This Dairy-Free/Sugar-Free Mocha Chunk Ice Cream has the rich combination of chocolate and espresso with chunks of healthy cookies (or cookie dough!) in every scrumptious bite! (Gluten-Free, Low-Carb, Keto, Paleo & Vegan!) 
WHAT WE WANT
Let’s be real. This is what women want… Mother’s Day, birthday, any day. Guaranteed heck yes:
- Coffee
- Chocolate
- Ice cream
- Cookie dough
Even better- having them all in one!
Oh, and can you make it healthy?
Low carb/sugar-free, dairy-free/gluten-free and Paleo so we can eat it without feeling like garbage afterward? YES. That’s not too much to ask now, is it.
That’s what I want, and I’m sharing all the delicious details below. Read on.
The Problem with Dairy-Free Ice Cream
Here’s a problem I continue to face… at the grocery store, and even at specialty ice cream shops: The dairy-free ice creams are seriously LACKING. They’re either
- loaded with TONS of questionable ingredients/fillers/additives/stabilizers, artificial colors/flavors. And/or
- loaded with tons of sugar or artificial sweeteners. And/or
- They don’t taste all that good. Let’s be honest.
All I want is a natural, dairy-free/sugar-free ice cream with a FEW simple ingredients. That tastes like “REAL” ice cream.
And now, just like Ariana Grande, “I want it, I got it.” haha.
Get REAL
YES. Seriously. This stuff tastes like the REAL DEAL — thanks a few simple ingredients:
- Coconut milk – the easy swap for heavy cream to make dairy-free ice cream! YAY!
- Almond butter- my secret ingredient for SUPER creamy smooth (NOT ICY) consistency! *cue choirs singing* Ahhh. It’s magical and wonderful how it keeps the texture soft and silky.
- Cacao – for chocolate with health benefits! Hello, antioxidants.
- Instant Espresso Powder- for rich coffee flavor without an espresso maker! Shortcut!
- Monkfruit – natural sweetness without the carbs! Praise!!
- Vanilla & Salt – elevate the flavor AND help the texture (see guide linked below) Flavvvor!
ps. If this is your first time making homemade dairy-free ice cream, be sure to check out my complete guide here that explains my tips, tricks, secrets and method to the BEST ice cream ever.
LEVEL UP your Homemade Ice Cream
My favorite part of this ice cream is the CHUNKS of deliciousness throughout.
I can’t decide if I liked the raw COOKIE DOUGH chunks better, or the cookie crumbles better! They’re BOTH freaking GOOD.
I used my Vanilla Nut Bliss Ball (& cookie!) recipe I shared last week in this ice cream.
It’s a hearty, nutty cookie that’s not too sweet, and is SUPER delicious mixed with this dark, rich chocolate ice cream. It’s a match made in heaven – the ideal balance of flavors, the ultimate FANCY ice cream taste that elevates it from a nice ice cream, to a WOW THAT’S AMAZING ice cream.
So for real. Don’t skip the chunks.
I LOVE CHUNKS
What’s amazing about this cookie recipe is they are perfect FROZEN with the ice cream.
- They *don’t* get rock hard and hurt your teeth when you bite into them.
- They *don’t* get soggy.
- They ARE super easy to make
- They ARE delicious and healthy — gluten/grain/sugar-free!
You can taste the chewy, thick CHUNKS in every bite. Add as many cookies as you want into the ice cream. I used about 2 or 3 in the whole batch (which makes 4 servings of ice cream.)
Your only choice is — do you want cookie crumbles or chunks of dough?? Decisions, decisions…
How to Make Homemade Ice Cream
Do you have an ice cream maker? That does the work for you to make “REAL” ice cream QUICKLY and easily.
Churn it about 10-15 minutes and it’s ready to eat as soft serve right away. Or freeze it 1-2 hours for a firmer texture.
Note – since we’re not using any additives, this ice cream is best served the same day — freshly churned and frozen an hour or so to firm up (i.e. don’t freeze it and forget about it or it *will* lose it’s amazing “realness”)
What if you don’t have an ice cream maker?
Don’t worry. You can still make this recipe sans machine. Simply pour the mixture into a shallow dish and freeze it until it’s the consistency you like.
*However* there’s a caveat — it takes a little more time and effort.
You need to go to the freezer about every 30 minutes and whisk the ice cream to aerate it so that it doesn’t freeze rock hard. This could take anywhere from 2-4 hours, or longer. Worth the effort though, right??
Another option: Freeze it into popsicle molds and make cream pops like I did in my Coffee Crunch Creamsicle recipe 🙂
Either way, I think you’re gonna LOVE this homemade ice cream!
Don’t forget to Save this recipe on Pinterest:
Mocha Ice Cream (Keto, Dairy-Free)
Ingredients
Mocha Ice Cream
- 1 13.7 oz can coconut milk full fat
- 1/4 cup monkfruit granules see notes for sub
- 1/4 cup cacao powder
- 3 Tbs natural almond butter
- 2 Tbs vanilla
- 3-5 tsp instant espresso powder
- pinch of pink salt
Cookies
- 2-4 cookies or dough recipe link below
Instructions
To make the ice cream:
- Place all ingredients in a blender and blend smooth.
- Taste and adjust to your preferred level of espresso, cacao, sweetness and/or salt.
- Chill mixture for 1-2 hours (see post for how to make without an ice cream maker)
- Churn mixture in an ice cream maker until thickened and no longer turning.
- Sprinkle ice cream with cookie crumbles or cookie dough chunks.
- Enjoy as soft-serve or transfer to a loaf pan and freeze until solid.
Notes
Disclosure: As an affiliate I may earn a small commission from qualifying purchases made through referral links in this post (at no additional cost to you).
Products & Ingredients used in this recipe:
Lakanto Classic Monkfruit from:
- Thrive Market {use my referral link to save an extra 25% on your first order}
- Amazon
- Lakanto.com Click here {use code PRETTYPIES to save 20% on your order}
Organic Cacao Powder from Thrive Market
Wow, an ice cream that stays soft and not rock hard?
One question….I can’t do chocolate flavor, so do you think I could sub a plant-based vanilla protein powder for the cacao? Thanks.
Hi Patricia!
It will harden if left in the freezer too long (since it doesn’t have additives/stabilizers)
But Yes – the vanilla protein powder should work great! If it has sweetener, you may not need to add as much though. I always say taste as you go 🙂
Let me know if you try it! Enjoy!
I am allergic to coconut. Is there another option? Thanks.
Yes, you can sub 1 cup almond or cashew milk + 1/2 to 3/4 cup almond or cashew butter.
I also have an avocado ice cream. Sub the coconut cream for 1/2 cup nut butter + milk to thin to “heavy cream” consistency.
If you try it, let me know how it goes 🙂