This is an adaptation of a recipe I found on Loving It Vegan. To be honest, I found their recipe to be too fatty and it left a strange mouth-feel. This is better than (most) store bought vegan ice cream – it’s scoopable straight from the freezer! This recipe makes enough for 2 (or 3) different flavours. Half the recipe for a single batch.

Ingredients

• 2 cups cashews
• 1 1/2 cups boiling water
• 2 cans premium full-fat coconut milk
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 cup cacao butter, chopped small
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tsp vanilla

The night before:

Chill the ice cream maker bowl in the freezer overnight. Leave in the freezer right up until you are ready to make the ice cream.

Place the cans of coconut milk in the fridge upside down (this will bring ensure the hardened coconut cream will be at the top when you open the can).

Prepare any warm sauces that will be needed to flavour your ice cream.

Ice cream day:

Soak the cashews in the boiling water while you prepare the other ingredients.

Dissolve the sugar in the 1/2 cup of water over medium heat. Stir constantly until the sugar is completely dissolved. Add the cacao butter and keep stirring until melted. Remove from heat.

Prepare the cashew cream by draining the water and placing in a high-power blender. Open your cans of coconut.

Blend the cashews with the contents of your coconut milk cans (cream+water), vanilla, and salt. Keep blending until completely smooth (approx. 1-2 minutes).

Add the sugar and cacao butter mixture to the blender. Blend until consistent. Put the blender jug in the fridge for 15-30 minutes to cool.

Pour approx. half the ice cream mixture into your frozen ice cream bowl and operate the ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. When finished, remove from the ice cream maker and continue with the second batch if your ice cream bowl is still sufficiently frozen.

If needed, store your ice cream mixture in the fridge and re-freeze your ice cream bowl to complete your second batch the next day. If this happens, take your ice cream mixture out of the fridge approx. 30 minutes before you intend to use it and re-blend with an immersion blender right before putting it in the ice cream maker.

I like to start with a batch of vanilla ice cream and then make another flavour with the second batch.

Variations:

Oreo:

Yes! Oreos are vegan!!

Remove the whites from approx. 10 Oreos and crush using a mortar and pestle or blend in a blender. Take another 5-10 Oreos (with whites still inside) and crumble into larger pieces in a separate bowl. Introduce the Oreo dust to your ice cream approx. 5 minutes before done. Once fully incorporated, add your larger Oreo chunks in the last minute. Remove from the ice cream maker and store in the freezer.

Strawberry

Refer to my recipe for strawberry sauce. In the final few minutes, add the sauce until incorporated. Remove from the ice cream maker and store in the refrigerator.

Chocolate / Peanut Butter / Chocolate Chip

When dissolving the sugar on the stove, add 1/4-1/2 cup of cocoa powder and full incorporate. Continue with the base recipe as written. If you would like to add chopped nuts, peanut butter, or chocolate chips, do so in the final few minutes of making the ice cream.