Vanilla Coconut Cashew Ice Cream

So I’m just going to be totally honest here, this doesn’t taste exactly the same as real ice cream, but it’s definitely really good. It settles that intense, ice cream-craving demon inside you and goes nicely on warm pies, brownies, even cookies.

Plus, it’s a lot healthier for you than real ice cream for a few reasons:

There’s no refined sugar. It uses maple syrup rather than processed white sugar or corn syrup like most store-bought brands use.
Less sugar overall. Milk and cream also contain their own natural form of sugar known as lactose. Since it doesn’t contain either of these, it decreases the sugar intake.
Contains more healthy fats. Coconut and cashews both contain a lot of healthy monounsaturated fats and medium-chain fatty acids.

Throw these 6 ingredients together in a blender and blend until smooth. I chose to use cashews in the recipe to more closely resemble real ice cream. The cashews add creaminess and take away some of the coconut-y taste.

Please don’t forget to scroll down, rate this recipe and leave a comment!

Enjoy, friends!

Vanilla Coconut Cashew Ice Cream

Servings: 8 - 1/2 cup servings

Prep: 10 min

Cook: 1 hr

Total: 1 hr 10 min

Difficulty: easy

Print This

NUTRITION FACTS: (per 1/2 cup serving) Calories: 348 Total Fat: 26.3g Saturated Fat: 10.5g Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.0g Monounsaturated Fat: 0.0g Cholesterol: 0.0g Sodium: 74mg Potassium: 1.5mg Total Carbohydrate: 21.9g Dietary Fiber: 3g Sugars: 16.6g Protein: 5.5g

Ingredients

2 cups raw cashews, soaked*
1 (15 oz) can full fat coconut milk
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/4 tsp sea salt
2 tsp vanilla extract
* to soak cashews, add water to a bowl and allow to sit for 4-6 hours or overnight.

Directions

Step 1 Drain water from cashews and add to a high-powered blender with remainder of ingredients.
Step 2 Blend until really smooth and creamy. There shouldn’t be any chunks.
Step 3 Optional: Let cool in the refrigerator for 30 minutes before transferring to the ice cream maker. I find this step makes it a bit creamier and it doesn’t get so hard in the freezer.
Step 4 Put in an ice cream maker. Allow to churn for about 20 minutes or until thickened.
Step 5 Store in the freezer in an airtight container.
Step 6 When ready to eat, allow to sit on the counter for 5-10 minutes to thaw a bit before serving.