A vegan version of one of my favorite summer treats—blueberry cheesecake ice cream! This healthier dessert is free of dairy, gluten, and refined sugar!
When I was younger, my grandparents used to make homemade ice cream, but it wasn’t the same as the cute little machines you get nowadays (I have this one
We’d watch as he put the tin container full of the ice cream mixture into the barrel and pile layers of ice and rock salt over the top. Then he’d turn it on and we waited anxiously for it to finish so we could peak inside and see how fluffy it had gotten…and of course we were hoping he’d let us sneak a taste!
Each time I make homemade ice cream I’m reminded of those sweet childhood memories. Hopefully when my children are older, they’ll have fond memories of making these treats with me.
This vegan-friendly ice cream is adapted from my No-Bake “Cheesecake” recipe, since cheesecake ice cream has been one of my favorite flavors since I was a kid! I used blueberries, but you could easily use a different berry if you’d like.
Because this ice cream doesn’t have many of the same ingredients as regular ice cream, like heavy cream, sugar, and corn syrup (which all help it to stay soft and scoop-able) it’s usually pretty firm when it first comes out of the freezer. Just place the container into the fridge 10-15 minutes before serving, so it can soften a bit or use a scoop which has been sitting in hot water.
I hope you enjoy this healthier ice cream as much as we did! If you make it please tag me and use the hashtag #wifemamafoodie in your photos on Instagram! I just love seeing your creations!!
- 1 cup Raw Cashews
(soaked in water overnight, drained, and rinsed clean)
- 1 cup almond, cashew, or coconut milk
- 1 cup Coconut Cream
(NOT cream of coconut. Can also replace with full-fat coconut milk)
- ⅓ cup soft pitted Dates
- ¼ cup Maple Syrup
(or organic granulated cane sugar, for softer ice cream)
- ¼ cup melted/softened Coconut Oil
or olive oil
- juice of ½ lemon
- ½ tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- pinch of salt
(soaked in water overnight, drained, and rinsed clean)
(NOT cream of coconut. Can also replace with full-fat coconut milk)
(or organic granulated cane sugar, for softer ice cream)
or olive oil
- 1 cup frozen blueberries (or another berry)
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon Corn Starch
or Arrowroot Starch
- 1 teaspoon water
or 
- *The ice cream base works best if you have a high powered blender. If not, I'd recommend straining it before pouring it into your ice cream maker to remove any large chunks of cashews and/or dates. Make sure to pre-freeze your ice cream machine bowl at least overnight. Place pre-soaked cashews, milk, coconut cream, dates, maple syrup, coconut oil, lemon juice, vinegar, vanilla extract, and pinch of salt into your blender. Blend until mixture is smooth. Strain if any large pieces remain.
- Pour mixture into your ice cream machine (I use this one
) and churn for 30-45 minutes, until it's scoop-able, like soft-serve.
- While the ice cream is churning, prepare your blueberry swirl. Place ¾ cup frozen blueberries and maple syrup into a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook until the berries come to a simmer, mashing them up to create a sauce.
- Mix together cornstarch with the water to make a paste. Pour into the blueberry mixture and cook until sauce thickens. Remove pan from heat and stir in remaining ¼ cup whole blueberries. Refrigerate until ready to use.
- Pour soft-serve ice cream into a loaf pan or small freezer-safe container. Place dollops of blueberry filling over the ice cream and swirl in with a butter knife or off-set spatula. Smooth ice cream across the container, cover, and freeze until firm.
- Because this ice cream doesn't contain lots of granulated sugar or fat from heavy cream, the ice cream may be hard when you first remove it from the fridge. Use an ice cream scoop which has been sitting in hot water to help with scooping or place ice cream into the fridge for 10-15 minutes prior to scooping, to help it to soften a bit.
2. You can replace coconut cream with heavy cream if not vegan or dairy-free.
3. If you can't have cashews, you can try to replace them with macadamia nuts, but I haven't tested it myself.
You may also enjoy these similar recipes:
Vegan No-Bake “Cheesecake”
Lava Flow Smoothie Popsicles
“Green” Super Smoothie
Lindsay says
August 31, 2018 at 9:41 amLove this!!! So delicious! I blogged about your recipe on my website @ http://lindsayshealthyliving.com/2018/08/31/blueberry-nice-cream-vegan-paleo/
Claudia | The Brick Kitchen says
July 23, 2016 at 3:35 amMemories like that are the best – amazing that your grandad made home-churned ice cream in a big barrel too! This version looks gorgeous – I love the coconut flavour
Cassie says
July 22, 2016 at 11:28 pmWhile I’ve never had the privilege of enjoying homemade ice cream as a child, I did have my fair share of delicious family-made meals including Vietnamese style French fries, fried rice, and pho noodle soups! I would love to buy an ice cream maker of my own so I can recreate delicious but healthy batches of ice cream for myself and for the family too! I can imagine how lovely this would taste!
Bethany @ athletic avocado says
July 19, 2016 at 6:22 amThis is the ice cream of my dreams! Creamy dreamy berry perfection! Wish I had this for breakky right now!
Rebecca Hicks says
July 15, 2016 at 12:22 pmI have very similar sweet memories with my grandparents! I love homemade ice cream because it reminds me of a little peach stand we used to visit with my grandparents that served homemade peach ice cream. It was so good! This recipe looks awesome as well. I love that it’s a healthier version of one of my favorite summer treats.
Anu - My Ginger Garlic Kitchen says
July 15, 2016 at 12:07 pmI love blueberry ice-cream and I love cheesecake too. Plus, this is VEGAN? I love it even more! Can’t wait to give them a go with my li’l one! 🙂 PS: Photos look beautiful! 🙂
Kushi says
July 13, 2016 at 11:33 pmWOW! What a lovely color and delicious ice cream recipe!
Krista Dial says
July 13, 2016 at 10:12 pmWow, this looks AMAZING. I’ll take a waffle cone FULL of that! blueberries and cheesecake are my absolute favorite flavor combinations. I’ve never made ice cream at home before, but this sounds simple enough! Perfect for a hot summer day!
Georgiana says
July 13, 2016 at 9:20 pmI NEED to print this! When our church fasts we go vegan…and I’m always looking for something yummy during those days. Yay!
Stacey says
July 13, 2016 at 8:40 pmIf only I had an ice cream machine! I’m drooling over that blueberry swirl and I’ve been on a huge cashew cream kick lately so this recipe is just calling out to me!
I’m pretty sure I’ll be dreaming about eating a triple scoop waffle cone tonight!
adriana says
July 13, 2016 at 5:45 pmOkay this looks absolutely AMAZING!!! I love blueberries and love ice cream so I can only imagine how good this is! I’m trying this ASAP!
Emily @ Em Writes says
July 13, 2016 at 3:55 pmYum! This sounds so delicious. We just got an ice cream machine for our wedding. This would be the perfect recipe to break it in with!
Greta says
July 13, 2016 at 11:24 amI want this ASAP! I love blueberries on anything and this looks so tasty!
Greta | http://www.gretahollar.com
Alexandria says
July 13, 2016 at 10:53 amThis looks delicious! I have been meaning to make homemade ice cream all summer but I haven’t gotten to it yet! I’ll be pinning this for later.
Kari says
July 13, 2016 at 10:52 amPinned this to make this weekend because it looks amazing!
Kari
http://sweetteasweetie.com/coconut-shrimp/
Kimberly/TheLittlePlantation says
July 13, 2016 at 6:03 amThis sounds soooo delicious! I MUST make it. Perfect for the humid summers we are having in London at the moment.
I also love your little anecdote. So sweet.
Wishing you a great day.