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Vegan Ice Cream Bars feature a creamy cashew ice cream, coated in an easy, 3-ingredient chocolate shell. They are naturally sweetened, dairy-free, and totally delicious. Let’s make them!
Why You’ll Love Them
- They’re nutritious. Cashews are the base of these creamy ice cream bars, and since they contain both fiber and protein, this treat may leave you feeling more satisfied. Eating cashews may also help to lower insulin levels.
- No refined sugar. This ice cream and chocolate coating are both sweetened with maple syrup. Feel free to experiment with honey, if you prefer, but keep in mind that honey has a stronger flavor, so you may want to use less of it in comparison.
- They remind me of store-bought ice cream bars. If you love chocolate-covered ice cream bars, you’ll love these! They are creamy on the inside, with a crunchy, dark chocolate coating.
- You can control the sweetness. The chocolate shell is lightly sweet, but if you prefer a darker chocolate flavor, you can simply use less maple syrup. You can taste as you go! Feel free to make the ice cream less-sweet if you prefer, too.
You can also change the ice cream flavor in the middle. I think these would be amazing filled my vegan coffee ice cream or pistachio ice cream, for a change of pace.
How to Make the Ice Cream Bars
- Blend. Add the cashews, water, vanilla, and maple syrup to a blender, and blend until totally smooth and creamy.
- Freeze. Pour the blended mixture into an ice pop mold and freeze until solid, about 6 hours or overnight.
- Mix. When you’re sure the ice cream bars are firm, it’s time to mix together the chocolate coating. Add the cacao powder, maple syrup, and coconut oil to a bowl, and whisk until no clumps remain. Be sure that the maple syrup is at room temperature, so the mixture will be drippy and pour-able. (Cold maple syrup will cause the coconut oil to thicken up and seize the mixture.)
- Remove the bars. To remove the ice cream bars from the mold, try running the popsicle mold upside down under hot water briefly. This should help the edges loosen up enough for you to pull each popsicle out. Lay them down on a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper, so you’ll be able to coat them all in chocolate next.
- Coat. Use a spoon to drizzle the chocolate coating on each chocolate bar, and spread it out into a thin layer quickly. The chocolate will harden fast, so this can be a bit of a messy process. Once the chocolate has hardened, you can flip the bars over and coat the other side, and along the top of the bars. Place the pan in the freezer, if needed, to help keep the bars cold as you work.
- Enjoy! Once the chocolate has hardened, these vegan ice cream bars are ready to eat.
Once the bars are coated, you can enjoy one right away, or place the pan of coated ice cream bars in the freezer to chill until you’re ready to serve them. They should keep well in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Don’t have a popsicle mold? Pour this ice cream mixture into a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan that has been lined with parchment paper. Freeze until firm, then slice the loaf into 8 squares.
Coat each frozen ice cream square with the chocolate coating, for a homemade “Klondike bar” instead. These are messier to eat, but still delicious.
Ingredients
Vegan Ice Cream Bars
- 1 1/2 cups raw cashews (215 grams)
- 1 1/2 cups water (355 grams; 12 ounces)
- 1/2 cup maple syrup (155 grams)
- 2 tablespoons vanilla extract (24 grams)
Chocolate Coating
- 1/3 cup raw cocoa powder (24 grams)
- 1/3 cup melted coconut oil (71 grams)
- 1/4 cup maple syrup (81 grams)
Optional Toppings
- 1/4 cup crushed nuts (like hazelnuts or almonds)
Instructions
- To prepare the ice cream bars, add the cashews, water, maple syrup, and vanilla to a blender. Blend until very smooth, with no visible cashew pieces remaining.
- Pour the blended mixture into an ice pop mold (mine makes 10 large pops, this may vary among molds), insert popsicle sticks, and freeze until solid, about 6 to 8 hours, or overnight.
- When the ice pops are firm, run the ice pop mold upside down under hot running water to help remove the ice pops. Lay each ice cream bar down on a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper, so they will be easy to coat in the chocolate later. Place the pan in the freezer while you prepare the chocolate coating.
- To prepare the chocolate coating, stir together the cacao powder, maple syrup, and coconut oil. Make sure the maple syrup is at room temperature, so the mixture will remain runny. Use a whisk to stir well, breaking up any clumps.
