Vegan Cotton Candy Ice Cream
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.
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 😉 This Vegan Cotton Candy Ice Cream is made with 7 simple ingredients: coconut milk, almond extract, agave syrup, coconut oil, coconut milk powder (optional but recommended), either beetroot powder (less pink) or pitaya powder for pink, and blue spirulina powder for blue. Shockingly enough, this healthy, no-churn Vegan Cotton Candy Ice Cream is naturally sweetened and completely dye-free.
And to make this recipe even more appealing to your inner kid, you simply blend all the ingredients together, separate into two bowls, add the color powder, freeze in an ice cube/silicone cupcake tray overnight- we’re talkin’ 15 minutes max here. And then the next day, blend each color separately, dollop onto a baking sheet/in a loaf pan, lightly swirl the colors together, re-freeze 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 did! 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! It’s also loaded with amazing health benefits including boosting the immune system, increasing energy, and improving digestion.
If you’re feeling even more youthful than usual, you can take this Vegan Cotton Candy Ice Cream and make ice cream sandwiches out of it too! I happen to be obsessed with all things cute and tiny after all that hype over the pancake cereal, so of course mini ice cream sandwiches it is!
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
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
- 2.5 cups coconut cream
- 2 teaspoons almond extract
- 1/2 cup agave syrup
- 3 tablespoons coconut oil
- 2 tablespoons coconut milk powder (optional but recommended for creamier ice cream)
- 1/4 teaspoon beetroot/pink pitaya powder
- 1/4 teaspoon blue spirulina powder
Instructions
- In your blender, blend together all the ingredients EXCEPT for the beetroot powder and blue spirulina powder until smooth.
- Divide the mixture into two separate bowls.
- Add 1/4 teaspoon of beetroot powder to one bowl and whisk until it's fully combined (should turn the mixture pink).
- Add 1/4 teaspoon of blue spirulina powder to the other bowl and whisk until it's fully combined (should turn the mixture blue).
**NOTE: if you cannot find blue spirulina powder, you may also use blue butterfly pea flower powder - Spoon/pour each mixture into an ice cube tray or silicone mini cupcake tray.
- Freeze overnight.
- The next day, prepare a parchment-lined loaf pan, 8x8 baking pan, or small baking sheet.
- 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 and dollop spoonfuls of the blue ice cream onto/into the tray, all in different areas about a heaping tablespoon at a time.
- Remove the pink ice cream from the freezer and repeat, making sure the pink and the blue mixtures 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.
**NOTE: you also want to make sure the mixture isn't too thin, so use the appropriate size tray/pan - Put the tray back into the freezer until it's hard, about an hour.
- Scoop into bowls and enjoy!
Recommended Products
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
