Easy vegan mint chocolate chip ice cream is super creamy, refreshing, loaded with vegan chocolate chips, and made using a Ninja Creami with just 8 ingredients!
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
My Ninja Creami has made homemade vegan ice cream so much fun. After sharing my vegan strawberry ice cream and vegan mango ice cream, it was time for a childhood favorite. This vegan mint chocolate chip ice cream is creamy, sweet, and minty (without tasting like toothpaste), and it's loaded with vegan chocolate chips.
Instead of dairy, I use creamy cashews blended with soymilk, peppermint, and a little spinach for a natural green color with no artificial dyes. You can't taste the spinach! Just blend, freeze, and let the Creami do the rest. If you love mint and chocolate together, try my vegan peppermint brownies and vegan peppermint hot chocolate too.
- No dyes: A small handful of spinach gives it a pale green color.
- Creamy without dairy: Cashews and soymilk make a rich, scoopable base.
- Refreshing mint flavor: Peppermint extract keeps it cool and minty, balanced with vanilla.
- Loaded with chocolate: The MIX-IN setting folds in the chocolate chips without crushing them.
The Ingredients
- Raw cashews: Make the base rich and creamy. Soak them first if you don't have a high-speed blender.
- Plain soymilk: Blends with the cashews into a smooth base.
- Fresh spinach: Just 2 Tablespoons for color. Add more or less to adjust the green.
- Peppermint and vanilla extracts: Peppermint for the classic mint flavor, vanilla to round it out.
- Sugar and salt: Sugar keeps it sweet and soft, and a pinch of salt balances the flavor.
- Vegan chocolate chips: Mini chips or chopped vegan chocolate.
Please see the recipe card below for the full list of ingredients and amounts.
Recipe Variations
- Double chocolate: Add cocoa powder to the base, to taste, for chocolate mint chip ice cream.
- Protein powder: Add a scoop of plain or vanilla vegan protein powder with a splash of plant-based milk.
- Mix-ins: Chopped Oreos, vegan chocolate cookies, finely chopped vegan brownies (like these peppermint brownies), vegan chocolate sprinkles, or a swirl of vegan chocolate sauce.
How to Make Vegan Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream (Ninja Creami)
Step 1: Blend. Add the cashews, soymilk, spinach, peppermint extract, vanilla extract, salt, and sugar to a high-speed blender. Blend for about 1 minute, until completely smooth and creamy. If you don't have a high-speed blender, soak the cashews first, either overnight in cold water or by boiling them for 15 to 20 minutes.
Step 2: Freeze. Pour the mixture into a Ninja Creami pint, staying below the Max Fill line. Add the lid and freeze on a flat surface for 24 hours, until completely solid.
Step 3: Let it sit. Let the pint sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes. Remove the lid, place the pint in the outer bowl, and lock it into the Ninja Creami.
Step 4: Spin. Process on the ICE CREAM setting. If it's crumbly, add 1 Tablespoon of soymilk and press RE-SPIN.
Step 5: Add the chocolate chips. Make a 1 to 1½-inch wide well in the center and add the vegan chocolate chips.
Step 6: Mix in and serve. Press MIX-IN, or simply stir the chocolate chips in. Serve right away, or freeze for 30 to 90 minutes for a firmer texture.
Add more or less spinach to adjust the green color. When adding mix-ins, it's fine for the ice cream to go above the Max Fill line.
FAQs
No, but you do need a blender, since the cashews have to be blended completely smooth with the soymilk. If you don't have a high-speed blender, soak the cashews first (overnight in cold water, or boil them for 15 to 20 minutes) so a regular blender can get them smooth.
No! You only need a little for the color.
I tested this recipe with fresh mint, but I wasn't happy with the color, and it still needed peppermint extract for the flavor I wanted.
Yes, you can swap the sugar for agave, though it slightly changes the color, and sugar makes the ice cream creamier. Use the LITE ICE CREAM setting for lower-sugar ice cream.
I haven't tested a nut-free version of this recipe. You could try the vegan heavy whipping cream and condensed coconut milk base I use for my vegan mango ice cream.
I use plain soymilk. I haven't tested this recipe with other plant-based milks.
Use a regular ice cream maker. For a no-churn version, freeze the mixture in a loaf pan, stirring every 30 minutes for 3 hours for a scoopable texture. Let it soften for 10 minutes before scooping.
Toni's Recipe Tips
- Adjust the mint: Add peppermint to taste. Too much will taste like toothpaste.
- Don't overfill: Stay below the Max Fill line so the Ninja Creami can process the pint without straining the machine.
- Freeze fully: Freeze the pint level for 24 hours. If it's not quite frozen solid, use the SOFT SERVE setting.
