Homemade Vegan Almond Cherry Ice Cream

This homemade Almond Cherry Ice Cream is the perfect easy and flavorful homemade ice cream recipe. It's made with clean and simple ingredients and it's so delicious that nobody will even know it's healthy or vegan!

One of my favorite unique flavor combinations has to be almond and cherry. I love this flavor combination in my Cherry Almond Date Bliss Balls. This homemade ice cream is full of sweet cherries, almond flavor, and rich creamy vegan ice cream.

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Jump to:

• Almond Cherry Ice Cream Ingredients:
• How To Make Almond Cherry Ice Cream:
• Substitutions: 
• Cherry Almond Ice Cream Variations:
• What You Need To Make This Vegan Almond Cherry Ice Cream:
• How To Store Homemade Vegan Ice Cream:
• Top Tip:
• Frequently Asked Questions:
• Vegan Almond Cherry Ice Cream
• Food Safety:
• More Cherry Recipes:

Almond Cherry Ice Cream Ingredients:

This homemade almond cherry ice cream is the perfect homemade ice cream because it uses simple ingredients you can pick up at your local grocery store.

Almond Ice Crem:

• Raw Cashews - The base of this cherry almond ice cream is made from raw cashews. When soaked and blended raw cashews make the perfect vegan ice cream base. Make sure to use raw cashews and not roasted cashews. Roasted cashews will not achieve the same creaminess and they are loaded with highly processed oils.
• Medjool Dates - I love naturally sweetening my homemade ice cream recipes with Medjool dates. After soaking they will blend super easily and add thickness and rich sweetness to the ice cream. Dates are full of fiber, vitamins, and minerals.
• Full-Fat Coconut Milk - You can use both full-fat coconut milk and coconut cream for the base of this vegan ice cream. Coconut milk has the perfect consistency for dairy-free because it resembles heavy cream.  
• Vanilla Extract - I love adding vanilla extract to the ice cream base to balance out the strong almond extract flavor.
• Almond Extract - One of my favorite flavors is almond amaretto. It's most flavorful in an amaretto liqueur, but the almond extract is the perfect easy way to achieve that same flavor.
• Tapioca Syrup (optional) - I add tapioca syrup to almost every ice cream recipe I make because it makes such a difference in the texture. It helps prevent the ice cream from freezing solid and makes it super smooth.

Dark Cherry Swirls:

• Sweet Pitted Cherries - I recommend using frozen cherries rather than fresh cherries because you don't have to pit them and they make the perfect soft chunks of cherry swirls.
• Pure Maple Syrup - I like to add a little bit of maple syrup to the cherry mixture to add a little extract sweetness.
• Vanilla Extract - A little touch of vanilla extract to balance out the maple flavor.

See the recipe card for quantities.

How To Make Almond Cherry Ice Cream:

This homemade ice cream is the perfect easy ice cream to make because it only takes a few simple steps.

1. Begin by adding the raw cashews and medjool dates to a large bowl and covering them with water. Place in the fridge to soak for at least 4 hours or overnight (overnight is recommended). Ensure that the freezer bowl to your ice cream maker is in the freezer as well - they typically need to be frozen for at least 24 hours.

2. Strain the dates and cashews with a mesh strainer and add to a blender along with the full-fat coconut milk, vanilla extract, almond extract, and tapioca syrup. Blend on high for 1-2 minutes or until silky smooth. There should be no bumps in the mixture. 

3. Pour the almond mixture into the ice cream maker and churn for 25-30 minutes. 

4. While the ice cream is churning begin making the cherry swirl mixture. In a medium saucepan combine the cherries, maple syrup, and vanilla extract and turn to medium heat. Cook for 10-15 minutes or until soft. If you prefer chunks of cherry do not blend the cherry mixture. If you don't (like me) blend the mixture until a smooth consistency has been achieved. 

