Sticking to a dairy-free diet can be hard! While it might be simple to swap your milk for nut or oat-based beverages, saying goodbye to ice cream tends to be a bit more difficult. Even though there are a lot of dairy-free alternatives out there, they’re not always the same as the real thing, leaving you unhappy and unsatisfied.

Luckily, we’ve found the secret to making the absolute best vegan and dairy-free ice cream — chickpeas! Yes, the powerhouse legume truly can do it all, including dessert. The beans lend a rich, velvety texture to our Chocolate, Coconut and Almond Chickpea Ice Cream (and you won’t even be able to taste them!).

Here’s how it works: blend together chickpeas, coconut milk, dates, almond butter and vanilla extract. Once combined, you’ll have a rich, creamy mixture that resembles a thick milkshake. Meanwhile, melt a cup of chocolate chips with a tablespoon of coconut oil. Then, all you need to do is layer the chickpea mixture with the melted chocolate and freeze until firm.

And that’s it! With just a few simple steps, you’ll have a delicious, plant-based ice cream that you can feel good about eating any time of the year. We like to top ours with toasted coconut chips for a bit of crunch, but feel free to add vegan sprinkles, nuts or extra chocolate. However you eat this ice cream, we can promise you’ll be excited to have your next scoop.

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