This may be the BEST cashew-based vegan ice cream I’ve made yet. Not kidding, this one was a swing and a home run out of the park. Mint+Chocolate=perfection.
Vegan ice cream and I have had an uphill/tumultuous battle over the past couple of years. I wanted so badly to keep up my vegan mint chocolate chip ice cream habit when I started eating more vegan, but, the store bought ice creams are usually expensive and crazy high in fat and weird ingredients. Then I got an ice cream maker and figured I could turn any plant based milk into ice cream, right? Nope, wrong. Try taking a no-fat almond milk and turning into the creamy, smooth ice cream of pre-vegan days…it doesn’t pan out so well (picture icy, kind of crunchy just weird sorbet thing). I know coconut milk is usually the go-to for creating super creamy vegan ice cream, but I don’t always keep that stuff around and I hate heading to the store for one can of coconut milk when I just want homemade ice cream. So, my mission was clear, a vegan ice cream without coconut milk, but that still had a creamy and rich texture to fool any non-vegan. I’ve talked about my love for cashews before and I knew soaking them and pureeing them usually resulted in a creamy, dreamy texture, so why not try it in vegan mint chocolate chip ice cream?
As soon as I tried my experimental batch of this, I knew I hit the jackpot. Creamy and smooth, while still being fairly easy to make from pantry/fridge ingredients, I found my dream ice cream recipe with just a few easy ingredients and a little patience. I wanted to start with a classic vegan mint chocolate chip ice cream, but believe me, this recipe will see many variations in the warmer months to come. I kept the classic green color intact too, since mint chocolate chip just seems to taste to much better when it has a tinge of green to it, which spinach ended up being perfect for. Add as much mint flavor as you prefer, I made my batch pretty mint-y so it wouldn’t yield a plain batch of ice cream, but it’s up to you!
Ice Cream FAQS
1. Would this recipe work the same if I used store bought cashew milk?
No, I don’t think it would yield the same creamy results. Just get yourself some cashews and soak ahead of time!
Vegan Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Ice Cream
Description
This quick and easy cashew based vegan ice cream is the perfect combination of mint and chocolate chips!
Ingredients
Instructions
- Before you start, make sure to chill your ice cream bowl from the ice cream maker for at least 12-24 hours. I forgot to do this the first time I tried to churn the ice cream and it just didn’t firm up right!
- In a high powered blender, blend together all of the ingredients, except for the chopped chocolate or chocolate chips. Blend the mixture until it is smooth and creamy, making sure the cashew pieces are blended thoroughly. Pour the ice cream mixture and chopped chocolate into the prepared ice cream maker and prepare according to the ice cream maker’s instructions. Mine took about 20-25 minutes to firm up and get super creamy, but it may depend on your machine. Transfer ice cream to a container and freeze for at least 2 hours, allowing the ice cream to firm up a bit more.
Liz @ Floating Kitchen says
Oh I LUV this! I’ve bought cashew-based ice cream before and I was blown away by how creamy it was. But yes, pretty pricey at the grocery store. But now I can just make it at home! YES!
The Frosted Vegan says
All the ice cream, all the time!!
Nutmeg Nanny says
I love that used cashews in this ice cream! I hear they (cashews) are all the rage right now. I would totally eat this ice cream all in one sitting.
The Frosted Vegan says
Thank you! I would totally be cool with that, no judging here 🙂
Julia says
I neeeeeeeed! I only recently learned you could make ice cream using cashews and I’m obsessed with this idea! It’s already super warm here, so I’m thinking about all the ice creams and this one is definitely on my to make list. Mint choco chip has been a fave of mine since childhood. la-la-la-la-loooove!!
The Frosted Vegan says
Yessss me too!! I love mint chocolate chip! I almost went all crazy flavor on this one, but I decided to go nice and classic!
Sarah | Broma Bakery says
Gorgeous photography, gorgeous ice cream… you bet this is a home run post! And I’m loving that container you used for the ice cream! Yep, I love everything here.
The Frosted Vegan says
Thank you thank you thank youuu gorgeous lady!! That’s an old school loaf pan right there sister 🙂
Sarah @ Making Thyme for Health says
Wow, this looks amazing and I’m blown away by the ingredient list! I love that you sneaked spinach in there too.
I’ve had an ice cream maker sitting in the corner for the past 8 months and I think it’s about time to bust her out!!
The Frosted Vegan says
Yes!! Mine sat neglected for a while, but this was the first batch of the season 🙂
Sara @ Cake Over Steak says
Aaahhh, sounds lovely! I’ve been wanting to try a homemade ice cream of this cashew variety. I can’t wait for ice cream season! I haven’t made ice cream at home in a long time and I have a handful of cookbooks on the subject, so I should really get on that.
The Frosted Vegan says
Ice cream season is my favorite season!! 🙂
Karly says
This looks delicious! I love a great vegan recipe, especially a dessert!
