I was standing in my kitchen a few weeks back sipping on a decaf coffee with a splash of my Vanilla Cashew Creamer. Besides morning cuddles with my kids, that one cup of coffee is the highlight of my morning. I sip on it as slow as I can to ensure that every taste is savored. I started thinking about that cup of coffee as a dairy-free Coffee Ice Cream recipe and knew it was time to start recipe testing.
After looking through some of my favorite ice cream recipes (see below), I knew I wanted to blend the flavor profile of my Vanilla Cashew Creamer with the creamy base of Rocky Road Ice Cream from Eat What You Love. I used brewed espresso and ground coffee beans to achieve a complex creamy coffee base for the ice cream. The cream soaked coffee beans provide a traditional coffee taste while the espresso melts into the mixture lending a complex acidic kick. I added some raw cacao nibs to add a delicate crunch with each spoonful, but you could top this with chopped nuts or chocolate chips too. The ice cream boasts both a rich flavor that also happens to be refreshing. Imagine sipping on an iced latte on a hot summer day!
The recipe is made in an ice cream maker, and it isn't icy at all! It's smooth and creamy just like your favorite store-bought ice cream but with half the ingredient list. I owned the KitchenAid stand mixer attachment for years and always had trouble with it, so for testing this recipe I grabbed an inexpensive countertop ice cream maker. It made a huge difference and made this so much creamier!
Keep your eyes on my socials because I will be releasing an unbelievable Ice Cream Cookie Sandwich in the next few weeks. This ice cream meets a brand new cookie recipe to concoct the most perfect sandwich you've ever tasted. It is almost too good to be true.
See some of my other favorite ice cream recipes below, and scroll to the bottom for this new dairy-free Coffee Ice Cream recipe!
Ice Cream Cookie Sandwiches Coming soon!
In the mood for more ice cream? See below for my favorites!
Mexican Chocolate Rocky Road Ice Cream
Double Chocolate Ice Cream with Peanut Butter Swirl
Mint-Chip Ice Cream Against All Grain– page 282
French Vanilla Ice Cream Against All Grain– page 280
Rocky Road Ice Cream Eat What You Love– page 300
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Dairy-Free Coffee Ice Cream
- Category: Dessert
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
- 12 ounces raw cashews
- 8 pitted medjool dates
- 1 tablespoon virgin coconut oil
- 1 1/4 teaspoon unflavored powdered gelatin
- 1 1/2 cups full-fat coconut cream
- 3/4 cup pure maple syrup
- 1/4 cup brewed espresso
- 1 1/2 cups whole coffee beans, ground coarsely in a food processor or coffee grinder
- pinch of sea salt
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Bring a kettle of water to a boil. Place the cashews and dates in a bowl and add enough boiling water to cover. Soak for 30 minutes. Drain and rinse the cashews and dates. Add them to a blender with 4 cups fresh, filtered water and coconut oil. Blend on high for 60 seconds, until very smooth. Scrape down the sides if necessary and blend again on high until all of the cashew pieces are well pureed.
- Place 1⁄4 cup water in a saucepan. Sprinkle the gelatin over the top and set it aside to bloom for 10 minutes. Pour the cashew milk mixture into the saucepan with the gelatin and add the ground coffee beans. Set the pan over medium heat, and whisk until the gelatin has dissolved completely, about 2 minutes. Cover, remove from the heat, and let steep at room temperature for 1 hour.
- Pour the coconut cream, maple syrup and espresso into a medium size metal bowl, set on ice over a larger bowl. Set a fine mesh strainer on top of the bowls.
- Pour the cashew-coffee mixture through the strainer and stir it into the coconut cream. Press on the coffee beans in the strainer to get the maximum coffee flavor then discard the beans. Mix in the vanilla and sea salt and stir until cool.
- Chill the mixture thoroughly over the ice bath, about 30 minutes, stirring frequently. Freeze the chilled ice cream mixture in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions. Transfer ice cream to a 9 x 13-inch baking pan, level the top, cover tightly and freeze until firm, at least 6 hours.
- Set the ice cream out at room temperature for 15 minutes before scooping. Enjoy with cacao nibs sprinkled on top, or on it's own!
Keywords: ice cream, dairy-free, gluten-free, coffee, egg free, paleo
Kerry
If you can’t do cashew milk, could I mix full-fat coconut milk instead? If so, how much milk would you use to blend with the dates? My son is cashew allergic 🙁
Candy Paulsen
We make ice cream with coconut milk all the time. You could do a mix of coconut milk and coconut cream. The amount might depend on the size of your ice cream maker. I am sure this ice cream is delicious, but it is a lot of work. I usually just do two cans of coconut milk, 1/4-1/2 cup honey, 1/4 cup espresso, and one pack of organic “instant” coffee. Sometimes I add a swirl of chocolate made from cacao melted over low heat, coconut oil, and honey. Once mixed well I wait until the ice cream is about half done (ten minutes in our Cuisinart ice cream maker), then pour the chocolate over the ice cream as it stirs in the maker. Have fun with it. The worse that can happen is that you use it for homemade “Frapuccinos.”
Jacque
Do you prefer the cashew milk base to your coconut milk enriched with egg yolk base? We made your thin mint chocolate ice cream last night and LOVE it. Just wondering if you have a favorite between the two- thanks for all your fabulous recipes! 🙂
Allison
I feel like I did something incorrectly, my ice cream was much darker than yours in the picture and mine had coffee grounds in it. The ingredient list says coffee beans ground but the directions mention coffee beans. I am not sure if I did something wrong.
Jess
When is the best time to add the pinch of salt?
Tanya Klein
Hi D! 🤗🤗 This may be a dumb ? but is the 1x 2x 3x option for 1, 2 or 3 servings?
K
Tanya. The 1x 2x or 3x are if you wish to double or triple the recipe. Clicking on any of them will automatically adjust the amount of each ingredient you need in the recipe above.
Carolyn
I noticed you use an ice cream maker now; when I first started following you, you were using the ice cream kitchen attachment. Why the switch? Thank you!
Kim
This looks amazing, will have to try it soon. I tried to print the recipe and it loads blank pages. Perhaps related to the change to a new recipe card format? Nice feature for those wanting to make larger serving.
Audria
Do you have a macadamia nut-based ice cream recipe? Or can I make an equal substitute with macadamia nuts?
Danielle
Hi! You can sub the milk in my recipes with a nut milk of your choice. Enjoy!