Creamy, refreshing dairy free mint chocolate chip ice cream sweetened with raw honey and zero guilt!

There truly must have been some “luck of the Irish” involved with this recipe! I mean, baking and cooking and finding the right ingredients since moving to Spain has been quite the adventure.  Maybe thats why I have been eating all the charcuterie and no complaints there!

All of my kitchen gear, think food processor, blender, and ice cream maker function on a different electric frequency, meaning you can’t just plug them into the wall.  So anytime I want to bake or make a sweet treat, I have to get out this horribly heavy and cumbersome transformer.  Anyways, I somehow managed to blow three of them up making this recipe, but hey I persisted and it turned out just magical!

I mean if this were a dating game, this ice cream’s creaminess appeal factor would be beyond a 10.

Ok so confession, my husband absolutely loves mint chocolate chip ice cream and has been asking me to recreate it for years now—well we have only been married for 4 so not really that long!  I have this weird memory as a child that mint chocolate chip ice cream was always dry and icy, so I never wanted to make it! But for St Patrick’s day I thought it would be the perfect green treat.

Yeah about that, insert me laughing at myself because this didn’t turn out green as you can see by the photos!  Sadly most mint ice creams you find have food dyes or artificial ingredients to make them that bright green we all are used to seeing! I now have a few ideas of how to make this naturally green, but since I broke all my transformers making this, you all are getting this not so green St Patty’s day treat! It’s delicious so just ignore the color and enjoy!

You will notice this recipe is a bit higher in carbohydrates than my normal recipes, but keep in mind you are getting a lot of healthy fats, proteins and good carbohydrates with this dairy free mint chocolate chip ice cream rather than just sugar!  I wanted to create an ice cream recipe without egg yolks, which help thicken and give that creamy texture, as I know some people can’t tolerate eggs.  Cashews truly give this that thick, creamy appeal and speaking from experience this dairy free mint chocolate chip ice cream won’t get all icy in your freezer, which is a win for dairy free ice creams! Simply put it on your counter for 15 minutes to soften before scooping and voila!

Dairy Free Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

serves 6 | approximately 36 g carbs per serving

• 2 1/2 cups full-fat, unsweetened coconut milk
• 1 1/2 cups raw cashew pieces
• 1/3 cup raw honey
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup fresh mint leaves, loosely packed*
• 1 3.5 oz dark chocolate bar, finely chopped

*This is about 2 handfuls.  Be sure to only add the leaves, not the brown stems.

Directions

• Remember to place your ice cream maker’s bowl in the freezer a day ahead of time!
• Add the coconut milk, raw cashew pieces, honey, vanilla extract and mint leaves to the bowl of a high speed blender.  Place the lid on top and set aside for 30 minutes to 1 hour to allow the cashews to soften.
• Blend the coconut and cashew mixture on high until totally smooth.
• Strain through a fine mesh strainer and place in a bowl or glass jar.  Cover and chill in the refrigerator for a minimum of 8 hours.
• Churn your ice cream according to your ice cream maker’s instructions, adding all the chocolate in at the end once the ice cream has started to thicken.  Transfer to a serving or storage container and freeze for 15-20 minutes if necessary.
• Serve and enjoy!