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a bowl of ice cream with cashews scattered in the background

Salted Caramel Cashew Banana Nice Cream

Oven roasted cashews give this ice cream a creamy and flavorful base. It's filled with plenty of salted caramel swirls and packed with fiber, potassium and magnesium!
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Chill Time 8 hours
Servings: 8
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 302
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Ice Cream Base
  • 1 ¼ cup whole cashews * see recipe notes for substitutions
  • 7 bananas ~120g each
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • pinch of salt
Salted Caramel Swirls
  • 16 pitted medjool dates ~300g total
  • 1 tsp flaked sea salt
  • 1-3 tbsp water

Equipment

  • 9" loaf pan
  • Food processor or high speed blender

Method
 

Roast the cashews
  1. Preheat the oven to 350℉
  2. Add the cashews to a baking sheet
  3. Roast for 10 - 12 minutes until fragrant and darkened. Rotate the baking sheet halfway through
Salted Caramel
  1. Add the pitted dates to a bowl and cover with hot water. Let soak for 10-15 minutes until soft.
  2. Add the soaked dates to a high speed blender or food processor along with 1 tablespoon of their soaking water and blend until a smooth paste forms. Add an extra tablespoon or two if the mixture looks too thick.
  3. Add the flaked sea salt and pulse a couple more times to incorporate
  4. Remove the caramel from the blender and set aside
Roasted Cashew Ice Cream Base
  1. Add the roasted cashews to the high speed blender or food processor (clean out the caramel first).
  2. Blend the cashews until they resembe a smooth butter. This will take 5+ minutes.
  3. Add the frozen bananas and blend to incorporate.
  4. Once smooth, add in a pinch of sea salt and vanilla.
Assembly
  1. Using a 9x5x3 loaf pan, pour ⅓ of the ice cream base into the bottom⅓
  2. With two spoons, drop dollops of the date caramel on top of the base, using about ⅓ of the caramel. Pull apart some of the globs and stretch them into ribbons.
  3. Repeat two more times, finishing with a layer of the caramel on top
  4. Cover the pan tightly and freeze until set, about 6-8 hours
Serving
  1. Let the ice cream thaw for 5 - 10 minutes at room temperature before scooping
  2. Serve in bowls or with waffle cones. An extra pinch of salt to top is optional but highly recommended!

Notes

* if using another nut, measure 1 1/4 cups and roast before blending into a nut butter. If using cashew butter or another nut butter, you only need 3/4 cup of the butter (the nuts loose volume when blended). Same goes for substituting the cashews for the cream from a can of coconut milk - measure out 3/4 cups of coconut cream.