This Vegan Carrot Cake Ice Cream recipe is the perfect Spring ice cream flavor. It has the perfect creamy texture, is made with clean ingredients, and is so delicious! This recipe is: vegan, oil-free, gluten-free, and refined sugar-free.
Begin by combining the raw cashews, Medjool dates, and raisins together in a large bowl. Cover with water and place in the fridge to soak for 4+ hours (overnight is best).
Once the cashews are soft and the dried fruit has softened, Strain the mixture (you can save this water for adding to smoothies, oatmeal, or coffee as a low-calorie sweetener), and add to a blender with coconut milk, vanilla extract, spices, and tapioca syrup. Blend on high for 1-2 minutes, or until the perfect smooth and creamy texture has been achieved.
Pour the ice cream base mixture into your ice cream machine and set it to churn ice cream for about 25 minutes. After 5-10 minutes the ice cream should start to look like ice cream, and you can add the shredded carrots and crushed walnuts.
Make the cream cheese frosting by combining all frosting ingredients together in a medium mixing bowl. You can use a hand mixer, or a stand mixer with the whisk attachment to whip up the frosting (this can also be done by hand). Add the frosting to a piping bag and cut a hole about the size of a pencil eraser at the point.
Once the ice cream is thick and creamy, scoop it into an airtight container, loaf pan, or ice cream pints. Start by adding an even layer of ice cream to the container and smoothing it out with the back of a spoon, then piping the cream cheese frosting on top. Use a chopstick or knife to make swirls. Repeat this process until you have run out of ice cream and frosting.