I’m shocked and elated that there is a healthy and, I might add, very delicious alternative to sugary, dairy ice cream and one that’s so simple, this vegan strawberry ice cream!
You may think of ice cream as a summer treat, but the high vitamin c content in the strawberries make this a perfect winter dessert! You can spruce up this recipe by adding a dash of cardamom, some fresh basil or mint.
Maybe you have bananas that have been sitting around a bit too long. They make a perfect base for any flavor of ice cream. When your bananas are about to go off, peel them, cut them into smaller pieces, bag them and pop them in the freezer.
Nothing beats a cold treat. Check out a few more plant-based recipes:
- Cherry Chocolate Ice Cream
- Moroccan Spiced Vegan Eggnog
- Pumpkin Pie Smoothie
- Mint Chocolate Smoothie
- Raspberry Jello Salad
You’ll be ready to go if you have just a few other ingredients and a high-powered blender. Although this recipe is for strawberry ice cream, it’s easy to switch up the flavors and play with different variations as well.
Alternatively to strawberries, you could just as easily use mango, blueberries, dark sweet cherries, and even kiwi. For a chocolate version, add 1/3 cup natural, unsweetened cocoa (or the purer form, spelled cacao).
Add a few walnuts, hempseeds or pistachios for a crunchy topping and you can feel good about dessert again!
I’d love to hear your feedback in the comments below for this Strawberry Ice Cream recipe! If you have a photo, post it on my Facebook page, tag me using the hashtag #plantbasedcooking
This recipe is Plantricious Friendly because it meets the following guidelines.
The Trusted Seal for
Plant-Based Nutrition
- Must be whole food plant-based, contains no animal products
- May be minimally processed
- No added oil
- No added sugars
- No artificial additives or preservatives
- *Plantricious Friendly foods may include but are not limited to condiments, fermented foods, soups, sauces, beverages, dressings, marinades, etc.
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Strawberry Ice Cream
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 bananas peeled, rough chopped, put into baggies and frozen
- 1 16 oz bag frozen organic strawberries drained
- 2/3 cup raw cashews soaked for several hours
- 4 pitted medjool dates optional
- 1 cup homemade almond milk or unsweetened MALK or Three Trees brands
Instructions
- Put frozen bananas, strawberries, and soaked cashews, dates (if using), and almond milk into the jar of a high-powered blender.
- Blend, turning off frequently to scrape down the sides and help the blender to work.
- Add more milk if it seems too thick.
- Serve immediately or pour into a freezer safe dish and freeze. You will need to let it defrost a little to get the ice cream back to creaminess.
- Top with walnuts or pistachios and sliced strawberries, if you like.
On the strawberry ice cream recipe notes where does the carbohydrates come from is it the bananas..and it’s per serving is that a cup . Either way it looks yummy and iam excited as I have a wicked sweet tooth that’s for all the recipes
The carbs come from the bananas, strawberries, dates and, if you use sweetened non-dairy milk. You could cut down on the calories by eliminating the cashews and using a little sugar substitute. I’m not sure of the serving size… it’s been a while since I made it, but I think it’s about 1 cup or less per serving. It’s easy to mix up the recipe, too, by adding different fruits or cacao power and cherries. Have fun experimenting 🙂
Hi!
My name is Andre and i have a question if possible.
What do i need to do in order to have the icecream rich and creamy as soon as i take it out from the freezer? Do i have to add anything?
Thank you really for posting !
Bless!
Hi Andre. Plant-based ice creams are best eaten when they’re first made because ice cream made with bananas and non-dairy milk does get stiffer once it’s been in the freezer. That’s because of the low fat content and the higher ratio of water in most non-dairy milk. Upping the number of cashews might help and using coconut milk which has more fat. However, most plant-based recipes are meant to be lower in fat so you have to weigh your needs. I find that if I leave it on the counter for several minutes, the ice cream becomes creamier again so you might give that a try.
Hi, I love the idea of homemade ice cream but I am dangerously allergic to cashews. Can I omit them or replace them by another nut? Pine nuts maybe?
Hi Dominique, I’ve never made vegan ice cream with pine nuts, but I think that’s an interesting idea and worth a try. You could also leave the cashews out, but they do add a creaminess. If you eat it right after it’s made it’s like soft-serve ice cream. Once you put it in the freezer to store, you will need to let it thaw a bit to become creamy again. That’s what happens without all the fat that’s in most ice cream.
My question if I can use soy milk as the plant based milk here. Also, I wonder if soaked oats on some proportion could be used in place of the cashews. I have heard that adding a small amount of vodka to a homemade ice cream will help it be less icy frozen…your thoughts on all the above? And thank you!
Yes, you can use soy milk for the plant milk in this recipe. As for the oats, I have seen some ice cream recipes use oats but I haven’t tried it. Nor have I tried vodka but I see it is suggested to help cut down on iciness. As you may be aware vegan ice cream can be less creamy once frozen since it’s made without eggs or cream. I wish I had more answers for you but I feel it’s worth the experiment to see if your ideas work. 🙂 Let us know how it goes.