Amanda Cook It’s been awhile since I’ve posted here, but I’m back! My husband and I moved to Minnesota, and we’ve been enjoying all of the beautiful changes that such a big life transition brings. Summer is in full swing and as usual, I’m inside in the air conditioning dreaming about crisp fall weather, sweaters, blankets, and foliage hikes. This refined sugar-free vegan apple crisp ice cream is for all the folks who spend the hot months waiting for fall: it’s cool and refreshing, but loaded with apples, cinnamon, and all those comforting fall autumnal flavors.
The vegan ice cream base is incredible simple: coconut milk, maple syrup, vanilla extract, and cinnamon. It’s important to use full fat coconut milk to get that perfect creamy texture for the ice cream. Reduced fat coconut milk will result in an icier final product.
The mix-ins, prepared separately, include baked apples and an oatmeal crumble that are reminiscent of apple crisp. The apples are finely diced and cooked on the stovetop in butter or a plant-based alternative, enhancing their natural sweetness with just a hint of maple syrup and cinnamon. Medium low heat is the trick here to get ooey gooey soft apples without burning them. I always reach for honeycrisp apples when baking. Fun fact that I learned when we moved to Minnesota: honeycrisp apples were developed at the University of Minnesota’s Horticultural Research Center!
The oatmeal crumble comes together quickly in the food processor with four simple ingredients: rolled oats (certified gluten-free if needed), a pinch of salt, a little more maple syrup, and melted coconut oil. Once the mixture is baked and cooled, it can be crumbled into delicious little crunchy oat bits that add a pop of texture to the ice cream.
Toss it all together and this apple crisp ice cream is packed with fall flavor while being gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan, and refined sugar-free. It can be enjoyed immediately if you prefer a softer texture, or placed in the freezer for one hour if you prefer a firmer texture. The ice cream keeps in the freezer in an air tight container — just set it out to thaw for a few moments before serving.
Want more fall flavors? Check out my super easy apple galette recipe, or my maple apple pie recipe.
Refined Sugar-Free Vegan Apple Crisp Ice Cream
Ingredients
For the baked apples
- 2 large apples (diced small)
- 1 TBSP butter (or plant-based alternative)
- 2 TBSP pure maple syrup
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
For the oatmeal crumble
- 1 cup rolled oats
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 TBSP pure maple syrup
- 3 TBSP coconut oil (melted)
For the ice cream base
- 2 15oz cans unsweetened full fat coconut milk
- 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
- 1 tsp pur vanilla extract
- 1 tsp cinnamon
Instructions
Make the oatmeal crumble
- Preheat oven to 350°F and place a piece of parchment paper on a baking sheet.
- In a food processor, pulse oats and salt until oats resemble a coarse meal.
- Add maple syrup and melted coconut oil and pulse until evenly moist.
- Turn out the mixture onto the parchment paper and press into a thin, even layer.
- Bake for 5-8 minutes or until the edges begin to brown
- Remove from oven and set aside to cool.
Cook the apples
- Heat a skillet on the stovetop over medium-low heat.
- Melt butter (or plant-based alternative) and swirl around the pan until evenly coated.
- Add finely diced apples and cook on medium-low to medium heat until fork tender, 10-15 minutes.
- Coat apples with maple syrup and cinnamon, and continue cooking for 2-3 more minutes or until syrup is thickened and fully coating the apples.
- Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
Make the ice cream base
- Combine coconut milk, maple syrup, vanilla extract, and cinnamon in a mixing bowl and whisk to combine and aerate the mixture.
- Pour ice cream base into an ice cream maker and churn for 20 minutes.
- Crumble the oat mixture into small pieces, then add oat crumble and baked apples to the ice cream maker and churn for 5 additional minutes.
- Enjoy immediately if you like a soft serve texture, or freeze for one hour if you like a harder ice cream texture.