I am SO excited about this post. This ice cream is ridiculously good, ridiculously healthy, and ridiculously simple, and I have made it three times since I invented it two days ago. There are five ingredients, and you don’t need an ice cream maker. There are also NO sweeteners. This is the stuff dreams are made of. Well, my kind-of cheating whole30 dreams, at least.
The whole30 says no fake ice cream, paleo pancakes, or other imitation versions of the foods you’re missing. I say: number one, if all the ingredients are allowed, I should be able to put them together, and two, this ISN’T just an imitation version! This is something amazing that I will make even after my whole30 is over, and that you should make even if you don’t eat paleo. Make it for your kids–they will love it! Make it in secret and hide it in the freezer for stealth snack-attacks. Just make it!
This ice cream is sweet because of the cherries, creamy because of the coconut milk, and rich because of the almond butter. The cocoa adds a nice chocolatey undertone that’s noticeable but not overpowering. I think this ice cream is sweet enough as is, but it depends on the sweetness of your cherries. Feel free to add honey, agave, maple syrup, or (gasp!) sugar if you think it needs it. If you’re not into almonds, leave out the almond butter. If you don’t want chocolate, leave out the cocoa. It will still be amazing.
Update–I have just made this for the fourth time, and Ben and I have both decided we like it better without the cocoa. I still love it either way, though!
Ingredients (makes about a quart):
3 cups frozen cherries
1 and 3/4 cups coconut milk, chilled
1 and 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder (optional)
1/3 cup almond butter
Pinch of salt
Sliced almonds, for serving
Combine all ingredients in a food processor until smooth. Transfer to a freezer-safe container and freeze for two hours before scooping and serving (or eat it all now as a soft-serve/smoothie type deal). Top with sliced almonds if you like.
Note: this ice cream can become very hard when it’s frozen for longer, so leave it out for ten minutes or so before you try scooping it.
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