This no-churn chocolate chip cookie dough paleo & vegan ice cream is creamy and loaded with chewy cookie dough bites, yet secretly so healthy! The ice cream base is sweetened with dates and bananas and comes together quickly in a blender. The cookie dough takes two minutes to make and is grain free and dairy free. It’s a healthy and addicting frozen treat that you’ll want to make again and again!
Are we ready for ice cream, everyone? After finishing off my (new favorite) “nice cream” recipe, I seriously couldn’t be more excited to share it with all of you! I’m actually really happy to be home today after being away on a long weekend road trip, and needless to say I could really use some CLEAN, dairy free treats since the weekend was very un-paleo, and I’m sorta, no, majorly feeling those negative effects.
Thankfully, making ridiculously delicious dairy-free, paleo AND vegan ice cream is as easy as whipping up a smoothie! And, I discovered a new favorite way to sweeten the ice cream base itself. Okay I can’t wait to tell you – it’s DATES!
Just when I thought loving dates anymore than I do was impossible, I tested this no-churn ice cream recipe and fell in love all over again. The dates, along with a bit of almond butter, seem to help the ice cream retain a creamier texture even without an ice cream maker.
If you’ve experimented with no-churn ice cream before, you know that that’s a major WIN, because it tends to get icy, and, sometimes even too hard to eat with anything else but an ice block. Not good. In the past, I’ve relied heavily on nut and seed butters to get a creamy dairy free frozen dessert, but this time the dates carried their weight in creating a texture that worked for me.
If you’ve made “nice cream” before, you know that it’s possible to turn frozen chunks of banana into smooth creamy ice cream with the flip of a blender switch. Yes, it’s just like magic! The bananas are really just the beginning here though, and the finished product is not SO banana heavy in flavor, because I really wanted the COOKIE DOUGH to stand out.
So, the base is simply frozen bananas, dates, coconut cream (see the recipe for recommendations), vanilla and a bit of almond butter. Then, we go chocolate chip cookie dough wild, like this:
The cookie dough is somewhat of a cross between a freezer fudge and a cookie dough. I tested the recipe several times, stuck it in the freezer, and each time it was GONE within an hour of Adam being home from work. Most of the time he has no clue what type of recipe he’s eating, and this was no exception. Still, he was clearly a fan, and, obviously so was I, since, you know, taste testing all those times 🙂
Once you marry the ice cream base with the cookie dough, it’s time to freeze. Since we’re still dealing with no-churn ice cream here, I recommend gently stirring every hour or so while it’s freezing, however don’t go crazy with this – it will still be creamy enough without a ton of stirring. I do recommend, however, letting the ice cream sit out on the counter for 10-20 minutes after it’s been frozen completely, to get a nice scoop-able consistency.
Next up? I’m actually going to dig my ice cream maker out (yes, I have one!) and experiment with a few dairy free and paleo ice cream recipes. For now though, I’m just going to sit back and appreciate my no-churn paleo and vegan chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream. Hope you guys are with me! Let’s get those banana chunks frozen and MAKE THIS!
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Paleo & Vegan Ice Cream {No-Churn}
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Paleo & Vegan Ice Cream {No-Churn}
Ingredients
For the Cookie Dough:
- 2 Tbsp blanched almond flour
- 1 Tbsp coconut flour
- 1/4 cup unsweetened almond butter
- 3 Tbsp coconut sugar or maple sugar
- 2 Tbsp coconut oil refined*, solid
- 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- generous pinch sea salt
- 3-4 Tbsp dark chocolate chips or homemade chocolate chunks
- stir all ingredients in a bowl until creamy refrigerate or freeze before cutting or breaking into small squares to stir into ice cream
For the ice cream:
- 1 cup medjool dates measure packed tightly, pitted. Soften by soaking in hot water if too dry before adding
- 2 cups coconut cream chilled for at least 24 hours - either use the thick part from canned coconut milk (I recommend this brand) OR purchase cans of the cream only here
- 2 medium ripe but not overripe, bananas (not brown or green), cut into pieces and frozen for at least 2 hours ahead of time
- 2 Tbsp smooth almond butter**
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
For the cookie dough:
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Using a whisk or electric hand mixer (I prefer the mixer) cream together the almond butter, coconut oil, coconut sugar, vanilla and salt, then stir in both flours until smooth.***
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Gently stir in the chocolate, then chill in the freezer until it firms up before cutting or breaking into small squares/chunks to stir into ice cream
For the Ice Cream:
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Add all ingredients (not the cookie dough) to a high speed blender or food processor and blend on high speed until thick and creamy, scraping the sides as needed.
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Once creamy, line a medium loaf pan with parchment paper (parchment is optional) and pour in all of the coconut cream mixture. Gently drop in pieces of the chilled cookie dough, then gently fold them into the ice cream with a spoon.
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Cover tightly with plastic wrap and freeze for 2 hours, then gently stir, scraping the sides a bit, re-cover, and return to the freezer until solid or at the desired consistency.
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Once left in the freezer, the ice cream will harden, so it will need to sit at room temp for 10 minutes or so before scooping. Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
*Use refined to avoid coconut flavor
**This is not only for flavor, but to create a creamier, less icy ice cream
*** If the coconut oil separates from the rest of the mixture, simply chill and then vigorously stir after it firms up.
Nutrition
What I Used To Make My Cookie Dough Paleo & Vegan Ice Cream:
Want more delicious paleo & vegan treats? Try one of these!
4 Ingredients Chocolate Pudding
Chocolate Chip Cookie Vanilla Cheesecake
Banana Blueberry Breakfast Cookies
Tell Me!
What’s your all-time favorite ice cream mix-in?
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meredith (The Cookie ChRUNicles) says
I love this! cookie dough is probably my favorite mix in – the texture and flavor is always perfect in ice cream or yogurt. if I find patience, I will definitely make this soon! at least it would give me reason to not throw out my over ripe bananas and freeze them for something useful lol
Patricia @Sweet and Strong says
This looks amazing! Cookie Dough ice cream is my favorite but I know it’s filled with yucky ingredients. Would love to try making this!
Casey the College Celiac says
Oh my gosh – just when I thought banana ice cream couldn’t get any better!!! I love making blueberry nice cream but I never say no to cookie dough! 😉
Emily says
Ok. Wow. You created a winner here. I need to get some dates, because I love cookie dough ice cream, and this looks so perfect.
Michele says
Hope you try it out 🙂
Deryn | Running on Real Food says
OMG, girl. This looks insane. And YES to no-churn. I don’t have an ice cream maker in my tiny kitchen so this is perfect. The ice cream looks soooo creamy with both banana and coconut. Can’t wait to try this!
Sarah @ cookathome.info says
Just letting you know that I tried this recipe over the weekend. And I think I ate half of it in one sitting. It is soooo yummy! Love cookie dough in all shapes and sizes, but especially in ice cream!
Michele says
That’s great! I totally agree with the cookie dough, just so good!
Charice says
OMG! I would give anything for a sample of this ice cream. I’m in the process of getting the ingredients so that I can make this for me and my significant other who absolutely loves ice cream. I’ve been looking for a healthier version and this one looks like it is it.
Melissa says
I love cookie dough, but have an almond allergy? Any suggestions on what I can use instead?
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