These vegan chocolate-dipped ice cream bars are the ultimate nostalgic treat - creamy, sweet and coated in a crisp dark chocolate shell. Made with just a few wholesome ingredients like cashews and coconut cream, they’re completely dairy-free, refined sugar-free, and incredibly easy to make. If you loved ice cream truck classics growing up, this plant-based version will be your new favorite summer dessert!

Vegan ice cream bars on popsicle sticks with a white marble background.

There's something about a chocolate-dipped vanilla ice cream bar that brings you right back to childhood. That crunchy chocolate shell, the smooth ice cream underneath - it's nostalgia on a stick!

These homemade vegan ice cream bars are a favorite in our house that we'll be enjoying all summer. They're simple, satisfying and made with just a handful or real ingredients - no gums, fillers or preservatives.

The creaminess comes from a dreamy blend of soaked cashews and thick coconut cream. You'll want to use the cream that floats to the top of a can of full-fat coconut milk that's been refrigerated overnight. I've personally tested 19 different brands of coconut milk and wrote up a review on the best coconut cream for vegan desserts so be sure to check that out for the best results!

This recipe was born from my vegan vanilla ice cream and vegan ice cream cake recipes, just reimagined as a grab-and-go popsicle and taken to the next level with a crisp dark chocolate covering. Think Klondike bar vibes, but on a stick and made with whole, nourishing ingredients.

A partially bitten vegan ice cream bar on a sheet of parchment paper with a white marble background.

Just 5 Ingredients!

Ingredients of vegan ice cream bars in separate bowls with a white marble background.

A can of full-fat coconut milk should yield ¾ cup of coconut cream (the solid white creamy portion as opposed to the cloudy liquid coconut water at the bottom of the can). It is imperative that the coconut cream be creamy rather than chalky! This recipe will not work if using low-quality coconut cream (or not enough of it).

Easy Process, Minimal Effort

Making these ice cream bars really couldn't be simpler:

1. Blend everything (except the chocolate) until completely smooth.

Vegan ice cream bar ingredients in a blender prior to blending.

Vegan ice cream bar ingredients in a blender after blending.

2. Pour into your popsicle mold and freeze overnight.

Pouring vegan ice cream bar mixture from a blender into a white popsicle mold with a white marble background.

Vegan ice cream bar mixture in a white popsicle mold prior to freezing.

3. Once frozen solid, dip into melted dark chocolate (I love using Hu Gems for their clean ingredients).

A hand dipping a vegan ice cream bar into a jar of melted chocolate.

A hand dipping a vegan ice cream bar into a jar of melted dark chocolate where chocolate is dripping down into the jar.

4. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet and let set in the freezer again.

Four vegan ice cream bars on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

That's it! The only hands-on steps are blending, pouring and dipping. Everything else is passive time while they freeze and set.

My Recommended Popsicle Mold

I love using this popsicle mold because it pours in from the side rather than the top, which makes it so much easier to remove them once frozen. It also helps create that clean, classic shape we all love. The recipe makes four bars, but the mold holds eight so feel free to double the recipe if you're making a batch to share!

Two vegan ice cream bars on a sheet of parchment paper with one bar having a bite taken out to show the white ice cream filling.

A Treat You Can Feel Good About

These bars are ultra creamy (not icy or hard like so many homemade popsicles) and sweetened naturally with pure maple syrup. The cashews add a touch of plant-based protein and the coconut cream gives that rich, melt-in-your-mouth texture.

They make the perfect summer dessert to have on hand: refreshing, satisfying and way more wholesome than the ice cream truck originals. I hope you love them as much as I do!

A partially eaten vegan ice cream bar on top of an uneaten one with a white marble background.

Chocolate-Dipped Vegan Ice Cream Bars

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

5 from 1 review

Author: Elaine Gordon
Total Time: 8 hours, 5 minutes
Yield: 4 1x
Diet: Vegan

Print Recipe

Description

Ingredients

Units Scale

2 (13 oz) cans full fat coconut milk (refrigerated overnight)
1 cup raw unsalted cashews, soaked
⅓ cup pure maple syrup
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup melted dark chocolate (for the shell)

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Instructions

Open the refrigerated cans of full-fat coconut milk and scoop out the solid white coconut cream from the top (should yield ¾ cup coconut cream per can). Discard the liquid (or save for later use).
Add the coconut cream, cashews, maple syrup, vanilla extract and salt to a high-speed blender and blend on the highest speed until smooth and creamy.
Pour the mixture into popsicle molds and freeze until solid (I freeze overnight).
Dip the popsicles in melted chocolate and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Freeze until they set and enjoy!

Equipment

high-speed blender

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Notes

Read my review of the best coconut cream for vegan desserts!

No Waste: You may be left with extra melted chocolate and I definitely would never want that to go to waste. The solution? Homemade dark chocolate bark! Spread the leftover chocolate onto parchment paper, sprinkle with chopped nuts or any other topping overtop and freeze to make a quick and delicious bark. Two desserts in one recipe!

Prep Time: 5
Freeze Time: 8 hours
Category: Dessert
Method: Blender