Vegan Cherry Garcia Ice Cream

Another non-dairy fave to try is this coconut cherry ice cream! For this recipe, you will need the right tools to get the perfect vegan ice cream. These include a blender or food processor and an ice cream maker. If you’re new to the world of vegan ice cream, there’s a somewhat surprising secret ingredient in here. And that ingredient is cashews! It’s a little bit counterintuitive, but if you want your ice cream to have the same creamy texture as dairy-based ice cream but without any dairy, reach for a bag of raw cashews. There’s no other alternative that works as well.

You’ll also notice that there is coconut oil in the recipe, too. That’s there to make the ice cream extra creamy. Just like with dairy ice cream, the higher the fat content, the creamier it is.

Here’s what you need to make vegan cherry garcia:

Raw cashews: you will need 2 cups of raw cashews, which you will soak for a minimum of 4 hours. If you don’t have a high-powered blender you should consider soaking them for up to 24 hours. This will help them soften so you can blend them into a creamy dream. Water: You’ll use the water for soaking the cashews. It doesn’t go directly into the ice cream. Coconut oil: As mentioned, coconut oil is used to increase the creaminess of the ice cream. You’ll need ¼ cup. Maple syrup: This is where the sweetness of the ice cream comes from in this vegan cherry garcia recipe. It’s a natural sugar and a wonderful vegan option and the maple won’t overpower the other flavors. Bourbon: this is totally optional, however, a nice addition if you want to make a boozy vegan cherry garcia ice cream! Coconut sugar: Since you’ve already added sweet maple syrup, you only need 2 tablespoons of coconut sugar. Pure vanilla: Use 1 ½ teaspoons of vanilla extract to create the classic vanilla ice cream base. Sea salt: Add just ¼ teaspoon to help balance the flavors. Dark chocolate shavings: Part of the trifecta of cherry garcia flavors, adding dark chocolate shavings (dark chocolate pieces or chopped dark chocolate, depending on how chunky you want the chocolate) will give those distinct rich, bitter chocolate notes to the ice cream. Quartered cherries: for this vegan cherry garcia recipe you’ll only need ½ cup of pitted cherries, so don’t worry, you won’t have to sit there forever removing the pits! Then cut them into quarters or small pieces.

How to make ice cream without an ice cream maker

You can make this vegan cherry garcia ice cream without an ice cream maker. To do this, place the ice cream base in a shallow pan and pop it in the freezer for 30 minutes. Use a fork or sturdy whisk to scrape and mix up the ice cream. Put it back into the freezer then half an hour later scrape and mix it again. Keep repeating these steps until you have ice cream. It usually takes between 2-3 hours. A famous flavor of Ben & Jerry’s is their vegan cherry garcia – maybe you’ve had it? Here’s how you can make a look alike at home!