The Frosted Vegan says
Agreed Karly!
Lisa @ Healthy Nibbles & Bits says
I could have totally used a bowl of this over the weekend–it was soo warm here. I haven’t broken down to buy an ice cream maker yet, but I sure need to soon. This looks soooo good!
The Frosted Vegan says
It’s TOTALLY worth it!
Megan - The Emotional Baker says
I love using a loaf pan when making ice cream! Your version looks so good and I hope to try it soon!
The Frosted Vegan says
Thank you Megan! I hope you do!
Alisa @ Go Dairy Free says
I adore homemade cashew ice cream, but have yet to try a mint version – I love it!
Toni | BoulderLocavore says
This sounds delicious. I have not made homemade cashew milk but I imagine it would make a great ice ‘cream’! Loved reading your tips too.
The Frosted Vegan says
Thank you Toni, enjoy!
Kelsey @ Snacking Squirrel says
the perfect treat. looks amazing. HAPPY ST.PATTY’S DAY TO YOU!
The Frosted Vegan says
Happy St. Paddy’s day to you too Kelsey!
Leah / Freutcake says
Ha! How perfect is this! I need to make this ice cream for the shakes I made this past weekend. Looks delicious. xo
The Frosted Vegan says
YES to shakes! I’ll bring the ice cream if you make the shakes, deal Leah? 🙂
Lauren @ Wicked Spatula says
This is awesome! I love how you added spinach to make it green. That means I can eat the whole batch right?
The Frosted Vegan says
I like the way you think, YES!
I Wilkerson says
I tend to buy coconut milk by the case so I wouldn’t have to worry about not having it. But cashews are such a delight! Now I need to know if you buy your cashews by the case, cause I think I’ve found all of my missing ice cream freezer parts! Happy St Patrick’s Day!
The Frosted Vegan says
Funny you ask that, because I just started buying them online by the 5 lb. bags since I use them so much!
Shanna Koenigsdorf Ward says
I am always looking for new ways to make ice cream – we don’t drink/eat cow’s milk. This recipe looks great – solid technique and flavor. Thanks for sharing. 🙂 Vegan used to be a bad word… if anyone tastes this ice cream, they’d know vegan can equate to bliss!
The Frosted Vegan says
You are so so right! 🙂
Alyssa @ Simply Quinoa says
This is JUST the ice cream recipe I’ve been searching for. And I LOVE that you’ve used spinach to give it the green tinge – genius!
The Frosted Vegan says
Thank you Alyssa! I didn’t want that funky food coloring in there!
Erin says
LOVE! I am recently dairy free with my new baby and I am seriously missing my ice cream! I have been loving making cashew milk – I can’t wait to try this.
The Frosted Vegan says
Hooray! I hope you love this Erin and congrats on your new baby!
Phi @ The Sweetphi Blog says
Wowza girl, this looks amazing, I love that you used cashews and almond milk to create this vegan mint chocolate chip ice cream!
The Frosted Vegan says
Thanks girl! I’ve been maybe eating a bowl of it every night since I made it, ha!
Erin @ The Speckled Palate says
BRILLIANT, Abby! I love ice cream, and since I’m normally lactose intolerant (I say normally because pregnancy apparently cured me of this for the time being… though I don’t expect it to last), this is a PERFECT ice cream fix for me. I love how you used cashews, too! This look amazing, and I bet it tastes equally wonderful! Thanks for sharing!
The Frosted Vegan says
Whoa, that’s crazy! I never thought about pregnancy curing something like that! Enjoy time with your babygirl Erin!
Shawna says
Hi!
Just wondering why the sweetener is powdered sugar. Can you suggest any natural sweeteners as substitutions? Thanks so much!
The Frosted Vegan says
Hi Shawna! Powdered sugar usually works best for vegan ice cream, since it doesn’t affect the liquid texture of the ice cream. I would say you can try maple syrup or agave, but I don’t know how it would affect the texture of the ice cream. Let me know if you try it!
Maureen says
I made this delicious Cashew Ice Cream for my family last night! Yum Yum Yum! I subbed crystal sugar for powdered and did not have spinach on hand so it was creamy white with the chopped chocolate chunks in it. I do have a high speed blender (Vitamix) so it really mixes the ingredients superbly. It was a little too soft for my liking when it came out of the ice cream maker after 30 minutes, so we had it set in the freezer for another hour before eating.The flavor was very pepperminty and so easy to go down. Having used banana nice cream many times, this really was a great treat because there was not banana after taste. I especially liked how creamy it was. However the left overs the next day were too hard to scoop. I was thinking next time I may use Soymilk as it has a high fat content than the Almond Milk, but I was pleased with the low fat almond milk option of this product, while still being so creamy at the 1.5 hour mark. With a higher fat content it may still be scoopable the next day – will have to try. Planning to try more of these cashew ice cream flavors soon.