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Think being dairy free means giving up ice cream? Think again! This sugar cookie chocolate ice cream is creamy, smooth, and full of sugar cookie dough chunks. I'm telling you, it is a game changer for dairy free ice cream lovers. Plus, no ice cream maker required!

Even though this ice cream is made with coconut milk, the flavour is all chocolate, no coconut (love me some coconut, but not in this dessert). The secret to making it smooth and creamy like real ice cream? COLLAGEN PROTEIN! Wierd, I know, but stick around and I'll explain.
Secret Ingredients
You see, dairy free ice cream made without an ice cream maker uses canned coconut milk, which freezes completely solid. Without the ingredients below, this ice cream would need to thaw for 1-1.5 hours before eating it (let's be real, no one plans their ice cream eating that far in advance).
Collagen Protein: This might sound intimidating but collagen is THE number one contributor to the creaminess of this ice cream. It has absolutely zero effect on the flavour but the greatest effect on the creaminess. Collagen also makes the ice cream thaw way quicker (15-20 minutes). This recipe is definitely not "healthy", but the collagen addition rose out of the necessity to make a creamier, softer dairy free ice cream.
As a bonus, collagen helps with hair and nail growth, skin health, and is an amazing source of protein. I honestly take collagen every day and it has changed my life. I use it instead of protein powder in smoothies, pancakes, muffins, you name it!
Vodka: I learned this trick from my friend Mikyla at Flax & Sugar (she uses it in her Black Sesame Ice Cream recipe). Essentially, vodka doesn't freeze, so adding vodka to the ice cream helps it to not freeze completely! There is such a small amount of vodka that it leaves no vodka taste in the ice cream.
Oat milk: Now, this one is less essential, but oat milk (you could also try cashew milk) is the creamiest of the non-dairy milks, so this also made the ice cream creamier than when I tested it with almond milk.
I tested this recipe with just vodka, just collagen, neither, and both. The flavour was identical in all of them, but the time it took to thaw and the creamy texture was most effected by these ingredients.
That being said, the vodka is optional. If you don't want to add it, just add collagen, and if you don't want to add either, the ice cream will still taste delicious, you will just have to wait a lot longer for it to thaw.

Ice Cream Base
The ice cream base for this sugar cookie ice cream is made with canned coconut milk. The coconut milk should be chilled in the refrigerator overnight in order to firm up and separate the liquid from the cream.
This base is essentially coconut whipped cream, so if you've made that before this process will be familiar. First, put your mixing bowl into the freezer for 10-15 minutes to chill it.
Remove the canned coconut milk from the fridge (don't shake it up) and scoop the hard coconut cream out into your mixing bowl, leaving behind the liquid (tip: freeze leftover liquid from the can for smoothies!).
Begin whipping the coconut cream on high speed until it stiffens and peaks start to form. It should be the consistency of whipped cream. Next, add in the cocoa powder, powdered sugar, and collagen, scraping down the sides of the bowl every so often.
Finally, add in the vanilla, vodka, and milk and mix until combined. Fold in the sugar cookie dough and place the mixture into an ice cream container or other airtight container, then place in the freezer.
Freezing and Serving Sugar Cookie Chocolate Ice Cream
This ice cream will take around 7-8 hours to freeze completely. Before serving, let it thaw for between 15-20 minutes at room-temperature.
Confession: if you are omitting the vodka and collagen in this recipe, I have a little trick for you. During desperate times (hey, we've all been there), I've microwaved the ice cream for 10 seconds to soften it up immediately. But for best results, let it thaw naturally.

