Coffee Caramel Ice Cream Sundaes (No Churn Vegan)

Thick, creamy and delicious, these Coffee Caramel Ice Cream Sundaes have a coffee flavoured coconut ice cream with lots of homemade caramel and cookie crumbs and they are fully vegan, gluten-free and easily nut-free.

I am back with another delicious no churn, homemade ice cream recipe, this time it’s time for something stronger: coffee. Also I’ve gone one step further and served this deliciously creamy and smooth coffee ice cream as sundaes in jars with crumbled cookies, fruit, whipped vegan cream, more caramel sauce and melted chocolate. Don’t forget the sprinkles, too!

Why will I love this Coffee Caramel Ice Cream Sundaes?

You are going to love this coffee ice cream as it’s:

• Rich, creamy smooth and refreshing
• Light but indulgent
• Made with wholesome plant-based and gluten-free ingredients
• Easy to make with no ice cream machine needed
• Great to eat on its own or in cones
• Even more delicious served with more caramel sauce and whipped cream
• Like your favourite nostalgic dessert (made healthier and easier!)

If you already love the sound of these Coffee Caramel Ice Cream Sundaes then skip ahead to the recipe card below. Or, first let’s discuss the ingredients in more detail.

What ingredients do I need?

The recipe can be divided into three parts: the caramel, the ice cream and the sundae toppings. Let’s start with the caramel which is my favourite quick caramel to make:

• Peanut butter: or you can use another runny, smooth nut or seed butter like almond or cashew butter or tahini/sunflower seed butter to keep it nut-free.
• Melted coconut oil: for the smooth caramel that creates a sticky texture.
• Maple syrup: for the gooey stickiness (you can use other syrups too like agave or vegan honey).
• Salt: for a salted caramel.

As for the ice cream:

• Coconut pressed water: this is from Vita Coco and is a cross between coconut water and coconut milk. It’s still super refreshing like coconut water but is a pale white colour as it contains pieces of naturally pressed coconut. We need to freeze this in ice cube trays before making the ice cream. You could try this with coconut milk from the carton (tinned coconut milk would be very creamy and I have not tested this).
• Banana: freeze the banana and then add to the ice cream mix. This adds some sweetness and texture.
• Coconut cream: this is the thick solid part from a tin of full-fat coconut milk and helps to make this Coffee Caramel Ice Cream Sundaes really creamy.
• Maple syrup: for sweetness and texture of the overall ice cream, and you can swap to other syrups, as mentioned above.
• Medjool dates: this adds the caramel element to the Coffee Caramel Ice Cream Sundaes as I love the rich taste they add. Medjool dates are best as they are jammiest. If you only have dried dates you can soak them in boiling water for 10 minutes first to rehydrate them and then add them as usual.
• Espresso or coffee powder: for the rich coffee flavour. This can be decaf if you prefer and does not need to be dissolved first as it’s all blended together.
• Vanilla essence and salt: for flavour.
• Crushed cookies: for the crunch. I used Biscoff cookies but any cookies will work.

Finally to make the sundaes:

• Vegan whipped cream: whip the cream and spoon or pipe on top of the ice cream sundaes. To make this lighter I also like this with coconut yoghurt on top, the thicker the better.
• Fresh blueberries: for a burst of freshness.
• Melted chocolate and extra caramel sauce: for the pizazz.
• Sprinkles and cookies: to really top these sundaes off.

How do I make this ice cream?

You do need to think ahead with this ice cream:

• Pour the coconut pressed water into ice cube trays: and freeze overnight. Also freeze the banana.
• Chill the tin of coconut milk in the fridge overnight: then scoop off the solid cream part for the ice cream (save the water for other smoothies etc).
• Make the caramel: stir together all the ingredients till smooth.
• Make the ice cream: blend together all the ingredients till smooth.
• Pour into a lined loaf tin and swirl on the caramel: and sprinkle over the cookies.
• Wrap well and freezer overnight: or until set.
• Allow to rest for 20 minutes then scoop out the ice cream: to make about 12 scoops.
• Divide the ice cream between 3–4 glasses: decorate with caramel sauce, melted chocolate, whipped cream, cookies, blueberries and sprinkles.

Is this ice cream gluten-free and nut-free?

Yes, this recipe is gluten-free, just check that the cookies you use are gluten-free. To keep this nut-free, swap the peanut butter in the caramel sauce for a seed butter like tahini or sunflower seed butter.

How long will this last?

Once in sundae glasses these need to be eaten straight away but in the ice cream tin, you can keep the ice cream for 2-4 weeks although best eaten with 1-2 weeks.

I love homemade ice cream, what else can I make?

I hope you are going to love these Coffee Caramel Ice Cream Sundaes and for more ideas, how about my:

• Strawberry Shortcake Ice Cream (No Churn)
• Tahini Pistachio Ice Cream
• Double Chocolate Hazelnut Ice Cream
• Vegan Neapolitan Ice Creams
• Chocolate Orange Caramel Magnum Ice Creams

I look forward to hearing what you think of these Coffee Caramel Ice Cream Sundaes so please let me know in the comments below. if you do make these, I’d love to see so please tag me, I’m @nourishing.amy on Instagram and use the hashtag #nourishingamy. I’m also on Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest  – please say hello!

With sundae love x

p.s. the original recipe was sponsored by Vita Coco but this blog post is not sponsored and all opinions are my own.