It's hot outside and summertime's in full swing. Feeling like you need a way to cope with the steamy weather? May I suggest...ice cream, summer stone fruit, balsamic vinegar, a hint of cardamom, AND no churning or a noisy ice cream maker (plus a good dose of pink)... This is what summer love's made of :)
I picked up a basket of plums at the farmer's market the other day. They looked beautiful, but sadly tasted... meh : / Isn't it a shame when that happens? What to do... Seeing as I didn't want them to go to waste AND since I've been in total ice cream mode lately, that seemed like the simplest alternative. And you know what, it turned out amazing. Creamy, flavorful, tangy and sweet.
I really love pairing stone fruit with balsamic vinegar and maple. You can't go wrong with that combo, each flavor highlight the others beautifully. If you're into this flavor fusion, you may also like this balsamic strawberry and basil ice cream (it's nut-free, too). And of course cooking that fruit mixture first (and adding that hint of tapioca) ensures you don't end up with that dreaded dairy-free-refined-sugar-free #icyicecreamfail.
I sprinkled mine with some edible rose petals, but those are more for presentation. Yet, I kind of liked the flavor they added -- so might consider throwing that into the mix next time... Here's to lazy summer days, simple floral sprinkles, and ICE CREAM ❤︎
Balsamic Plum Ice Cream
A creamy, no-churn fruity vegan ice cream — perfectly tangy and sweet. Not a hint of iciness despite being dairy-free. Made without refined sugar.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 3-4 cups
- Category: Ice Cream
- Method: No-Bake
- Cuisine: Dessert
Ingredients
Plum Mixture:
- 9 med-small plums, halved and de-stoned
- ½ cup maple syrup
- ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
- 1 tbsp tapioca powder
Ice Cream Mixture:
- 1 cup raw cashews, pre-soaked and strained*
- 1 cup unsweetened dairy-free yogurt
- ½ cup maple syrup
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp salt
- ⅛ tsp ground cardamom
Instructions
- Combine all plum mixture ingredients in a medium-small sauce pan and bring to a light boil on medium-high heat. Once the mixture begins to bubble continue simmering for 10 mins, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and cool on a wire rack until mixture is at room temp.
- Blend all ice cream mixture ingredients as well as the cooled plum mixture in a high power blender until smooth (use your tamper if using a Vitamix to get smoothest results).
- Transfer into a freezer-safe container of your choice and chill for 5-6 hours or overnight. Thaw out on the counter before serving and enjoy!
Notes
*To pre-soak cashews: place in a glass bowl, cover with water, and leave to soak for 4 hours (or overnight in the fridge). Then strain and discard the water. For a quick pre-soak, cover with boiled water and soak for 15 mins, then strain and discard water. (Note: this technique doesn’t preserve the nutrition of the recipe as well as the traditional soaking technique above). Note: the purpose of soaking the nuts is to re-hydrate them and plump them up for blending into a smooth, cheesecake-like consistency. Proper soaking techniques also maximize nutrition and digestibility. If you’re interested in learning more about nut soaking and other dessert prep tips and tricks, I delve into these subjects in detail in my book Unconventional Treats.
Keywords: Balsamic Plum Ice Cream (Vegan)
Tisha Smith says
First time I made ice cream!! It turned out wonderful!!! I didn't have tapioca, so I had to use cornstarch, and also used yogurt with dairy. LOVED IT!!
★★★★★
Audrey says
Hi Tisha, so happy you enjoyed this ice cream. Thanks for sharing :)
Mary says
Made this last night and it is SO DELICIOUS. Mine is not as pink as yours but the flavour is perfect. Creamy, rich, and so complex with the maple-balsamic-cardamom combination.
★★★★★
Audrey says
So happy you liked it, Mary! Thanks for the lovely feedback.
Jess says
Just wondering if you could sub coconut sugar for maple syrup? I know one is liquid and the other is solid, would that affect the recipe? Thanks :) Maple syrup is $12 for 200ml where I live 😬
Audrey says
Hi Jess, do you have access to agave? That would be a much closer substitute. If not, you can do some coconut sugar + water, because you need some liquid in there, especially in the ice cream filling. Also keep in mind that the color will probably be darker / more brownish with the coconut sugar.
Margaret Hahn says
Can you make this with milk yogurt?
Audrey says
Hi Margaret, I haven't tried personally (as I don't consume dairy products), but I don't see any reason why it wouldn't. The only thing to keep in mind is that vegan yogurts tend to be on the thicker side, so I'd use a thick yogurt if possible.
Catherine says
I don't know why, but looking at this recipe I feel I could make it with rhubarb, which is in season right now unlike plums! I'll give it a try very soon!
Audrey says
That sounds great :) Enjoy!
Catherine says
With this heat wave and the plums right in season, I also made the plum version since the one I made with rhubarb was delicious.
I felt like using star anise, ginger and licorice root for the spice mix, turned out great!
I just don't want the summer /ice cream season to end ;)
★★★★★
Kim says
Stumbled across your blog and fell in love with it! Thank you so much for all your simple recipes and beautiful photos. Do you think it would be alright to use arrowroot powder instead of the tapioca powder for this recipe?
Audrey says
Hi Kim, thank you so much for your kind comment, and absolutely -- arrowroot would be fine here.
Natalia says
OMG! probably the most beautiful ice cream I have recently seen!
Gorgeous, Audrey!
★★★★★
Audrey says
Thanks :) I'm not always so good with scooping ice cream for photos, but thankfully this one was fairly photogenic ?
Natalie | Feasting on Fruit says
This is the dish of ice cream every little girl dreams about--pink, scooped high, and sprinkled with flowers! I love the way you styled and decorated it. Heck I love the way you even decorated the tray you were going to scoop from! Although you are Audrey, so I would expect nothing less :D The flavors sound just as beautiful as the presentation, I love the pinch of cardamom in there too!
Audrey says
Hehe. Decorating happens to EVERYTHING around here ;) ?
Ashley says
This sounds perfect. And it just happens to be the prettiest color!
Audrey says
Thanks, Ashley! :) I love the color too.