Blueberry Aquafaba Ice Cream
Silky, light, and creamy, this blueberry aquafaba ice cream brings a rich, ice cream mouthfeel with a summery blueberry flavor. A little lemon adds just the right hint of acidity. Despite its rich flavor, this vegan ice cream has basically no fat (thanks to the magic of aquafaba), and even though it’s light, it doesn’t need to be churned (again, aquafaba). It’s so refreshing, and perfect for summer. That stunning purple color is just the blueberry on top of the sundae!
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What is Aquafaba?
Aquafaba is an ingredient that the vegan community has been embracing for a few years now- it translates to “water bean”, or the starchy, protein-filled liquid that comes from rehydrating beans. It’s that same stuff that you’ve probably poured down the drain, with every can of chickpea and bean you open. Often seen as a substitute to eggs, aquafaba can be whipped until light and fluffy, and in the right recipes can add lift or help bind your creation. You can use the canned stuff, or make it yourself by rehydrating chickpeas or beans. I admit that I tend to prefer the canned stuff, for a couple reasons. The first is that it is that the thickness is more consistent, while the stuff you make at home will probably be too watery unless you reduce it. The second is that when I rehydrate beans, I like to add flavors to the pot, like onions, garlic, mushrooms, celery, carrots, herbs, and salt- all things that aren’t very compatible with recipes like blueberry ice cream. The main downside of using canned chickpeas is that some people find the flavor to taste a little metallic (I haven’t found this to be too much of a problem). Homemade aquafaba is also probably cheaper, but honestly I’m okay for spending the 70 cents or so it cost for a can of chickpeas and it’s aquafaba. You can use any bean you like to make aquafaba, but chickpeas tend to be the most widely used. Their aquafaba has very little flavor and is a nice amber color. If you use a different bean, it may whip up a little differently- feel free to experiment with them, but I haven’t tested them much!
Got Aquafaba? Try one of these recipes!
- 10-Minute Aquafaba Vegan Whipped Cream
- Forest Floor Vegan Meringue Mushrooms Cookies
- Creamy Pink Hibiscus Salad Dressing
- Vegan Lime and Coconut Spicy Cashews
- Vegan Santa Lucia Buns with Saffron and Cardamom
- Vegan Lavender Aquafaba Meringues
- Homemade Ranch Dressing (Vegan, Gluten-Free, Soy-Free, Egg-Free, Dairy-Free, No Mayo)
How to Make Blueberry Aquafaba Ice Cream
This aquafaba ice cream is no churn, which is fantastic because I just can’t bring myself to try and cram another tool into my kitchen. The basic steps are to cook the blueberries, whip the aquafaba, fold the two together, and let it freeze. Let’s go into a little more detail-
- Cook the blueberries– the first step is to soften and cook the blueberries, in order to get the best flavor out of them. We did that with a little oat milk, to add a bit more creaminess to the ice cream. Once the blueberries are soft, you can choose to blend it up or just smoosh it together. You’re also going to want to add just a bit of lemon juice, to really highlight the blueberry flavor well. An added bonus is that it should help stabilize your aquafaba ice cream and keep it fluffy! Once this is made, you’ll want to let it cool fully before moving on.
- Whip the aquafaba– this is how we can get away with not churning. Use a balloon whisk on your stand mixer and whip the aquafaba up into stiff peaks. This takes longer than it does with egg whites, but the plus side is you can’t over-mix it. I usually walk away, and check on it in about 10 minutes. Once you’ve achieved stiff peaks, you can add sugar and vanilla extract, and beat well until there is no grit from the sugar, just a silky, sweet, glossy, vegan meringue.
- Fold– you’ve reached the hardest part. Folding takes some practice- your goal is to combine the whipped, fluffy aquafaba with the liquid, heavier blueberries without loosing all the air in the aquafaba. It will deflate some, but with proper technique it should still retain enough air to produce a soft ice cream. Use a silicone spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl to the bottom, bring some of the mixture up, and fold onto the top. Repeat this until the two are combined- with this ice cream it will be totally fine if it’s not perfectly combined and some streaks of darker purple and white remain, just try and get it mostly mixed in.
- Freeze– the work is done, and now it’s time to wait. Pour your ice cream mixture into a freezer-friendly container with a lid, stick it in the freezer, and walk away. To get the ice cream completely frozen, exercise some patience and leave it over night before digging in.
Blueberry Aquafaba Ice Cream
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cup fresh or frozen blueberries
- ½ cup oat milk
- Juice from ½ lemon
- ½ cup aquafaba (the liquid from one 14 oz. can of chickpeas
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- ½ cup granulated sugar
Instructions
- Add the blueberries and oat milk to a small saucepan. Heat on medium, stirring occasionally, as the oat milk simmers and the blueberry softens. Once the blueberries are cooked enough to be easily smashed, add the lemon juice to the mixture. For a smoother texture, blend the oat milk and blueberries together. For an ice cream with larger bits of blueberry, you can just use a silicone spatula or fork to roughly smash the blueberries. Set aside, and let cool to room temperature.
- Once the blueberries are cooler, you can start on the aquafaba portion. Add the aquafaba to a stand mixer, and using a balloon attachment, set the mixer on a high speed After several minutes, the aquafaba should be white, thick, and silky and forming stiff peaks. Add the vanilla and sugar, about a tablespoon at a time as it’s mixing.
- To combine the aquafaba and the blueberries, you’re going to want to fold the blueberry mixture into the aquafaba. Scrape the sides of the bowl, and fold over, doing this as little as possible to incorporate the two. Don’t mix, as this is going to deflate the aquafaba more. Transfer the combined aquafaba and blueberries into a large container with a lid, and place in the freezer overnight. Scoop, and enjoy!
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