The Essential Ingredient You Can't Ignore For Homemade Dairy-Free Ice Cream

Making ice cream at home might sound daunting if you've never done it before, and even more so if you want to make it dairy-free. This isn't as difficult as you might think, however, especially if you gather the right ingredients — such as coconut milk, the absolute best dairy-free milk for vegan ice cream. But there's another ingredient that's essential for making the best dairy-free version of this treat: xanthan gum.

This is an additive that can be used as both a thickener and a stabilizer (meaning it helps foods maintain their texture). It's made from the bacteria Xanthomonas campestris, which ferments sugar into a paste that solidifies once alcohol is added. The powdered version of this substance is the xanthan gum you can buy at the grocery store for cooking and baking.

Adding xanthan gum to your dairy-free ice cream will make it rich and smooth in texture — just like if you used heavy cream and eggs. And because it's a stabilizer as well as a thickener, it will also preserve that soft texture over time and even prevent ice crystals from forming. A batch of vegan ice cream will likely call for about 1 teaspoon of xanthan gum, so a little goes a long way. And, in case you're wondering, its flavor is neutral, so it won't overpower the taste of your homemade confection.

If you're making dairy-free ice cream, xanthan gum is absolutely necessary for a rich, creamy treat. But using it in traditional ice cream also has its merits. In fact, we recommend using it (or another stabilizer) in our tips for making homemade ice cream. A dairy-based version won't need any help achieving a creamy texture, but there's no harm in adding xanthan gum for its other benefits — like the fact that it helps preserve the treat's softness and keep ice crystals away, meaning your ice cream will remain easily scoopable for longer.

Xanthan gum has plenty of other uses, too, so you can still use the whole bag even if you don't want to make countless batches of ice cream. For example, we use it in our recipe for gluten-free thin and crispy chocolate chip cookies, and we even consider it a must-have for a gluten-free pantry. You can also use it to thicken sauces or soups, prevent your salad dressing from separating, or make gluten-free Irish soda bread.