- Remove the ice cream bars from the freezer, and use a spoon to spread the chocolate mixture on one side of the bars. Use the spoon to spread the coating into a thin layer, so it will harden quickly. If you'd like to add crushed nuts to these bars, sprinkle some on as soon as the chocolate is added, while it's still wet. They won't stick once the chocolate has hardened. Flip the bars over and coat the other side. As soon as the chocolate is firm, the bars are ready to eat, or you can store them in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Update Note: This recipe has been modified from my original healthy Klondike bar recipe, which I find messier to make and eat, since there’s no popsicle stick to hold on to. If you miss the original recipe, the ice cream filling was made with 1 cup of cashews, 1 cup water, 1/4 cup melted coconut oil, 2 tablespoons honey, 1 tablespoon maple syrup, and 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract. The chocolate coating was made with 5 tablespoons cacao powder, 5 tablespoons of melted coconut oil, and a 1/4 cup maple syrup. Follow the directions above for freezing in a loaf pan to make the bars, instead of ice pops.
If you try these Vegan Ice Cream Bars, please leave a comment below letting me know how you like them!
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Reader Feedback: What kind of treat would you like to see next?
I made these a few weeks ago and they were incredible. We all loved them. I added a little mint extract to the ice cream portion and they were delicious. My only difficulty was when I spoooned the coating over the ice cream, it solidified very quickly and started to melt the ice cream. I did half, put it back in the freezer, then did the other half. I think just taking tongs and dunking the bar into the chocolate mixture would make an easier and more uniform coating (I will try next time).
These were so delicious and I will definitely make this again and can’t wait to try your other deserts for my kids.
Help! My husband just told me he does not like coconut, or the flavor coconut oil adds to all the new things I’ve been cooking and baking! What would you recommend I use as a sub, especially in this recipe?
Try refined coconut oil. It takes all the flavor out of the oil but still gives you all the benefits. I cook and bake with refined coconut oil all the time when I want something with no coconut flavor.
I absolutely love these! And I am not even following the paleo diet. Just a healthy eater and getting sick of my larabars, so this is a great alternative. Just wanted to say I am freezing these in ice cube trays and I stick thick toothpicks in while they are still somewhat soft. Then I use butter knife to pop them out and dip the entire thing in the chocolate. It is just easier, less messy and perfect bite sized portion. Not that I was ever able to eat just one 🙂 i wish I could post a photo, but definitely try it that way! Also for the choco, I put everything in a glass measuring cup, with coconut oil not yet melted and then heat it all together, stirring half way. Then you need to let it cool a bit, but I found that it works best this way as there aren’t any clumps and it is all a smooth and even consistency. Thanks for a great recipe, I just made a fresh bunch today.
I made the chocolate mixture but the moment I added the maple syrup to the coconut oil and cocoa it changed from a liquid and become almost solidified. What did I do wrong?
Was the maple syrup chilled? That would cause the mixture to solidify. You would just need to slightly warm it again to make it liquid.
I have a nut allergy. What would you substitute for the cashews?
Perhaps sunflower seeds would work? They won’t have the same taste, so you’ll have to play around with the flavoring a bit.
Hello,
This looks amazing. My husband and I have started a low carbs way of living. This helps with my gluten problem. With this being all new to me, I’ve been trying to keep a log of carb intake as well as watching calories.
Do you have a nutrition information on this recipes?
Thank you…
I don’t, but you can calculate any numbers you need using a free website like Fitday.com or MyFitnessPal.com. Hope you enjoy them!
would a silicone tray work with freezing the mixture?
and similarly would it work with the “chocolate mold” after the bars are frozen for 6 hours
Thanks
Hi Dear! trying this recipe tonite! I LOVE all your recipes and never doubt about how good it will taste even if is the 1st time making it and specially when having guest over like tomorrow nite. The part where you said: Spoon the chocolate coating over each ice cream bar, being sure to coat all sides evenly. (This part can get messy!)…do you think is a good idea to use tongs for dipping the bars in the chocolate sauce? or what other advice you could share with me?..
thank you as always Dear! <3
I wouldn’t dip them because you don’t want to chill the chocolate sauce– it will harden when cold, which is why I recommend spooning the chocolate sauce over the ice cream bar, so you don’t get all of the chocolate cold at once.
HOW do you get the melted chocolate ALL THE WAY AROUND the cashew center? Doesn’t it stick to the paper on the bottom???
The chocolate coating hardens almost instantly, so it’s not likely to stick, but if you place them on parchment paper, it peels right off without sticking!
I want to try this!