I am so excited to share today's Oatmeal Raisin Ice Cream with you! This healthy non-dairy ice cream is so creamy and delicious, that it's perfect for vegans and non vegans alike! This unique ice cream flavor is sure to be a fan favorite!
Why Buy One Degree Organics Oats?
Oatmeal is one of the foods that I am very picky about. Typically oats are sprayed with harsh pesticides, contaminated with gluten, and farmed in unethical ways. Therefore I try to be as cautious as I can when it comes to buying oats.
My new favorite places for all things oatmeal and grains is One Degree Organics. Their brand is committed to making quality products that are organic, sourced from farmers they know and trust, and all their oat based products are certified gluten-free!
They are truly one of the most transparent companies I have ever come across. You can easily tell what each ingredient is, and where it comes from. There's nothing hidden ever!
Lastly, I am obsessed with their products because they're sprouted! I have recently been learning more about all the health benefits of eating sprouted grains, and it's insane. Before, I could never find sprouted grains at the store, and it's too late to sprout them yourself with regular oats. I'll go in more depth about the benefits of sprouted oatmeal later.
Ingredients For This Oatmeal Raisin Ice Cream:
- One Degree Organics Sprouted Rolled Oats - You can use rolled oats, or quick oats, but I recommend using rolled. They add a pleasant texture to the ice cream, and they hold up better. One Degree Organics has both quick and rolled sprouted oats, so regardless of the one you choose, you know you are getting the most nutritious oats!
- Raisins - I find that using organic raisins is best. They are much softer, and have a sort of crystalized outside layer that is perfect for adding additional sweetness to this recipe!
- Oat Milk - You can use any brand of oat milk. However, I recommend using an oil-free oat milk such as Planet Oat or MALK. Most oat milk contains highly processed oils and lots of unnecessary added ingredients.
- Raw Cashews - Make sure that you are using raw and unsalted cashews. This recipe will not turn out correctly if you use roasted cashews. When soaked, raw cashews make the perfect creamy vegan ice cream base. However roasted cashews loose their milky properties, and will not blend as smoothly.
- Medjool Dates - Any date variety will work. I personally love medjool dates, because they're super sweet and have a slight caramel flavor that compliments this Oatmeal Raisin Ice Cream recipe.
- Vanilla Extract - i always recommend using Mexican Vanilla. I personally think that it enhances the flavor of desserts more than anything else. It's a little pricy, but absolutely worth it in my opinion.
- Cinnamon - You can also add other spices such as nutmeg, cloves, allspice, etc.
- Salt - The smallest pinch of salt really elevates the flavor and helps this ice cream taste just like a cookie!
How To Make This Oatmeal Raisin Ice Cream:
this Oatmeal Raisin Ice Cream is super easy to make. All you will need is a high-speed blender, a medium-sized bowl, and an ice cream maker.
Begin by combining the cashews and dates together in a medium bowl and covering them completely with water. Place in the refrigerator for at least four hours or overnight.
Once the cashews and dates have soften, strain them and add to the blender. I like to save the water and add it to smoothies, because it is sweet, and it contains trace vitamins and minerals! Add the oat milk, vanilla extract, cinnamon and salt to the blender and blend until silky smooth. i blended it on high for one full minute on high.
Once smooth, add the oats and raisins and hand mix. Allow to sit for ten minutes before churning. This helps the oats to absorb some liquid so they're a bit softer.
Pour the mixture into the ice cream maker and churn for 30-45 minutes, or until it sticks to the paddle. You can either enjoy it immediately as a soft serve or freeze and scoop. Enjoy!
Oatmeal Raisin Ice Cream Variations:
There are so many delicious ways to mix up this vegan ice cream recipe. Here are some delicious variations to try the next time you make this recipe.
- Chunky - Add chunks of your favorite oatmeal raisin cookies to this ice cream for added texture. I love making these Vegan Oatmeal Raisin Cookies.
- Extra Creamy - You can use full-fat coconut milk in place of the oat milk for an extra creamy ice cream variation.
Frequently Asked Questions:
What Makes Sprouted Oatmeal Healthier?
Oatmeal is already a very healthy whole grain. However the nutritional value can be increased even more by sprouting! Sprouting grains is a process of activating the enzymes necessary for grains to begin life. Once activated, these nutrients are turned into a more usable form.
Sprouted grains are more nutritious, and easier to digest.
