Vegan Bourbon Soaked Cherry Vanilla Bean Ice Cream is a fabulously creamy cashew and coconut milk based dairy free, egg free, ice cream. Like my vegan Bourbon Vanilla Bean Ice Cream, this cashew based ice cream is easy to make! Perfect for keeping you cool and satisfied.
Rob and I are on a quest to rid the Island of a noxious, invasive weed known as Scotch Broom and it just so happened that in this particular area we were pulling, over the weekend, there were mosquitoes. I’ve never experienced as many mosquitoes in my life! Not even in Texas, let alone on the Island where we rarely experience them.
My legs were particularly attractive to the mosquitos. Needless to say, I wont be putting on shorts anytime soon.
They itch, so much so, I’m waking up at night.
So I did what any sensible woman would do. First, I asked Google how to naturally remedy the itch. Two favorite pantry staples were suggested several times. Coconut oil and apple cider vinegar. Have y’all heard of this?
Coconut oil soothed my itch to the point I was no longer clawing at my legs. Later I tried the apple cider vinegar, and while it seemed to cool the itch effectively, it didn’t last quite as long as the coconut oil.
Then I made ice cream. Boozy ice cream. A cashew and coconut milk based Bourbon Soaked Cherry Vanilla Bean Ice Cream.
It made even the worst leg itch feel better!
I first planned to make this ice cream simply bourbon and vanilla bean. Then I spied perfectly beautiful Bing Cherries, which are finally in season, and knew I had to include them.
Bourbon Soaked Cherry Vanilla Bean Ice Cream was born. I put a whole vanilla bean in this ice cream, y’all, beans and pod. It gets pulverized in the blender so it’s flavor is infused throughout.
Forget about the bourbon; the vanilla is intoxicating.
If you’ve not yet tried ice cream made with cashews, I encourage you to go for it, even if you’re not vegan or are egg-and-dairy tolerant. It’s just good stuff. I know y’all are adventurous in the kitchen, seeking out new flavors, textures and food combinations.
This recipe is no different. Cashews are pretty impressive little nuts. They have a neutral flavor and whip up silky smooth. Just look at the comments on my Homemade Cashew Milk post.
And if you don’t have an ice cream maker, borrow one. It’s worth the effort. Mine was borrowed for years up until this past winter when I finally got my own.
What I love most about homemade ice cream is you know everything that’s going into it and you can make whatever creative flavors you want. That’s the best part!
While this recipe does take a bit of planning and resting, the hands-on time is minimal. This is the timeline I followed:
- Day one: Morning – Prep, blend, refrigerate. Evening – Churn and freeze
- Day Two: Scoop and enjoy!
Oh and for a vegan ice cream sandwich treat, check out my Chocolate Ice Cream Sandwich Cookie post. I’ll show you how to put homemade, pillow-soft, mouthwatering ice cream sandwiches together.
More Egg and Dairy Free Ice Cream Recipes to Love!
- Dark Chocolate Cocoa Nib Ice Cream
- Strawberry Chocolate Chip Nice Cream
- Bourbon Vanilla Bean Ice Cream
Vegan Bourbon Soaked Cherry Vanilla Bean Ice Cream
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 C Full Fat Coconut Milk 386g, 1 Can. I like Thai Kitchen
- 1 Whole Vanilla Bean beans scraped, pod reserved
- 1 C Pitted Fresh Sweet Cherries such as Bing quartered and halved., 144g
- 3 Tbs Maple Syrup
- 3 Tbs Bourbon Whiskey
- 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1 C Raw Cashews soaked in very hot water for 10 minutes or soaked in room temperature water overnight, rinsed and drained, 122g
- 1/4 C Water 59g
- 1/2 C Light Brown Sugar packed, 105g
- 1/4 tsp Sea Salt
Instructions
- Place the ice cream maker freezer container in the freezer 24 hours prior to making the ice cream.
- In a small saucepot add the coconut milk, vanilla beans and pod. Bring to a boil, remove from heat and allow to steep and cool while the cherries are prepped.
- In a lidded container, add the cherries, maple syrup, bourbon, and extract. Lid and store in the fridge until just before churning.
- Into a high speed blender, (I use VitaMix), pour in the coconut milk including the beans and pod, drained cashews, water, brown sugar, and sea salt. Blend on medium-high speed for 30 seconds. Scrape down container. Blend again until silky smooth, about 30 seconds. It will get steamy - this is okay. Pour base mixture into a lidded container and store in refrigerator for at least 8 hours.
- Before churning, strain the cherries, reserving the bourbon mixture. Pour the bourbon mixture into the cashew base mixture and stir well.
- Line a loaf pan with parchment paper and place in freezer just before churning.
- Churn the base according to manufactures directions (mine takes about 25 minutes).
- Just a minute or two before the ice cream is finished churning, add the cherries. At this point, the ice cream may not be soft enough for the machine to distribute the cherries. If not, be sure to incorporate by hand-mixing in the cherries to evenly distribute them into the ice cream.
- Spoon the ice cream into the loaf pan. Pressing the ice cream down into the pan making sure there are no air gaps. Store in the loaf pan, placing parchment directly on top of the ice cream and then place it in a plastic storage bag (I use an old bread bag).
- The ice cream is ready when it is the desired consistency. It can be served right away if soft serve is desired. If a more firm, yet slightly soft, ice cream is desired, allow to rest overnight.
- Store covered in the freezer for up to a week.
Notes
Nutrition is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate. If this information is important to you, please have it verified independently.
Hey there! This looks like a delicious recipe! I’d love to make it for a summer dinner party I’m about to throw for nonvegan friends of mine. Do you think I could skip the churning step though? Unfortunately, I don’t have an ice cream machine :(
Hi Hannah! I wouldn’t skip churning. It’s essential in this recipe. For a no churn ‘nice cream” see my strawberry chocolate chunk recipe.
I agree!!! Looks amazing!!! I want to make this for the kids but need to omit the bourbon. Will any sort of adjustment be needed?
Thanks for sharing this!
Mary
Hi Mary! You’re welcome. The alcohol makes the ice cream a bit softer and helps with reducing crystal size. BUT, maple syrup will help keep crystal size small too. So here’s what you do. Omit the bourbon and add two TBS of maple syrup in its place. It will be delicious! Please let us know how you do!
Thanks… ((~.~))
Hi Traci,
I would really love to try this one, but nobody at home likes coconut , can you feel it too much or not so much? Can I sub with any other non dairy milk?
Thanks!
Hi Vivian! I cannot detect the coconut milk simply because other flavors in the ice cream are bolder. But I understand if you don’t want to use it. I’ve not made this with any other milk, but if you want to try it with another milk, I would try unsweetened almond milk. If you give it a go, please let us know how you do!