The Best Dairy-Free, Sugar-Free Chocolate Ice Cream Ever
I have tried many, MANY times to create a dairy-free ice cream that feels like a treat, but I’ve never felt like I quite got it right. Until today. And this one is sugar-free too!!! I can’t believe it! I’m so excited that I sat down to write down what I did quickly so I can recreate it many, MANY times in the future! I used this recipe from Katie as my starting point.
- 1/3 cup cashews that have been soaked for at least 8 hours
- 2 cups cold water (if you live in a hot climate, freeze this into ice cubes first – it makes all the difference!)
- 200 mL coconut milk (this is about half a can)
- 3 Tbsp xylitol
- 20 drops concentrated stevia drops
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- heaping 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- Blend all the ingredients.
- Transfer to your ice cream maker according to its instructions and watch the magic! You can eat it straight from the machine, or freeze a few hours for firmer texture.
- This also makes great popsicles, and you don’t need an ice cream maker for that. Just pour straight from the blender into molds.
If you don’t have an ice cream maker and still want to try this, Katie has some good suggestions here.
A few notes on ingredients. You could substitute 2 cups of any kind of milk (almond, soy, coconut, etc.) for the cashews and water. I just combined the steps of making the milk and making the ice cream. I’m all for time-saving! For the coconut milk, you could also use any other milk though it might not be as creamy. This is my favorite combination of milks but others work if you have allergies or other reasons you want to switch them. You could substitute 1/4 cup of any sweetener (sugar, brown sugar, honey, agave, maple syrup, etc.) for the xylitol and stevia. I find the combination of xylitol and stevia is the best sugar-free option, much better than using just one of them. I use the combination in coffee and chocolate milk quite often.
I think you’ll really enjoy this ice cream! We sure do!
