Vegan Chocolate-Chipotle Ice Cream

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This recipe is 100% vegan, but you would never know it: It's rich and decadent, like frozen ganache, with a bit of smoky tang from the chipotles. Nondairy ice cream is typically made with alternative milks or nondairy yogurt to achieve the creaminess of regular ice cream. Chef and ice cream maker Fany Gerson opts for a combination of both, calling for unsweetened oat milk or rice milk as well as coconut yogurt. "I don't love chocolate ice cream, but it's my husband's favorite, though he would never order a sorbet," she says. "So the challenge here was to make a chocolaty vegan ice cream that isn't a sorbet, has the creaminess of ice cream, and would appeal to both of us. The finished product is as creamy as it gets for being made without dairy, and the flavor combination of chocolate and chipotle, which is smoky and a bit hot, adds personality."

By

Fany Gerson

Published on May 19, 2022

Vegan Chocolate Chipotle Ice Cream — Photo: Photo by Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Victoria Granof / Prop Styling by Christine Keely

Active Time:

15 mins

Chill Time:

3 hrs

Freeze Time:

3 hrs

Total Time:

7 hrs 45 mins

Servings:

8

Ingredients

6 medium-size dried chipotle chiles (about 1 1/4 ounces)
1 cup hot water
14 ounces vegan dark chocolate (70% cacao), chopped (about 2 1/2 cups)
1 ½ cups plain unsweetened oat milk or rice milk
¾ cup organic granulated sugar
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa (about 2 ounces)
¾ teaspoon kosher salt
½ cup plain coconut yogurt (such as Anita's)

Directions

Toast chiles in a dry, heavy skillet over medium, turning occasionally, until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Remove and discard chile stems, seeds, and ribs. Place chiles and 1 cup hot water in a small heatproof bowl; let soak until softened, about 30 minutes. Drain, reserving soaking liquid. Process chiles in a mini food processor or a blender until a smooth paste forms, about 1 minute, adding 2 to 3 tablespoons reserved soaking liquid as needed and stopping to scrape down sides of bowl as needed. Set aside. (Mixture can be stored in an airtight container in refrigerator up to 6 days.)
Whisk together chopped chocolate, oat milk, sugar, cocoa, and salt in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium, whisking constantly, until chocolate is melted, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat; let mixture cool to room temperature, about 1 hour. Whisk in yogurt and 2 tablespoons chile paste, or more to taste. (Reserve remaining chile paste in freezer for another use.) Cover and refrigerate chocolate mixture until chilled, at least 3 hours or up to 12 hours.
Spoon chilled chocolate mixture into frozen freezer bowl of an ice cream maker, and proceed according to manufacturer's instructions. Transfer ice cream to a container; cover and freeze until firm, about 3 hours. Ice cream can be stored in an airtight container in freezer up to 1 week.

Make Ahead

Chipotle paste can be frozen up to 1 month. Thaw before using.