Blueberry Lemon Ice Cream Bars {Paleo, Vegan}

Pretty purple ICE CREAM Bars! If you loved my Blueberry Lime Cheesecake, you will go CRAZY for its new little sister! The same yummy cashew cream, same lovely color, and same citrus zing, but frozen into ice cream!

I love that there is no special ice cream machine needed! No churning, no hassle. Thanks to the wonders of cashew cream, you simply blend it up and freeze!

Definitely not your conventional ice cream recipe --It's free from dairy, eggs, and refined sugar. Just a few whole-foods blended together: mostly just cashews, blueberries, and coconut milk.

These bars are remix of my most popular recipe, Blueberry Lime Cheesecake. With over a quarter of a MILLION views (omg!), y'all just can't get enough of that purple cake (me either!) I hope you love these ice cream bars just as much. 🙂

How sweet it IS!

Most homemade ice creams use gobs of white sugar. Amazingly, there's just 2 ½ *Tablespoons* of sweetener added to this ENTIRE recipe. (Wow!) The sweetness comes naturally from blueberries! (which makes me so happy as a mom, to serve ice cream to my kids that isn't a giant sugar bomb, haha.)

Put the lime in the coconut?

If you tried the Blueberry Lime Cheesecake, you know what a stellar combo lime is with blueberries. Loved it? Stick with it. Wanna try something equally as delish? Switch it up. Lemon is amazing, too! You get to choose!

I've had a ton of requests for recipes without coconut, due to allergies, or people simply hating coconut (say whaaa?? crazy! lol) You coconut haters can absolutely adapt this recipe to be coconut-free. Just swap the coconut oil for palm shortening/oil (or grassfed butter or ghee, or even avocado oil) and swap coconut milk for cashew milk or almond milk. It will be more icy than creamy, though. (Or you can use heavy cream if you consume dairy.)

The PURPLE

I don't know about you, but I adore pretty colored food. Beautiful fruits and veggies make me swoon (I'm talkin' to you, purple cauliflower.) #hearteyes. Nature makes the perfect "food coloring" and it makes me so happy to showcase natural hues in my desserts.

Ah, the fresh summer blueberries! Not only do they add the gorgeous purple and incredible flavor, but they're packed full of antioxidants. Yay! #prettyinside

This is the epitome of Pretty Pies. Everything I believe in and everything I stand for: natural beauty from the inside out. Unprocessed, whole food. Beautiful just the way God made it. You don't have to process food to death, adding artificial colors, flavors, preservatives and thickeners for it to look good, or taste good. And when it's whole, it's full of stuff that's good FOR you, too.

Summer Lovin'

I can't believe it's August already. The kids are about to head back to school. But I don't want to let go of the carefree summer days. The relaxed and unstructured time with my family. Staying up late and making memories. And eating ice cream!

These ice cream bars remind me of summer..  the fruity, lemony soft cream. Perfect for when it's unbearably hot outside and you need a cold treat. (Here in Texas, it will probably still feel like summer well into November, lol, but I digress.)

I'm obsessed with the soft chewy crust. It makes it tastes like an ice cream sandwich. You could actually double the crust and turn these into proper sandwiches!

Easy as Pie

I say it all the time, but most pretty pie recipes are so EASY to make. As easy as pushing a button on a food processor.

And I learned a little trick to making the recipe quicker. Soak your cashews in *HOT* water for just 2 hours (instead of leaving them overnight). Heat the water to a boil - I used my tea kettle - then pour it over and let them soak. Especially handy if you accidentally *forget* to soak your cashews. No more waiting an extra day. Woohoo!!

SO, are you ready for another blueberry treat?? If you make it, be sure to let me know whatcha think!
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Blueberry Lemon Ice Cream Bars

Cashews and blueberries come together to form an incredible summer treat!

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Total Time: 2 hours hours

Servings: 8 bars

Author: Emily

Ingredients

Crust:

• 1 ¼ cup almond flour
• ¼ cup canned coconut milk
• 1 Tbs maple syrup
• 1 Tbs coconut oil
• ½ teaspoon vanilla
• Pinch of pink salt

Ice Cream:

• 1 ⅓ cup cashew pieces - soaked
• 1 cup blueberries - divided
• 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla
• 3 Tbs coconut cream - (or coconut milk)
• 1 ½ Tbs maple syrup - to taste
• Zest of 2 small lemons - divided
• Dash of pink salt

Instructions

To make the crust:

• Line a standard size loaf pan with parchment paper, leaving some overhang (to make it easy to lift out the bars)
• Whisk together almond flour and salt in a medium sized bowl.
• In a small bowl, mix together the remaining "wet" ingredients. Pour the wet over the dry and stir until completely mixed.
• Press the dough into the bottom of the loaf pan, spreading it evenly all the way to the edges. (tip: fold over the parchment and use a flat measuring cup to press firmly)

To make the ice cream:

• Soak cashews in a bowl of water overnight (or in boiling water for 2 hours)
• Drain and rinse cashews, shaking off excess water. Place cashews and ⅔ cup blueberries in a food processor or high speed blender and blend for several minutes until very finely ground.
• Scrape down the sides and add the remaining ingredients (saving ⅓ cup of blueberries and 1 teaspoon zest). Blend again. Taste and adjust. Stir in a handful of blueberries.
• Spread the ice cream over the crust and smooth with a spatula. Sprinkle a few blueberries and extra lemon zest on top.
• Cover loaf pan with foil and freeze for 2-3 hours until set.
• Allow the bars to soften at room temperature to desired texture (see notes).
• Lift parchment out of pan and use a large knife to slice into 8 bars.

Notes

Store in the freezer. Unless you're eating these just hours after making them, they'll need to thaw. Set out on the counter for a minimum of 30-60 minutes to soften, or thaw in the fridge to desired texture. I like them best super soft with no iciness.

You can also keep these in the refrigerator instead, for more of a soft cream pie type of dessert, if you like.

Double the crust if you want to make these into sandwiches. Yum!

If you can find wild Maine blueberries, use them!! The flavor is *amazing*. Depending on your berries, you may need a little extra sweetener if they are more tart. Just taste and adjust before you freeze your ice cream.

To lower the carbs, replace the maple syrup with coconut milk + a pinch of stevia to taste.

Tried this recipe?Tag @emily.likes.food #prettypies!