Vegan Citrus Vanilla Ice Cream

Jun 18, 2026 · By VanillaGoods

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

Vegan citrus vanilla ice cream made with Madagascar vanilla

Vegan citrus ice cream flavored with a whole vanilla bean. An intermediate recipe: 20 minutes of prep and 15 minutes of cooking, plus chilling and freezing; serves 8. Best vanilla for this: Tahitian (floral, cherry, anise), or Madagascar (rich, creamy, classic). Any pure vanilla works.

Prep 20 min

Cook 15 min

Chill & Freeze 8 hr

Total 8 hr 35 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
1.0 tbsp (6.0 g)orange zest

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.
Stir the orange zest into the warm cream mixture, let it steep for 10 minutes, then strain it out.
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

Zest only the colored part of the peel; the white pith underneath is bitter.
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: Tahitian vanilla (floral, cherry, anise) 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 20 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. 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.

291 Calories / serving

20.2g Fat

27.8g Carbs

2.2g Protein

21.1g Sugar

Whole recipe (8 servings): ~2328 cal · 162g fat · 222g 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 · 291 calories

What it takes to burn one serving

Brisk walking 55 min·3.2 mi·~6450 steps
Walking uphill or incline treadmill 39 min·2.0 mi·~3900 steps
Moderate cycling 30 min·6.0 mi
Swimming laps 41 min
Jogging 28 min·2.3 mi·~4500 steps
Stair climbing 27 min·~2450 steps
Dancing 47 min
Bodyweight circuit training 30 min
Cleaning, errands, or playing with the dog 68 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.