Want vegan ice cream that practically makes itself?
All you need is 5 minutes, 6 ingredients, and a food processor. No churning needed!
Yup, in no time you’ll have a scrumptious soft serve that tastes like cherry sorbet and chocolate ice cream had a baby. It’s a sinfully delicious and healthy, so you can satisfy your sweet tooth and still feel saintly.
Which is good, because in the interest of science, I’ve made this recipe about 20 times now. (You can’t be too careful.)
For science
Desperate times, delightful results
The idea for this ice cream came to me on one of those scorching DC days; it was 94 degrees and 1000% humidity at least. Needless to say, I was dying for something cold and chocolatey. Now, normally in that situation, Jeff and I would run to Whole Foods and split a pint of almond milk ice cream. Hey, we’re only human!
However, Jeff was out of town, and I wasn’t about to spend a night at home alone with a pint of store-bought ice cream. (I think we all know how that would end.)
Moreover, I wanted my fix RIGHT THAT MINUTE, and Whole Foods is easily 10-minutes away. Too far, given the ice cream craving I was having.
I was going to have to make something myself.
Gah!
I mean, if you’re in the mood for cooking, great. But if you want ice cream rightthisminute? Having to make it yourself is a drag.
Worse, I didn’t have any “normal” vegan ice cream ingredients on hand. The only thing that seemed remotely like it might work was a bag of frozen cherries. So I chucked everything I could think of that would go with frozen cherries in a mini food processor and prayed.
Well! The angels were smiling upon me, because I ended up with delicious chocolate-cherry ice cream before I could say black forest. It was sweet and creamy with little chewy bits of cherry. It had a scrumptious soft-serve texture. And of course, it had lots and lots of chocolate.
Sometimes, it’s better to be lucky than good. 😉
Of course, I’ve tinkered with the recipe a lot since that day, but honestly, the final version is pretty similar to the original. Why mess with a good thing?
Sinfully good…and good for you
Speaking of good, while it tastes like a dietary disaster, this ice cream-sorbet hybrid is healthier than what most Americans eat for breakfast. Truth!
The base is frozen cherries, which sounds weird, but cherries are actually a perfect partner for ice cream. They’re naturally sweet, blend up smoothly, and taste amazing with chocolate. (Especially when you mix in a little almond butter.)
What’s more, sweet cherries are rich in antioxidants and pack an anti-inflammatory punch. (Learn more about that in this quick article.) Which means I can have ice cream and my feet—which normally get achy and ouchy when I eat junk food—still feel great.
Moreover, this you can sweeten this vegan ice cream with either dates or maple syrup. That means you can join the in frozen fun if you’re following Eat to Live. There’s also a fat-free version for McDougallers. Honestly, I’ve tried this recipe every which way, and it’s always good.
My favorite part of this vegan ice cream, though? It’s coconut- and banana-free, which makes my stomach—with it’s “unique” sensitivities—very, very happy.
You'll love this #DairyFree #Vegan Chocolate-Cherry Ice Cream. Ready in 5 minutes! Share on XQuick and easy
OK, I lied. 😉 My favorite thing about this ice cream is that it’s fast. All you need is 5 minutes and a food processor. So you’re never far from your [sinless] ice cream fix.
Of course, this quickie ice cream comes out with the texture of soft serve. You can scoop it, yes, but you need to eat it right away. (Which is sort of the point, right?) If you’re a purist, though, you can freeze it for 2-3 hours or overnight to get traditional ice cream texture. For example, I froze it overnight to get the photos in this post (bought me a little extra pre-melt time), but I usually just make it and eat it. (See spoon picture above.)
If you don’t feel like sharing…
You can make a single serving of cherry-chocolate ice cream with this ridiculously useful Cuisinart Immersion Blender Set.
The mini food processor (left) included in the Cuisinart Immersion Blender Set ($69.95 on Amazon) is perfect for a single serving.
