The BEST dairy-free pistachio ice cream – ultra creamy, just 6 vegan ingredients, easy to make in the blender, ice cream maker, or Ninja Creami!
There are two kinds of people in this world: those who love pistachio ice cream and those who (are wrong) and don’t love pistachio ice cream. But odds are if you clicked your way to this post you fall into the first camp. And I promise your clicks will be rewarded with the DREAMIEST pistachio ice cream you never even dreamed you could make at home (without an ice cream maker, no less!)
The Deets on Dairy-Free Pistachio Ice cream
Here’s what we got: 6 (maybe 7) ingredients, 3 methods, 2 scoops at least, 1 new favorite summer recipe!
Pistachio Ice Cream Ingredients
- Pistachios. This feels like a “DUH” but, we do need them. Raw, not roasted. Unsalted. Ideally with shells already removed to save some time and some sore fingers.
- Coconut cream. This is the most important ingredient to get right, it’s the creamy to that ultra CREAMY texture. I used this heavy coconut cream from Edward and Son’s – it is awesomely creamy stuff, and reliable too. If you’ve ever opened a can of coconut milk to find lumpy watery stuff…you get me. So if you go with that, just shake and dump. But if you opt for a different brand or coconut milk instead of cream, I’d recommend chilling and scooping out the solid stuff only from one of the two cans to ensure proper creaminess.
- Maple syrup. Or agave. Or honey. Or whatever sweetener you want to use.
- Vanilla and almond extracts. Both essential flavor ingredients for creating the classic pistachio flavor.
- Salt. Just a pinch.
- Matcha or spirulina. If you want to bump up the GREEN color, toss in a little matcha or spirulina. Much better than food coloring, and its such a small amount you won’t taste it.
3 Methods To Make Vegan Pistachio Ice Cream
- Option 1: My go-to easy method for no-churn ice creams that doesn’t require any fancy appliances except for a high-powered blender. Simply freeze the pistachio milk mixture in ice cube trays (preferably silicone), pop them out the next day, and re-blend into creamy soft serve or scoop-able ice cream.
- Option 2: If you happen to have an ice cream maker or an ice cream attachment for your stand mixer, you can definitely use that too. It saves the freezing overnight step, just cool the milk mixture for a few hours before churning.
- Option 3: If you have a Ninja Creami, this pistachio milk base words wonderfully with it. Cool briefly after blending, pour into a couple of Creami containers, freeze overnight, and then process on the ice cream setting. It may take a splash of milk and 1-2 re-spins to get it super creamy (pictured above).
More Ice Cream Recipes You’ll Love
- Sunbutter Soft Serve
- Cookie Dough Ice Cream Sundae Cones
- Lighter Vegan Chocolate Ice Cream
- Peanut Butter Chocolate Crunch Cluster Ice Cream
- Blueberry Frozen Yogurt
Vegan Pistachio Ice Cream
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Chilling Time: 8 hours
- Total Time: 8 hours 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: ice cream
- Method: blender
- Cuisine: american
- Diet: Vegan
Description
The BEST dairy-free pistachio ice cream – ultra creamy, just vegan 6 ingredients, easy to make in the blender, ice cream maker, or Ninja Creami!
Ingredients
- 1 cups (130g) raw pistachios, shells removed
- 2 13.5oz cans heavy coconut cream*
- 1/4 cup (80g) maple syrup
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp almond extract
- 1/2 tsp salt
- Optional: 1/8 tsp spirulina or 1/4 tsp matcha powder for color
Instructions
- Shake the coconut cream cans and pour the entire contents into a medium saucepan.
- Add pistachios, maple syrup, and salt.
- Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and simmer for 15 minutes stirring occasionally. It will thicken slightly and the pistachios will soften.
- Remove from heat, add the extracts, cool 10 minutes.
- Blend until very smooth.
- Pour into an ice cube tray and freeze overnight. The next day, blend the cubes with a splash of coconut cream until creamy. If you don’t have a blender with a tamper, I recommend using a food processor and stopping to scrape down the sides often. You will have a soft-serve consistency at this point.
- Transfer to a loaf pan, freeze 30-60 minutes until it is scoop-able but not frozen solid. Then scoop and serve.
- Keep leftovers in the freezer, covered. To serve from fully frozen, thaw 30-45 minutes until soft enough to scoop.
Alternate methods
- Cool 1-2 hours after blending, then churn in an ice cream maker.
- Pour into Ninja Creami container and freeze overnight, then process on the “ice cream” setting. If it come out powdery, add a splash of milk and re-spin 1-2 times.
Notes
*If you are using full-fat coconut MILK vs CREAM, chill one can overnight and use just the solid part plus the entire can (liquid + solid) of the other
Keywords: dairy free, vegan, blender, ninja creami, soft serve, vitamix, easy, dessert, summer, frozen
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Yum! Your sunbutter soft serve remains one of my favorite frozen desserts! I’m an ice cream ADDICT and just churned a batch of froyo with young coconut meat/water and it was the best treat last night! Super pumped to try this recipe because it’s nearly impossible to find a dairy-free pistachio ice cream!!! And most store bought ice cream tastes much too sweet anyway so DIY is the way to go!
Ooooh real coconut meat makes for a crazy good and creamy ice cream base I bet with that little bit of natural sweetness too😋😋 jealous! I am on a major homemade ice cream making kick, and I agree, always better than a store bought pint!
Hi 🙂 You have such a beautiful blog with amazing recipes. Im not a big fan of coconut milk, do you have any other substitutes you could recommend for this recipe? xx Luna
I appreciate the kind words Luna! I think a cashew cream base would be your best alternative to coconut, you could try like 1.5 cups raw cashews (soak them overnight) and 2 cups water (add a little more if it won’t blend, but keep it as thick as possible) blended together. Hope that helps!
Looks lovely! Do you think I could substitute roasted pistachios instead of raw? I haven’t been able to find any raw ones. Thank you, and looking forward to making this soon!
★★★★★
Sure! It will have a more toasted prominent pistachio flavor and a slightly more brown hue, but the than that no problem!
Could I add protein powder to this?
Absolutely, just blend it in after the pistachio mixture has cooled a bit!