Root Beer Float Vegan Sassafras Ice Cream

Creamy and perfectly sweetly spiced, we’ve got vegan sassafras ice cream! This ice cream is like travelling back in time to an old-fashioned soda counter. It tastes just like a root beer float, and- just like root beer used to be- is made with real sassafras. We’ll keep that lovely vintage flavor, but we’ll update it a little by making it dairy-free. Enjoy a scoop of this foraged, sweet, creamy treat!

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Foraging Sassafras

Autumn in the Eastern United States fall forest is home to an edible delight hidden just underground. Among the many tree species gracing this landscape, the unassuming sassafras harbors a secret beneath the surface – it is the source of the quintessentially American beverage, root beer. While sassafras leaves are commonly employed as a thickening agent in dishes like gumbo, the key ingredient for crafting root beer lies in its roots. When young sassafras saplings are uprooted, a captivating fragrance of citrus and spices emerges from their roots.

Harvesting sassafras is done with the rather barbaric looking method of pulling up an entire young tree to expose the roots. Try not to be too alarmed, because it’s not as destructive as it seems. Sassafras saplings grow around larger trees, shooting up in their shade. Sassafras trees play sort of a numbers game, going for quantity over quality when reproducing. Most of these shade-bound trees will quickly die off, and only a few who manage to get the sun they need will grow into large sassafras. In other words, no need to worry about pulling a few trees to make your root beer syrup. Identifying sassafras is relatively straightforward, thanks to its distinctive leaves, which can display various shapes on the same tree – three-lobed, two-lobed, and single-lobed. For a comprehensive guide on recognizing sassafras, refer to this detailed resource.

When seeking sassafras saplings to harvest, target those approximately two feet in height. To remove the roots successfully, firmly grasp the base of the sapling and pull upwards. Soil conditions vary, and you will find that some areas are much easier to pull sassafras from than others. If you’re struggling to pull out a sapling, instead of throwing out your back simply try moving to a different patch of trees. There is no need to bring the whole sapling home with you, so I typically remove the stem and branches and leave them to decompose back into the forest floor.

It should be noted that the sale of sassafras in the United States and Canada is banned, and there are some interesting reasons behind that. I wrote more about that in my recipe for Homemade Root Beer Syrup, which you will need to make for this recipe.

Looking for Frozen Vegan Treats? Try one of these!

• Pistachio Vegan Carob Chip Ice Cream
• Creamy Vegan Cantaloupe Creamsicles
• Blueberry Aquafaba Ice Cream
• Strawberry Magnolia Spice Ice Cream
• Ice Cream Birthday Cake
• Garden Mint Cookie Crumble Ice Cream

How to Make Vegan Sassafras Ice Cream

The base of this sassafras ice cream is made with cashews, plant-based milk, and vegetable oil for the creamy texture. It’s blended with homemade sassafras syrup and a touch of vanilla extract for that classic root beer float flavor. If you haven’t already made your sassafras syrup, plan to make it at least a day in advance so you’re not having to deal with hot syrup whilst making ice cream. Use a good quality blender to blend the ingredients together until perfectly smooth and creamy. After that, you need to make your sweet, creamy syrup into ice cream. This ice cream uses an ice cream machine. And since all machines are a little different, I’d ask you to simply follow your machines directions.

Root Beer Float Vegan Sassafras Ice Cream

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