vegan vanilla ice cream

Rich and creamy ice cream, made with only 4 ingredients. Simple, dreamy and satisfying.

After much recipe testing, some good others not so good, this one is by far my favourite. The texture is creamy and silky smooth, using minimal ingredients and so easy to make. And did I mention this is refined-sugar free?

HELLO SUNSHINE

My husband has lately been throwing some not-so-subtle hints that he would love for me to make some homemade ice cream. The weather has been absolutely fantastic lately. Dresses and sandals weather to be exact. It is the perfect time to dust off my ice cream make and make the first batch of ice cream for the year.

IT'S VANILLA

Contrary to the meaning when describing something as vanilla, which ice cream flavour is really more versatile than vanilla ice cream?

Pour over a hot espresso to make a delicious affogato. Serve it with a hot blueberry galette, add a scoop onto your waffles or pancakes, or make milk shakes.

Serve it with oven roasted strawberries (recipe link below) or a homemade caramel or chocolate sauce. It just goes with so many other flavours.

THE INGREDIENTS

CASHEWS

Make sure to use raw, unsalted cashews. The cashews need to soak overnight to soften them for that extra creamy texture.

COCONUT MILK

A full fat canned coconut milk is what I use. I have not tried it with a reduced fat coconut milk, but I am almost certain the end result will be different using a reduced fat coconut milk.

MAPLE SYRUP

Maple syrup is not a refined sugar, which one could argue makes this ice cream somewhat healthier, right? Make sure to use a pure maple syrup though and not a maple flavoured syrup. I have not tried this recipe using anything else, but I am sure agave syrup or maybe even honey will work well too.

VANILLA PASTE

Use a good vanilla bean paste for the ultimate vanilla flavour. The quality of the paste is important.

THE EQUIPMENT

BLENDER

A good high-speed blender is necessary to get the mixture completely smooth.

Blenders of not the best quality or not blending the mixture until completely smooth will result in a grainy texture from the cashew nuts.

ICE CREAM MAKER

I have a Cuisinart ice cream maker, which I absolutely love. It churns the ice cream into the perfect soft serve consistency within 25 minutes.

THE PERFECT SCOOP

Take out the ice cream 20 - 25 minutes before serving (depending on the room temperature) to make the ice cream easier to scoop.

IMPORTANT!

So, two things to remember the day before making this ice cream:

1. soak the cashew nuts

2. don't forget to put the ice cream maker bowl in the freezer

OTHER FROZEN DESSERTS YOU MIGHT LIKE

healthy bounty nice cream

chocolate nice cream

roasted fig and macadamia ice cream

strawberry ice cream

ENJOY THIS VANILLA ICE CREAM WITH

blueberry galette

roasted strawberries

vegan apple pie turnovers

gooey vegan chocolate mug cake

VEGAN VANILLA ICE CREAM

A rich and creamy vegan ice cream, made with only 4 ingredients. Simple, dreamy, silky smooth and satisfying.

Serves: 4 - 6

Time: 3o min, plus freezing time

INGREDIENTS

• 160g raw cashew nuts, soaked overnight

• 1 can coconut milk

• 160g maple syrup

• 1 and half teaspoon vanilla paste

• pinch of salt

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Rinse and drain the soaked cashew nuts

2. Add the nuts and the rest of the ingredients to a high-speed blender and blend until completely smooth.

3. Pour the mixture into your ice cream churner and churn until soft serve consistency.

4. Transfer the ice cream into an freezer safe container and freeze for a few hours or until ready to serve.

5. Once completely frozen, I recommend letting the ice cream sit at room temperature for about 20 minutes to make it easier to scoop.

Have you made this?

If you have, I would love to see your creations on Instagram.

Make sure to leave a review below and give it a rating.

tag me on Instagram

@lychees_and_leggings and #lychees_and_leggings

Follow me on Instagram for more vegan recipe inspiration!