How Are Sprouted Grains More Nutritious?
Sprouted grains are more nutritious than standard whole grains, because Sprouting breaks down antinutrients in whole grains, increasing the bioavailabilty of vitamins and minerals like zinc, iron, magnesium, phosphorous, and B vitamins, so your body can absorb them1 .
Sprouting also increases some nutrients such as vitamins C and E, beta carotene, and polyphenols. All this from just adding one more step to the growing process.
How Are Sprouted Grains Easier To Digest?
Sprouted grains are not only more nutritious, but they're also easier to digest. Sprouted grains such as oats have been scientifically proven to be easier to digest, because sprouting activates endogenous enzymes that are dormant in un-sprouted grains and seeds1.
Once activated, these enzymes such as amylase (which breaks down starches) change the structure of starch molecules in sprouted grains into simple sugars like oligosaccharides, while protease (an enzyme that breaks down protein) releases peptides and free amino acids1.
To break it down in a less science-y way, sprouting grains essentially makes the starches and protein in grains easier to digest. Starches can be very hard for some people to digest, so if you sometimes get an upset stomach after eating grains, try sprouting! Personally traditional oats always made me super bloated, however sprouted oats keep my stomach flat and happy!
How do you make ice cream creamy not icy?
A major problem I see with many vegan ice cream recipes is that they can be very icy. In my opinion that's the worst ice cream. Vegan ice cream should be thick and creamy. I am proud to say that none of my ice cream recipes are icy.
The keys to making creamy ice cream recipes like this Oatmeal Raisin Ice Cream is using the right type of extract, and the proper healthy fat ratio.
First things first, you absolutely can not omit the extract when making homemade ice cream. The extract is what keeps the ice cream from freezing into a solid block, because it contains small amount of alcohol. If you are sober and want to avoid any trace alcohol, you can use vanilla bean paste. It won't freeze as well, so please keep that in mind.
Why Fat Is Important In Ice Cream:
Second, it's important to have the right fat ratio. The fats found in this recipe come from healthy whole foods plant based sources, and therefore should not be feared. If you seem to always struggle with having icy ice cream, you're probably not using enough fat. I love using soaked cashews for my ice cream base, because it makes a great thick and creamy vegan ice cream base.
I normally use coconut milk in my homemade vegan ice cream recipes, however since this is an oatmeal ice cream, I wanted to use oat milk. This oat milk ice cream turned out super creamy and delicious. Not only did the oat milk add to the oatmeal flavor, but it also makes this recipe lower in fat than some of my other vegan ice cream recipes.
It's important to make sure that the oat milk you are using is oil-free. Many store bought oat milks contains highly processed oils like canola, or rapeseed. However there are a couple brands out there that make oil-free oat milks such as Planet Oat, or MALK.
What Makes This Oatmeal Raisin Ice Cream Healthy?
Making homemade ice cream is a great way to eat more clean foods. This Oatmeal Raisin Ice Cream is the perfect healthy vegan ice cream to make at home. It uses simple ingredients, and is free of all the bad stuff. This recipe is:
- VEGAN
- OIL-FREE
- REFINED SUGAR-FREE
- GLUTEN-FREE
- WHOLE FOODS PLANT BASED
- DAIRY-FREE
Related Healthy Vegan Ice Cream Recipes:
Oatmeal Raisin Ice Cream
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup One Degree Organics Sprouted Rolled Oats
- ½ cup raisins
- 1 cup raw cashews
- 10 medjool dates
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 cup oat milk
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- Begin by combining your raw cashews and pitted dates together in a medium bowl. Cover completely in water and place in the refrigerator to soak for at east 4 hours, or overnight for best results.
- Strain the cashews and dates and add to a high speed blender. Add the oat milk, cinnamon, vanilla extract and salt and blend until silky smooth. I blended it on high for a full minute.
- Once smooth, add the oats and raisins. Mix by hand and allow to soak for about 10 minutes.
- Pour the mixture into the ice cream machine and churn for 30-45 minutes, or until the ice cream sticks to the paddle.
- Serve immediately as a soft serve, or store in ice cream containers and enjoy as scoops!
nancy says
how delightful was this easy oatmeal ice cream recipe !! I love it so much!! the pint was gone in no time!
Rosanna says
This ice cream was delicious and I learned so much from reading your blog post about all the ingredients too. Thank you!