Vanilla Goji Berry Ice Cream
A raw vegan classic vanilla bean ice cream recipe accented with goji berries (no churn, dairy-free, refined sugar-free)
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings
- Category: Ice Cream
- Method: No-Churn
- Cuisine: Dessert
Ingredients
Ice Cream:
- ¾ cup raw cashews, pre-soaked and strained*
- 6 tbsp unsweetened non-dairy milk (I used vanilla almond milk)
- 5 tbsp maple syrup
- 4 tbsp coconut oil**
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- ½ tsp raw ground vanilla bean (or scrape ½ a vanilla bean pod)
- ¼ tsp sea salt
Fold-Ins:
- ¼ cup dried goji berries
- 1 tbsp edible dried blue cornflower petals (optional for color)
Instructions
- Make sure all ice cream ingredients are at room temperature. Blend everything together into a smooth mixture in a power blender. Transfer into a medium-small glass freezer-proof container (make sure not to fill all the way if covering with a lid)(I used a container that's roughly 4"x6" but anything of a similar size will do).
- Sprinkle with goji berries and cornflower petals (alternatively can stir them into the mixture for a more balanced distribution as opposed to just sprinkling on top -- I didn't; they got naturally "folded" in the scooping process).
- Freeze for 5-6 hours or overnight. When ready to eat, thaw out on the counter a bit until it's at a scoopable consistency and enjoy!
Notes
*To pre-soak nuts: 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.
** I recommend using an unscented coconut oil for this recipe (like this one) to keep the vanilla flavor up and not have the ice cream taste coconutty, unless you like the taste / scent of coconut oil, in which case any version will do.