These gluten-free ice cream sandwiches taste just like the classic stick-to-your-fingers version from your childhood. What's more, they're super easy to make! With your favorite ice cream sandwiched between two soft chewy gluten-free chocolate wafers, summer never tasted so good. 

This post is brought to you by Bob’s Red Mill, a long-term partner of Snixy Kitchen

School's out for summer! Time for a constant rotation of swimming, sunscreen, and homemade ice cream sandwiches. I'm aiming to turn my backyard into the most popular summer hang-out in the neighborhood.

Gluten-Free Ice Cream Sandwich Recipe

These homemade ice cream sandwiches are so easy to make and require less than 15 minutes of bake time. They taste every bit as nostalgic as the classic stick-to-your-fingers ice cream sandwiches from your childhood. Only now with a flavor boost from gluten-free chocolate wafers that taste like thin chewy brownies. 

When made at home, you've got options! Make them however you want or need: Gluten-free? Nut-free? Dairy-free? With mint chocolate chip ice cream? Dipped in chocolate? Go nuts. This recipe's got you covered with all of these tested variations. 

I've developed these super quick gluten-free ice cream sandwiches as part of my year-long partnership with Bob’s Red Mill. Here’s a list of all the recipes I’ve made in partnership with Bob’s Red Mill over the years. 

Chocolate wafers for classic ice cream sandwiches

The most important part of these chocolate ice cream sandwiches is the bread. And by bread, I mean the soft chewy stick-to-your-fingers chocolate brownie wafer. Adapted from my ultimate gluten-free brownies, these wafers stay soft and chewy even when sandwiched around ice cream and frozen.

To capture that classic flavor and texture, this recipe uses a combination of super-fine blanched almond flour and sweet rice flour.

Super-fine Blanched Almond Flour

With a subtle nuttiness, super-fine blanched almond flour shockingly has a neutral flavor that tends to mimic the flavor in classic cookies and brownies. 

• Sub in hazelnut flour or chestnut flour by weight to add slightly more unique notes to the base. For a nut-free version, use the oat, buckwheat, or teff flour options below.

Sweet Rice Flour

For the chewiest gluten-free brownie wafers, the key is to use sweet rice flour. Made from sticky rice, sweet rice flour is distinctively different than white rice or brown rice flour, and despite its name, it's not sweet. Sweet rice flour is the same flour used to make mochi, and as such, its stickiness helps to make an ultra-chewy chocolate wafer for your ice cream sandwiches.

• Sub in tapioca flour by weight. Alternatively, substitute both the sweet rice flour and oat/buckwheat/teff flour measurements for Bob's Red Mill's 1-to-1 gluten-free flour.

For all of these, I recommend Bob's Red Mill flours for their high quality and consistency in how finely ground they are. Using any other brand, your results will vary. 

How to make Ice Cream Sandwiches Quickly

Rather than making 30 wafers, this recipe calls for baking one giant wafer in a sheet pan, cutting it in half, filling it with ice cream, then slicing the whole thing into individual sandwiches once frozen. 

When made this way, it's shocking how quickly you can make a batch of homemade ice cream sandwiches.  Here's how you do it:

1. Sift together dry ingredients. 
2. Whisk melted butter, eggs, and vanilla into the sugars. 
3. Mix dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. 
4. Spread batter into a parchment-lined half-sheet jelly roll pan and bake for 12-14 minutes.
5. Cool and cut the brownie wafer in half. 
6. Spread vanilla ice cream over one piece of the cooled brownie wafer then press the second piece of the wafer on top. 
7. Wrap in plastic, chill overnight, then cut into sandwiches.

How to store gluten-free ice cream sandwiches

Once cut, store leftover gluten-free ice cream sandwiches in an airtight container or plastic bag in the freezer for up to 3 months (ha, like they'll last that long). 

Dairy-free ice cream sandwiches

For dairy-free brownies, sub out the butter for melted refined coconut oil or non-dairy plant butter. Use your favorite plant-based ice cream for the filling! 

Nut-free chocolate wafer substitution

Based on my gluten-free brownies and gluten-free chewy chocolate cookies, I developed nut-free versions for these ice cream sandwiches as well. Simply sub the 42g almond flour for either 25g gluten-free oat flour, buckwheat flour, or teff flour.You'll notice that these variations use less flour because they have less fat than almond flour. 

Each of these substitutions has different flavor profiles. The oat flour version tastes more like a classic ice cream sandwich brownie wafer that's soft and chocolate-forward.

Buckwheat flour adds slightly earthy notes with a subtle toasted nuttiness. Buckwheat and cocoa were meant for each other - the chocolate notes in buckwheat enhance cocoa's richness.

Teff flour adds rich toffee notes. While so delicious, this variation has a slightly different flavor profile than a classic chocolate ice cream sandwich, with the teff flour and cocoa powder sharing the spotlight. 

Ice Cream Sandwich Variations

Customize these sandwiches to your heart's content. Here are some ideas for inspiration:

• Sprinkles: Press the outside of each cut ice cream sandwich in sprinkles.
• Nuts: Press the outside of each cut ice cream sandwich in toasted finely chopped nuts. 
• Flavored ice cream: Switch up the flavor by swapping in your favorite ice cream. Mint chocolate chip? Strawberry? Coffee? Nearly anything will go with chocolate!
• Dip in chocolate: Dip a corner of ice cream sandwiches in melted chocolate.

Homemade Ice Cream Recipes

Feeling extra ambitious? Make your own ice cream for the filling! If using homemade ice cream, skip the freezer and spread the thick soft-serve-like ice cream onto the chocolate wafer straight from the ice cream maker!

• Vegan Vanilla Ice Cream
• Chamomile Blackberry Ice Cream
• Vegan Blackberry Basil Ice Cream
• Coconut Matcha Ice Cream (skip the sesame brittle add-in if using for these sandwiches)
• Vegan Cardamom Ice Cream
• Honey & Lemon Thyme Ricotta Ice Cream
• Vegan Strawberry Ice Cream