Vegan Matcha Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream
The BEST vegan matcha mint chocolate chip ice cream. This simple vegan ice cream is made with a base of coconut milk and cashews. It's perfectly sweet with a refreshing touch of peppermint and a hint of matcha.
Servings 6
Ingredients
- 1 cup cashews, raw
- 1 can (14oz/400ml) full-fat coconut milk
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract, or more to taste
- 1/4-1/2 teaspoon matcha (see notes)
- 1/4 cup mini vegan chocolate chips, dark or semi-sweet
Instructions
- Start by freezing the bowl of your ice cream maker overnight or for at least 8 hours.
- When the bowl is frozen, prepare the ice cream. Start by soaking the cashews in boiling water for 5 minutes or up to 3 hours. Drain and rinse with cold water.
- Add the soaked cashews, coconut milk, sugar, peppermint extract and matcha to a high-speed blender. Blend until smooth, about 30-60 seconds. Taste the mixture and add more peppermint extract or matcha if desired. If the mixture got warm while blending, let it cool in the fridge for 15-30 minutes.
- Place the frozen bowl in the ice cream maker. Turn it on and pour the blended mixture into the ice cream maker. Churn for 25 minutes or until the ice cream is of soft serve consistency.
- Stir in the chocolate chips.
- Eat as a soft serve or transfer to a sealable container and freeze until firm, about 3-4 hours.
Notes
The matcha is optional. I add it for color and for a very light hint of flavor. It shouldn't add a strong, overpowering flavor. If you're using the matcha for color, make sure to use ceremonial matcha. Culinary matcha will not add a beautiful green color the same way as ceremonial matcha.
Start with a small amount of peppermint extract, as is recommended in the recipe. If you want a stronger flavor, you can then add more after tasting the mixture.
I find that 1/2 cup of sugar is the perfect sweetness for my taste. If you want a sweeter ice cream, feel free to add more sugar after trying the blended mixture. Make sure to use a granulated sugar. This recipe was not tested with liquid sweeteners.
You can use mini chocolate chips or you can chop a chocolate bar. I also made it with larger chocolate chips that I chopped into smaller pieces. Use what you have on hand. You can also skip the chocolate for a plain mint matcha ice cream.