Rich Dairy-free Blueberry Ice Cream with Lime and Cacao

Ice cream was the last thing I wanted to give up when I switched to a plant-based diet, but it was actually pretty to easy to abandon the dairy dessert with vegan ice cream to lean on.

Even six years ago there were several very decadent choices, but now there's so much more, including extra rich and creamy flavors made with cashew milk!

Unfortunately, they're still full of oil, salt, and refined sugar, so now, it's only a couple times a year that I'll have a store-bought vegan ice cream.

What I'm really loving this summer is making my own plant-based ice cream! A few years ago, I made a Strawberry Coconut Gelato. It's very tasty, but I feel like I'm taking it to the next level now.

Today's ice cream is not overly sweet.

It's super creamy from raw nuts.

And the lime juice and cacao powder will keep you coming back bite after bite.

Also, I want you to know that you do not need an ice cream maker to make it from scratch. You can either enjoy it as a soft serve right out of the blender or as firm ice cream after it has time in the freezer.

Ok, that's enough talk. It's time for you to check out this Blueberry Ice Cream with Lime and Cacao.

You might want to add the ingredients to your grocery list right now. ;)

Blueberry Ice Cream with Lime and Cacao

By Chef Katie Mae

Makes 4 cups | Ready in 5 minutes, not including freeze time | Stores 1 month in freezer

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups frozen blueberries
• 6 Medjool dates, pitted
• ¾ cup almonds
• ¾ cup walnuts
• ¼ cup cacao powder
• ¼ cup lime juice

DIRECTIONS

1. Add all of the ingredients to a high-powered blender. Blend until it is smooth and creamy, using a tamper to help mix it up. If the mixture is too thick to blend, add a tablespoon of water as needed.
2. Serve promptly to enjoy as a soft-serve ice cream.
3. For a firmer ice cream transfer it to an air-tight container and freeze for an hour minimum. Enjoy frozen or slightly defrosted.

CHEF’S NOTES

If you want a little more texture to your ice cream, use a food processor and process until your desired consistency. Even with a high-processed blender, you may notice a little bit of gritty texture from the nuts.

I personally like this, but if you want to avoid the grittiness, you can either soak your nuts up to 8 hours beforehand or substitute a nut butter. The ratio is ¼ cup of nut butter for every ½ cup of nuts being replaced.