I could not be more excited to share today’s Cherry Almond Ice Cream Recipe with you all! It’s no secret that I am an ice cream fanatic, so any excuse to make a vegan ice cream I’m in! I’ve been on a cherry kick recently, and this vegan cherry almond ice cream was at the top of my to-make list. The best part? This recipe is super healthy and only takes a few simple ingredients!
Making homemade vegan ice cream can be a bit challenging at first. However luckily for you I have run many tests and can confidently say that I have mastered making homemade ice cream! I have plenty of other healthy vegan ice cream recipes on my blog, and I am always adding new ones. Make sure to subscribe to my email list so you are the first to know when the next one comes out! In the meantime, check out some of my favorites!
My favorite healthy vegan ice cream recipes:
How to make this cherry almond ice cream recipe:
When I first went vegan there were not nearly as many vegan ice cream companies as there are today. Although I have only been vegan for about 4 years, the ice cream upgrades have been insane. With that said I have one major issue with almost all of these companies and their ice creams: they are still very unhealthy. Just because something is vegan does not mean it is healthy. However, that’s what I am here for. My mission is to create an abundance of healthy plant based recipes so that you never have to worry about what is in your food again. Making healthy vegan ice cream recipes like this cherry almond ice cream is at the top of my list.
How does one make healthy vegan cherry almond ice cream? It’s actually super simple! In order to make this ice cream the perfect consistency I recommend investing in two products: a high speed blender like a Vitamix, and an ice cream maker. Although these are not absolutely necessary, they do help a lot! I understand that not everyone has the budget, but if you are truly committed to making whole foods plant based recipe at home, I could not recommend them enough!
To make this almond ice cream recipe all you have to do is combine all the ice cream base ingredients into your blender and blend until super smooth. I blended for about a minute on high, and the result was the creamiest vegan ice cream ever!
How to make cherry ice cream with fresh cherries:
If there is one flavor that I absolutely can not stand it might just be artificial cherry flavor (or artificial banana). It’s a flavor common in many “naturally flavored” cherry ice creams, and it drives me bananas. I don’t understand why anyone would make something cherry flavored and not use the delicious natural flavor of cherries! Luckily for you this cherry almond ice cream recipe is made with fresh natural cherries. How do you make almond cherry ice cream with fresh cherries. Well, you see we are not actually going to use fresh cherries for this recipe for 2 reasons.
First, fresh cherries are absurdly expensive. Therefore this cherry almond ice cream recipe is budget friendly. Second, it would simply take too long to de-pit each cherry individually. Therefore we are going to use frozen cherries for this ice cream recipe! They will give us the perfect natural cherry flavor we are looking for. Frozen cherries will also help lower the calories of this vegan ice cream recipe making it a healthy plant based dessert!
Can I make this recipe no-churn?
If you do not have an ice cream maker, do not fear! This cherry almond ice cream recipe can be made no-churn! When I first started making ice cream I had no idea how to make it without an ice cream machine. However I have picked up a few tips over the years of making homemade ice cream on how to make it churn-free!
First, you will want to ensure that you have blended your ingredients to be as smooth as possible. The smoother the better when it comes to homemade ice cream. Second, you will want to use a bit more extract. Whether you’re making a vanilla ice cream, coconut, or in this case almond cherry ice cream, make sure that you are using more extract than you would if you were using an ice cream machine. Why? It’s important because the extract contains a small amount of alcohol which helps prevent the ice cream from forming into a solid block. If you are working with a strong flavor like almond, use both almond extract and vanilla extract to make a no-churn vegan ice cream!
Why I love this cherry and almond ice cream recipe:
I’m an ice cream girl what can I say. However after starting my health journey I try to avoid processes foods such as store bought ice cream, because they are typically loaded with refined sugars and oils. This cherry almond ice cream recipe on the other hand is the perfect healthy solution. That is why I love it so much! This vegan cherry ice cream recipe is:
- oil-free
- refined sugar-free
- dairy-free
- gluten-free
- raw vegan
- wfpb
- nutrient dense
How did I make an ice cream this healthy taste so delicious? There is a couple key ingredients to successfully making healthy vegan ice cream. First is using raw cashews. I get mine in bulk from Wilderness Poets. This is my favorite place to get them, because they are organic, raw, and affordable. Make sure you choose raw, not roasted, because it can effect the creaminess of the ice cream. My Wilderness Poets discount code: “VEGAN10” gets you $10 off your purchase! Second, use medjool dates for the sweetness. I prefer medjool dates over other dates, because they are creamy and super sweet – perfect for making this cherry almond ice cream recipe!
How to make this vegan cherry ice cream recipe low fat:
Although this cherry almond ice cream recipe is extremely healthy, it is not a super low-fat ice cream recipe. However, with a few simple adjustments you can make this vegan cherry almond ice cream recipe low-fat! I will say that if you are planning on making this recipe low-fat, that you should us an ice cream maker. If you do not have an ice cream maker you may run into a problem of this ice cream recipe getting too solid in the freezer.
In order to make this cherry and almond ice cream low-fat, all you have to do is half the cashews and coconut milk, and double the amount of cherries! It’s that simple. By using more cherries in place of the nuts, you are lowering the calorie density of the ice cream, and making the recipe lower in fat. Honestly I love this trick! I love making ice cream recipes that include fruit, because you can easily lower the calories while still keeping the same sweet flavor and smooth consistency!
Ingredients for this cherry almond ice cream:
- Cashews
- Medjool dates
- Almond extract
- Frozen cherries
- Sliced almonds
- Coconut milk
- Plant based white chocolate (optional)
Cherry Almond Ice Cream
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 can full fat coconut milk
- 6 medjool dates
- 1 cup raw cashews
- 1 1/2 tsp almond extract
- 2 1/2 cups frozen dark sweet cherries
- 1/2 cup sliced almonds
Instructions
- Begin by soaking the cashews and dates together in water overnight. Strain when ready to use. I like to save the water and use it for smoothies!
- Combine all ingredients except sliced almonds together in high speed blender and blend until smooth.
- Pour into ice cream maker and add sliced almonds. Churn for 35 minutes. Serve as soft serve, or freeze overnight and scoop and serve!
so refreshing and easy to make, this vegan cherry ice cream is so good.
This ice cream is amazing!! Such yummy flavors.
I love the flavors in this delicious ice cream! Cherry and almonds are made for each other. I made it this afternoon and was blown away at how easy it was to make!
Can’t get enough of this delicious ice cream. It’s amazing how it is sweetened with dates! So good and I can’t believe it’s vegan!!
This recipe turned out amazing! I love that it is sos free too.
cherries and almonds are the perfect combo! lovely ice cream
Love that this is a truly healthy way to enjoy ice cream 🙂 The flavor is divine!