This Vegan Roasted Banana Ice Cream must be the first vegan recipe on the blog. There are many vegetarian recipes and as a happy meat eater I am always quite surprised how many vegetarian recipes I have done. Some of them are by far my favourite recipes, like the Aubergine Cheesecake, Sumac Roast Tomatoes and the totally delicious Thai Coconut Broccoli Soup. But this is certainly the first recipe where a main ingredient is a vegan alternative.
I first came across the recipe in the New York Times and just had to try it. I have never made or cooked with cashew milk and was intrigued to see what the ice cream would be like without the usual eggs and cream custard base.
I did change the ingredients a bit. I did not have any cocoa butter and was not going to make a special run to the shops to find some and then sit with an amount left over never to be used. I also found the metric measurements of the ingredients odd. Recipes with odd measurements is a bit of a pet hate of mine. When you buy something in a tub of say 250 ml, I will usually skip a recipe that would call for 220 ml for example. First of all, what am I supposed to do with that 30 ml left over and really as a home cook, would that extra 30 ml really make such a difference. Agreed, when you bake you have to be strict but when it comes to puddings and sauces etc I am less strict and happy to round up or down.
I have to confess that cashew milk is not the tastiest on its own but the smooth nuttiness of the milk adds a good base for the banana flavour. I added vanilla and cinnamon to the recipe and I think the hint of both flavours work really well here.
There will be left over cashew milk but will keep for up to 4 days covered and refrigerated. Add the milk to your morning cereal or smoothies.
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Ingredients
- 200 grams raw unsalted cashew nuts
- water for soaking
- 450ml water
- 4 medium large ripe bananas, peeled and sliced into half a centimetre slices
- 2 tbsp coconut oil
- 2 tbsp dark brown or muscovado sugar
- 1 pinch of salt
- 150 grams sugar
- 4 tbsp water
- 4 tbsp coconut oil
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 x 400ml tin coconut cream
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 50g chopped walnuts, toasted (optional)
- 50g dried banana chips (optional)
Instructions
- Make the cashew milk by placing the cashews in a bowl, add cold water and cover the nuts by a couple of centimetres
- Soak the cashews overnight
- Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C
- Drain the cashews and place in a blender with the 450ml water and blend until smooth
- Check the consistency and if necessary strain the cashew milk through a strainer
- Place the bananas, 2 tbsp coconut oil, brown/muscovado sugar and pinch of salt in a bowl and toss to coat
- Spread the bananas on a baking sheet and bake until caramelized for about 15 to 25 minutes and set aside to cool slightly
- Place the sugar and 4 tbsp water into a small saucepan and over medium heat stir until the sugar has dissolved
- Add the 4 tbsp coconut oil and teaspoon of salt and stir until combined
- Pour the sugar mixture into in a blender, add the coconut cream, 1 cup cashew milk, bananas (and all caramelised bits in the baking sheet), cinnamon and vanilla and blend until smooth
- Cover and refrigerate the ice cream base until chilled for about 3 hours
- Churn in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions
- At the end of churning, add toasted walnuts (if used) and churn until incorporated
- Transfer the ice cream to a suitable container and freeze
- Eat within 7 days with some dried banana chips if desired
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Thalia @ butter and brioche
Aug 11, 2015
i am all about making my own ice cream right now and this roasted banana ice cream sounds too good not to try.. definitely giving it a go.
hein
Aug 11, 2015
Hope you love it Thalia
Teresa
Aug 11, 2015
The ice cream king does it again. 😉 This sounds too delicious! Beautiful photos too.
hein
Aug 11, 2015
I love that Teresa – thank you so much