Easy Vegan Watermelon Ice Cream
Ligia Lugo
Published:
June 15, 2024
Last Modified:
March 12, 2025
Fresh watermelon, rich coconut milk, sweet agave nectar, creamy cashew butter, and a hint of vanilla are mixed, then frozen into a lusciously creamy watermelon ice cream. The best part? No ice cream maker required!
Did you know that ice cream is the world’s most popular dessert? It’s undoubtedly one of my favorites! Whether I’m in the mood for something classic like vanilla or strawberry, or something more adventurous like pistachio or salted caramel, there’s always an ice cream flavor to suit.
Despite the excellent selection offered at my local grocery store, I’ve always got at least a few brain cells working on ideas for unconventional homemade ice cream flavors. The latest heat wave around here has me in a juicy melon mood which got me thinking–watermelon ice cream? Now that’s a flavor I’ve never seen available at the store at all let alone in a dairy-free option.
I whipped up this 5-ingredient watermelon ice cream recipe and I have to say, it lived up to all of my expectations. It’s drenched in natural watermelon flavor and strikes the perfect balance between sweet and refreshing.
Watermelon Ice Cream Ingredients
- Cubed watermelon – To make your job easier, choose a seedless watermelon if possible. If you can only find melon with seeds, then you’ll need to remove them before blending. Don’t worry about dicing the melon too finely or perfectly here, it’s all getting blended anyhow!
- Coconut milk – Choose full-fat coconut milk, as it will create a creamier ice cream than if you were to use a low-fat variety. The thick, velvety texture of this ice cream is dependent on ultra-rich coconut cream, of which the full fat milk has a lot and the low-fat milk has very little.
- Vanilla extract – A hint of floral vanilla flavor makes the mixture taste all that much more like ice cream!
- Agave nectar – The perfectly neutral, liquid sweetener for this lightly flavored ice cream. Depending on the natural sweetness of your watermelon, you may choose to add a bit more or less agave. If you don’t have agave nectar, maple syrup will work too but it will add a slightly different (but still delicious!) flavor.
- Cashew butter – Helps to create a creamy texture and to bind the ice cream together. You can use store bought cashew butter or make your own–it’s easy and only requires 1 ingredient: cashews! Whether store bought or homemade, make sure to use unsalted cashew butter.
Watch Us Make Watermelon Ice Cream
Frequently Asked Questions
How to Make Easy Vegan Watermelon Ice Cream
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- Combine. Place all of the ingredients (watermelon cubes, coconut milk, vanilla extract, agave nectar, and cashew butter) in an upright blender.
- Blend. Blend until smooth. You may need to stop the blender occasionally and scrape down the sides with a rubber spatula to ensure all of the ingredients are blending evenly.
- Freeze. Divide the mixture evenly among a 12-hole silicone muffin pan. Transfer to the freezer and freeze for 1 hour until firm.
- Cream. Pop the frozen watermelon ice cream blocks out of the muffin cups and place all of them back in the blender. Blend until smooth.
- Serve! If you’d like to eat it at this point, it will be like a deliciously creamy soft serve! If you’d like to make it more like hard ice cream, transfer the blended mixture to a freezer-friendly container. Freeze it for up to 4 hours, then portion using an ice cream scoop as usual.
Watch Us Make Easy Vegan Watermelon Ice Cream
Tips From Ligia
When measuring sticky ingredients such as agave nectar and cashew butter, lightly coat your measuring cup or spoon with vegan cooking spray or neutral oil beforehand. Wipe off any excess, then measure your ingredients as usual. The light coating of oil will make the sticky ingredients release from the measuring tools much more easily!
When shopping for watermelon, look for the following indicators of ripeness:
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- An orange or yellow “ground spot” – this spot is the part of the melon that was face down while growing in the field. A dark yellow or orange spot means the fruit remained on the vine longer to ripen, while a white or pale ground spot indicates a less ripe, less sweet melon.
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- A heavy weight – a ripe watermelon contains lots of moisture, therefore should be surprisingly heavy for its size.
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- A dull surface – watermelons lose their shiny surface as they ripen, so look for fruit with a duller, dark green rind.
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- Surface webbing – if you see any brown, scar-like marks on a watermelon, it’s a keeper! This webbing is a result of the pollination process and often indicates a sweeter fruit.
How To Store
This watermelon ice cream is best served fresh, but if needed, you can store it in the freezer for up to 2 weeks. Make sure it is packed in an airtight, freezer safe container.
Easy Vegan Watermelon Ice Cream Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups cubed watermelon
- 3/4 cup coconut milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 Tbsp agave syrup
- 3/4 cup cashew butter
Instructions
- Place all of the ingredients (watermelon pieces, coconut milk, vanilla extract, agave nectar, and cashew butter) in an upright blender.
- Blend until smooth. You may need to stop the blender occasionally and scrape down the sides with a rubber spatula to ensure all of the ingredients are blending evenly.
- Divide the mixture evenly among a 12-hole silicone muffin pan. Transfer to the freezer and freeze for 1 hour until firm.
- Pop the frozen ice cream out of the muffin cups and place all of them back in the blender. Blend until smooth.
- For soft-serve style ice cream, eat it straight after blending! For hard ice cream, transfer the blended mixture to a freezer-friendly container. Freeze it for up to 4 hours, then portion using an ice cream scoop as usual.
