Vegan snow ice cream, or snow cream as my kids call it, is a tradition in our family. Growing up Canadian in Michigan, we made snow ice cream every winter, and now I share it with my children every year. It is a joy – and a quick and easy joy at that!
A few tips to keep in mind:
- It is best to use “second snow” or “later snow”: snow from after the first couple hours of snowfall.
- Make sure to collect your snow from a clean surface (above and below) that has not been trodden on or touched.
- Fluffy, dry snow works best for this recipe. That’s one of the bonuses. My kids are always disappointed when the snow is not packing snow, but at least we can make snow cream!
- Packing snow occurs when the temperature is within a couple degrees above or below freezing. Fluffy snow comes when the temperature is more than a few degrees below freezing.
Vegan Snow Ice Cream Recipe
INGREDIENTS
All amounts are approximate and should be adjusted to taste
- 4 – 8 cups clean snow
- 1 cup soy milk* (or other plant milk)*
- 1/3 cup or maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 pinch salt
* You can use any flavor of milk that you choose – vanilla, chocolate, sweetened or unsweetened, almond, coconut, hemp, flax, macadamia, cashew, etc. If you use a flavored and/or sweetened milk, you may desire to adjust the amounts of sugar and vanilla.
DIRECTIONS
- Whisk together all the ingredients except the snow in a large bowl. (Leave the snow in a bowl outside or in the freezer until ready to stir it in.
- Place the mixture in the freezer for 10 minutes. (This step is optional, but snow cream melts very quickly and this step helps it last just a bit longer).
- Mix in the snow about 1/2 cup at a time until the snow cream reaches a consistency just thicker than soft serve ice cream.
- Serve and enjoy immediately!
As always, if you try this recipe, please let me know in the comments, like, and share this post!
Disclaimer: All food comes with a risk. I can’t guarantee that eating snow is safe, though I certainly feel comfortable with the snow ice cream we make and enjoy. I find this article has good information on the comparative safety of consuming snow: So You Want To Eat Snow. Is It Safe? We Asked Scientists