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Light, Luscious, Creamy and Smooth Vegan Roasted Banana Ice Cream
Originally published by a writer of The New York Times, this vegan ice cream will blow your mind!
There’s a whole vegan chapter in the new “Van Leeuwen Artisan Ice Cream” cookbook (Ecco, 2015). And among the treasures of 90 other inventive recipes, I was excited about the ten cream-free variations!
The book entails a detail-oriented tome by Laura O’Neill, Ben Van Leeuwen and Pete Van Leeuwen, with Olga Massov. O’Neill and the Van Leeuwen brothers own the popular Van Leeuwen ice cream shops in New York and Los Angeles and a fleet of buttercup-yellow ice cream trucks.
In this article, we’re going to show you the recipe for the vegan roasted banana ice cream that rose to the top.
If you follow the carefully constructed instructions, you will not go wrong (or too far off!). Best of all, if you can contain your servings, this ice cream will last for days in your freezer without the grainy or icy bits that you normally get!
Start your first vegan ice cream project now!
VEGAN ROASTED BANANA ICE CREAM
Makes about 1½ quarts
1½ cups raw, unsalted cashews
4 medium bananas, preferably somewhat speckled but not brown, peeled and cut into ¼-inch slices
6 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons extra-virgin coconut oil
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon plus a pinch kosher salt
¾ cup sugar
½ cup cocoa butter, available at baking supply stores and online
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons coconut milk
½ cup chopped walnuts, toasted (optional)
Directions
1. To make the cashew milk, place the cashews in a large bowl and add water to cover by a couple of inches. Soak cashews overnight.
2. In the morning, drain the cashews and place them in a blender with about 1¾ cups fresh water. Blend until smooth. If you use a Vitamix, there will be no need to strain — the milk will be perfectly smooth; for other blenders, check the consistency and, if necessary, strain the cashew milk through a fine-mesh strainer. Cashew milk will keep well, covered and refrigerated, for up to four days.
3. To roast the bananas, heat the oven to 400 degrees with a rack in the middle. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl, toss the bananas, 2 tablespoons coconut oil, brown sugar and pinch of salt. Spread on prepared baking sheet until caramelized, about 15 to 25 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack and let cool completely.
4. Put ¼ cup water into a small saucepan over medium to low heat. Add sugar and cook, stirring frequently, until sugar has dissolved. Add cocoa butter, remaining 4 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons coconut oil and remaining salt. Stir until melted.
5. Pour the sugar mixture into in a food processor (or use a tall 2-quart container and an immersion blender), and add the coconut milk and 1 cup cashew milk. Blend until smooth. Add roasted bananas and blend again to combine until very smooth. Cover and refrigerate the ice cream base until chilled, one to two hours.
6. Freeze in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. In the last minute of churning, add toasted walnuts, if desired, and churn until incorporated. Transfer the ice cream to a storage container and freeze up to seven days. Alternatively, you can serve it immediately. It will be the consistency of soft serve.
If you’re up for it, try the vegan mint chocolate chip that is bright tasting, which leaves regular ice creams to melt and weep!
