This Vegan Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream is the summer treat you’ve been waiting for! It’s filled with strawberry preserves and pie crust bits all layered together with a creamy vanilla ice cream. Best of all, this recipe requires no special equipment or ice cream maker. It’s like the Ben & Jerry’s Vegan Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream, but better!
Ingredients You’ll Need to Make Vegan Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream:
- vegan heavy whipping cream
- vegan cream cheese
- sweetened condensed oat milk
- vanilla extract
- strawberry preserves
- vegan animal crackers
- vegan butter
How to Make Vegan Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream:
Y’all aren’t gonna believe how easy it is to make this ice cream! The first thing you’ll wanna do is gather up all of your ingredients. There’s nothing worse than getting halfway through a recipe only to realize that you’re missing a thing or two.
Once everything is gathered, grab a medium-sized bowl and add the container of heavy whipping cream. Use a hand mixer and whip until the mixture is no longer liquid, but a thick pillowy consistency with soft peaks. Set aside.
In a separate, larger bowl add the vegan cream cheese and beat with a blender until smooth. Add in the sweetened condense oat milk and vanilla extract. Beat all of the ingredients together until smooth and well combined.
Transfer the whipped heavy cream to the larger bowl with the cream cheese mixture and use a spatula to fold the ingredients into each other.
Once those two components have been combined, grab your strawberry preserves and carefully fold it into the ice cream mixture. Be sure not to fold it too many times or you risk the chance of turning your whole mixture pink. Set this mixture aside and prepare to make the crust mixture.
For this part I chose to use vegan graham crackers that I had on hand, but you can absolutely substitute with graham crackers or a similar cookie instead.
Add your animal crackers to a food processor or high-speed blender (that’s equipped for handling dry ingredients) and blend until all pieces have reached a crumb consistency. Add in the melted vegan butter and pulse a few more times until combined.
At this point you’re ready to start layering your vegan strawberry cheesecake ice cream! In a freezer safe container, add a layer of the ice cream mixture (about 3/4 – 1 inch thick), then a thin layer of the crust mixture. Repeat this process until all contents have been used.
Keep in mind this recipe makes a lot of ice cream! I used a traditional loaf pan and ran out of space. I added the remaining amount to a small Tupperware dish, which was perfect because the smaller dish was finished freezing a lot sooner than the larger dish, which meant I could test it out sooner! 😉
Cover your vegan strawberry cheesecake ice cream with plastic wrap or a lid that fits snug. Transfer your ice cream containers to the freezer and allow them to set overnight or around 8 hours.
Once finished, let it sit out for about 10 – 15 minutes on the counter before serving. Enjoy in a cone or in a bowl!
Vegan Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream Q&A
What’s the best vegan heavy whipping cream to use?
While testing this recipe I tried two different brands— Califia and Country Crock. I was quickly reminded that when it comes to vegan substitutes, brands DO MATTER! I tried Califia twice and couldn’t get it to whip for the life of me.
I read some reviews online and saw that Country Crock received good reviews consistently and I agree with them. This brand whipped in no time and created the best consistency! I also liked that it was more accessible and more stores seem to carry it.
I don’t have animal crackers. Can I use graham crackers instead?
Absolutely! I used animal crackers because I had plenty of them on hand (#ToddlerMom), but you can substitute with a similar cookie or graham crackers.
How do I store this ice cream?
Using an air tight container is ideal, but if you don’t have a container large enough, be sure to cover it tightly. Keep it in the freezer to stay frozen.
How long does this vegan strawberry cheesecake ice cream last?
Technically this can last for up to 1 month in the freezer, but it’s best to enjoy it within 1 week for the best flavor.
Why do I need to let it sit out before eating?
Since this ice cream recipe is homemade, it’s free from preservatives that many store bought ice cream brands use, helping it to maintain its consistency and last longer than perhaps it should.
I know you’ll love this vegan strawberry cheesecake ice cream! It’s creamy, delicious, easy to make and better than what you can buy in the store. Not to mention it’s a lot more cost effective to make it yourself! Give this recipe a try and let me know how it goes in the comments below!
More Strawberry Recipes You’ll Love!
- Easy Vegan Strawberry Cupcakes
- Easy Strawberry Mango Popsicles
- Whole Wheat Vegan Strawberry Muffins
- Vegan Strawberry Cheesecake Bites
Hungry for more? Follow me on Youtube, Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook!
Vegan Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream – No Churn! [+VIDEO]
Ingredients
- 16.9 ounces vegan heavy whipping cream
- 8 oz vegan cream cheese
- 11.25 ounces sweetened condensed oat milk
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 1 – 1½ cups strawberry preserves
- 1½ cups vegan animal crackers crushed into a fine crumb
- 2 tbsp vegan butter melted
Instructions
- In a medium-sized bowl whip the vegan heavy cream with a hand mixer on high speed until stiff peaks are formed. Set aside.16.9 ounces vegan heavy whipping cream
- In a larger separate bowl add the vegan cream cheese and beat with the hand mixture until smooth.8 oz vegan cream cheese
- Add the condensed milk and vanilla extract to the bowl with the cream cheese and continue beating until smooth and well combined.11.25 ounces sweetened condensed oat milk, 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- Add the whipped heavy cream to the large bowl with the cream cheese mixture and use a spatula to fold the cream in.
- Next, fold in the strawberry preserves. Set aside.1 – 1½ cups strawberry preserves
- Add animal crackers to a food processor or high-speed blender and mix until a crumb is formed. Add melted vegan butter and continue mixing until combined. Set aside.1½ cups vegan animal crackers, 2 tbsp vegan butter
- In a freezer safe container, begin layering the ice cream mixture and crumb mixture by alternating each until the contents have been depleted.
- Cover and transfer to the freezer for 8 hours or overnight.
- Allow the ice cream to sit out for 10-15 minutes before serving to soften. Enjoy!
How can I make this using fresh Strawberries?
Hi Vanessa, you can cook 2 cups of chopped fresh strawberries down on the stove with 1-2 tablespoons of sugar + a little lemon juice over low-medium heat. When they’ve softened, use the back of a fork to mash them up. Once you have a compote-like mixture, allow it to cool, then transfer it to the fridge to chill. Add them into the ice cream mixture as directed in place of the strawberry preserves. If you try it lmk how it goes!