This Vegan Strawberry Ice Cream is like a cold, creamy taste of summer. Easy to make, loaded with fresh strawberries, and oh so delicious!
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We had a little heat wave earlier this week, and what better treat when it’s hot than ice cream. And the hot days also meant a nice little crop of strawberries from my garden. What better way to enjoy these garden jewels than to make strawberry ice cream?
I’ve been working on my ice cream recipe for a while now, and I finally think I’ve come up with the right recipe.
It’s not quite as healthy as those “ice creams” that are just frozen bananas and other fruit blended in the food processor.
But this one is lower in fat than the coconut cream recipes and the vegan ice creams sold in the stores. And, since I’ve never been a big fan of coconut, I’m thrilled to have found a way to make my own ice cream without the coconut flavor.
The secret ingredients in my ice cream are cashews (just a few) and cornstarch. This gives the ice cream just the consistency that I was looking for.
I’ve used similar recipes for my vanilla ice cream and my peppermint ice cream.
This vegan strawberry ice cream is creamy, sweet (but not overly so), and has a wonderful fresh taste of strawberries. It’s so refreshing and delicious!
Ingredients for vegan strawberry ice cream:
- Soy milk – other non-dairy milk can be substituted if you are avoiding soy.
- Raw cashews – just a few to give the ice cream a small amount of fat which contributes to its creaminess.
- Organic Sugar – for a less refined sugar option, substitute with coconut sugar, date sugar, or maple syrup.
- Strawberries
- Cornstarch – to thicken the mixture and help the texture.
- Salt – just a touch to bring out the other flavors.
- Vanilla extract
Can I use frozen strawberries?
Fresh strawberries are best, but frozen strawberries can also be used. Allow the frozen berries to thaw before using.
How to make this strawberry ice cream
Step 1 – Make the ice cream base
Blend the soy milk, the cashews, the sugar, 1 1/2 cups of the strawberries, the cornstarch, and the salt in a high speed blender.
Transfer the mixture to a saucepan and cook over medium heat until the mixture thickens like a pudding. Remove from heat and whisk in the vanilla extract.
Step 2: Chill the ice cream base
Transfer this mixture to a covered container and refrigerate until it is well chilled. It needs to be cold before placing it in the ice cream maker. You can refrigerate the mixture overnight, or make the mixture early in the day and it will be cold enough by evening.
Step 3: Freeze the ice cream
Freeze the mixture in the ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. I use a Cuisinart ice cream maker.
About 5 minutes before the ice cream is done, add the remaining diced strawberries. When the ice cream is the consistency of soft serve, transfer it to a covered container and place in the freezer to freeze until solid.
Can I make this ice cream without an ice cream maker?
For the creamiest ice cream, it is necessary to use an ice cream maker. But if you don’t have one, you can use the no churn method.
Prepare the ice cream base and chill it according to the recipe.
Pour the chilled ice cream base into a sheet pan and freeze until solid.
Break the frozen ice cream mixture into chunks, and place them in your food processor. Process until smooth. Then place the ice cream in a container and return to the freezer until it is firm.
Here are more delicious vegan desserts:
- Vegan Vanilla Ice Cream
- Vegan Double Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Blueberry Oat Bars
- Vegan Peppermint Ice Cream
- Vegan Chocolate Pudding
- Chocolate Mug Cake
- Vegan Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream
- Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes
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Vegan Strawberry Ice Cream
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups soy milk
- ¼ cup raw cashews
- 2 ½ cups strawberries divided
- ½ cup organic sugar (see note)
- 2 tablespoons corn starch
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Blend the soy milk, cashews, sugar, 1 1/2 cups of the strawberries, cornstarch, and salt in a high speed blender.
- Transfer the mixture to a saucepan and cook over medium heat until the mixture thickens like a pudding.
- Remove from heat and whisk in the vanilla extract.
- Transfer this mixture to a covered container and refrigerate until it is well chilled (3 hours or overnight).
- Pour the mixture into the ice cream maker and churn it according to the manufacturer's instructions.
- A few minutes before the ice cream is done, add the remaining cup of diced strawberries.
- When the ice cream is the consistency of soft serve, transfer it to a covered container and place in the freezer to freeze until solid (about 2 hours).
- To serve, allow the ice cream to sit on the counter for about 5 minutes before scooping.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition calculations are approximate.
