Vegan Cotton Candy Ice Cream
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Taking you back to your childhood, this healthier, no-churn Vegan Cotton Candy Ice Cream is perfect for summer! It’s made with coconut cream and naturally sweetened with agave syrup. This recipe is also dye-free using pink pitaya powder and blue spirulina powder.
Post Updated: 4/30/24
This is the recipe that took me back, I mean wayyy back. I can hear the music box ice cream truck song down the street as I run inside to grab a few quarters to buy my favorite ice cream treat. Most often I got either the strawberry shortcake ice cream bar, a drumstick, ice cream sandwich, or a cotton candy ice cream bar. I’m not sure at what age getting ice cream at the ice cream truck became too juvenile, but I’m super pumped that now in my mid-thirties, gulp, I’m embracing the inner kid in me.
Now, of course, we fast forward a couple decades and my love for cotton candy treats hasn’t changed much based on appearance, but it sure has gotten a lot healthier, after all, it’s what’s on the inside that counts 😉
Cotton Candy Ice Cream Ingredients
This Vegan Cotton Candy Ice Cream is made with only 7 simple ingredients.
Coconut milk. Coconut milk is the base of this dairy-free ice cream. You will need 2½ cups of the solid part of 2 cans of coconut milk or coconut cream.
Almond extract. Almond extract helps give this ice cream its cotton candy flavor. You will need 2 teaspoons of pure almond extract, not imitation almond.
Agave syrup. In this ice cream recipe, the agave syrup acts as a natural sweetener while also contributing to the cotton candy flavor. You will need ½ cup of agave syrup.
Coconut oil. The 3 tablespoons of coconut oil helps to harden the ice cream. If you prefer a more soft serve ice cream, you can omit this ingredient.
Coconut milk powder (optional but recommended). Using coconut milk powder helps to make a creamier ice cream, but if you can’t find it you can omit this ingredient.
Pink Pitaya or Beetroot powder. Using Pink Pitaya Powder or beetroot powder gives the ice cream a naturally colored pink without adding a flavor. I wanted to keep this recipe dye-free and free from artificial colors. I suggest the pink pitaya powder, but if you can’t find it you can use beet powder. You will only need ¼ teaspoon.
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Blue Spirulina powder. Again, we’re coloring the blue ice cream naturally with Blue Spirulina Powder. I LOVE blue spirulina powder for not only its color but also for its health benefits. You will only need ¼ teaspoon.
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Shockingly enough, this healthy, no-churn Vegan Cotton Candy Ice Cream is naturally sweetened and completely dye-free.
How To Make This Ice Cream
And to make this recipe even more appealing to your inner kid, this no-churn ice cream is simple to make!
You start by simply blending all the ingredients together and separating into two bowls.
Add the colored powders, the pink powder to one bowl and the blue spirulina to the other bowl.
Pour the mixtures into an ice cube/silicone cupcake mold and freeze overnight.
The next day, blend each color separately, dollop the mixture into a loaf pan, alternating colors, then lightly swirl the colors together.
Re-freeze the ice cream in the loaf pan for about an hour, scoop, and enjoy! Promise it’s simple steps.
When I was recipe testing, I wasn’t really expecting this to taste a whole lot like cotton candy on the first try, obviously, that was the plan… but it actually does! I think the combination of the almond extract and agave syrup gives this Vegan Cotton Candy Ice Cream the perfect cotton candy-esque flavor. Also, be sure to use BLUE spirulina powder not the green kind, haha.
It’s a little pricey, but I also use blue spirulina powder in my Cookie Monster Smoothie Bowl recipe, another super fun recipe to try! Blue Spirulina is loaded with amazing health benefits, so it might be a great addition to your diet.
I hope this Vegan Cotton Candy Ice Cream makes you smile, and as always, I’d love to hear your thoughts, comments, and feedback so be sure to do so below. If you make this recipe, tag me on Instagram or Facebook and use #healthylittlevittles. Sending you all the nostalgic childhood memories today 🙂
Vegan Cotton Candy Ice Cream
- Total Time: 24 hours 15 minutes
- Yield: 4-6 1x
Description
Taking you back to your childhood, this healthier, no-churn Vegan Cotton Candy Ice Cream is perfect for summer! It's made with coconut cream and naturally sweetened with agave syrup. This recipe is also dye-free using pink pitaya powder and blue spirulina powder.
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups coconut cream (the solid part of a can of coconut milk)
- 2 teaspoons pure almond extract (not imitation!)
- 1/2 cup agave syrup
- 3 tablespoons coconut oil
- 2 tablespoons coconut milk powder (optional but recommended for creamier ice cream)
- 1/4 teaspoon pink pitaya/beetroot powder (see my suggested products below)
- 1/4 teaspoon blue spirulina powder (**NOTE: if you cannot find blue spirulina powder, you may also use blue butterfly pea flower powder)
Instructions
In your blender, blend together all the ingredients, EXCEPT for the pitaya/beetroot powder and blue spirulina powder, until smooth.
Divide the mixture into two separate bowls.
Add ¼ teaspoon of pitaya/beetroot powder to one bowl and whisk until it's fully combined (should turn the mixture pink). Then add ¼ teaspoon of blue spirulina powder to the other bowl and whisk until it's fully combined (should turn the mixture blue).
Spoon/pour each mixture into an ice cube tray or silicone mini cupcake mold and freeze overnight.
The next day, prepare a parchment-lined loaf pan.
Blend all the pink cubes until smooth and creamy, spoon into a bowl and keep it in the freezer while you blend the blue cubes.
Blend the blue cubes.
Dollop spoonfuls of the blue ice cream into the loaf pan, all in different areas about a heaping tablespoon at a time. Then repeat using the pink ice cream, making sure the two colors are touching.
With a butter knife (or spoon) swirl the two colors together, but be sure not to do it too much or the ice cream will turn a purplish color. You want them to just be swirled together.
Put the loaf pan into the freezer until it's frozen, about an hour. Scoop into bowls and enjoy!
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Additional Time: 24 hours
- Cook Time: 0 hours
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: American
What if you’re allergic to nuts is there a substitute for the almond?
Hi Gabby, unfortunately the almond extract is what gives this recipe the “cotton candy” flavor. You could omit the almond and the ice cream will still look like cotton candy!