Vegan Base

A fully plant-based frozen dessert that rivals dairy versions in creaminess and satisfaction. This formula uses coconut cream for fat, cashews for body, and careful stabilization to achieve professional-quality texture.

Characteristics

Property	Value
Fat %	~16–18%
Total sugar	~20%
PAC	~235
Target overrun	25–35%
Character	Creamy, rich, dairy-free

Master Formula

Component	1 Qt	2 Qt	3 Qt	4 Qt
Base
Full-fat coconut cream	300g	600g	900g	1200g
Raw cashews (soaked)	100g	200g	300g	400g
Oat milk (or plant milk)	200g	400g	600g	800g
Granulated sugar	100g	200g	300g	400g
Dextrose	45g	90g	135g	180g
Coconut oil (refined)	30g	60g	90g	120g
Stabilizer blend	4g	8g	12g	16g
Vanilla extract	8g	16g	24g	32g
Fine sea salt	2g	4g	6g	8g
Base total	~789g	~1578g	~2367g	~3156g

Ingredient Functions

Component	Function	Notes
Coconut cream	Primary fat, creaminess	Must be full-fat
Cashews	Body, protein, richness	Soaked and blended smooth
Plant milk	Base liquid, texture	Oat provides creaminess
Coconut oil	Fat structure, melt profile	Refined for neutral flavor
Stabilizers	Ice crystal control	Essential without egg proteins
Sugar/dextrose	Sweetness, PAC	Dextrose critical for softness

Method

Soak Cashews

Cover raw cashews with boiling water. Soak minimum 2 hours (or overnight in cool water). Drain and rinse.

Blend Cashews

Place soaked cashews and plant milk in high-speed blender. Blend on high 2–3 minutes until completely smooth—no graininess should remain.

Prepare Dry Mix

Whisk together sugar, dextrose, stabilizer, and salt.

Combine in Saucepan

Transfer cashew mixture to saucepan. Add coconut cream and coconut oil. Whisk to combine.

Add Dry Mix

With immersion blender running, add dry mix. Blend 30 seconds to fully disperse stabilizer.

Heat

Heat mixture to 85°C / 185°F, whisking frequently. Hold 30 seconds for stabilizer hydration.

Blend Again

Transfer hot base to blender. Blend on high 1 minute for maximum smoothness. (Use caution with hot liquids—vent lid.)

Cool

Pour into container. Cool in ice bath to below 40°C. Add vanilla extract.

Age

Refrigerate minimum 6 hours, preferably overnight. Coconut fat crystallization benefits from extended aging.

Re-blend Before Churning

Coconut products may separate. Blend briefly with immersion blender until homogeneous.

Churn

Churn to –6°C / 21°F.

Harden

Transfer and freeze minimum 4 hours.

Stabilizer for Vegan Bases

Without egg proteins, stabilizers are essential. Use:

Option	Amount per 1 Qt
Commercial vegan stabilizer	4g
DIY blend (below)	4g

DIY Vegan Stabilizer Blend

Component	Per 100g Blend
Locust bean gum	40g
Guar gum	25g
Tara gum	20g
Lambda carrageenan	5g
Dextrose (carrier)	10g

All components are plant-derived and vegan.

Plant Milk Options

Milk	Character	Best For
Oat milk	Creamy, mild	Vanilla, chocolate, neutral
Soy milk	Protein-rich, beany	Chocolate (masks bean note)
Almond milk	Light, nutty	Light flavors, almond-based
Coconut milk	Coconut flavor	Tropical, coconut-forward
Rice milk	Thin, sweet	Not recommended (too thin)

Flavor Variations

Chocolate

Adjustment	1 Qt
Add cocoa powder	35g (to dry mix)
Increase sugar to	130g
Or: pour hot base over 80g dark chocolate

Coffee

Adjustment	1 Qt
Replace plant milk with	200g cold brew concentrate
Add instant espresso	10g (to dry mix)

Strawberry

Adjustment	1 Qt
Add strawberry purée	200g
Reduce plant milk to	100g
Reduce sugar to	80g

Add purée after cooling, before aging.

Peanut Butter

Addition	1 Qt
Natural peanut butter	100g
Reduce coconut oil to	15g

Whisk peanut butter into warm base.

Mint Chocolate Chip

Addition	1 Qt
Fresh mint leaves	30g
Vegan chocolate chips	80g (mix-in)
Peppermint extract	2g

Cold steep mint in aged base 12 hours. Strain. Add extract. Fold in chips at pack.

Troubleshooting

Problem	Cause	Solution
Grainy texture	Cashews not blended smooth	Blend longer; use high-speed blender
Coconut flavor too strong	Unrefined coconut oil or cream	Use refined coconut oil
Icy texture	Under-stabilized	Increase stabilizer; verify hydration temp
Waxy mouthfeel	Coconut fat behavior	Serve at –10°C; reduce coconut oil
Separating	Emulsion unstable	Re-blend before churning; add lecithin
Too sweet	Standard sugar too high	Reduce sugar 15–20%

Adding Lecithin (Optional Emulsion Help)

For more stable emulsion:

Addition	Amount per 1 Qt
Sunflower lecithin powder	5g

Add to dry mix before dispersing into liquids.

Vegan Verification Checklist

Sugar is vegan (some refined sugar uses bone char—use organic or beet sugar)
Chocolate is dairy-free (check for milk powder)
Mix-ins are vegan
Stabilizers are plant-derived

Comparison to Dairy Base

Property	Vegan Base	Dairy Custard
Fat source	Coconut, cashew	Cream, yolk
Protein source	Cashew, plant milk	Milk, yolk
Body source	Stabilizers, cashew	Egg proteins
Emulsification	Lecithin (optional)	Yolk lecithin
Flavor	Neutral to slightly coconut	Dairy, custardy
Texture	Smooth, can be waxy	Creamy, elastic

This completes the Base Formulas section. Next: Techniques →