This vanilla dairy free ice cream is only 5 ingredients AND it’s no churn, which means you don’t need an ice cream machine to make it! The base for this ice cream is coconut milk, while cashews add to the creamy texture. The recipe follows the specific carbohydrate diet (SCD) and Paleo diet!
Hi friends! Well, I’ve been on a bit of an ice cream kick lately. Summer is quickly approaching which means 90 degree weather and 100% humidity here in Florida, so anything cool and refreshing is always appreciated.
In the past I’ve found that most dairy free ice cream I make at home turns out more icy than creamy. It’s not bad by any means, it’s just not the texture I want. So I started experimenting with different ways to make a truly creamy frozen treat. My Dairy Free Avocado Mint Ice Cream was a HUGE success. I mean, seriously, if you haven’t tried it yet I insist you do so immediately. It’s amazing.
How do you make a dairy free ice cream that’s creamy?
Many dairy free ice cream recipes use just coconut milk, but I’ve never been a fan. It’s not thick and creamy enough for me. This recipe does use coconut milk but it also uses a somewhat unexpected ingredient…cashews! Soaked cashews help thicken up this ice cream while also providing creaminess and a subtle nutty flavor!
All of the ice cream ingredients are blended in a high speed blender until nice and smooth (That’s right…this is a no churn ice cream recipe!). I would suggest blending it for at least a full minute, if not longer. This will ensure you get the smoothest, creamiest dairy free vanilla cashew ice cream.
Pour the vanilla ice cream into a loaf pan and place it in the freezer for at least 4 hours to set. Allow the ice cream to sit at room temp for about 5 minutes before scooping. This ice cream is great on its own but it’s also AMAZING served on top of my Vanilla Mug Cake. You could also put some ice cream between my Coconut Flour Waffles to make ice cream sandwiches! Hope you enjoy!
Leave a comment and star rating below if you’ve tried this recipe!
Follow me on facebook and instagram . Tag @alifeofhappenstance and #alifeofhappenstance so I can see your yummy creations!

This vanilla dairy free ice cream is only 5 ingredients AND it's no churn, which means you don't need an ice cream machine to make it! The base for this ice cream is coconut milk, while cashews add to the creamy texture. It follows the specific carbohydrate diet (SCD) and is Paleo!
- 13 ounces full fat canned coconut milk, shaken
- 1/2 cup honey
- 2 Tbsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup raw cashews
- 2 Tbsp coconut oil, melted
Place raw cashews in a large bowl and fill with water. Cover the bowl and allow the cashews to soak overnight or for 6 hours.
Drain and rinse the soaked cashews. Place them in a high speed blender along with the other ingredients. Blend for at least 60 seconds. Take a sip of the liquid, if it tastes gritty, continue blending until smooth.
Pour the liquid into a loaf pan and cover with plastic wrap. Freeze for a minimum of 4 hours.
Remove from freezer 5 minutes before serving.
Make sure your blender has completely broken down the nuts or you'll be left with a gritty texture in your ice cream.
The coconut oil needs to be completely melted before adding to the blender or you'll have lumps in your ice cream.
*The calories calculated in this recipe are only an estimate*
Pin it!
My son loves this recipe … finally he can have ice cream I don’t have an ice cream maker so this was huge he loves it (scd) but now he ask me if he can have strap or chocolate ice cream so I don’t know if I can add strawberries or cocoa butter to this … will be with the cashews or with out?
Made this and the caramel sauce last night. My daughter and husband who are on the SCD diet for Crohn’s were in heaven!! Thank you!!!!!!
Yay! It makes my heart happy to hear that they enjoyed it!
cashews are my favorite nut! I love using them as a dairy replacement. And coconut ice cream is already a fave – I’ll definitely have to try combining the two!