This vanilla ice cream is completely dairy-free but is still delightfully creamy and decadent. You’ll enjoy this delicious treat on its own, served with your favorite fruit (it is wonderful with fresh, pitted cherries), or as a sandwich filling for my Gingerbread Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches.
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw, unsalted cashews
- 2 cups almond milk (I use unsweetened, but vanilla or sweetened versions are also fine), divided
- 1 probiotic capsule or ¼ teaspoon probiotic powder
- 5 large fresh Medjool dates, pitted (if you can’t find fresh, use 6 pitted, dried Medjool dates soaked in water for at least a few hours)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla powder (alternatively, use the seeds scraped from one vanilla bean, or 1 to 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract)
How to Make It
- In a small bowl, combine the cashews and 1 cup of milk; add the contents of the probiotic capsule (discarding the empty capsule shell) or probiotic powder, and mix well. Cover and let sit for eight to twelve hours, depending on your taste preference; longer fermentation times create a tangier flavor.
- In a blender, combine the cashew mixture, dates, and vanilla powder, and blend until smooth. Pour into an ice cream machine, and follow the manufacturer’s directions to process into ice cream (usually 20 to 25 minutes).