Vegan Pink Dragon Fruit Ice Cream

This Vegan Pink Dragon Fruit Ice Cream is the ultimate fun summer treat! It's made with clean and simple ingredients and has the perfect creamy texture. This recipe is vegan, oil-free, refined sugar-free, and gluten-free!

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This Vegan Pink Dragon Fruit Ice Cream is the perfect tropical fruit ice cream. It's made with simple natural ingredients and is creamy and delicious. This recipe is guaranteed to be a hit at your next special occasion!

Pink is definitely the color of the summer this year (Barbie girl!), which is a great excuse to eat different kinds of pink treats! I've been loving my Strawberry Glaze Smoothie or my Vegan Vanilla Rose Ice Cream, but I wanted to create a recipe that was vibrant pink featuring one of my favorite exotic fruits!

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​Dragon Fruit Ice Cream Ingredients:

This rich and creamy dragon fruit ice cream is such a great recipe because it uses simple ingredients that you can pick up at your local grocery store. 

• Raw Cashews - It is important to use raw cashews rather than roasted cashews to create the ice cream base. They have a much creamier flavor, blend smoother, and are free of highly processed oils found in raw cashews. If you make homemade vegan ice cream often or use raw cashews often, I recommend buying them in bulk. I get mine from Wilderness Poets (get $10 off with "NATURALVEGAN"
• Medjool Dates - This raw vegan ice cream recipe is naturally sweetened with Medjool dates. I love using Medjool dates to naturally sweeten my ice cream recipes because they get really soft and blend smoothly and are super sweet. They are also nutritious and packed full of dietary fiber, vitamins, and minerals.
• Full-Fat Coconut Milk - I love using full-fat coconut milk in my homemade vegan ice cream recipes because it's the perfect replacement for heavy cream which is what homemade ice cream is typically made of. Coconut milk does not spike your blood sugar and has the most delicious flavor!
• Vanilla Extract - This is essential in any homemade ice cream recipe because it helps prevent the ice cream from freezing into a solid block and it adds delicious flavor. I always recommend using Mexican Vanilla, because it has a much stronger and deeper flavor.
• Pink Dragon Fruit Powder - Of course, the key ingredient to making this pink dragon fruit (sometimes called pink pitaya). I like to use freeze-dried dragon fruit powder rather than frozen or fresh dragon fruit because it does not interfere with the creamy texture of this ice cream and I think it has significantly more flavor than the fresh fruit. This is because when it is freeze-dried the flavor is concentrated and more pure. I always get my dragon fruit powder from Wilderness Poets because the quality is superior and I can buy it in bulk! You can use my code: "NATURALVEGAN" for $10 off!
• Tapioca Syrup (optional) - This is completely optional, but I recommend it. Tapioca syrup will help make your ice cream much more smooth and ice cream-like. It prevents the ice cream from freezing completely and will give you a vegan ice cream that resembles classic ice cream rather than an icy mess.

See the recipe card for quantities.

How To Make Vegan Dragon Fruit Ice Cream:

Making homemade vegan ice cream may seem a bit intimidating, however, I can assure you that it is quite easy to make. This recipe only takes a few simple steps to make and is much more delicious and nutritious than store-bought vegan ice cream.

1. Begin by combining the pitted Medjool dates and raw cashews together in a large bowl and covering them completely with water. Place in the fridge to soak for at least 4 hours (overnight is best). 

2. Once the cashews and dates are plump and soft, strain them over a bowl and add them to a blender. The water retains a lot of the sweetness so you can add some of it back into the mixture, however, it's best to wait to add it until you are churning the ice cream.

3. Add the remaining ingredients to the blender and blend on high for 1-2 minutes. It should resemble heavy cream and be silky smooth.

4. Pour the ice cream base into the ice cream maker and churn for 25-30 minutes (churning time will vary by machine, the ice cream will be done when it sticks to the paddle. 

