People around the world enjoy sweet, frozen, and creamy gelato. However, this type of dessert is typically made from milk, so it won't be enjoyed by those on a dairy-free or vegan diet. Fortunately, many frozen treats are suitable for vegans and are as delicious as their traditional gelato counterparts.
But isn't it fun to make our own vegan gelato? With self-made gelato, you can achieve your desired taste with no added preservatives. If you're looking for inspiration, here's our best vegan gelato in 7 easy steps.
Best Vegan Gelato
The secret to the best vegan gelato is coconut milk and cashew. But if you don't like the taste of coconut milk, you can add more cashew, sugar, salt, or vanilla extract. This will help you tone down the coconut flavor.
You can also use soy milk as an alternative base. After all, your taste buds should be the priority. While nothing beats having coconut milk, soy milk is a good option if you want creamy gelato.
Now, let the drooling begin!
Ingredients You'll Need
For the Homemade Cashew Milk:
- 150 g raw cashew (soaked in warm water for about an hour)
- 1 cup and two tablespoons (270 ml) of water
For the Ice Cream:
- 2 cups Homemade Cashew Milk
- 1 cup Coconut Milk (Unsweetened, canned, whole fat coconut milk)
- 1 cup White Sugar
- ¼ cup Water
- ¼ cup Coconut Oil
- ¾ Cacao Butter
- 2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 1 teaspoon salt
Things you'll need
- Bowl
- Blender
- Saucepan
- Gelato or Ice Cream Machine
- Loaf pan
- Plastic container
How to Make the Best Vegan Gelato
Step 1: Start with your homemade cashew milk. To do this:
- Soak some cashews in a bowl of boiling water for about an hour.
- After an hour, drain the cashews and put them in the blender along with cold water.
- Blend them well to make the mixture creamy and smooth.
Step 2: Add cashew milk and coconut milk to the mixing bowl. Mix them.
Step 3. Pre-heat the saucepan and add white granulated sugar and water. Stir the mixture thoroughly until melted. Once melted, add cacao butter, salt, and coconut oil until all ingredients melt together.
Step 4: Pour the mixture in Step 3 into the bowl. Also, put the mix of cashew milk and coconut milk. Add some vanilla extract and mix the ingredients well with an immersion blender.
Step 5. Place the bowl in the fridge for about 15 minutes. Once chilled, churn it in the gelato or ice cream machine until it is soft.
Step 6: When it finally achieved its soft served consistency, put the gelato in a loaf pan. To smoothen the gelato, use the back of the spoon, cover it with a lid and place it back in the fridge.
Step 7: Once the gelato has been set completely, you can scoop it into a bowl and enjoy your delectable vegan gelato!
If there is remaining gelato, keep it stored in a loaf pan or plastic container. Consume it within two weeks.
Best Vegan Gelato Techniques and Tips
Vegan Gelato is easy to make. But the process can be tricky, especially if the goal is to have a perfect firm and creamy consistency. Follow these simple tips to improve your gelato-making technique.
Ingredients Tips
If you wish to have a gelato that matches the flavor of the dairy-based gelato, you need to pay attention to the ingredients used for this recipe.
Make sure that everything is fresh if possible. If you want to add extra flavors, such as vanilla or fruit, go for high-quality products. For instance, vanilla beans or real vanilla make better vanilla gelato than imitation vanilla.
Coconut milk and cashew cream are essential to make a creamy neutral base, while cacao butter and coconut oil will let you achieve the regular ice cream texture.
● Coconut Milk
Only use canned, unsweetened, whole coconut milk. This will make the gelato creamy and perfect texture like the regular dairy-based gelato.
● Coconut Oil
Coconut oil adds flavor to the gelato. But if this ingredient is unavailable, you can use refined coconut oil or regular virgin coconut oil.
● Cacao Butter
Cacao butter may be mistaken for coconut butter or cocoa butter because they sound similar. However, keep in mind that it should be cacao butter. Cacao butter looks like a bar of stiff white chocolate.