Sugar Cookie Dough
Now, this chocolate ice cream is creamy and delicious on its own, but is there anything that isn't made better with cookie dough?
The sugar cookie dough is super simple to make, and only has 4 ingredients. Mix together vegan butter, sugar, flour, vanilla extract, and thats it! The dough will crumble a bit, and you can break it up a bit more, then stick it in the fridge while you make the ice cream.
I like to then fold half the cookie dough into the ice cream, then save the rest for crumbling on top!
Since the cookie dough has flour in it and won't be baked, make sure to heat treat your flour to kill any bacteria that could be in it! To do this, pour the flour on a baking sheet and bake it for about 5 minutes at 350F. Let it cool before you make the cookie dough!
Choosing the right Coconut Milk
It is super important to use the right kind of coconut milk to make this sugar cookie ice cream! You can find more tips on how to pick the right kind along with more helpful tricks for making the coconut whipped cream base here.
Vegan Option
To make this ice cream vegan, simply omit the collagen protein from the recipe. The ice cream will take longer to soften (around 30-40 minutes at room temperature) and will be slightly less creamy, but it will still be delicious!
More Recipes You'll Love:
- Wacky Chocolate Cake with Fudgy Buttercream (Vegan)
- Stuffed Cookies and Cream Cookies
- Strawberry Banana Chocolate Chunk Muffins
If you make this recipe, tag me on Instagram @cookiedoughdiaries so I can check it out! If you want to save this recipe for later, you can also pin it using the Pinterest button below.

Sugar Cookie Chocolate Ice Cream (Dairy Free, No Churn)
Equipment
- Handheld or Standing Mixer
Ingredients
Sugar Cookie Dough
- ¼ cup vegan butter (or regular)
- ¼ cup + 2 tbsp granulated sugar
- ½ cup all-purpose flour, heat-treated*
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Dairy Free Chocolate Ice Cream
- 1 can full fat canned coconut milk.(chilled in the fridge over night)* 14 oz can
- ¼ cup cocoa powder
- ½ cup +2 tbsp powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoon oat milk (or other creamy milk)
- ½ tablespoon vodka*
- 2 tablespoon collagen protein*
Instructions
Sugar Cookie Dough
- In the bowl of a standing mixer or handheld mixer, cream together the butter, sugar, and vanilla until smooth.
- Add in the heat-treated flour and mix until combined.
- Crumble the dough into smaller pieces and place in the fridge while you make the ice cream.
Chocolate Ice Cream
- Place a large mixing bowl into the freezer for 10-15 minutes to chill.
- After the bowl has chilled, remove the canned coconut milk from the fridge (do not shake it). Scoop out the coconut cream and place it in the bowl, leaving behind the liquid.
- Whip the coconut cream until stiff peaks form and the consistency is similar to that of whipped cream.
- Add in the cocoa powder, powdered sugar, and collagen*, scraping down the sides of the bowl frequently.
- Add vanilla extract, vodka*, and milk then mix until combined.
- Fold in half of the sugar cookie dough and place the mixture into an ice cream container or other airtight container. Sprinkle remaining cookie dough on top.
- Freeze for 7-8 hours or overnight. When ready to serve, allow the ice cream to thaw for 15-20 minutes.
Notes
- HEAT TREATING THE FLOUR: Heat treating your flour will kill any bacteria that could be in it. To do this, pour the flour on a baking sheet and bake it for about 5 minutes at 350F. Let it cool before you make the cookie dough.
- CHILLING THE COCONUT MILK: The coconut milk MUST be chilled for 7-8 hours overnight before you whip it, or else it will be too liquid.
- VODKA: The vodka in this is optional. It helps the ice cream to thaw out quicker when serving.
- COLLAGEN: Collagen has no effect on the flavour of the ice cream, so it is optional, but strongly recommended to get that creamy texture, and to make it soften and thaw quicker.
- VEGAN OPTION: To make this ice cream vegan, simply leave out the collagen protein!
Nutrition
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Ally
such a fun recipe and couldn't even tell that it was dairy free! I left out the vodka and collagen but it was still great!
Gabby
Hi Ally! I'm so happy that you loved the recipe and that you found it to be undetectably dairy free! Thanks for leaving a review! 🙂
Monika
Do you thaw the ice cream at room temperature or in the refrigerator?
Gabby
Hi Monika! I usually thaw it at room temperature because it's faster, but you can thaw it in the fridge. It will just take a bit longer to soften that way.
Mikyla Meckelson
This sounds so delicious! I am so happy my vodka trick helped you! whoop whoop!
Gabby
Thank you so much Mikyla!!