The day before use, place your ice cream churning bowl in the freezer to properly chill.
To a high-speed blender, add coconut milk, cashew butter, maple syrup, organic cane sugar, vanilla, xanthan gum, and olive or avocado oil (optional). Blend for 1 minute or until completely creamy and smooth, scraping down sides as needed.
Transfer mixture to the refrigerator to chill for ~30 minutes (or up to overnight) or until it’s at least room temperature or cooler (you don’t want to add it to the ice cream maker warm).
Add the slightly chilled mixture to ice cream maker and churn according to manufacturer’s instructions — ours took exactly 30 minutes. It should look like thick soft serve (see photo).
Once churned, transfer the ice cream to a large freezer-safe container and smooth with a spoon. Top with parchment paper and freeze for at least 2 hours or until firm.
Set out for 10-15 minutes before serving to soften slightly. Store in the freezer well covered for up to 1 month.
Video
Notes
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated without optional ingredients. *We used to recommend Aroy-D coconut milk, but their manufacturing practices have recently come under question. We now recommend Whole Foods 365, Native Forest, Thai Kitchen, or Savoy (which is actually coconut cream). *Prep time does not include chilling the ice cream maker churning bowl. *The idea to include xanthan gum was inspired by this Salt & Straw recipe! *The idea to skip soaked cashews and add cashew butter instead was inspired by Chocolate Covered Katie.