The mini food processor is the ideal size for one serving of ice cream. (See recipe notes for directions.) In fact, I used mine for the first ~10 rounds of recipe testing. (Sorry, Jeff! 😉 )
Also, I love the stick blender so much that it’s probably the tool I’d rescue if my kitchen were on fire. I use it to make homemade salad dressing at least twice a week, and it can handle cashew-based dressings with no soaking. Small but mighty!
Bonus: Do you love strawberries?
You’re in luck! You can make this ice cream with strawberries or cherries. (See recipe Notes.) In fact, when I road-tested both versions with a couple of friends, they loved both, and couldn’t decide if they liked cherry or strawberry better.
So if you need a sweet treat and you need it now, cool your craving with this cherry (or strawberry) chocolate ice cream.
Heavenly and healthy—what could be better?
Vegan 5-minute cherry chocolate ice cream recipe
One of the last photos I took! I dove straight into this melt-y bowl of goodness the second I switched off the camera. Yummy nummy nummy mmmmm……
- 1 lb (4 slightly heaping cups) frozen pitted cherries (See Notes for strawberry version)
- ¼ c cocoa powder
- ¼ c almond butter (see Notes for fat-free version)
- ¼ c maple syrup OR ¼ c + 2 Tbsp date paste
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp almond extract
- Pulse frozen cherries and cocoa powder in a food processor until cherries are broken up into small pieces. (About the size of peas.)
- Add remaining ingredients to food processor. Pulse, scraping 2-3 times as you go, until almond butter is just incorporated. Don't overmix!
- Serve immediately for soft serve texture. Or, transfer to a storage container, place plastic wrap directly on the surface of the ice cream, and freeze for 2-3 hours or overnight for a more traditional ice cream texture. (See Notes.)
-Strawberry version: Use 1 lb strawberries instead of cherries. Add an extra 2 Tbsp maple syrup (or 3 Tbsp date paste). Add an extra ½ tsp of almond extract.
-For firmer ice cream: Freeze 2-3 hours or overnight with a piece of plastic wrap pressed directly onto the surface of the ice cream. If freezing overnight, thaw on the counter for 15-30 min, or microwave for 15-20 sec before serving for easier scooping.
-Single serving: Use a mini food processor and divide all ingredients by 4. For the cherry version, that's:
1 c frozen cherries (4 oz)
1 Tbsp cocoa powder
1 Tbsp almond butter
1 Tbsp maple syrup OR 1½ Tbsp date paste
¼ tsp vanilla extract
⅛ tsp almond extract
Pin this ice cream for later! (You’ll be glad you did.)
Your turn:
- What do you eat when your sweet tooth strikes but you’re in a hurry?
Shared on the Healthy Living Link Party, Allergy Free Thursdays, Plant-Based Potluck Party, Gluten Free Fridays, Healthy Vegan Fridays, and Real Food Fridays.
This post contains affiliate links, which help me provide free recipes and info on Veggie Quest.
Correction, 7/8/16: Grapes, not cherries, contain erythritol, the sugar-like substance found in Truvia. Sorry to goof on that one!
I'm Lee, an RD thriving on a healthy plant based diet.
Lee I laughed out loud for nearly a whole minute when I read “tastes like cherry sorbet and chocolate ice cream had a baby”!! Wonderful!! I bet this is scrumptious. I know frozen cherries and carob go well together, too, from easy experiements from my blog like rolling a frozen cherry in carob powder and cardamom or cinnamon, so it’s only a skip to see how this is such a winner. Thanks! And thanks for making me laugh. Love your style. 🙂 xoxo
Hi Maria, so glad I could make you laugh! I had a lot of fun writing the post, so I’m glad you enjoyed it. And of course, when I read your comment, I immediately went to the kitchen and rolled a frozen cherry in carob powder. Tasty! And I bet it’s even better with cinnamon and cardamom! Like a delish little frozen truffle. That may be one of my new super-quick summer snacks, right up there with frozen cherries. You should do a post on it! Quick-and-easy bites are the best!
