This vegan butter pecan ice cream is made with a creamy vanilla base studded with toasted pecans and infused with buttery brown sugar flavor. It's rich, nutty, and packed with classic butter pecan flavor in every scoop.
What was your favorite ice cream flavor growing up? Based on my highly scientific research conducted on my Facebook page, there's a good chance it was butter pecan. Now, I'm going to be totally honest: it wasn't mine. Not because it's not good! I was just a sucker for chocolate as a kid (hang in there if you were too). But I dutifully got to work with my ice cream maker, and now I get what all the fuss is about. This vegan butter pecan ice cream is scrumptious!
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I don't know why I ever doubted it. After all, I'm already a big fan of pecan desserts like vegan pecan pie and vegan pecan shortbread. But this ice cream might be the ultimate pecan treat, with its rich vanilla base, buttery flavor, toasted pecans, and hint of brown sugar. Consider me officially on team butter pecan.
You will need an ice cream maker for this one, so gear up and get ready to swoon!
Ingredients You'll Need
Below you'll find a list of ingredients in this recipe, with notes and substitutions. Scroll all the way to the bottom of the post to see the full recipe, including the amount of each ingredient.
- Non-dairy milk. Use a variety of milk you'd normally use for drinking. Almond, soy, and cashew are all great options. My guide to dairy-free milk can help if you need some guidance.
- Cornstarch. Butter pecan ice cream is often made custard style, meaning with eggs. Cornstarch is one of my favorite vegan egg substitutes for baking, and it just happens to work great in custard-style ice creams as well, just like this one!
- Vegan butter. Look for brands like Earth Balance and Miyoko's in the refrigerated section, near the regular butter.
- Pecans.
- Brown sugar. Use organic brown sugar, since conventional brown sugar is often processed using animal bone char.
- Coconut cream. This is sold in cans, near the coconut milk at the store.
- Sugar. This also should be organic.
- Corn syrup. This helps not only sweeten your vegan ice cream, but also prevents it from getting too hard in the freezer.
- Rum. Or another liquor. This is optional, but it's another element that keeps the ice cream scoopable and not rock solid.
- Vanilla extract.
How It's Made
Below is a detailed photo tutorial on how to make this dish. Scroll all the way down if you'd like to skip right to the recipe!
Step 1: Make the cornstarch slurry. Start by stirring your cornstarch into your chilled non-dairy milk until the cornstarch fully dissolves. This is your thickener. Set it aside for now.
Step 2: Toast the pecans. Melt a bit of vegan butter in a pot, then add chopped pecans. Toast them for a few minutes, stirring frequently, until they start to darken and give off a nutty aroma. Take them out of the pot and move them to a plate.
Step 3: Cook the brown sugar and butter. Add some more vegan butter to the pot, as well as your brown sugar and salt. Cook the mixture at a low simmer for a few minutes.
Steps 4 & 5: Cook the base. Whisk in your coconut cream, sugar, and corn syrup, followed by the cornstarch slurry. Heat the mixture to a simmer while whisking frequently, then let it cook for about a minute more. It'll thicken just a bit.
Step 6: Let it cool. Your ice cream base needs to cool completely before churning. I like to place the pot in a cool water bath, but this is optional. Either way, make sure to give it a whisk occasionally to prevent it from forming a skin.
Steps 7 & 8: Churn. Once your vegan ice cream base is cool, whisk in the rum (if using), then transfer the mixture to your ice cream maker and churn it according to the manufacturer's directions. It'll take about 25 minutes to reach a consistency similar to soft-serve. At this point, you can add the pecans and churn for 3 more minutes to mix them in.
Steps 9 & 10: Pack, freeze, and serve. Transfer the ice cream to storage containers and freeze it until fully frozen. You'll then want to let it sit out for a few minutes before scooping — homemade vegan ice cream can freeze a bit firmer than conventional stuff and needs some time to soften.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! The recipe includes no gluten-containing ingredients.
Absolutely! You can omit the pecans, and even omit the brown sugar butter mix for a great basic vanilla ice cream. Enjoy it on its own, or mix in nuts, vegan marshmallows, chocolate chips, peanut butter, or whatever you love in your ice cream.
Yup! It'll be much softer, but if you're a fan of soft serve ice cream, then go for it!
For the best flavor and texture, I recommend enjoying it within two to three weeks of churning.
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📖 Recipe
Vegan Butter Pecan Ice Cream
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups unflavored and unsweetened non-dairy milk, chilled
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 5 tablespoons vegan butter, divided
- 1 ¼ cups chopped shelled pecans
- 2 tablespoons organic brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 (14 ounce/397 gram) cans coconut cream
- ¾ cup organic granulated sugar
- ¼ cup corn syrup
- 1 ½ tablespoons rum, or another liquor (optional, helps keep the ice cream scoopable)
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Whisk the chilled non-dairy milk and the cornstarch together in a small bowl or container. Set it aside.
- Melt one tablespoon of the vegan butter in a medium pot over medium heat, then add the pecans. Toast the pecans in the butter for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring frequently to avoid burning, until they've darkened slightly and smell nutty. Remove the pecans from the pot and transfer them to a plate.
- Add the remaining 4 tablespoons of vegan butter to the pot, along with the brown sugar and salt. Stir and heat the butter and brown sugar until they melt, then come to a low simmer. Reduce the heat to low and let the mixture simmer for 3 minutes, stirring constantly.
- Whisk the coconut cream, sugar, and corn syrup into the pot with the brown sugar mixture. Give the cornstarch mixture a quick stir to distribute any cornstarch that has settled, then add that to the pot as well. Raise the heat and bring the mixture to a simmer while whisking frequently. You may see some bits of caramelized brown sugar in the mix — they will dissolve eventually.
- Once the mixture comes to a simmer, let it cook for about a minute longer, just until thickened slightly. Remove the pot from heat and whisk in the vanilla.
- Let the mixture cool completely, giving it an occasional whisk to prevent a skin from forming (Note 1).
- Whisk in the rum, then transfer the mixture to your ice cream maker and churn according to the manufacturer's directions until creamy and partially frozen, but not yet solid, about 25 minutes. You want the consistency to be similar to soft serve.
- Add the toasted pecans and churn about 3 minutes longer, until evenly distributed.
- Transfer the ice cream to containers and freeze until fully set.
- Let the ice cream sit out for 10 to 15 minutes before scooping, or warm it up for a few seconds in the microwave (Note 2).
Notes
- You can place the pot in a cold water bath to speed up cooling, if desired.
- Homemade vegan ice cream will generally be firmer than store-bought, due to the lack of additives. Plan ahead so you have plenty of time for it to reach an easily scoopable state.
- This recipe makes about 1 ½ quarts of ice cream.
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