- Re-spin if needed: If it's crumbly after the first spin, add 1 to 2 Tablespoons of plant-based milk and press RE-SPIN. Repeat if needed.
How to Store Ninja Creami Ice Cream
Level the surface (which makes it easier to re-spin), add the lid, and freeze for 2 to 3 weeks. After that, it gets icier.
To serve, let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes, then re-process on the ICE CREAM setting. The chocolate chips will get broken up, so add more after re-spinning if you like.
More Vegan Ninja Creami Recipes
- Vegan Strawberry Ice Cream (Ninja Creami)
- Vegan Chocolate Ice Cream (Ninja Creami)
- Vegan Vanilla Ice Cream (Ninja Creami)
- Vegan Mango Ice Cream (Ninja Creami)
- Vegan Peach Ice Cream (Ninja Creami)
- Ninja Creami Peach Sorbet
- Ninja Creami Coconut Ice Cream
- Ninja Creami Banana Ice Cream
- Ninja Creami Dole Whip
- Vegan Pumpkin Ice Cream (Ninja Creami)
If you tried this vegan mint chocolate chip ice cream recipe or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks!
More Vegan Dessert Recipes
Vegan Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream (Ninja Creami)
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Equipment
- Blender
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw cashews if not using a high-speed blender, soak overnight in cold water or boil for 15 to 20 minutes
- 1 ½ cups plain soymilk
- 2 Tablespoons fresh spinach
- 1 teaspoon peppermint extract
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 pinch salt
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 to 2 Tablespoons vegan mini chocolate chips or chopped vegan chocolate added after spinning
Instructions
In a high-speed blender, combine the cashews, soymilk, spinach, peppermint extract, vanilla extract, salt, and sugar. Blend for 1 minute until smooth and creamy.- Pour the mixture into a Ninja Creami pint container and freeze for 24 hours, until completely solid.
- Let the container sit at room temperature for 10 minutes. Insert into the Ninja Creami and use the Ice Cream setting.
- If crumbly, add 1 Tablespoon of soymilk and re-spin until smooth.
- Make a small well in the center, add the vegan chocolate chips, and use the Mix-In function, or simply stir them in. Serve immediately, or return to the freezer for a firmer texture.
Notes
- Add peppermint to taste. Too much will taste like toothpaste.
- Don't fill past the Max Fill line, since the machine may struggle to process it.
- Freeze the pint level for 24 hours. If it's not quite frozen solid, use the Soft Serve setting.
- If it's crumbly after the first spin, add 1 to 2 Tablespoons of plant-based milk and re-spin. Repeat if needed.
Andrea says
Love how this ice cream turned out!
Toni Okamoto says
Thank you so much, Andrea! I'm so glad you loved it!
Kaitlin says
Hi, do you have a recipe for vegan vanilla ice cream?
Andrea says
Hi there! Currently it's Toni's newest recipe! https://foodsharingvegan.com/vegan-vanilla-ice-cream-ninja-creami/
Enjoy 🙂
Kim says
So good and creamy!
Andrea says
Right?! It comes out so perfectly creamy!
Bre says
Delicious! Made it as written and my family is all enjoying the ice cream. Thanks for a great recipe!
Andrea says
That's so awesome to hear! So glad the entire family is enjoying this vegan ice cream 🙂
Daniel McCready says
It doesn't seem particularly clear what you do with the mixture of you aren't using a blender. Do you need to crush the soaked cashews or just stir it up? Thanks
Toni Okamoto says
Hi Daniel! You'll still need a blender for this one, since the cashews have to be blended completely smooth with the soymilk. Stirring won't break them down. If you don't have a high-speed blender, soak the cashews first (overnight in cold water, or boil them for 15 to 20 minutes) so a regular blender can get them smooth.
Catherine says
Do you have to have a ninja creaming? Will doing it in a blender suffice ?
Andrea says
Hi! For a no-churn vegan mint chocolate chip vegan ice cream recipe, freeze it in a loaf pan, stirring every 30 minutes for 3 hours for a scoopable consistency. Soften for 10 minutes before scooping. Hope you enjoy it 🙂
Thomas says
So simple yet sooooo delicious!
Thank you 🙏🏻
This is a keeper for sure.
Andrea says
So glad you enjoyed this ice cream recipe! 🙂
Thomas says
Thank you so much for sharing! 🙏🏻
I’ve been testing different tweaks to this recipe and have ended up with a little less cashews and a 1/3 part soy milk and 2/3 part homemade condensed soy milk made with the same amount of sugar as the original recipe.
So a little more milk to nut ratio.
Recommendable. 😋
Toni Okamoto says
Thank you so much, Thomas! I love that you've been experimenting, and your homemade condensed soy milk sounds delicious. Thanks for sharing your tweaks!