Healthy Blueberry Ice Cream like you’ve never had before. It’s creamy, rich, and made without bananas, dairy, or refined sugar. No ice cream maker needed!

Healthy Blueberry Ice Cream in a bowl.
chelsea

Family Favorite

No Churn, No Dairy, All Yum!

I’ve never met anyone who loves ice cream as much as my husband. But since he’s lactose-intolerant, his options are pretty limited when it comes to good ice cream. So I created this recipe. It’s dairy-free, free of refined sugars, not packed with bananas, and seriously delicious.

I used blueberries because they’re his favorite fruit, but after one bite, I was hooked too. I honestly can’t imagine a better flavor. It’s that good!

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The cashews soaking, then your coconut milk and wild blueberries being added to the blender.

Healthy Blueberry Ice Cream Ingredients

Beyond the blueberries discussed above, we have five other ingredients in this recipe. Let’s break it all down:

  • Wild blueberries: Use frozen wild blueberries, not regular. They’re smaller, less watery, and pack way more flavor. Toss leftovers in a 4-ingredient Blueberry Smoothie or easy Blueberry Syrup.
  • Cashews: Add flavor and thickness. Use plain salted cashews.
  • Coconut milk or cream: Milk is lighter. Cream makes it richer. Both work.
  • Maple syrup: Naturally sweetens without refined sugar.
  • Fine sea salt: Boosts and balances flavor.
  • Vanilla: Adds a smooth, extra flavor.
Process shots of Blueberry Ice Cream-- images of the salt, vanilla, and cashews being added to the blender and it all being blended together and then frozen in ice cubes trays

How To Make Healthy Blueberry Ice Cream

  1. Soften cashews: Soak overnight, cover with boiling water and soak, or boil to soften for smooth blending.
  2. Blend: Add softened cashews and all other ingredients to a blender. Blend until smooth.
  3. Freeze: Pour into ice cube trays and freeze until solid. Blend frozen cubes for creamy ice cream. Or use an ice cream maker if preferred.

Tools Needed

  • Blender or food processor: Use a high-powered one (like a Blend-tec®) to blend cashews and frozen cubes without overheating or thinning the ice cream.
  • Ice cream maker or trays: Use an ice cream maker or freeze the mixture in ice cube trays, then blend the frozen cubes into creamy ice cream.

Quick Tip

Be sure to thoroughly blend the ice cream mixture to ensure cashews are fully broken down and completely smooth. With a high-powered blender, this goes quickly, but with a less powerful blender, you may need to blend the mixture a few times to ensure the mixture is nice and smooth.

Storage

I make multiple batches of Healthy Blueberry Ice Cream and freeze them in ice cube trays. Store the frozen cubes in gallon-sized freezer bags. When craving strikes, blend a handful for instant Blueberry Ice Cream!

More (Secretly) Nutritious Desserts:

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Healthy Blueberry Ice Cream

By Chelsea Lords
This creamy Healthy Blueberry Ice Cream is made without bananas, dairy, or refined sugars, but it tastes indulgent and sweet. With wholesome ingredients and no ice cream maker needed, it’s an easy treat you’ll love!
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Chilling Time: 8 hours
Total Time: 8 hours 15 minutes
Servings: 8 servings

