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.
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Enjoy, friends!
Vanilla Coconut Cashew Ice Cream
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.
My ice cream maker is the KitchenAid KICA0WH Ice Cream Maker Attachment – Excludes 7, 8, and most 6 Quart Models
A 28-year-old Canadian, retired professional track and field athlete who has no idea what she’s doing with her life. (Yes, I’m being 100% serious) Let me explain...For the past 10 years, I’ve dedicated my life to winning an Olympic medal. After graduating from the University of Oregon, I got an agent, went pro, signed a contract with Nike and set off to make my dreams come true. In 2016, I won an Olympic bronze medal in the heptathlon.
How long should the cashews be soaked for?
Hi Samantha. Typically 4-6 hours is best, but sometimes if I decide to make this last minute, I’ll soak them for 1 hour in boiling hot water and that seems to work just fine.
I made this ice cream and really liked it. I found that it got really hard in my freezer and was difficult to scoop – but I think it’s because I didn’t have enough coconut oil to make 1/4 cup. Still the taste was great! I’m a retired collegiate athlete and struggling to find nutritional balance in my “new” life. I’m enjoying following your blog and trying out your recipes!
Hi Jill. Believe it or not, I can TOTALLY relate to having trouble finding nutritional balance in MY new life too. I was used to eating SO MUCH and now, I don’t have to. So it’s been a fine balance, one that I’m still figuring out. Give it time, it will come 🙂
As far as the ice cream, I’ve found that it gets less hard in the freezer if you put it in the fridge and allow it to cool completely after it’s been blended and before it goes into the ice cream maker. Not sure why but it does help. I’ll try to work on making it more creamy! Thanks for making it and good luck with post-collegiate life!
– Bri