• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to header navigation
  • Skip to footer navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Eat Well.
Live Well.
Be Well.
Display Search Bar
  • Dinners Made Simple
  • Work with Us
  • Let’s Chat!
  • Blog
Follow us on Facebook! Follow us on Instagram! Follow us on Pinterest! Follow us on Twitter! Follow us on YouTube!

The Real Food Dietitians

Eat well. Live well. Be well.

  • Home
  • Recipes
    • Specialty Diets
      • Whole30
      • Paleo
      • Egg-Free
      • Dairy-Free
      • Gluten-free
      • Grain-Free
    • Meal Prep Recipes
    • Whole30
    • Freezer-Friendly
    • Appetizers
    • Main Entree
    • Breakfast
    • Drinks & Smoothies
    • One-Dish Meals
    • Slow-Cooker
    • Instant Pot
    • Salads & Sides
    • Sauces & Dressings
    • Soups & Stews
    • Snacks
    • Sweets & Treats
  • Real Plans
  • Meal Prep

Jun 12, 2017 By Jessica Beacom

Dairy-free Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

Dairy-Free
Egg-Free
Gluten-free
Grain-Free
Paleo
Jump to Recipe

A childhood favorite gets a healthy remake in this honey-sweetened Dairy-free Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream!

Dairy-free Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream in a silver pan with a mint leave garnish in the corner

Ice cream is life

I think we can probably all agree that ice cream is pretty amazing. Especially when it’s made without refined sugars, dyes or artificial anything. And you don’t need an ice cream maker to make it.

What we might not agree on is which flavor is best. And that’s okay. Variety is the spice of life and this recipe could be easily adapted to make just about any flavor you choose by substituting the mint and chocolate for fresh berries or maybe just some vanilla. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves…let’s talk about this Dairy-free Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream.

No-Churn Dairy-free Mint Chip Ice Cream + FREE Cool Summer Treats & Sweets eBook #realfood @vitalproteins Click To Tweet

Dairy-free Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream on a silver ice cream scooper

Growing up, my dad affectionately referred to Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream as ‘green death’ . It was his least favorite flavor and one I got only when we went out for ice cream on special occasions – which is probably why I still have a thing for it.

No-dyes and no refined sweeteners necessary

 

This ice cream though is a far cry from the super sugary, artificially dyed Mint Chocolate Chip of my childhood. It’s dairy-free, sweetened with honey and uses spinach to give it that characteristic ‘green death’ color.

It’s also egg-free thanks to Vital Proteins Gelatin. The gelatin is the perfect binder and keeps it scoop-able when you use the no-churn method. Of course, if you have an ice cream maker you can use that instead (this is the one I have!)

 

Dairy-free Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream on a silver ice cream scooper being scooped towards the camera

Four scoops of Dairy-free Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream on an ice cream cone

Cheers to summer and all the healthy sweet treats to come!

Hungry for More? Subscribe to get our newsletter delivered straight to your inbox! And be sure to stay in touch on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram for all of the latest updates.

Let's Get Cookin'

Dairy-free Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

This non-dairy frozen treat relies on spinach to get a gorgeous green hue rather than artificial dyes. And it’s just perfectly sweet thanks to honey – not sugar or corn syrup! The addition of gelatin keeps the ice cream from freezing solid so you get a nice creamy scoop even without the cream.

  • Author: The Real Food Dietitians
  • Prep Time: 20 mins
  • Cook Time: 4 hours
  • Total Time: 4 hours 20 mins
  • Yield: 8 1x
  • Category: Dessert, Sweets & Treats
  • Cuisine: Dairy-free, Paleo, Nut-free, Egg-free
Print Recipe

Ingredients

  • 2 cans full-fat coconut milk
  • 1 handful fresh spinach
  • ½ cup fresh mint leaves
  • Scant ½ cup honey
  • ½ tsp. pure vanilla extract
  • ¼ cup boiling water
  • 2 tsp. Vital Proteins Grass-fed Beef Gelatin
  • 3 Tbsp. mini chocolate chips or chocolate shavings