This ingredient must be chopped and melted. If you don't like the taste of cacao butter, you can omit this in the recipe. However, this will result in an uneven texture.
● Raw Cashews
Raw cashews are responsible for achieving a creamy gelato. This ingredient is a must and thus irreplaceable. Cashews are soaked in boiling water for at least an hour and then blended with water to make creamy and thick cashew cream. Raw cashew is a perfect ingredient if you wish to achieve a creamy neutral base for your gelato.
Recipe Tips
Here are some tips to make your homemade gelato perfectly delicious.
● Freeze the Bowl
A day before you make your homemade vegan gelato, put the ice cream machine bowl in the freezer to freeze. Some gelato fans keep a bowl in the freezer, so it's always ready whenever they crave homemade gelato. If the bowl is not cold, you will have difficulty freezing the gelato.
● Keep the gelato creamy.
One complaint about vegan gelato is that it gets icy and hard once stored in the freezer. To prevent the gelato from getting cold, you can add a few tables spoons of fruity alcohol. You can also add corn syrup or sugar if you don't like an alcoholic flavor.
● Sit the gelato on the counter for about 20 minutes.
Generally, gelato tends to sit firmly, especially when fresh from the freezer. Before you enjoy your gelato, sit it on the counter at room temperature for at least 20 minutes. Once it's already soft enough to eat, you can scoop and enjoy the gelato.
● Heat the gelato scoop.
If you can't wait for the gelato to soften up, you can also heat the gelato scoop. This is the best way to scoop the gelato easier. To do this, pour hot water into the cup and dip the scoop before scooping the gelato.
Storing Tips
Homemade vegan gelato will not last long. It's best to consume the gelato for at least two weeks after you make it. During these two weeks that the gelato is not consumed, make sure to store it properly to maintain its delicious taste and to avoid the formation of ice crystals that will affect the gelato's texture.
● Keep the gelato in the freezer.
The gelato will taste the same several days after you make it once it is stored in the freezer. The ideal temperature of the freezer is below 0°F.
● Keep the gelato airtight.
To keep the ice cream's texture or to prevent it from smelling like fish stored in the freezer, keep it airtight. Store the gelato in a container with a tight-fitting lid. You can also place a plastic wrap between the gelato and the cover for extra security.
Take note, though, even if the gelato is appropriately stored, prolonged time in the freezer will affect the taste of the gelato. It is always best to consume it within a week or two after making it.
● Use a Shallow Plastic Container
You can keep the soft consistency of the gelato when it is stored in a shallow container or loaf pan. Avoid using glass or ceramic containers because it will take too long to freeze the gelato.
How to Make the Best Vegan Gelato Without a Machine?
Making the best vegan gelato should not be more complex than it must be. A gelato machine is not necessarily needed, but note that the finished product may not be as good as the gelato made through a gelato machine.
The gelato or ice cream machine incorporates air into the gelato while the gelato machine churns and freezes it. It keeps the ice crystals small, making a lovely smooth texture.
To achieve the same consistency and texture without using a gelato machine, you can use your stand mixer to whip the mixture and achieve a fluffy result. Then place the gelato in the freezer, and before it gets frozen, whip or beat the gelato again. This is the closest possible way to make gelato as if made from a gelato machine.
Conclusion
A self-made vegan gelato is delicious, fresh, and easy to make. What's more, you can choose or add flavor, and you're assured that it is made from pure vegan ingredients.
This recipe has everything you want gelato to be - extra creamy, perfectly textured, smooth and sweet, and very healthy! It can be made in 7 easy steps, so there's no reason to be disappointed with an expensive non-dairy gelato again.
Mix, churn, and freeze all ingredients together, and voila! The best vegan gelato is ready in a few hours
Have you already tried making your vegan gelato? Share your experience in the comments below!