5. Add half the churned ice cream mixture to a freezer-safe container. Add large dollops of the cherry mixture and swirl around with a chopstick or knife. Sprinkle the almonds on top. Repeat this step as necessary. 

6. Place the ice cream into the freezer and freeze for at least 4 hours. Once frozen, scoop the ice cream and serve!

Hint: You may have some leftover syrup. You can save this and top the ice cream with it.

Substitutions: 

​There are plenty of delicious and easy substitutions that can be made to this ice cream if needed. 

• Fresh Fruit - You can replace the cherries with any fresh or frozen fruit. Blueberries and strawberries are great options.
• Plant Milks - The coconut milk can be replaced with a variety of plant-based milks. I'd recommend using higher-fat milk like oat milk or soy milk.

Cherry Almond Ice Cream Variations:

There are plenty of fun variations to try out with this ice cream recipe. Here are some of my favorites to make. 

• Chocolate - You can add either white chocolate chips or dark chocolate chips to the ice cream mixture. You can also add a tablespoon of cacao powder to the almond ice cream for a chocolate ice cream mixture.
• Low-Fat - If you want to lower the fat content of this ice cream recipe you can use lite coconut milk or soy milk for a more weight loss-friendly variation.
• Cherry Ice Cream - You can also add a cup of thawed frozen cherries to the blender mixture and blend until smooth. It won't have quite the same rich and creamy texture, but it will have fewer calories per serving and cherry flavor mixed throughout!

What You Need To Make This Vegan Almond Cherry Ice Cream:

Equipment can always have an impact on how a recipe turns out. Here's the equipment I used to make this delicious homemade vegan ice cream:

• High-Speed Blender - Any blender will work for this recipe. However, I strongly recommend using a high-speed blender such as a Vitamix. They are expensive, but in my opinion, they are worth investing in, especially if you plan to make more dairy-free ice cream recipes.
• Ice Cream Maker - I recently upgraded my ice cream machine, and I couldn't recommend it enough. It makes ice cream in 25 minutes (compared to my previous one which would take 40+ minutes). The ice cream comes out smooth and creamy, and it looks much prettier.
• Medium Saucepan - You will need a saucepan to make the cherry mixture. I recommend using a nonstick one since the mixture can become quite sticky.
• Ice Cream Containers - Any airtight container will work. If you make homemade ice cream often, I recommend purchasing reusable freezer-safe ice cream pints.

As always you can find all my go-to equipment on my Amazon storefront or my affiliate page.

How To Store Homemade Vegan Ice Cream:

Storing homemade vegan ice cream recipes like this cherry almond ice cream can make or break it. If stored incorrectly, the ice cream can get freezer burn very quickly.

I recommend storing ice cream in airtight containers to prevent any freezer air from getting inside. I invested in reusable ice cream containers and I could not recommend them enough.

If stored correctly, this ice cream will keep for up to 3 months in the freezer.

If you just plan to store this for a couple hours or overnight, you can use a bread pan covered in plastic wrap or tin foil and it'll work just fine.

Top Tip:

It's pretty much impossible to over-blend homemade vegan ice cream. However, it is very easy to not blend enough. If you don't blend the ice cream mixture enough it won't have the smooth consistency that traditional ice cream has. I recommend blending for around 2 full minutes.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Related Vegan Ice Cream Recipes:

Looking for more delicious homemade vegan ice cream recipes like this almond cherry ice cream? Make sure to check out some of the other recipes on my website!

If you try this Vegan Almond Cherry Ice Cream, I’d really love to hear your thoughts in the comments below. I’d also really appreciate a recipe card rating! Make sure to share it on social media and tag @theallnaturalvegan to be featured! Thank you for supporting The All Natural Vegan!

Food Safety:

• Do not stick foreign objects into a blender or ice cream machine connected to power.
• Wash hands before handling food.

See more guidelines at USDA.gov.

More Cherry Recipes:

Do you love all things cherry? Make sure to check out some of the other recipes on my website!