Instructions

  1. Place ½ can of coconut milk, spinach and the mint leaves in the blender and blend until smooth.
  2. Add remaining coconut milk, honey and vanilla and blend again.
  3. Pour hot water into a small bowl or measuring cup. Sprinkle with gelatin and allow to stand for 5 minutes to allow the gelatin to bloom (aka swell). With the blender running on low speed, add bloomed gelatin to coconut milk mixture. Secure blender lid and process on high until well blended. If coconut mixture starts to separate, don’t panic, just keep blending – it will get smooth.
  4. Pour mixture into a shallow freezer safe container or loaf pan. Add chocolate chips. Place in freezer. Stir mixture every 30 minutes for the first 3 hours or so to incorporate air into the mixture as it freezes.
  5. Serve after 4 hours (soft serve consistency) or freeze longer for a harder consistency.
  6. If frozen solid, allow ice cream to sit at room temperature for 20 minutes before serving.

Notes

*NOTE: This ice cream can also be made in an ice cream maker. Prepare ice cream base through step 3 then follow manufacturer’s directions for your particular ice cream maker.

All photos and content are copyright protected. Please do not use our photos without prior written permission. If you wish to republish this recipe, please rewrite the recipe in your own unique words and link back to the source recipe here on The Real Food Dietitians. Thank you!

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1/8th recipe
  • Calories: 258
  • Sugar: 16g
  • Sodium: 28mg
  • Fat: 20g
  • Carbohydrates: 19g
  • Fiber: 1g
  • Protein: 2g

 

Pin now, make later! 

Pinterest image for Dairy-free Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

 


This post was made possible by our friends at Vital Proteins. Though we received compensation for this post, the opinions expressed here are  – as always -100% our own. Thank you for supporting the great companies we work with thereby allowing us to continue creating great recipes and content for you.

This post may contain affiliate links which won’t change your price but will share some commission.

  • Facebook143
  • Pinterest2.1K
  • Yummly7
  • Email

About Jessica Beacom

Jessica is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist living in Boulder, CO with her hubby and two daughters. She's been described as a 'real food evangelist' and loves sharing her knowledge with others to help them break free of the diet mentality and find their own food freedom. In her spare time she enjoys CrossFit, telemark skiing, mountain biking, teaching herself how to play the banjo and camping out under the stars.

< Previous Post
Next Post >

Reader Interactions

Join the Conversation

    Leave a Comment Cancel reply

    Recipe rating ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆

  1. Christine says

    June 13, 2017 at 7:27 am

    I don’t have the Vital Proteins brand but do have Great Lakes unflavoured gelatin (the red can). Could I use that one instead (actually in place of any recipe where you use the Vital Proteins brand)?

    Reply
    • Jessica Beacom says

      June 13, 2017 at 8:43 pm

      You sure can!

      Reply
  2. Christine says

    June 13, 2017 at 9:47 am

    Can I use the Great Lakes gelatin brand (red can)?

    Reply
    • Jessica Beacom says

      June 13, 2017 at 8:43 pm

      Hi Christine,

      Yes, you can – though I’ve only tested the recipe with Vital Proteins brand (but I’m assuming they thicken equally well).

      Reply
  3. Jodi says

    June 13, 2017 at 11:57 am

    As soon as my mint takes off, I’ll be making this!

    Reply
    • Jessica Beacom says

      June 14, 2017 at 7:23 am

      Hey Jodi,

      Go, mint, go – right?! Thankfully it’s such a prolific plant so you can have Mint Chip Ice Cream all summer long.

      Reply
  4. LT says

    June 14, 2017 at 9:06 pm

    Hi, can I make this without the gelatin for a vegetarian? Would I need to substitute it with something else?

    Reply
    • LT says

      June 14, 2017 at 9:07 pm

      Thanks in advance!

      Reply
    • Jessica Beacom says

      June 14, 2017 at 9:16 pm

      Hi LT,

      Yes, you can make it without the gelatin though you’ll get a slightly icier texture – but that’s definitely not a deal breaker. Just let it sit a room temperature for a little longer so it softens before you scoop it and be sure to use it within a couple weeks so it doesn’t get really hard and crystallized.

