Vegan Brown Butter Vanilla Ice Cream

Aug 10, 2026 · By VanillaGoods

Dessert Ice cream frozen desserts Origin: Ugandan Vanilla: Beans Medium

Vegan brown butter ice cream flavored with a whole vanilla bean. An intermediate recipe: 30 minutes of prep and 15 minutes of cooking, plus chilling and freezing; serves 8. Best vanilla for this: Ugandan (bold, chocolatey, smoky), or Madagascar (rich, creamy, classic). Any pure vanilla works.

Prep 30 min

Cook 15 min

Chill & Freeze 8 hr

Total 8 hr 45 min

Servings 8

Diet Vegan

Ingredients

Adjust yield

servings

2.0 cups (480.0 ml)full-fat coconut cream
1.0 cup (240.0 ml)oat milk
¾ cup (150.0 g)granulated sugar
3.0 tbsp (24.0 g)cornstarch
⅛ tspfine sea salt
1.0vanilla bean, split and scraped
3.0 tbsp (42.0 g)browned vegan butter, cooled

Make it at home

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Instructions

Whisk the cornstarch with 1/4 cup of the oat milk until completely smooth.
Warm the coconut cream, the remaining oat milk, the sugar, salt, and vanilla in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring, until the sugar dissolves and the mixture steams, about 5 minutes.
Brown the butter: melt it in a small skillet over medium heat, swirling, until it turns golden and smells nutty, then let it cool slightly, and whisk it into the warm cream mixture.
Whisk in the cornstarch slurry and cook, stirring constantly, until the base thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon, 2 to 3 minutes.
Strain into a clean bowl, press plastic wrap onto the surface, and chill until cold, at least 4 hours or overnight. Churn in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's directions until thick.
Transfer to a container and freeze for at least 4 hours, until firm enough to scoop.

Tips

Brown the butter in a light-colored pan so you can see the color change; it turns from golden to burnt in seconds.
Don't toss the scraped pods: tuck them into a jar of sugar for homemade vanilla sugar.
No vanilla bean? Use 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract, 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste or 1 teaspoon vanilla powder instead. Add it where the recipe adds the seeds; if the bean is steeped in hot milk or cream, stir the swap in after cooking, off the heat.
Choosing vanilla: Ugandan vanilla (bold, chocolatey, smoky) suits this recipe best; Madagascar (rich, creamy, classic) is a great alternative, and any pure vanilla works.

Recipe FAQ

How long does it take to make vanilla ice cream?

Plan on 30 minutes of prep and 15 minutes of cooking, plus 8 hr chill & freeze. The recipe makes 8 servings.

How should I store vanilla ice cream?

Keep it in an airtight container in the freezer with plastic wrap pressed on the surface; it tastes best within 2 weeks.

Can I use a different form of vanilla?

Yes. This version uses 1 split vanilla bean. You can swap in 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract, 1 tablespoon of vanilla bean paste, or 1 teaspoon of vanilla powder instead; they're interchangeable at these amounts. Beans give the most visible specks and the fullest aroma.

What makes this recipe vegan?

It uses plant-based swaps for every animal ingredient: full-fat coconut cream, oat milk, cornstarch, browned vegan butter, cooled. Check that your plant butter and other packaged ingredients are certified vegan.

Estimated · per serving

Nutrition

Per serving = 1 of 8 servings this recipe makes.

328 Calories / serving

24.5g Fat

27.4g Carbs

2.3g Protein

21.1g Sugar

Whole recipe (8 servings): ~2624 cal · 196g fat · 219g carbs · 18g protein · 169g sugar

Estimated values per serving, calculated from standard ingredient data. Not verified Nutrition Facts; actual values vary with brands, measurements, and preparation.

Per serving · 328 calories

What it takes to burn one serving

Brisk walking 62 min·3.6 mi·~7250 steps
Walking uphill or incline treadmill 44 min·2.2 mi·~4400 steps
Moderate cycling 33 min·6.6 mi
Swimming laps 46 min
Jogging 32 min·2.7 mi·~5100 steps
Stair climbing 30 min·~2700 steps
Dancing 53 min
Bodyweight circuit training 33 min
Cleaning, errands, or playing with the dog 76 min

Rough estimates for one serving, based on standard MET values at about 155 lb. Your own burn depends on body size, effort, and fitness. Shown for context only — food is not something you have to earn.