Boozy Cherry Garcia Ice Cream {vegan + paleo}

This Cherry Garcia Ice Cream is made even better than the real thing with a splash of bourbon. It's the ultimate summer treat! Plus, you would never guess that it’s vegan + paleo too!

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Until this Cherry Garcia Ice Cream found its way into my life, I had no idea vegan ice cream could taste so good. No lie. It has the most unbelievably creamy texture that can hold its own against any dairy-based ice cream.

You'll notice that I didn't call this Vegan Cherry Garcia Ice Cream or Paleo Cherry Garcia Ice Cream. The thing is that this is just real good ice cream. And ya, it does just so happen to be vegan and paleo, but who cares? This is all about crazy good ice cream, not about the labels.

A few months ago I met up with the lovely Kristy Gardner from She Eats. I had hired her to re-design The Endless Meal, and after we had learned we share a mutual love of bourbon, it became clear we had to meet in person. She showed up with a jar of these bourbon-soaked cherries for me, 'cause she's just awesome like that. ♡♡♡

Creativity is a funny thing. So often when I have an idea for a new and totally awesome recipe I'll go online and Google it only to find out that a bazillion other people came up with the idea first. Nothing like jumping on the train long after it's left the station.

That was the story with this Boozy Cherry Garcia Ice Cream; only it was me being super forgetful and thinking that the idea was mine and mine alone.

The truth is that I first liked a picture of Traci, from Vanilla and Bean, pouring bourbon over some local cherries. Then, I commented that Kristy gave me a jar of boozy cherries. Then I went on to like 2 Bourbon Soaked Cherry Vanilla Bean Ice Cream pics Traci posted to Instagram. And then finally I decided that it was my brilliant idea to put boozy cherries in ice cream. Ha!

It's incredible how I can fool even myself. Ugh.

Anyway, clearly, I have to thank Vanilla and Bean and She Eats for the inspiration behind this Boozy Cherry Garcia Ice Cream. You ladies rock!

If you're new to the world of vegan ice cream, let me let you in on a little secret ingredient: cashews. If you want your ice cream to have the same creamy texture of dairy-based ice cream, but without any dairy, you want to reach for a bag of raw cashews. There's no other alternative that works as well.

You'll want to soak the cashew for at least 4 hours, so they're super soft and blend easily. From there you can flavor it any way you like. For this recipe, I added bourbon, cherries, and some vanilla.

You'll notice that there is coconut oil in the recipe too. That's there to make the ice cream extra creamy. Just like with regular ice cream, the higher the fat content, the creamier it is.

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Dairy-Free Ice Cream Recipes

• Vanilla Coconut Ice Cream
• Coconut Cherry Ice Cream
• Healthier Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Ice Cream
• Dreamy Almond Chocolate Nice Cream
• White Balsamic and Roasted Strawberry Ice Cream

Boozy Cherry Garcia Ice Cream

Yield: 3 cups

Prep Time: 20 mins

Cook Time: 0 mins

Total Time: 20 mins

This Cherry Garcia Ice Cream is made even better than the real thing with a splash of bourbon. You would never guess that it's healthy ice cream

If you love this recipe as much as we do, let us know with a 5-star rating!

5 stars (9 ratings)

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Ingredients

• 2 cups raw cashews
• 1 cup water
• ¼ cup coconut oil
• ¼ cup maple syrup
• ¼ cup bourbon
• 2 tablespoons coconut sugar
• 1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt
• ½ cup dark chocolate shavings
• ½ cup quartered boozy cherries

Instructions 

• If you do not have a high-powered blender, soak the cashews in cold water for 4-24 hours before making the ice cream.
  2 cups raw cashews, 1 cup water
• Drain and rinse the soaked cashews. Add the cashews, coconut oil, maple syrup, bourbon, sugar, vanilla, and salt to a blender or food processor and blend on high until smooth, about 3 minutes. Pour the cream into a bowl and refrigerate it until it's completely cold.
  ¼ cup coconut oil, ¼ cup maple syrup, ¼ cup bourbon, 2 tablespoons coconut sugar, 1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla, ¼ teaspoon sea salt
• Once the cream is cold, process it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's directions. Once the ice cream resembles soft-serve, add the chocolate and cherries and let your ice cream maker stir them into the ice cream. Scoop the ice cream into a freezer-proof container and press parchment or wax paper directly onto the surface of the ice cream. Freeze until it's solid.
  ½ cup dark chocolate shavings, ½ cup quartered boozy cherries

Serving: 1 serving = ¼ cup, Calories: 241kcal, Carbohydrates: 19g, Protein: 5g, Fat: 16g, Saturated Fat: 8g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 5g, Cholesterol: 1mg, Sodium: 65mg, Potassium: 224mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 11g, Vitamin A: 4IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 40mg, Iron: 2mg

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