There are a few things you need to know about this Vanilla Ice recipe:
- It won’t rock a mic like a vandal.
- It won’t wax a chump like a candle.
- It won’t cook MC’s like a pound of bacon.
But if you have a problem (with drinks getting watery and tasteless after your ice melts), yo, this recipe will solve it.
Okay, I’m done, I promise. This post isn’t just a gimmick and it does solve a problem. I’m not a fan of ice cubes because of the way they water down everything you add them to. But flavored ice cubes, well, those are different! As they melt, they add flavor to your drinks instead of taking it away.
These Vanilla Ice cubes are made with almond milk, sugar, and vanilla. So not only do they add the flavor of vanilla to your drink, they also add some creaminess and a touch of sweetness. They’re perfect for iced coffee, tea, chai, or even lemonade. Alternately, you can add less sugar to the recipe (or omit it altogether) and use these cubes to chill root beer, cola, and other sodas. And if you’re too impatient to wait for them to melt in your drink, you can eat them like popsicles too. (I know this because I’m very impatient and I’ve had a few of these ice cubes straight from the freezer.)
So here are some additional things you should know about Vanilla Ice cubes. First, they don’t always melt all pretty, particularly if your drink is a little bit warm. The vanilla almond milk mixture has a tendency to settle at the bottom of the glass, so give it a little stir. And let the ice melt a little (or a lot!) before you drink–I mean, that’s the whole point of these, right?
Edited to Add: I’ve heard from a few people saying that their vanilla ice cubes curdled in their coffee. I couldn’t figure out why since that never happened to me or for the majority of people who made these. After doing some research, I found that occasionally curdling will occur in especially acidic coffees or teas, in drinks made with hard water, or drinks that are very hot. Some brands of non-dairy milk are more prone to curdling than others; I use Silk. Please also note that if you alter the recipe, you may have different results.
This Vanilla Ice won't wax a chump like a candle, but it will keep your iced coffee cold (and delicious).
Ingredients
- 2 c. almond or refrigerated coconut milk
- 1/3 c. granulated sugar
- 1 vanilla bean
- 1 tsp. vanilla (optional--add for more intense vanilla flavor)
Instructions
- Combine almond milk and sugar in a large saucepan. Slice open vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape insides into saucepan, then place empty vanilla bean into mixture. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, whisking to break up clumps of vanilla. Once mixture has come to a simmer, reduce heat to low and cook 10 minutes more, whisking occasionally.
- Allow vanilla mixture to come to room temperature. Pour through a fine mesh strainer into a bowl with a spout, then pour mixture into ice cube trays. Freeze until completely solid, 3-4 hours (depending on the temperature of your freezer and size of the cubes). Serve with iced coffee, tea, or other beverages.
Notes
I've tested this recipe with almond milk and refrigerated Silk coconut milk with good results. Other people have reported using dairy milk and cream and have said that the cubes turn out well. Be aware that if you use soy milk, it's more likely to curdle when added to tea or coffee.
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As a non-ice enthusiast I really love this idea since I hate the watered down effect that ice gives…in other parlance….Word to your mother!
Yup, I’m one of those people who goes to restaurants and gets my drinks without ice–don’t like it at all!
I’m all about anything vanilla, so these sound fabulous!!!! Can’t wait to make them and add to drinks like kahlua and cream , and whipped cream vodka and orange pop!!! YUMMERS!
OMG, I love that you said pop–I’m originally from the midwest and it will forever be pop to me. It pains me to say or type the word soda.
I am psyched to try this in my iced coffee! Love the idea!
Thank you! I hope you like it!
Just curious — why do you need to combine these ingredients in a saucepan? for a lazy chef (like yours truly), it seems easier to combine milk and a tsp of vanilla and just pour that straight in the ice tray. Do you think that would work?
There are two reasons why this needs to be cooked: 1) heating the mixture dissolves the sugar, and 2) heating the mixture infuses the flavor of the vanilla bean into the almond milk. If you’re not using sugar and you’re not using a vanilla bean, combining the milk with vanilla extract should work fine.
A Brilliant idea!
Genius simply genius!!
These sound awesome. Curious though, would using Vanilla Almond Milk have the same result?
The reason I don’t use vanilla almond milk is because the vanilla flavor needs to be more concentrated since it’s being combined with tea/coffee/cola/whatever. The vanilla flavored almond milk just isn’t strong enough!
Can’t wait to add this to my summer cold chai tea!
I love the taste of these, but I had a few questions.
How do you get the vanilla beans to stay suspended? Mine all settled to the bottom of the ice cube tray. Taste was fine, but appearance was not so nice.
Also, I used Almond Dream “Almond Drink”…is that the same thing? It tasted a little off to me.
Thanks!
I haven’t used Almond Dream in this, but almond drink is another term for almond milk–I think it’s because milk people get peeved about non-dairy milks using the word. Anyway, I’m thinking there are two possibilities here: 1) Almond Dream might be thinner than the almond milk I used, or 2) your freezer isn’t as cold as mine or you didn’t put the trays in the freezer right away, so the flecks of vanilla had the time to settle.
I’m glad they tasted good at least, even if they weren’t pretty!
where can you find vanilla beans at?
My regular grocery store sells vanilla beans in the spice section. If yours doesn’t, gourmet or spice shops usually have them.
