Vegan Matcha Chip Ice Cream

When the sun starts shining brightly and the brilliant blue skies beckon us to open our windows, it’s a sign that summer has begun and dairy-free ice cream is on its way. The sensation of holding a hefty, crisp cone of cool, creamy ice cream on a hot and steamy day is super satisfying. We hope that our vegan matcha ice cream recipe totally hits the spot for you this season.

Even if you’ve never made homemade ice cream in your life, this recipe is simple enough for a beginner and easy to understand. Once you’ve got your inner bowl chillin’, all you need to do is blend up your dreamy ice cream ingredients, pour into the bowl when it’s super cold, and turn on your machine. You’ll be amazed at how quickly you can have your own fantastic dessert right from the freezer!

Matcha Benefits

Why is everyone so wild about matcha? Is it the glorious green color, the slightly exotic scent, or the pretty cool health benefits that makes this ingredient so irresistible? In just a single gram (or half a teaspoon) of this tempting and tasty tea, you’ll find:

• Over 300 mg of plant-based protein
• 272 mg of amino acids
• 50 mg of lipids
• Rich in minerals such as potassium, magnesium, calcium, zinc, phosphorus, and iron.
• Full of vitamins and antioxidants such as vitamins A, B1, B2, B6, C, E, and K.
• A slow release of natural caffeine (68 mg), which means its amount is between a regular cup of tea (32 mg) and a cup of coffee (94 mg) for one teaspoon of matcha powder.

Adding a superfood like this to a sweet snack is a delicious way of boosting your daily nutrition!

Star Ingredients

Can you believe you only need six ingredients to make a decadent vegan matcha ice cream at home? You probably already have most of these on hand!

• Coconut milk: Choose a canned coconut milk that’s full-fat. This will result in the creamiest vegan ice cream.
• Sugar: Just your basic white granulated white sugar! Don’t skimp on sugar as it helps reduce the freezing point to make ice cream extra creamy and not solid like an ice cube.
• Agave nectar: This light syrup adds to the sweetness and texture. Maple syrup also works well.
• Matcha powder: The star of the show! Make sure to use a high quality matcha powder for the best flavor and color.
• Salt: Don’t skip this! Salt helps to emphasize and elevate the other flavors.
• Dairy-Free Chocolate chips: You’ll want to roughly chop them or use mini vegan chocolate chips for best results.

Where Can I Find Vegan Chocolate Chips?

That’s a good question! Vegan-friendly chocolate chips are easier to find that you might think. Don’t be put off by the warning on the back of a package that states, ‘May contain traces of milk, etc.’ This just means that the facility that the chocolate is made in also makes food items that include milk as an ingredient. If milk, butter, other dairy items are not in the ingredients list, you’re safe.

If you don’t mind the extra work, you can always use your favorite vegan chocolate bar and chop it into little chunks. Or, you can make up a batch of chocolate bark and break that into perfect size pieces.

Some popular brands of dairy-free chocolate chips include:

• Trader Joe’s (semi-sweet or dark)
• Whole Foods (365 brand semi-sweet chunks)
• Enjoy Life (semi-sweet or dark)
• Lily’s (semi-sweet or dark)
• Equal Exchange (bittersweet)

How to Make Vegan Matcha Ice Cream

Aside from the set up and chill time, this matcha ice cream comes together quickly with an ice maker! Just make sure to follow the advance prep for best results.

Advance Prep

Freeze the ice cream maker bowl for at least 24 hours before starting (or follow ice cream maker directions). This step is essential for getting the right ice cream consistency!

Prepare The Matcha Ice Cream Mixture

To a blender, add the coconut milk, sugar, agave nectar, matcha powder, and salt. Blend well until completely smooth, then transfer to a bowl, cover, and set in the fridge for at least one hour to chill.

Make The Ice Cream

Once the bowl has become fully frozen, set it up in your ice cream maker and turn it on. Slowly pour in the chilled matcha mixture. Allow the ice cream maker to do its magic to transform the matcha mixture from a liquid to a thick soft serve. This can take about 10-15 minutes but refer to your ice cream maker‘s instructions as this can vary between models.

When the ice cream maker is done, use a spatula to quickly scoop all the soft ice cream into a storage container and gently fold in the chocolate. At this point the ice cream will be very soft (like soft serve) and will start to melt, so work quickly to scoop it out, cover and transfer to the freezer as soon as you’re done!

Allow the ice cream to chill in the freezer for at least 4 hours (or overnight) before enjoying!