5. You can either enjoy the ice cream immediately as a soft serve ice cream, or you can put it in an airtight container and freeze it for a couple of hours. Once frozen you can scoop and enjoy the ice cream.

Hint: It's hard to over-blend this ice cream, but it's very easy to under-blend. Blend it until there are zero bits of cashews.

Substitutions:

There are a handful of easy substitutions that can be made to this dragon fruit ice cream if needed. Here are some common ones.

• Maple Syrup - You can replace the dates with pure maple syrup. I recommend starting with ⅓ cup and adding more if you want additional sweetness.
• Nuts - Raw cashews can be replaced with just about any nut. However, it's important to keep in mind that different nuts will affect the flavor and that is why cashews are the best - because they have a very neutral flavor.

Healthy Dragon Fruit Ice Cream Variations: 

There are so many different flavors you can make with this ice cream. Here are some of my favorite ways to mix it up!

• Chocolate Chip - You can add naturally sweetened vegan chocolate chips to this ice cream for the perfect rich chocolate crunch. 
• Fruity - You can add a splash of your favorite fruit juice to this ice cream to give it a fruity twist. Orange juice, lemon juice, and lime juice are all great options.
• Chunky - You can cut up a white flesh dragon fruit for natural chunks of fresh fruit throughout. This will also enhance the dragon fruit ice cream taste.

What You Will Need To Make This Homemade Vegan Ice Cream Recipe:

Making homemade vegan ice cream may seem intimidating at first, but I can assure you that it's actually quite easy to make and definitely worth it. Here's what you need to make this dragon fruit ice cream recipe.

• 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 if you use a blender often, it is a night and day difference.
• 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.
• Ice Cream Containers - Any airtight container will work. If you make homemade vegan ice cream often, I recommend purchasing reusable 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 Dragon Fruit Ice Cream:

The way you store homemade ice cream is key to determining how long it will keep. 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. If you just plan on storing the ice cream overnight, you can use a large bowl and aluminum foil and you'll be just fine.

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

Frequently Asked Questions:

Related Vegan Ice Cream Recipes:

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

If you try this Vegan Pink Dragon Fruit Ice Cream Recipe, 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!

Vegan Pink Dragon Fruit Ice Cream

This Vegan Pink Dragon Fruit Ice Cream is the ultimate fun summer treat! It's made with clean and simple ingredients and has the perfect creamy texture. This recipe is vegan, oil-free, refined sugar-free, and gluten-free!

5 from 9 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 4 hours hrs

Churning time 25 minutes mins

Total Time 4 hours hrs 25 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Servings 6 people

Equipment

• 1 Mixing bowls
• 1 High speed blender
• 1 Ice Cream Maker

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1 cup raw cashews
• 1 cup medjool dates
• 1 can full fat coconut milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 tablespoon dragon fruit powder
• 1 tablespoon tapioca syrup optional

Instructions

 

• Begin by combining the pitted Medjool dates and raw cashews together in a large bowl and covering them completely with water. Place in the fridge to soak for at least 4 hours (overnight is best).
• Once the cashews and dates are plump and soft, strain them over a bowl and add them to a blender. The water retains a lot of the sweetness so you can add some of it back into the mixture, however, it's best to wait to add it until you are churning the ice cream.
• Add the remaining ingredients to the blender and blend on high for 1-2 minutes. It should resemble heavy cream and be silky smooth.
• Pour the ice cream base into the ice cream maker and churn for 25-30 minutes (churning time will vary by machine, the ice cream will be done when it sticks to the paddle.
• You can either enjoy the ice cream immediately as a soft serve ice cream, or you can put it in an airtight container and freeze it for a couple of hours. Once frozen you can scoop and enjoy the ice cream.

Keyword dragon fruit ice cream, ice cream, pink dragon fruit

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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 Vegan Dragon Fruit Recipes:

Looking for more delicious dragon fruit recipes? Make sure to check out some of the other dragon fruit recipes on my website!