2: Blend Ice Cream Mixture

Blend on high for about 1-2 minutes or until it's a smooth and creamy consistency. Then blend on low for 15-20 seconds to remove any bubbles or froth from the top of the mixture.

Step 3: Cook Ice Cream Mixture

If you notice that the coconut milk is getting clumpy at the top, pour into a saucepan and cook on low heat for a few minutes until it's smooth and creamy. This tends to happen during the colder months!

Step 4: Churn Ice Cream

Next, pour the creamy ice cream mixture into an ice cream maker and churn for 20-25 minutes.

Step 5: Add Toppings & Freeze

Once the ice cream is thick and creamy, transfer into a loaf pan or freezer safe container. Top with crushed candy canes and chocolate chips. Freeze for 30-60 minutes for a firmer consistency.

Expert Tips

• When it comes out of the ice cream maker it has more of a soft serve consistency, but you can transfer it into a container and freeze for 30-60 minutes for a firmer consistency.
• The ice cream base for the Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker must be stored in the freezer for 24 hours prior to making the ice cream.
• For best results, I recommend using an electric ice cream maker, but you can use a no churn method by freezing the mixture for 6-8 hours or overnight.
• I noticed when I make ice cream in the colder months, the coconut milk separates when I blend it. Just follow instructions on how to warm in a saucepan before churning.

Helpful Kitchen Tools

Ice Cream Maker

For this recipe, I used the Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker which works great! My husband and I have been using this ice cream maker for years.

You can use it for dairy-free ice cream or traditional dairy ice cream recipes.

Blender

To create a smooth and creamy consistency, I recommend using a high speed blender.

I have the Vitamix A3300 Ascent Series Smart Blender and it's my most used appliance in the kitchen.

Ice Cream Scooper

To achieve the perfect ice cream scoop, I suggest using an ice cream scooper instead of a spoon.

Toppings & Mix-In's

If you're planning on churning in an ingredient like chocolate chips, don't pour it into the ice cream machine until the last minute.

You can also fold it in with a spatula once the ice cream has finished churning.

• White Chocolate Chips
• Dark Chocolate Bar, Roughly Chopped
• Candy Canes or your favorite Peppermint Candies
• Melted Chocolate - Melt chocolate chips with a little coconut oil to create your own chocolate sauce! (AKA magic shell!) Pour over ice cream and watch it instantly freeze!
• Coconut Whipped Cream - My homemade recipe is so easy! You can also use any dairy-free whipped cream from the store.

Try serving a scoop of ice cream on top of a warm brownie for a cozy winter treat!

How to Store Leftovers

Store leftover ice cream in an airtight container freezer-safe container. If the container does not have a cover, it will get freezer burn.

Leave the ice cream at room temperature for about 5-10 minutes before serving. Because of the cashews and full fat coconut milk, it does maintain a pretty soft texture even after freezing overnight.

More Dairy-Free Ice Cream Recipes!

After you make this Dairy Free Candy Cane Ice Cream, make sure to leave a comment & rate the recipe!

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