Four Ingredient Vegan Papaya Ice Cream
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Calling ALL vegan ice cream lovers. This one is for you.
Wait, is this an ice cream recipe on a super-duper-healthy food blog that prides itself on being refined oil free and refined sugar free?! YESSSSS.
This papaya ice cream is refined oil free and refined sugar free, and it is still a very creamy, sweet and tasty ice cream. The secret sauce? Cashews, coconut milk (from a can), and dates.
If you're new to veganism - you probably thought you'd never eat ice cream again. Or at least I did... until I learned that cashews are magical, coconut cream in a can makes everything creamy, and dates.. well dates are just nature's gift to mankind.
so... how complicated is this vegan papaya ice cream?
It's not complicated AT all! Just gather the ingredients, throw them in a blender and freeze .. or throw mixture into your ice cream maker and make ice cream!
If you DON'T have an ice cream maker - don't panic! You can still make this recipe. I've done it myself... will it be different than using an actual ice cream maker? Well, yea .. it won't be 'as' ice cream-ish as if you used an actual ice cream maker.
An ice cream maker 'churns' the mixture (spins it while mixing it), in a really cold container. This helps prevent ice crystals from forming later on when you stick it in the freezer, and it also results in a creamier, thicker, more-like-ice cream texture. So, if you don't use one - yes, it'll be different but it's still tasty and creamy and cold and totally worth it.
The Ice Cream Maker that I use is this one from Cuisinart. It's officially been one year since I have owned it, and it's been great. I've used it more times than I can count... and will continue to use it, especially after coming up with this vegan papaya ice cream recipe.
If ice cream makers scare you - they scared me for a while - I thought it would be too complicated to make homemade ice cream, but after going vegan and having no other option but to make my own ice cream - I gave in, and I'm glad that I did. It is $50 bucks on Amazon (at the time of posting this), but how much are you spending right now on store bought ice cream? Exactly! It's an investment.
Immune boosting vegan papaya ice cream treat
Papaya is a vibrantly colored tropical fruit that is sweet and sooo nutritious. It has loadsss of Vitamin C, which is really good for giving your immune system a boost. Papaya is also filled with fiber, and like I mentioned previously in this Mango Pineapple Smoothie post, regarding our inadequate fiber intake as a nation... it's great to be able to enjoy this sweet treat and know that your getting fiber in as well.
Ps. We grew this papaya at home! Isn't it beautiful?
Isn't that a precious color?! Papaya fruit makes for the most perfect pale colored ice cream. I say, it's the perfect way to welcome in Spring. And if it's still super freezing in your side of town - well, then make sure you save this recipe for later because you're going to want this in the summer. <3
Now go grab some friends and tell them you're going to make the most amazing papaya ice cream because you are a vegan who doesn't just eat salads! 😛
Also make sure you check out this roundup we did of our favorite easy and simple homemade vegan healthy ice cream recipes!
In the mood for more dessert recipes?
You might also want to check out The Best Vegan Matcha Cake, Easy Raw Vegan Cake Pops, or these Chocolate-y Blender Brownies!
with love + gratitude,
Jen ♥
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Easy Vegan Papaya Ice Cream Recipe
The creamiest vegan papaya ice cream that is oil free and refined sugar free. Only four ingredients required. This is a perfect non-dairy dessert for all the ice cream lovers.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 3 to 4 servings 1x
- Category: Ice Cream
- Cuisine: Vegan Desserts
Ingredients
- 1 ripe papaya
- 1.5 cups of cashews (best if soaked for 1 to 2 hours)
- 1 can of coconut cream
- 5 dates
- 1 tsp of vanilla extract (optional)
Instructions
- Soak your cashews for 1 to 2 hours. If you have a really powerful blender, you can get away with soaking for about an hour or less. If you do not have a powerful blender, I highly suggest soaking the cashews so that you can get ultimate creaminess!
- Throw all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.
- Churn in ice cream maker machine for about 15 to 20 minutes, or until it reaches a hard ice cream consistency. If you do not own an ice cream maker – After blending everything together, pour into a glass airtight container or into an ice cream container like this one (affiliate link), pop it into the freezer and freeze for a few hours before serving.
Notes
- For best results, use an ice cream machine maker like this one (affiliate link), but if you do not have one – no worries! I have done this recipe without one and what I do is put the mixture into a glass container in the freezer and wait a few hours so that it hardens. You might have to wait to defrost it a bit before serving if it freezes too much. The consistency won’t be exactly like ice cream but it still works, and it is a delicious treat!
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Looks so deliciously creamy – yum!
This papaya ice cream looks so smooth and creamy! You’d never guess it was dairy free. Where’s my spoon!
★★★★★
Ohhh man, you are so lucky to be able to grow papaya at home! Do you grow other fruit too? I’d be planting every fruit tree possible. Lol. This looks like some pretty kick ass ice cream! My mouth is watering 🙂
Haha yea, one of the perks of living in south Florida! We are currently in the process of ‘planting every fruit possible’ hahaha. Last year we were THIS close to harvesting our own watermelon but the worms got to it before it was ready :'( .. We grow a bunch of greens and veggies (cilantro, basil, arugula, kale, spinach)! 🙂
I must admit., I’ve been pondering about investing into an ice cream maker and you definitely made me do it now… ooops. Really love how creamy this ice cream is and will be sure to give it a go in the summer season!
★★★★★
I would have never thought to put papaya in ice cream, but it looks and sounds delicious! The perfect refreshing summer treat!
Can you tell me what size papaya you used. 1 papaya is not descriptive enough since they can vary greatly in size
You are totally right.. papayas can vary greatly in size. Unfortunately I don’t have an exact measurement of the weight of the papayas I use but I’d say it is an average sized one.. neither too small nor too large. I’ve made this recipe many many times with many different sized papayas and it always turns out great.. The bigger the papaya the more noticeable the flavor will be. Next time I make this one (which will be very soon) I’ll measure the fruit in grams and post it as a guide. 🙂 Hope you enjoy it.
The recipe looks great, but I don’t know what an average size of papaya is. I’m not in the US, and the sizes here have a HUGE range. Hope you’ll update the recipe soon because papaya is in season.
Hi Peggy! Thank you for bringing that to my attention. This recipe is based off a papaya that weighs around 1lb – give or take. This recipe is very forgiving so even if it’s not exactly one lb ( a little more or a little less) will be okay! If the papaya is really big (>2 lbs) I would just double the rest of the ingredients.