Let’s make a vegan vanilla ice cream — no dairy, no eggs, and no refined sugar.
With just four ingredients, you can create a rich, creamy treat that melts in your mouth — it’s so smooth and flavorful, you’d never guess it’s vegan!
Serve it with fresh fruit, pair it with baked goods, or adjust the sweetness to your liking. This simple recipe is easy to customize and perfect for your favorite desserts.
Table of Contents
The Story Behind This Recipe
In recent years, vegan ice cream has been gradually gaining popularity in Japan, driven by a growing interest in healthy eating and the need for allergy-friendly options.
Just four or five years ago, it was rare to find creamy vegan ice cream in supermarkets or convenience stores, but now it’s becoming increasingly common.
Specialty vegan ice cream shops have also begun to appear, especially in urban areas.
Although vegan meals are not yet widely adopted in Japan, vegan-friendly desserts and sweets are slowly becoming more mainstream.
When it comes to creating vegan versions of creamy-style desserts, soy milk is one of the most popular ingredients in Japan.
It’s a familiar and widely loved food, known for its health benefits and versatility in cooking.
This recipe features a vegan vanilla ice cream made with soy milk.
It’s incredibly easy to make with just a few simple ingredients — yet the result is rich, creamy, and smooth, just like store-bought ice cream.
As one of the most classic types of plant-based frozen desserts in Japan, this is a great recipe to start with if you’re new to vegan sweets.
Top it with fresh fruit, pair it with baked goods, or adjust the sweetness to your liking —
there are endless ways to enjoy this easy and delicious treat.
We hope you’ll give it a try and discover how tasty homemade vegan ice cream can be!
Ingredients (Serves 3-4)
- Soy-based whipping cream – 10 tbsp / 5.3 oz / 150 g (plant-based whipping cream)
- Unsweetened soy milk – 10 tbsp / 5.3 oz / 150 g
- Sugar (white or cane sugar) – 2 tbsp / 1 oz / 30 g
- Vanilla paste – a small amount (vanilla extract or vanilla oil can be used instead)
Instructions
| 1 |  | Place all the ingredients in a bowl and blend well using a hand blender. |
| 2 |  | Transfer the mixture into a freezer-safe container and chill for about 1 hour. |
| 3 |  | Take it out once and stir with a spoon to incorporate air. Then return it to the freezer and freeze for at least 2 more hours until firm. |
| 4 |  | Scoop into a bowl and enjoy! |
Top Spots in Japan We Recommend — Supermarkets and Convenience Stores
Most ice creams sold in Japanese supermarkets and convenience stores are incredibly tasty.
Recently, even creamy-style vegan ice creams have become available, so if you're interested in vegan ice cream in Japan, be sure to stop by a local supermarket or convenience store and give them a try!
In fact, on the Japanese version of Paqupel, we once ran a feature where we compared various vegan ice creams and asked readers to vote for their favorite.
The top-rated ice cream in that survey was Coolish Green by LOTTE.
This particular ice cream is soy milk-based, and what makes it especially unique is that it contains a touch of soy sauce as a secret ingredient to enhance the umami flavor.
You can find it at larger supermarkets and some convenience stores across Japan.
If you spot it, we highly recommend trying it — it's delicious!
Learn more
Trying 12 Plant-Based Ice Creams in Japan — Which One Is the Best? (Japanese article)