Indulge in this super creamy and decadent dairy free chocolate Oreo ice cream! Our chocolate cookies n cream ice cream is dairy free, gluten free, quick, and simple to make.
One of the best things in the summer is having dairy free ice cream so good that you can’t believe it’s actually dairy free.
And one of the most disappointing things is spending money on dairy free ice cream from an ice cream shop that is not good.
We went to a (formerly) favorite ice cream shop in a nearby town and got some dairy free ice cream and were pretty sad with how off the ice cream and popsicles tasted.
I knew I could make ice cream that tasted way better, so I decided to start making more of our own ice cream at home (plus the good store bought dairy free ice cream can get expensive if you’re buying it frequently).
One of my favorite dairy free ice cream flavors is the So Delicious chocolate cookies n cream made with cashew milk. My daughter can’t have it and I love that flavor combo, so I decided to make our own version of it at home.
This dairy free Oreo ice cream completely blows the store bought stuff out of the water… and the ice cream shop’s dairy free flavors, too.
Our version of chocolate cookies n cream ice cream is not only dairy free, it’s also made without cashews so my daughter can enjoy it, and it’s gluten free as well, and incredibly creamy.
Like melt your face creamy and decadent. It’s that good!
And don’t worry about this having coconut milk in it: it doesn’t taste coconut-ty at all. This recipe doesn’t have a strong coconut taste, so even people who don’t like coconut will like this recipe!
How to make dairy free chocolate Oreo ice cream
Update: Oreo changed their recipe recently and they are now using a combination of soybean and canola oil. This recipe change has affected both the regular and gluten free Oreo varieties.
I made this recipe with an ice cream maker since I think it has the best texture, but you can make it without an ice cream maker if you like, just read down father for instructions on that.
Here are the steps to make this ice cream recipe, it’s crazy easy (don’t forget, the full recipe card is at the end of the blog post!):
- Place your ingredients in a blender to mix things up smoothly and work out any lumps in the canned coconut milk (don’t add the cookies yet!).
- Turn on your ice cream maker and pour the chocolate coconut milk mixture directly into the ice cream maker from the blender while it’s running.
- Run the machine until your ice cream is like a firm soft serve.
- Crush up gluten free sandwich cookies and mix them into the ice cream by hand.
- Serve!
Some dairy free ice cream recipes call for chilling your ingredients beforehand when making ice cream. It makes things freeze a little faster, but I’ve found that it’s not an absolute necessity.
I used room temperature ingredients for several of my oreo ice cream batches and it didn’t take too much longer to freeze in the ice cream maker. Room temperature is fine, you just don’t want to try and use hot ingredients.
If you’re using a freezer bowl type ice cream maker like I use, it’s important to first turn on the machine to get it running before adding the coconut milk mixture to keep the cream from flash-freezing onto the sides of the container and preventing a smooth mix.
We prefer serving our chocolate cookies n cream ice cream right out of the ice cream maker since I love soft serve best. But if you freeze it for later or want leftovers, this freezes fairly hard so you’ll need to put it in the microwave for 30-60 seconds to soften the ice cream for scooping.
Variations for our cookies n cream ice cream
You can have some fun with our ice cream recipe! There are a few different variations to this recipe:
- Skip the cocoa powder to make a traditional cookies n cream ice cream with vanilla as the base instead of chocolate.
- Use vanilla sandwich cookies instead of chocolate for an inside-out cookies n cream ice cream.
- Use regular Oreo cookies if you don’t need your dairy free ice cream to also be gluten free. Plain, brand name Oreos don’t contain dairy, but always check the label to be sure if you have severe dairy allergies.
- Leave out the cookies for grain free chocolate ice cream (paleo if you use coconut cream instead of Silk heavy cream) that tastes like a Wendy’s frosty!
How to make this Oreo ice cream without an ice cream maker
We prefer using an ice cream maker since it gets the ice cream made much faster and I think it’s creamier, but you can make this without an ice cream maker if you want (I’d recommend investing in a freezer bowl ice cream maker if you can though!).
Blend up your ingredients in the blender like normal and then pour it into a freezer safe glass dish, like a loaf pan. Pop it in the freezer until it’s frozen through, about 3-4 hours.
Once you’re ready to dish it up, you can warm it in the microwave for a little bit (30-60 seconds) to soften it just enough to help with scooping.
Check out our other dairy free frozen dessert recipes!
- Dark Chocolate Fudgesicles
- Pomegranate Chia Popsicles
- Chocolate Cookies n Cream Ice Cream (DF GF)
- Pineapple Popsicles
- Strawberry Mango Popsicles
- Peppermint Chocolate Chip Nice Cream
- Homemade Mocha Ice Cream
- Chocolate Nice Cream
Chocolate Cookies ‘n Cream Ice Cream (Gluten Free)
Ingredients
- 1 cup canned coconut milk (mixed, not separated)
- 1 cup Silk dairy free heavy whipping cream OR canned coconut cream
- ⅓ cup cocoa powder
- ½ cup pure maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Dash salt
- 6-8 dairy free and gluten free sandwich cookies (or regular Oreos if you don't need this to be gluten free)
Equipment
- Ice cream maker
- Blender
Instructions
- In a blender, combine all the ingredients except the sandwich cookies and process until smooth, scraping down the sides of the blender as needed to get everything mixed. This prevents lumps from canned coconut milk.
- Turn on the ice cream maker and pour the chocolate coconut milk into the ice cream maker. If you're using a freezer bowl type ice cream maker, turning it on first is important to keep the cream from flash-freezing onto the sides of the container and preventing a smooth mix.
- Run the ice cream maker until the chocolate ice cream is frozen like a firm soft serve, about 15-20 minutes.
- Crush up the sandwich cookies and stir them into the ice cream. You can crush them into big pieces or little pieces based on your preference. Or you can skip the cookies to just leave this ice cream a paleo chocolate ice cream (it's a lot like a Wendy's frosty!).
- Serve right out of the ice cream machine or scoop it into a dish to freeze solid for later.
- We prefer serving it right out of the ice cream maker, but if you freeze it for later or want leftovers, this freezes fairly hard so you'll need to put it in the microwave for 30-40 seconds to soften the ice cream for scooping.
Nutrition
Sarah Jane Parker is the founder, recipe creator, and photographer behind The Fit Cookie. She’s a food allergy mom and healthy living blogger based in Wyoming. Sarah is also an ACSM Certified Personal Trainer, ACE Certified Health Coach, Revolution Running certified running coach, and an ACE Certified Fitness Nutrition Specialist