A creamy vegan pistachio ice cream made with 5 ingredients. All you need is coconut milk, pistachios, sugar, vanilla extract and salt. You also have the option to add matcha for color and almond extract for flavor.
I have another ice cream recipe for you, this time, a pistachio ice cream. This recipe is made with 5 simple ingredients in less than 5 minutes of preparation.
How to Make Vegan Pistachio Ice Cream
Start by freezing the bowl of your ice cream maker overnight. Once the bowl is frozen, prepare the ice cream. Add the pistachios, coconut milk, sugar, vanilla extract, salt, almond extract and matcha to a high-speed blender and blend until smooth.
Once the mixture is done, pour it into the ice cream maker. Churn for 25 minutes or until the ice cream is of soft serve consistency.
You can eat the ice cream as a soft serve or transfer to a sealable container and freeze until firm, about 3-4 hours.
Can You Make This Recipe without an Ice Cream Maker?
This recipe was only tested with an ice cream maker, so I can’t guarantee that a no-churn version would work well. That being said, you can try it – Simply pour the blended mixture into a container and freeze it overnight. The ice cream will likely be more icy than creamy, but it will taste the same. I do find this ice cream to be extra creamy thanks to the combination of pistachios and full-fat coconut milk. Let me know if you try it!
Ingredient Substitutions:
The matcha is optional for color. Make sure to use ceremonial matcha for the best results.
I highly recommend using full-fat coconut milk to get the creamiest ice cream. Light coconut milk works, but it won’t be as creamy. If you don’t enjoy a light coconut flavor, you can try using another plain and unsweetened plant-based milk, such as oat milk or cashew milk.
Feel free to skip the almond extract if you don’t have any on hand. It’s often used in pistachio ice cream and adds a delicious flavor. If you skip it, try adding another 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract.
A creamy vegan pistachio ice cream made with 5 ingredients. All you need is coconut milk, pistachios, sugar, vanilla extract and salt. You also have the option to add matcha for color and almond extract for flavor.
Course Dessert
Cuisine gluten-free, vegan
Prep Time 5 minutesminutes
Chill Time 25 minutesminutes
Total Time 30 minutesminutes
Servings 6
Ingredients
3/4cuppistachios,shelled
1can (14oz/400ml)full-fat coconut milk
1/2cupgranulated sugar
1/2teaspoonvanilla extract
1/4teaspoonsalt
1/4teaspoonalmond extract(optional)
1/4teaspoonmatcha(optional)
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. Add the pistachios, coconut milk, sugar, vanilla extract, salt, almond extract and matcha to a high-speed blender. Blend until smooth, about 30-60 seconds. 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.
Eat as a soft serve or transfer to a sealable container and freeze until firm, about 3-4 hours. Top with chopped pistachios if desired.
Notes
If your blender is on the weaker side, you can try to soak the pistachios in boiling water for 1-3 hours before blending. This wasn’t necessary with a Vitamix blender.The matcha is optional for color. Make sure to use ceremonial matcha. Culinary matcha will not add a beautiful green color the same way as ceremonial matcha.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.I highly recommend using full-fat coconut milk to get the creamiest ice cream. Light coconut milk works, but it won’t be as creamy. If you strongly dislike coconut, you can try this recipe with another plain and unsweetened plant-based milk, such as oat milk.
If you make this vegan pistachio ice cream, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! I love to hear from you guys. And of course, if you try this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram!
I've got this all prepped and chilling in the fridge! Super excited to churn it up tonight!
That's great! I hope you'll love it. Enjoy! :)
Hi,
This looks amazing. I wanted to ask if I can make
Popsicles using the same recipe. Do I need to make changes or do everything the same way if I'm making popsicles?
Thank you
Hi! I haven't tried making popsicles, but it should work well! I recommend following the recipe as is, until the ice cream is made in the ice cream maker. Instead of transferring the ice cream to a container to freeze after, transfer it to the popsicle molds and freeze for at least 3-4 hours or more until it holds. I hope this helps! :)
Thanks for your reply, Caroline :)
These turned out great in posicles as well. However, I wanted your suggestion to get rid of the strong coconutty smell from the icecream, same smell that we get when we open the can of coconut milk.
I used arroy-D without added gums etc.
Can I use baking soda, will it help with this?
Thank you for this awesome recipe :)
Hi! Thank you for the update, I'm so happy that you enjoyed the recipe and that it worked well in the popsicle form. I unfortunately don't have a tested solution for the coconut smell. You could try using a very small amount of baking soda (start very small as it could easily overpower the recipe). It might help, but I can't say from experience. Another method that would work better is to use a different milk. I tested the recipe with oat milk and it works well, plus it wouldn't have the coconut smell or flavor. The only negative of using oat milk is that the ice cream won't be as creamy and will be harder to scoop. In my ice cream maker, it also stays a bit too liquid to eat right away. However, if you're making popsicles, this wouldn't be an issue at all. I hope this helps! :)
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I've got this all prepped and chilling in the fridge! Super excited to churn it up tonight!
That's great! I hope you'll love it. Enjoy! :)
Hi,
This looks amazing. I wanted to ask if I can make
Popsicles using the same recipe. Do I need to make changes or do everything the same way if I'm making popsicles?
Thank you
Hi! I haven't tried making popsicles, but it should work well! I recommend following the recipe as is, until the ice cream is made in the ice cream maker. Instead of transferring the ice cream to a container to freeze after, transfer it to the popsicle molds and freeze for at least 3-4 hours or more until it holds. I hope this helps! :)
Thanks for your reply, Caroline :)
These turned out great in posicles as well. However, I wanted your suggestion to get rid of the strong coconutty smell from the icecream, same smell that we get when we open the can of coconut milk.
I used arroy-D without added gums etc.
Can I use baking soda, will it help with this?
Thank you for this awesome recipe :)
Hi! Thank you for the update, I'm so happy that you enjoyed the recipe and that it worked well in the popsicle form. I unfortunately don't have a tested solution for the coconut smell. You could try using a very small amount of baking soda (start very small as it could easily overpower the recipe). It might help, but I can't say from experience. Another method that would work better is to use a different milk. I tested the recipe with oat milk and it works well, plus it wouldn't have the coconut smell or flavor. The only negative of using oat milk is that the ice cream won't be as creamy and will be harder to scoop. In my ice cream maker, it also stays a bit too liquid to eat right away. However, if you're making popsicles, this wouldn't be an issue at all. I hope this helps! :)