      You could also try agar powder though I’ve not experimented with it in this recipe – but if you do, I’d love to hear how it turns out.

      Reply
      • LT says

        June 15, 2017 at 12:14 am

        Thank you!

        Reply
  5. Carol says

    June 18, 2017 at 8:56 am

    I’m wondering if you can substitute Vital Proteins Collagen gelatin for the Beef gelatin.

    Reply
    • Jessica Beacom says

      June 18, 2017 at 1:18 pm

      Hi Carol,

      I’m assuming you mean the Marine Collagen Peptides from Vital Proteins (made from fish) or perhaps the regular Collagen Peptides (also made from beef) so I’ll go ahead and answer from that perspective…. Collagen peptides because of they way they are processed and designed to dissolve in cold liquids will NOT gel like gelatin.

      However, you can skip the gelatin completely but will have a slightly icier texture (the gelatin is what makes an egg-free ice cream creamier and easier to scoop).

      To my knowledge there isn’t a marine-derived gelatin on the market other than agar powder (derived from seaweed) – but I haven’t tested any of my ice cream recipes with agar so I can’t say how you’d substitute one for the other.

      Hope that helps!

      Reply
  6. Reba says

    November 1, 2017 at 2:10 pm

    Could I use avocado for the green tint instead?

    Reply
    • Stacie Hassing says

      November 4, 2017 at 7:40 am

      Yes, you sure could! The ice cream may not be as green but it would add a nice dose of healthy fats.

      Reply
  7. Becky says

    May 10, 2018 at 1:30 pm

    What role does the gelatin play? Is that what keeps it from freezing solid?

    Reply
    • Stacie Hassing says

      May 11, 2018 at 9:38 am

      Exactly! It helps to keep it nice and creamy. We do recommend before serving to remove it from the freezer 10 or so minutes before enjoying.

      Reply
  8. Whitney Quast says

    August 2, 2018 at 10:16 am

    Best ice cream recipe ever! Thanks for a healthy option 🙂

    Reply
    • Jessica Beacom says

      August 2, 2018 at 1:18 pm

      Thanks, Whitney!!

      Reply

Primary Sidebar

Welcome

The Real Food Dietitians is the passion-driven product of Registered Dietitian Nutritionists Stacie Hassing and Jessica Beacom. They’ve combined their love of nutrition, health and real food with the concepts of ease and convenience to bring you recipes that are big on flavor but short on ingredients.

Free eBook

Sign up to get your FREE recipe eBook + weekly newsletter!

Favorite Recipes

A large bowl of oven baked carrot fries with a side of dijon-thyme aioli

Baked Carrot Fries with Dijon-Thyme Aioli

Sautéed asparagus topped with goat cheese sauce and toasted almonds on a speckled plate

Sautéed Asparagus with Goat Cheese Sauce

Freshly baked oatmeal chocolate chip cookies on a gold cooling rack

Gluten-Free Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Fresh grilled asparagus in a grill pan topped with fresh parmesan and lemon wedges

Grilled Asparagus with Parmesan

10 Healthy Meal Prep Recipes

Eight different Easter brunch recipes in a collage

8 Healthy & Easy Easter Brunch Recipes

Free Recipe eBook

Sign up to get your FREE recipe ebook + weekly newsletter!

Follow us on Facebook! Follow us on Instagram! Follow us on Pinterest! Follow us on Twitter! Follow us on YouTube!
  • Disclaimer
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
  • Newsletter Sign Up
  • Let’s Chat!
Copyright © 2021 The Real Food Dietitians Site Credits. Designed by Melissa Rose Design. Developed by Once Coupled.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.AcceptReject Read More
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled

Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.

Non-necessary

Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.

SAVE & ACCEPT
How about a free recipe ebook?

Sign up for our newsletter and get your FREE recipe ebook delivered right to your inbox!

We respect your privacy! Your information will *never* be shared, traded or sold to a 3rd party.
  • 143
  • 2.1K
  • 7