This healthy and decadent Vegan & Paleo Cherry Garcia Ice Cream does not disappoint, and it’s guaranteed to cool you down in the sweltering heat! 
It’s about time I came out with a new ice cream recipe on this blog! And I think you might see them more from now on because I just bought an ice cream machine, and my LIFE HAS CHANGED. I have a few no-churn ice cream recipes on here, and while they are delicious, they don’t compare to the texture of the churned version and I’m fully on board with making the switch.
Vegan & Paleo Cherry Garcia Ice Cream Recipe
I was a bit ambitious with my very first churned ice cream, and decided to make a version of Ben & Jerry’s classic favorite. This Vegan & Paleo Cherry Garcia Ice Cream tastes pretty darn close to the real thing, but it’s made with coconut milk and soaked cashews and is JUST as creamy!
I used to LOVE Cherry Garcia ice cream growing up, and would go crazy over the combination of tart cherries and crunchy chocolate in the sweet vanilla ice cream. While the original version contains guar gum, carrageenan, and soy lecithin, my version is squeaky clean with all REAL ingredients and I couldn’t be happier with the way it turned out.
Finding Vegan and Paleo Chocolate
This Vegan & Paleo Cherry Garcia Ice Cream recipe uses shaved chocolate that you should NOT omit, but I completely understand that it can be a bit difficult to find dairy free and soy free chocolate bars. After doing some research, I discovered Enjoy Life Chocolate, and I highly recommend you use their chocolate bar for this recipe.
Not only is it delicious (I love to enjoy a piece for dessert), it’s paleo and vegan, free of eggs, wheat, dairy, soy, and nuts, so it’s great for anyone with food allergies.
I hope you love this recipe as much as my husband and I did. We’ve been enjoy a scoop each after dinner, and I love that I can indulge in one of my favorite desserts without a ton of sugar and fake ingredients. It’s the best and most delicious way to #treatyoself in my opinion!
Paleo & Vegan Cherry Garcia Ice Cream
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup cashews soaked for at least 2 hours
- 14 oz can of full-fat coconut milk
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup fresh or frozen cherries pitted and roughly chopped
- 1/3 cup shaved dark chocolate
Instructions
- Place drained cashews, coconut milk, maple syrup, and vanilla extract in a blender, and blend until smooth and creamy.
- Pour this mixture to an ice cream maker and churn following the manufacturer's instructions.
- Once the ice cream begins to thicken, add shaved dark chocolate and cherries to the ice cream.
- Serve right away for a softer ice cream, or transfer the ice cream to a freezer-safe container and place in the freezer until ready.
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This looks delicious! Could you substitute cashew butter for the whole cashews?
Yes, definitely!
I honestly just got the cheapest one I could find because I wasn’t sure if I would use it a lot, which is this one. But it works so well and I may upgrade to a fancier one in a few months. 🙂
Love the name ! I have a bunch of frozen farm cherries that I would love to use here
We made this tonight with frozen, thawed cherries and calumet semi sweet chocolate. I have to say I liked the idea a lot but it was ok not amazing. Perhaps fresh cherries would have made a difference. Thanks for sharing though, and I look forward to trying another of your recipes, really enjoy the share.
Can you substitute almond milk for coconut milk?
Almond milk is a bit too thin so you may get an icier (and not cream) ice cream. You can try thicker milk cashew milk for a better result.
The cashews made the ice cream taste grainy. Do you have any tips for eliminating that grainy texture?
I would use a high speed blender and make sure to soak the cashews. The speed of the blender makes a huge difference!
I tried it again. This time without the cashew and it was even worse so it must be the brand of coconut cream I’m using. What brand do you use?
Wow!! I was wondering about what may be the vegan substitute for milk? Looks yummy gonna try today.