Did you notice the exclamation point in the title? I need you to know how excited I am about this. !! I’ll confess right here that ice cream is probably my favorite food. That I don’t eat. Ice cream doesn’t agree with me, if I can get personal with you. But I think this is definitely for the best because it’s just not good for you. Pasteurized cow dairy + sugar + ice cold = digestive nightmare. But just because I can’t eat ice cream doesn’t mean I don’t dream about it. Yes, of course there are alternative “ice creams” made from soy or coconut. But soy milk is something I avoid (way too processed and hard to digest) and most of the coconut frozen desserts taste like coconut, which I like, but not every time mixed with every flavor. Just an FYI, you can take two cans of full-fat coconut milk, mix it with sweetener to taste plus a drop of vanilla extract and pour it into your ice cream maker and get coconut ice cream. That’s the recipe right there!
But recently I saw a cashew-based ice cream at Whole Foods and a light bulb went off. Of course! Why didn’t I think of that? I use raw cashews all the time in my classes to make non-dairy substitutions for my DF friends. When you soak raw cashews and then blend them with a little water, you have the beginnings of lots of dairy-free possibilities. I even made a cheesecake with blended raw cashews that was to die for. I need to post that one day. What’s great is that raw cashews are pretty bland tasting, unlike coconut which definitely has a pronounced flavor, even when mixed with other stuff. Also, soaked, raw cashews are loaded with protein and much more digestible than pasteurized heavy cream and milk. !!
I wasn’t sure if you all would be interested in knowing how to make dairy-free ice cream since I can’t assume everyone has an ice cream maker. But after an unscientific poll on Facebook, it seemed like enough of you wanted to know. I made three different cashew-based ice creams in the last month and I thought they were all great. My kids had NO IDEA they were made from cashews. And to take it one step further (better), I sweetened two of the ice creams with dates. Dates! This is an ice cream that is cashews blended with dates. Are you freaking out right now? You should beeeeeeee!
The three flavors I made were Buttered Pecan (ok, technically not dairy-free because I used butter on the pecans, but you can use Earth Balance), Chocolate Peanut Butter, and Mint Chip. I loved them all, but let me mention that although these are more digestible and arguably more healthful than regular ice cream, I wouldn’t say they’re low-fat or low-calorie. And I’m sorry if you’re nut-free or cashew-intolerant because that’s the only way to go here. I am posting the recipes for Buttered Pecan and Mint Chip and as soon as I find the scrap paper with my notes for the chocolate version I will revise this post and let you know!
I’m just sorry that we may only have another month of warm weather and therefore not much time left for ice cream. Make the most of what’s left of summer, friends. Hope you enjoy this as much as we did!
Cashew Ice Cream
Ingredients
- Salted Butter Pecan:
- 2 cups pecans
- 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, or use Earth's Balance to make vegan
- ½ teaspoon sea salt, plus 1 teaspoon for pecans
- 4 cups raw cashews, soaked for at least three hours or overnight and
- drained
- 2 cups water
- 1 cup Grade A maple syrup (or agave, but I’m not a fan since it’s very
- processed and high in fructose)
- 4 vanilla beans, split and scraped or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Mint Chip:
- 4 cups raw cashews, soaked for at least three hours or overnight and drained
- 3 cups water
- 20 pitted dates
- 2 Tablespoons pure peppermint extract, you may want to start out with 1 Tablespoon and taste the mixture before adding the second tablespoon in case your mint extract is stronger than mine.
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 cup mini chocolate chips, or more to taste
Instructions
- Salted Butter Pecan:
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Melt the butter in a small saucepan and add the pecans, tossing to coat. Spread buttered pecans on baking sheet and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt. Bake for 6-8 minutes until toasted, but not burned. Set aside to cool.
- Place cashews, water, maple syrup, vanilla and ½ teaspoon salt in a high-powered blender or food processor and process until very smooth.
- Pour cashew mixture into ice cream maker and follow manufacturer's instructions. I use a Cuisinart ice cream maker.
- Once the pecans are cooled, place them in a food processor and pulse to make small chunks (about the size of a chocolate chip, or smaller) or chop coarsely on a cutting board.
- minutes before ice cream is finished, pour in the pecans.
- Store in freezer in airtight container.
- Mint Chip:
- Place cashews, water, dates, salt and mint extract in a high-powered blender or food processor and process until very smooth.
- Pour cashew mixture into ice cream maker and follow manufacturer's instructions.
- minutes before ice cream is finished, add the chocolate chips.
- Store in freezer in airtight container.
Like this recipe? Rate & comment below!
Hi Pamela, just finding this recipe- do you have the chocolate/peanut butter measurements to make that recipe- it’s my family’s favorite. Trying mint chip today!
Sadly, I never found the notes I had. I think you can wing it by making the basic cashew ice cream base and adding raw cacao or unsweetened cocoa powder. Start with a couple tablespoons and just taste it. Then when the ice cream is almost done churning, drizzle in some peanut butter. That’s how I would approach it.
Ok will try and let you know!