A classic revisited: this creamy ice cream with its notes of fresh mint and cacao nibs is a dead ringer for real mint chocolate chip ice cream, with no dairy at all. Best enjoyed wrapped up in front of a film, followed by a plant-based hot chocolate to warm up again. A very simple cashew base, ready after just a few minutes of preparation.
Raw mint chocolate chip cashew ice cream
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Ingredients
- 1 cup cashews (ideally soaked overnight, though not essential)
- 1/2 cup water
- 4 tbsp rice syrup (or another liquid sweetener)
- 1/2 tsp organic raw spirulina (or another green powder: e3 live, chlorella…)
- 1 tsp peppermint extract
- 3 to 4 tbsp raw cacao nibs
Preparation
- Blend the cashews and the water until almost smooth, scraping down the sides of the blender regularly.
- Add the rice syrup, the spirulina and the mint extract, then blend until perfectly smooth.
- Fold in the cacao nibs with a spatula, then pour into a shallow container covered with foil.
- Put in the freezer, stirring roughly every hour, for a creamier texture.
- Take the ice cream out of the freezer 20 to 30 minutes before serving so it scoops easily.
Tip
Soaking the cashews overnight is not compulsory, but it makes blending easier if your blender is not very powerful.
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FAQ: your questions about raw mint chocolate ice cream
How do you make vegan homemade ice cream?
Without cream or egg yolks you have to recreate the texture differently, using three levers. First the fat: soaked and blended nuts, coconut cream or avocado provide the richness that stops the ice cream turning into a block of ice. Then the sweetener, which is not only there for taste: it lowers the freezing point and keeps the mixture workable — a liquid syrup works better than a dry sugar. Finally the churning: without an ice-cream maker, stir with a fork every hour for the first three hours, to break up the crystals as they form.
How do you make fresh mint ice cream?
Two methods, two results. Infusion gives a delicate taste and a discreet colour: gently warm the liquid base with a large handful of fresh mint, leave to infuse for twenty minutes off the heat, strain, then chill before churning. In a raw version, blend the leaves straight into the base and pass through a fine sieve to remove the fibres. Be aware: fresh mint gives a far more herbal and far less sweet-shop flavour than peppermint extract. The two can in fact be combined, the extract for intensity, the leaves for freshness.
How do you make homemade chocolate ice cream?
The principle is the same as for this mint ice cream: a creamy base of blended nuts or coconut cream, a liquid sweetener, and chocolate in whatever form suits you. Raw cacao powder gives the most direct and most bitter taste; melted chocolate brings more roundness but sets into small shards on contact with the cold; date purée mixed with cacao gives a milder, softer version. A pinch of salt and a touch of vanilla are essential: they bring out the cacao far more effectively than adding more sugar.
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