Espresso Non-Dairy Ice Cream
My very favorite ice cream is coffee ice cream, and nothing else even comes close. Not only is it very difficult (read: impossible) to find good coffee ice cream in the shops here in New Zealand, but now that I'm not eating dairy, ice cream is off the menu… or is it? NO! Because there is a healthy, delicious, non-dairy, non-soy alternative. And it takes about as long to make as it takes to get a tub of ice cream from the freezer and serve it up. But the best part is, it's so healthy, it's virtually guilt-free.
I love this non-dairy ice cream, in all it's variations, so much I don't think I'd be satisfied going back to eating ice cream made from dairy.
Ingredients:
1 ripe banana
3 frozen bananas
1/4 cup brewed & cooled espresso
1 tablespoon coffee chicory essence
1 tablespoon honey or agave syrup
1/2 teas vanilla extract (optional)
Instructions:
Break bananas into pieces and add to blender. Add all other ingredients and blend on low until until the banana starts becoming smooth, then turn the speed up until thoroughly blended.
If you brew the espresso earlier in the day, or save some from your morning coffee you can make this delicious treat in about 5 minutes for dinner or lunch. In fact, it's you can still make a nice cold dessert even if the espresso is still warm.
Many health experts argue that coffee is actually healthy because of the high level of antioxidants it contains. As much as I'd like to believe that I know from my own experience that coffee is addictive and too much is definitely not good, for my body at least. But I love it all the same.
If you don't like coffee, or are trying to give up, you could use a healthy coffee substitute instead. Roasted chicory is one option, but I've also seen, though not yet tried, roasted maca root. Raw maca has a sweet, rich, malty flavor which I imagine is enhanced by the roasting, so I'd certainly love to try some! Both chicory and maca are very nutritious and healthy in their raw state. Roasting, like all forms of cooking will destroy some of the nutrients, including vital enzymes. But it's a trade-off if you feel coffee is not good for you. The caffeine in coffee can certainly have a detrimental effect if you tend towards insomnia.
This is a great raw vegan ice cream recipe to use as a starter and just play around with the ingredients to create a delicious concoction of your own. What variations have you come up with? Leave a comment and let me know.
Yum, I love banana ice cream!
Me too! Bananas are such an amazing and versatile food aren’t they? I love it the way they freeze and you can use them to thicken anything from smoothies to creating ice cream.
Hi Jhon, I agree, freshly roasted beans make a big difference! I’ve had coffee made from older beans, they were very dry, the volatile oils had gone and it was disgusting!
I’d argue that the beans are more important than the coffee machine though. I have a stove-top espresso machine, and it makes great coffee. But the biggest difference I’ve found in the quality of the brew is the beans, the way they are roasted and the freshness of them. But if you’re into coffee, it’s definitely nice to have a really nice espresso maker. In the long run they will pay for themselves too if you make your own instead of buying them out at cafes and coffee shops. If people added up what they spent in a year they would realize that a nice coffee machine would probably pay for itself in a year or two – plus you don’t have to leave home to enjoy a great cup of coffee! You may also find your friends come round to visit more often 😉
Great recipe thank you for sharing.
Can you put raw coffee in a dehydrator and still get the same taste?
Thanks for asking Elysse, if you mean raw coffee beans, unfortunately they do need to be roasted to get that same taste. When they are raw, they are also harder to break, and so would be harder to grind I think. But I know that some roasters really over-roast the beans, almost burning them. I don’t like the taste of the coffee that produces (although it’s a very strong taste and some people like that), but I’ve also read that it changes the coffee in a way that has more health implications. I’m not sure of the details or accuracy of that, but I do remember reading it.
There is a new coffee substitute that is much healthier, although it’s also roasted, but still would be much healthier than coffee. It’s made from the Peruvian superfood Maca, and I bet it’s delicious! I’ve not had the opportunity to try it, but I’m really eager to. Here’s what they say about it:
You can get it at iherb, here’s the link: Maca Magic, MaCafe. If it’s your first time shopping at iHerb you can use the discount code WEZ300 to get a bit of a discount off your first order. The MaCafe is not expensive and I think it would work really well in this recipe either totally replacing the coffee or a combination of both. If you replace the coffee completely in this recipe you may need to add a bit of water to get it to blend. Add the water if needed and only small amounts at a time to get the thickness you like.
If you get some and try this I’d love to know what you think of it. It looks from the product reviews that people have placed that most really like it, both the taste and the energy and feel-good factor they experience from it. Some have used it to replace coffee completely and others mix it in with their coffee to get the nutritional and health benefits.
Thanks Jaeny! This is the fastest homemade ice cream ever! You can basically add anything you want as far as the flavoring goes. I buy bananas either organically in bulk or when they are on sale and freeze lots so I always have them on hand. Great for nice cold dairy free milkshake-like smoothies too.
I’ll keep that in mind Donna, I get to enjoy these great treats and their rich in potassium too, what a plus factor 🙂
Firstly, i use oat flour (whole oats ground in coffee grinder) as my thickener to smoothies for it aides in preventing the crushed ice from separating too swiftly in my glass as its constantly looking to hydrate (meaning sucking up the water _ _ and is an added source of soluble fiber) – this is kind of why one adds bananas. I also recommend instant coffee (i.e dehydrated coffee – that’s it – harder to find yet well worth it) for espresso’s and what not tend to have more water content and my ice is plenty of water. Dry Non -dairy creamers (soy) adds the creamimess to the smoothies.
I have also used taro and/or cassava in non-dairy icecream with great success. In both cases I’ve peeled and then steamed or boiled the roots, so it’s not a raw ice cream I’m doing, and I’ve added ice cubes and frozen bananas for the “chill”.
Wow, that’s interesting Molly. I think I had Taro growing on my 2 acre farm when I lived in New Zealand. I knew you had to cook the roots but I’ve never used it before and I didn’t get around to finding out for sure and experimenting with it.
This is such a great recipe! My sister in-law is lactose intolerant and she told me this was a great recipe but I did not believe her. I love it!!
Thank you Stephanie! You can take this basic recipe and get creative to produce other flavors. If you like strawberry ice cream, for instance, swap out the coffee for strawberries.