5 minutes and a food processor? This is for me!!!! I don’t have an ice cream maker so I love finding recipes that don’t require one. Cherries are my favorite summer fruit. I can’t wait to try this!
Hi Heather, I actually have an ice cream maker, but I almost always make this recipe instead now because it’s so fast and yummy. Hope you like it!
Oh wow. This sounds amazing. It’s been super hot here lately and I’ve been craving ice cream more. I’ve managed to not hit up whole foods as I will definitely eat it waaaaay faster than Terry can help.
I’m not a huge cherry fan, so I appreciate the strawberry sub. Terry on the other hand loves cherries and we have huge bag in the fridge that need to be used up. I’m totally freezing them to make this 🙂
Hi Kimmy, it’s amazing how fast a pint of ice cream goes, isn’t it? 😀
You know, I made the strawberry version because Jeff’s not huge on cherries either, but for whatever reason he really likes them in this recipe. (He actually prefers it to the strawberry, even though that one’s good too.) And seriously, why do they sell cherries in such gigantic bags? Glad I can help you use them up!
Yum! Looks great!
Thanks Bethany, that’s so sweet of you to say! Let me know if you try it!
HI Lee,
This sound ice-cream recipes sounds so refreshing, healthy and tasty. What a great treat for a hot summer day. Thanks for sharing on Real Food Fridays. Pinned & tweeted!
Thanks Marla, hope you’re having a great week!
Sounds delicious, Lee! I’m all about easy, healthy treats for the summer. 😉 Thanks for sharing it with us at Allergy Free Thursdays!
Thanks Raia, this definitely fits the bill! (Although it’s maybe a little too easy–I’ve blown through a couple bags of frozen cherries from Costco within a few weeks, whoops. But so tasty!) 🙂
I’ll take several servings please!
Next time we all go out for dinner, just come on over after and I can whip some up. (Or better yet, I’ll have Jeff do it. 😉 ) Perfect for eating on the screened porch!
Lee these ice cream looks amazing!! I can’t wait to try it. I love cherries so this will be such a good treat!
I totally know what you mean about eating a whole pint of ice cream, I’ve done it before! I didn’t have that problem since going vegan because I wasn’t a fan of most diary-free ice creams…until Ben & Jerry’s came out this year. I’ll have to keep these ingredients on hand so I don’t go out and buy the B&J. Yours looks so much more healthy and tasty anyway!
Also meant to say that we always love having you link up with us for #HealthyVeganFridays! I’m Pinning and sharing!
Gaaah I know! Vegan Ben & Jerry’s is too good! At first I was really excited about it, but then I realized it was kind of bad to have a reason to buy Ben & Jerry’s again. Luckily, this recipe has single-handedly short-circuited my ice-cream-buying habit, thank goodness. (Also, thanks for the pin/share!)
I just love this and am featuring it tonight on Allergy-Free Thursdays! Can’t wait to see what you share this week!
Thanks Elle, that totally makes my day! 🙂
Yum! My friends and family will love this vegan ice cream treat! I’ll be making this all Summer! Thanks for sharing your healthy and delectable 5-Minute Vegan Cherry Chocolate Ice Cream with us on the Plant-Based Potluck Party Link Up. I’m pinning and sharing.
Holy yum! This looks incredible and is different from the typical vegan ice cream recipes I’ve seen. Pinned!
Thanks Monique! 😀 It’s definitely different, but still really tasty. Thank goodness cherries are healthy, because I’ve eaten an absurd amount of them in the last month thanks to this ice cream.
Oh my gosh, oh my gosh…. Chocolate and cherry is my favourite combination! And I love ice cream! But all things seem to be coconut based these days and I have a very low tolerance to coconut fat. When I read that this was coconut free, I cried a little in joy. Can’t wait to make it, don’t even care that it is winter here.
Hi Susan, I totally hear you–I can only have coconut in small amounts! Coconut is really high in saturated fat, and it doesn’t agree with me generally, so I feel your pain on not being able to make most vegan ice cream recipes. Hope you enjoy this one, though! 🙂