If there is a Penzey’s spice store in your area, vanilla beans are much cheaper there than at the grocery store. Or: http://www.Penzeys.com.
I can get 3 beans at Penzey’s for almost the same price the grocery store charges for one.
I love Penzey’s! I used to live near one in Madison.
Costco sells a tube of vanilla beans
Thanks for the tip!
IndriVanilla has vanilla beans starting at fifty cents each if you buy individually, cheaper if you buy in bulk! They’re fair-trade and organically grown, too, and have amazing flavor.
Thanks for sharing!
i made my own version – inspired by your recipe…. i used fresh almond milk made at home – maple syrup and 1 vanilla bean – the turn out amazing! i’m going to freeze some with popsicle sticks next time – they do melt fast though!
See my version here :https://www.facebook.com/LizMartinNaturalNutrition
Oh, I love the idea of using maple syrup to sweeten it! Especially if they’re going to be going in coffee. So glad you liked them!
I love this! Gorgeous photos too. I am going to have Ice Ice Baby in my all day now though!
Thank you! I had Ice Ice Baby in my head for a good two weeks after posting this.
From what I’ve read about almond milk in coffee, it seems as if tends to curdle. Has anybody had this problem with the vanilla ice cubes in hot coffee? Maybe having it frozen doesn’t cause it to curdle?? Just wanted to see if anybody had problems with this…
I’ve been using these for a while and haven’t had any issues with curdling (and we’ve also put straight almond milk into regular iced coffee and that turns out fine too). But if you’re making iced coffee, I wouldn’t start with hot coffee–make sure it cools down first. Because if it’s really hot and you add ice cubes to it, they’ll just melt right away and you’ll have lukewarm coffee instead of iced coffee.
Loved the idea and the lyrics even more!
Will surely try this, thanks for sharing!!
Thanks–I hope you like the ice cubes if you make them!
Lol. So I wanted to try this, but I am just a mere lad of 14 years old. So i totally didn’t follow directions, I just used milk, vanilla ice-cream, and sugar and mixed it all around in a cup, and to be quite honest, it actually tasted good. Thank you for this awesome idea.
Next time, if I can get the correct ingredients, I will do it the way it should be done. Til then, I will enjoy my generic version. Haha.
Well hey, whatever works!
I’m also fourteen, I used milk, sugar, and vanilla extract due to lack of supplies. Glad to know it works and the milk doesn’t go sour, as I’ve had that problem with frozen milk cubes (long story). Just put the cube tray in the freezer, 4 more hours!
Well, I hope the milk didn’t go sour this time!
Well! I didn’t have vanilla bean
, I must’ve used it all when I last made creme brûlée, poooo! So I improvised and used cinnamon instead and they came out great!! Next time the vanilla bean is a definite must! I bet that’s even tastier! Thanks!
Cinnamon would be great, especially if you’re using them in coffee! I like that idea.
I have been doing coffee cubes using the last bits of the pot I can’t finish, but this is an even better idea! Ice cubes have all shorts of untapped possibilities!
Well, coffee ice cubes are good too! But I’m a big fan of vanilla.
So the grocery store I got everything else at didn’t have any vanilla bean, so I used vanilla extract instead. Put mine in the freezer last night and they’re not really frozen; they’re solidified and sticky but not frozen. I’m not sure what I did.
I think no matter what you do with the recipe itself, the mixture should freeze if you put it in the freezer. Sometimes sugary liquids, like juice used to make popsicles, will get a sticky layer on top, but it still freezes through. I’m not sure what’s going on…
I did check them and it was just like you said. There was a top layer and I simply scraped it off. They’re no where as pretty as yours but thank you for this wonderful recipe!
Yay! I spent the last 20 minutes trying to figure out what would cause them not to freeze, so I’m glad they froze through after all.
That happens whenever I make popsicles too.
You are so funny, love this!
i need that glass! where did you get it? pleaseeee . i cant wait to try this recipe. i love almond milk. im lactose intolerant so this is perfect. thanks!
I got the glass at Anthropologie a few months ago–I just looked on their website and I don’t see it there anymore, though.
I have some almond coconut milk, I bet that would taste awesome in a mixed drink! Thanks for the recipe!
I love love love that almond coconut milk!
This is pure genius!
Has anyone used this in a pop? I’m super curious if it tastes like a vanilla coke. I live in Canada and they don’t sell it here anymore and am going through some serious withdrawals.
Yes! I have put it in Coke and root beer. It’s kind of like a float, except without all the calories from the ice cream.
What if I used vanilla bean paste? What would the equivilant be to one bean?
I haven’t used vanilla bean paste myself, but I can’t see why that wouldn’t work instead of a vanilla bean…
Was wondering what would happen if I froze sugar free french vanilla coffee creamer? Anyone try that yet? I like this idea but I am truly no cook or whiz in the kitchen, diabetic so I use the sugar free creamer, and I love it! Think I’ll try freezing it and freezing left over coffee and see how that blends together tomorrow for a frozen drink,
I haven’t tried it, but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work!
How are you,
In your opinion do cubes from vanilla almond milk (store bought) or almond coconut milk (also store bought) work better for iced coffee? I’m not chasing vanilla flavor, but am rather missing the whiteness and intensity of dairy milk, because I need to go lactose free.
I’ve made these ice cubes with almond milk, coconut milk (the refrigerated kind, not the canned), and almond coconut milk. I think coconut milk adds the most creaminess.