This Vegan Roasted Cherry Ice Cream is rich, creamy, and bursting with deep cherry flavor. Roasting the cherries first brings out their natural sweetness and creates a more intense, slightly caramelized taste that makes every scoop feel extra special!
A blend of soaked cashews and full-fat coconut milk gives the ice cream its smooth, velvety texture without any dairy, while lemon juice adds just enough acidity to balance the sweetness. A final swirl of blended roasted cherries runs through the creamy base, adding beautiful ribbons of fruit and even more flavor.
Making this ice cream takes a little planning, as the mixture needs time to chill and firm up, but the result is well worth it, trust us!
Serve it on a warm summer afternoon, after dinner, or whenever you are craving a refreshing homemade treat.
Vegan Roasted Cherry Ice Cream Recipe
Ingredients:
- 21 oz pitted cherries
- 3.5 oz (heaped ¾ cup) cashews (soaked overnight)
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
- 1.75 oz maple syrup
- 1/3 cup water
- 14 oz full fat coconut milk
- 3/4 cup caster or granulated sugar
- 2 tbsp cornstarch or arrowroot powder
Instructions:
- Place an ice cream bowl or ice cream churner into the freezer a day before.
- To roast cherries in the oven, preheat it to 390°F.
- Place pitted cherries in a deep baking tray and bake until the fruit has softened (about 30 minutes). Give the tray a good stir halfway through.
- Make the ice cream base while you wait (instructions below).
- Place half of the cherries in a blender and blend until smooth. Transfer the mixture to a container and place in the fridge.
- Place the other half of the cherries and their juices in a small blender with lemon juice and drained cashews. Blend until smooth – if your blender is having trouble blending the mixture, add some ice cream base.
- Whisk the cherry mixture you made in the previous step into the base and chill well before churning.
- When the mixture has been sufficiently chilled, churn it in your ice cream churner according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
- Once churned, transfer the mixture to an airtight freezer-friendly box. Swirl blended cherries that you made in step 5 through the mixture and freeze for 2-3 hours to firm up further.
- Transfer the mixture to the fridge 20 minutes ahead of scooping.
- Place golden syrup in a pot with water and coconut milk. Whisk on low heat until completely dissolved, then bring to a gentle simmer.
- Mix sugar and cornstarch in a small bowl.
- Once the mixture comes to a gentle simmer, gradually pour in the sugar & cornstarch while whisking the entire time.
- Bring the mixture to a boil again and allow it to simmer gently for a few seconds until the mixture thickens.
- Allow it to cool down completely.
MORE OF A VISUAL LEARNER? WATCH THE YOUTUBE VIDEO HERE!
