Healthy ice-cream sandwiches that are vegan, dairy-free and gluten-free! Plus, plastic packaging-free!

Something delicious happened… These ice-cream sandwiches came into existence.

A vegan ice-cream cookie was born after countless searches around the supermarket freezers for plastic-free packed, vegan and gluten-free ice cream sandwiches.

There weren’t any. At all.

Thus, here is my homemade healthy version of this delicious summer treat.

The result ladies and gentleman… Heaven in the form of food (I can hear the angles singing now).

This dessert is a healthier spin on the famous ‘ice-cream sandwich’. Guys, I am so forking excited about how good these turned out! They’re everything you want in an ice-cream sandwich:

• Creamy
• Slightly gooey
• Spot-on vanilla-choc chip flavour combo
• Satisfies any sweet food craving

And when you bite into them?! Oh. My. Gosh. I intentionally under-baked the cookies just a little so they would be extra soft and more chewy-like than crunchy. If you prefer crunchier/crispier cookies, bake them for a little longer – another 2-5 minutes or so.

For more ice-cream recipes, see my Cookie Dough Ice-Cream Bowl, Brownie Bowl, 4-Ingredient Piña Colada Ice-Cream or Lavender Honey Ice-Cream.

Before we get started in learning how to make these delicious ice-cream sandwiches – if you like what you’re seeing, subscribe to my email newsletter at the bottom of the page to keep up to date on the latest recipes, DIYs, gardening and health tips I share!!

Vegan Ice-Cream Cookie Sandwiches

Vegan, gluten-free and plastic-free as all ingredients packed in glass, paper, bought direct from the local farmer’s market, or from my local bulk store The Source Bulk Foods.

Ingredients:

COOKIES

• 1 flax egg (1 tbsp flaxseed meal + 2.5 tbsp water)
• 3/4 cup coconut sugar
• 3 tbsp plant milk
• 1/3 cup organic coconut oil, melted and cooled
• 1 cup almond flour (blanched almond meal)
• 1 cup rice flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 cup organic vegan chocolate chips

ICE-CREAM

• 1 can organic full-fat coconut cream*
• 3-4 bananas, peeled and frozen

To make:

COOKIES

1. Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F) and line baking tray with parchment paper. Set aside.
2. Make the flax egg by combining the flax meal and water together in a small bowl, whisk to combine, then set aside to thicken for 5-10 minutes.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the coconut sugar, flax egg and plant milk until well combined.
4. Whisk in the melted coconut oil until completely smooth and creamy.
5. Add the almond flour, rice flour, baking soda and salt, and mix with a wooden spoon until well combined. Next, fold in chocolate chips.
6. Grab about 2 tbsp of dough, roll into a ball, and place on the baking sheet, flattening the dough into a cookie shape. Allow approx. 2 inches between each cookie to prevent the cookies baking into each other. For thicker cookies, place the dough in the fridge for 10 minutes before baking. Bake for 10-12 minutes, then remove from oven and allow the cookies to sit on the baking sheet for at least 10 minutes before removing them from the baking tray. Allow to cool completely before adding ice-cream.
7. Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

ICE-CREAM

1. Without tipping the full contents of the cans into a high-speed blender, scoop out the coconut cream from the top of the can, reserving the clear liquid for other recipes; such as smoothies, shakes, nice-cream, juices, etc.
2. Blend until smooth and creamy. Add frozen bananas and blend again until smooth. Pour into a freezer-safe bowl, cover with a tea towel, and place in your freezer.
3. Freeze for 1 hour, then bring it out and stir it well to aerate the ice-cream. Place it back in the freezer and freeze again for another hour. Stir it and freeze again. Do this every hour for 6 hours. This gives the ice-cream a nice fluffy texture that an ice-cream machine would normally give.
4. Scoop out ice-cream and place on the completely cooled cookies. Smoosh together with the other cookies and place in a container. Pop in the freezer for 1 hour, then they’re ready to go!
5. Store in the freezer for up to 1 week.

*I’ve found the Macro brand is best for coconut milk and coconut cream, in my experience.

When you live plastic-free, it doesn’t mean you need to sacrifice your quality of life. In fact, it can actually enhance it!

Homemade vegan ice-cream sandwiches tutorial

As always, this is not personal medical advice and we recommend that you talk with your doctor before trying or using any new products. I am not a doctor. All opinions expressed are my own personal thoughts and feelings of the products mentioned. Check with your doctor or health practitioner if you are uncertain about trying out any of the products, recipes or tips mentioned in this post. 

Have you made nice-cream sandwiches before? Do you prefer using nice-cream or ice-cream?? Share in the comments below.

Lots of love,

🖤 Vanessa