This raw, vegan ice cream is here just in time for National Ice Cream Day and to enjoy for the rest of the warm summer months. Making your own ice cream does not have to be nearly as complicated as you might think and it can even have some nutritional value. Using real, whole ingredients you can create a rich, creamy ice cream better than anything you might find in a pint at the market.
Raw Vegan Mint Chip Ice Cream
Ingredients
- ½ cup raw cashews soaked in water for a minimum of 4 hours or overnight
- 2 cups raw coconut chunks scraped from a coconut or 2 cups dried unsweetened shredded coconut
- 2 ripe bananas
- 1 ripe avocado pitted and scraped
- 1 oz raw cacao butter about 2 tbsp (optional) **this will give the ice cream a mild white chocolate flavor
- ¾ cup coconut water coconut milk, or other nut milk
- ½ cup maple syrup – honey or agave substitute well
- 2 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
- ¾ tsp pure peppermint extract
- ½ tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/8 tsp sea salt
- 1 vanilla bean seeds scraped
- ¼ cup cacao nibs
- 2 tbsp chia seeds
Instructions
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Soak the cashews for a minimum of 4 hours or overnight. Drain, rinse well and place in a blender (a high-speed blender is recommended with all other ingredients except the cacao nibs and chia seeds.
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Blend on high until completely smooth. Stir in the cacao nibs and chia seeds at the end. Pour mixture into an airtight container and place in the freezer to set, for at least 4 hours.
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Let the ice cream thaw for 5 minutes before serving if frozen overnight.
Recipe Notes
Raw cacao butter is optional in this recipe but worth seeking out for its complex flavor and health benefits – Hailed as the “Food of the Gods,” cacao contains one of the highest concentrations of magnesium and antioxidants of any food on the planet, and just like chia seeds, it’s also super high in omega fatty acids.
