Vanilla & Salted Caramel Swirl Ice Cream
Delicious, creamy vegan vanilla ice cream (no churn), with a salted caramel swirl. No cooking required for the caramel! Refined sugar-free.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: ~ 3 cups
- Category: Ice Cream
- Method: No-Churn
- Cuisine: Dessert
Ingredients
Ice Cream Base:
- 2 cups raw cashews, pre-soaked and strained*
- ½ cup unsweetened almond milk
- ½ cup maple syrup
- 4 tbsp coconut oil
- 1 tbsp tapioca powder
- 1 tsp raw ground vanilla bean (important for flavor)
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- ¾ tsp salt
Caramel Swirl:
- 2 tbsp coconut palm sugar
- 1 tbsp carob powder
Instructions
- Make sure all ingredients are at room temp. Blend all ice cream base ingredients into a smooth consistency in a high speed blender. Transfer this mixture into a glass tupperware container.
- Return ½ a cup of that mixture back into the blender. Add caramel swirl ingredients and blend once again to create the caramel. Swirl this caramel mixture into the ice cream base in the container (be careful not to over-swirl so you don't just blend it all into one flavor). Freeze for 5-6 hours to set (or overnight). Thaw out a touch, scoop 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.