Video

Equipment

Ingredients

Instructions 

  • There are a few ways to soften the cashews:
    Add to a bowl and cover with water. Let stand 6–8 hours or until soft and bloated. Thoroughly drain.
    Place cashews in a heatproof bowl. Pour 2 cups boiling water over cashews. Let stand 30 minutes to an hour or until soft and bloated. Drain thoroughly.
    Add cashews to a small pot and cover with 1 inch water. Bring to a boil and boil 10 minutes or until cashews are soft and bloated. Drain thoroughly.
  • Meanwhile, add can of coconut milk (including liquid that may have settled) into a large, powerful blender. Add remaining ingredients and well-drained cashews. Blend on high speed until very smooth, 2–3 minutes.
  • Freeze in Ice Cube Trays: Pour mixture evenly into ice cube trays (I use 2). (If you don’t have a high-powered blender, reserve 1/3 cup and chill in the fridge—see note 1). Freeze in ice cube trays at least 8 hours.
    Or Use Ice Cream Maker: If using an ice cream maker, chill mixture in the fridge 30 minutes (it gets warm from blending!); then add to ice cream maker and churn per ice cream maker instructions.
  • Pull out ice cube trays and run the bottoms under hot water, about 15–20 seconds or until they release easily. Add ice cream cubes to a high-powered blender. (No liquid needed, unless using a lower-powered blender—then add in the reserved 1/3 cup.) Blend cubes into smooth and creamy ice cream. Scrape down sides of the blender frequently and stir everything to get it to blend evenly. Once smooth and creamy, scoop into bowls and serve.
Final step! Please let us know how it was by leaving a review.

Recipe Notes

Note 1: A high-powered blender (like a Blendtec®) is key for smoothly blending cashews and frozen ice cream cubes without overheating or making the mixture watery. If your blender isn’t as powerful, blend cautiously, add an extra minute if needed, and reserve 1/3 cup of the mixture to blend with the frozen cubes later on.
Note 2: If you use an ice cream maker, be sure to chill the mixture before adding it to the maker. Here’s the one I use and love. Otherwise, add the mixture to ice cube trays and blend the frozen cubes—works a charm!
Note 3: It’s important to use wild, not regular frozen blueberries! Wild blueberries are smaller and more compact than regular blueberries. This means they have less water content and a more intense and tangy flavor, plus they’re sweeter than regular blueberries—a game changer in this recipe!
Note 4: We want rich and creamy ice cream, which is why we use full-fat coconut milk. Lite coconut milk will yield a thinner and icier dessert.
Note 5: Maple syrup is a natural sweetener (not to be confused with corn syrup or pancake syrup) made from the sap of a maple tree that is boiled down to a thicker consistency. Maple syrup is just one ingredient and is all natural!
Storage: I love making a few batches of this healthy Blueberry Ice Cream at a time so my family has some on hand for when the cravings strike. Freeze the mixture in ice cube trays, then pop out the ice cubes into a few gallon-sized freezer bags. Whenever you’re feeling like some ice cream, blend up a handful of the ice cubes and enjoy!

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 191kcal | Carbohydrates: 15.6g | Protein: 2.7g | Fat: 14.4g | Sodium: 9.6mg | Fiber: 1.8g | Sugar: 6.5g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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Meet Chelsea

Hello, and welcome to Chelsea’s Messy Apron! I’m Chelsea, the recipe developer, food photographer, and writer behind the site. I’m passionate about creating simple, reliable, and delicious recipes that anyone can make.

Thanks for stopping by—I hope you find something delicious to make!

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6 Comments

  1. Jacqueline says:

    I made this recipe for the first time this week. Follow the instructions exactly. I thought I had a high powered blender using my Neutra bullet. However, the Nutra bullet apparently was not high powered enough so by the time I had all the cubes blended everything was melted. 🤔 so I decided to pour the melted ice cream into a mold And freeze it in the mold. That will eliminate that one extra step of blending ice cubes. I can’t wait to try the refrozen molded, creamy, blueberry ice cream.🥳

    Reply
    1. Chelsea says:

      I’m so glad you were able to make it work! Can’t wait to hear that you think of the finished product! 🙂

      Reply
  2. Sarah says:

    Why does it say 1 can of coconut milk instead of coconut cream?

    Reply
    1. Chelsea says:

      Because we use a can of coconut milk! 🙂 It works great!

      Reply
  3. Valerie W. says:

    This looks soooo yummy! I do have a question, can you use agave nectar or honey instead of Maple syrup? That’s just not something I typically find in my area! Thanks!!!

    Reply
    1. Chelsea Lords says:

      I haven’t test agave, but we found honey to have too present of a flavor here!

      Reply