This vegan vanilla ice cream is made with real vanilla bean and a delicious dairy-free custard base, similar to French-style creme Anglaise-based ice cream. Incredibly creamy with a scoopable consistency, it's also nut-free and gluten-free.
Freeze the ice cream bowl from your ice cream machine at least 12-24 hours ahead of making the recipe.
Add the soy milk, sugar, and cornstarch to a saucepan and whisk well to remove any lumps. Cut the vanilla pod down the center and scrape out the seeds. Add the seeds and the pod to the saucepan and place on medium heat.
Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes whilst whisking. Alternate between using a whisk and rubber spatula to make sure the custard does not stick to the pan. The mixture will become thick once the cornstarch is cooked, remove it from the heat. Carefully remove the vanilla pod and stir in the sea salt.
Cover the bowl with clingfilm to prevent a skin from forming and allow the custard to cool for 10 minutes before transferring it to the fridge to cool fully for an hour before the next step.
Add the vegan condensed milk, coconut milk, and vanilla extract to a large bowl and mix with an electric whisk for a couple of minutes until creamy. Add in the chilled custard mixture and whisk for another minute to combine.
Transfer the mixture to an ice cream machine and churn according to the manufacturer's instructions, mine usually takes about 30-40 minutes.
Transfer the ice cream mixture to a loaf pan, cover with a lid or plastic wrap, and freeze for a minimum of 2 hours.
Storage and serving
Store in the freezer in an airtight container for up to 2 months. Remove the ice cream from the freezer about 15 minutes before serving to allow it to thaw slightly and use a hot wet ice cream scoop to serve.
Notes
Some white sugar in the US is not vegan, if in doubt use organic sugar.
Full-fat canned coconut milk: Refrigerate overnight and only use the thick cream from the top of the can. I find Biona and Nature's Charm yield the best amount of coconut cream.
Heat your ice cream scoop in hot water before scooping to get perfect scoops every time.