Serving Suggestions

Once your delicious ice cream is concocted, your only concern might be getting brain freeze. Other than that, you can come up with some cool and creative ways to share or serve your ice cream. Here are some of our most fun and festive ideas:

• Up the chocolate factor – Add extra chocolate chips, chunks, or shavings to the top of your sweet scoops. You may even want to try cacao nibs or a sprinkling of cocoa powder. Super, duper chocolate-y!
• Mix into a smoothie – Mix a couple of scoops of matcha chip ice cream to a blender, along with a little plant-based milk, a cup of baby spinach, and a cup of frozen fruit. Whiz it up for a wonderfully cool and creamy treat! Serve in a pretty glass with a reusable straw.
• Pop on top of pie – Homemade ice cream and warm piece of pie are the perfect pair. You can even substitute a gooey maple blondie or a tangy fruit tart if you prefer those instead. The ultimate party favorite is to make a giant chocolate chip cookie and smother it with as many scoops of ice cream as you wish. Yum!
• Turn it into a Super Sundae – If you’re like me and you love different tastes, textures, and temperatures all in one bowl, a sundae would be a really special snack. Start with a base layer of super ripe bananas, add 2-3 scoops of ice cream, and add the most tempting toppings such as coconut whipped cream, warm vegan nutella, a large scoop of strawberry jam, and a handful of candied walnuts. Lastly, don’t forget the cherry on top!

Simple Storage

Storing any leftover vegan matcha chip ice cream is super easy. Scoop remaining ice cream into a freezer safe container with a secure lid. If stored properly, your homemade dessert should last at least 2-6 months in the freezer. You can also use an ice cube tray with a cover for quick and easy mini ice cream treats!

More Vegan Ice Cream Recipes

These must-try vegan ice creams are what dreams are made of! Some require an ice cream maker, some just a blender!

• Perfect Vegan Ice Cream Cake is insanely delicious and completely dairy-free! With just minutes of effort you’ll have the best ice cream cake ever!
• Vegan Rocky Road Ice Cream is super fudgy and full of marshmallows, chocolate, and slivered almonds.
• Fresh Strawberry Ice Cream is a classic and can be made with or without an ice cream maker!
• Minimalist Mango Berry Nice Cream is the best banana-free nice cream recipe! The base is made with mango and no ice cream maker required!
• Strawberries n’ Cream Smoothie is like a milkshake but made healthier! It uses oats to make it extra creamy and filling.

Vegan Matcha Chip Ice Cream

Author: Michelle Cehn | World of Vegan

5 from 8 votes

The perfect vegan matcha chip ice cream that takes just minutes of effort and tastes like you got it from an ice cream shop! You'll need an ice cream maker (and make sure you freeze the basin for at least 24 hours in advance of making this).

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 1 hour 30 minutes

advance prep (for freezing the ice cream maker bowl) 1 day

Total Time 1 day 1 hour 30 minutes

Servings 6

Equipment

• Ice Cream Maker
• Blender

Ingredients

• 2 cans coconut milk
• 5 tablespoons sugar
• 7 tablespoons agave nectar
• 3 tablespoons matcha powder
• ⅛ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup chocolate chips, roughly chopped (or mini vegan chocolate chips)

Instructions

• Advance Prep: Freeze the ice cream maker bowl for at least 24 hours before beginning (or follow ice cream maker directions). This is an essential step for getting the right ice cream consistency!
• In a blender, add the coconut milk, sugar, agave nectar, matcha powder, and salt and blend until completely smooth. Pour into a bowl, cover, and place in the fridge for at least 1 hour to chill (longer is fine too).
• Set up your ice cream maker with the fully-frozen canister, turn it on, and gently pour in the chilled matcha mixture. Allow ice cream maker to run until the matcha mixture turns from liquid to thick soft serve. This usually takes about 10-15 minutes, but look for visual signs of readiness and follow your ice cream maker’s instructions as the time can vary significantly.
• As soon as the ice cream maker is done, using a spatula, quickly scoop all the soft ice cream into a storage container and gently fold in the chocolate. The ice cream will be very soft (similar to soft serve) and will melt quickly, so work fast and cover and transfer to the freezer as soon as you’re done!
• Allow to chill in the freezer for at least 4 hours (or overnight) before enjoying!

Nutrition

Calories: 463kcal | Carbohydrates: 41g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 32g | Saturated Fat: 27g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 66mg | Potassium: 281mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 34g | Vitamin A: 375IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 43mg | Iron: 7mg

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword dairy-free ice cream recipe, matcha ice cream, vegan ice cream, vegan ice cream recipe

If you try this Vegan Matcha Chip Ice Cream, let us know what you think by leaving a comment and rating below! Be sure to follow along on Pinterest, Instagram and Facebook for even more vegan recipe inspiration.

Vegan Matcha Chip Ice Cream photos by JJ Steele, copyright of World of Vegan™, all rights reserved.