Cherry Chocolate Chunk Vegan Ice Cream

With it’s rich texture and sweet and tart flavors, this Cherry Chocolate Chunk Vegan Ice Cream is what ice cream dreams are made of.

Cherries are such a special and glorious fruit, don’t you think? They are sweet, yet tart, small, yet juicy and robust, and – they go marvelously with chocolate!  Honestly, it’s a flavor combo I feel should be celebrated just as much as peanut butter and chocolate. The two ingredients compliment each other just as splendidly, (in my humble opinion, anyway!)

So it’s no surprise that the moment I saw fresh, ripe cherries in the grocery store this season, I knew a Cherry Chocolate Chunk Vegan Ice Cream recipe was in my future.

After a couple of tries, this recipe was born in the Dunham kitchen, and we’re all officially hooked. This ice cream is super thick and creamy with lots of chunks of chocolate and deep red cherries. In fact, even the dairy lovers who stop by have raved about this ice cream, too!

Why this Recipe Works:

• With simple ingredients and instructions, it’s never been easier to whip up your own ice cream right at home!
• Using maple syrup as the main sweetener gives this ice cream a little boost in minerals.
• The cashew and coconut base of this ice cream makes it extra creamy – you’d never know it’s vegan!
• Not a fan of cashews or have a cashew allergy? No prob – simply replace the cashews with extra coconut cream as noted in the ingredients.

How to Make Cherry Chocolate Chunk Vegan Ice Cream:

1. First, place your cashews in a bowl and cover them with about 2 1/2 cups of water.  Allow them to soak for at least 6 hours but no longer than 24 hours. Note: if you don’t own a professional grade blender such as a Vitamix, replace the cashews with extra coconut cream, as noted in the ingredients.

Also – if you use the type of ice cream maker that requires a frozen base in order to make the ice cream, place that base in your freezer for at least 6 hours, as well.

2. Drain and then rinse your cashews thoroughly in cold water.  Then, place them in a high speed blender for now.

3. Add the entire can of coconut cream, maple syrup, sugar, vanilla and salt to the blender as well, and then blend on high until the mixture is very smooth.

4. Next, pour this ice cream base into your ice cream maker and start the churning process! My ice cream maker usually takes about 20-25 minutes to create thick and creamy ice cream, but others may take longer OR shorter amounts of time.

5. Meanwhile, prepare your cherries and chocolate.  This would probably be a good time to share a kitchen gadget that I feel is totally worth the money and space that it takes up in my drawer (and I’m very picky when it comes to what items get to stay and take up kitchen space!)  It’s a cherry pitting tool that pits six cherries at once!

Simply place the cherries in the six spots and press down on the lid to push out the pits in each one.

Granted, you will want to check each cherry afterwards to make sure the pit made it’s way out, but I’d say I have success about 91% of the time!

If you’re interested, you can find one of these handy contraptions HERE.

Afterwards, place those cherries in a pile and give them a good chop. Then, chop your chocolate, too. I aim for slightly larger than pea-sized pieces of cherries and about double that size for the chocolate. You’ll naturally end up with some smaller chocolate pieces and shavings too, which is perfect.

6. When your ice cream becomes very thick and slightly harder to churn, add your cherries and chocolate and allow those two to churn with the ice cream for a few minutes until incorporated.

7. Finally, spoon your cherry jam into the ice cream maker.  I usually only allow the jam to churn with the ice cream for about 10 seconds because I like the swirly look it creates when it isn’t fully mixed in. But if you want a nice, evenly pink colored ice cream, allow the ice cream maker to go a little longer.

BTW – since we’re talking kitchen tools, THIS is the ice cream maker I use and I love it.  I’ve had it for years; it’s super easy to use and clean!

8. At this point, the ice cream is more in “soft serve” form, so for more traditional ice cream, spoon this dreamy mixture into a storage container and smooth over the surface.  I like to add a little extra chopped chocolate and/or cherries to the surface if I have left overs in order to make it look even more enticing! Then, I secure the lid and it’s off to the freezer.

After a few hours of freezing, your ice cream will be nice and firm and ready for enjoyment.

Mmmm… this ice cream is SO good!

This is definitely one of my favorite warm weather recipes, and I hope you love it as much as we do.

Top Tips for Making Cherry Chocolate Chunk Vegan Ice Cream:

• Take this ice cream to the next level by pairing it with my 2-Ingredient Vegan Whipped Cream.
• Feel free to get creative with your chocolate choice. I like the type with sea salt and almonds, but any dark chocolate would work well too!
• I find that using dark red cherries works best with this recipe.
• When buying cashews, make sure they’re raw (unroasted) and unsalted.
• Not a fan of cashews or have a cashew allergy? No prob – simply replace the cashews with extra coconut cream as noted in the ingredients.
• This ice cream is best if consumed within two weeks, but it’s still delicious after a month or two.
• THIS is the handy dandy cherry pitting tool I use that pits six cherries at once!
• THIS is the awesome ice cream maker that I’ve used for years.

Did you try this recipe? Please give it a star rating and let me know what you think in the comments below. Your feedback is very helpful! Thanks in advance.

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