A simple maple and date-sweetened non-dairy ice cream dessert featuring crunchy grape-nut cereal – a luxuriously creamy frozen treat with flavorful crunchy bits of goodness!
Have you ever had Grapenut Ice Cream?
If you’ve never even heard of it, this Grapenut Ice Cream is literally made with Post’s Grape-nuts cereal and is like no other ice cream flavor out there! With a slightly sweet, super smooth and creamy caramel-like base with crunchy bits of goodness, this will surely become your new favorite ice cream flavor.
In fact, this unique cereal flavor makes it the perfect flavor for you to test out in honor of National Creative Ice Cream Flavors Day, a day celebrated on July 1st every year in an effort to get people everywhere to taste different and unique ice cream flavor combinations that they wouldn’t ordinarily be willing to try.
I first had this incredibly delicious Grapenut Ice Cream when I was about twelve years old. My family was visiting relatives in a small town in central Pennsylvania. I remember attending a county fair with my cousins. As we walked around the various exhibits, we were allowed to get a treat. I distinctly remember tasting the divine frozen concoction for the first time that night. It was an epic moment for me. One I will likely remember forever.
Isn’t it interesting how we sometimes remember moments like this? Moments that capture a time and imprint them in our hearts forever. I’m sure it sounds strange, but this is how I feel about many of my little food experiences. They are relatively insignificant in the big scheme of things; and yet, I gain so much joy in each one of my foodie adventures. I always have.
Fast forward to our move to Carlisle, Pennsylvania some twenty years later. Leo’s Homemade Ice Cream quickly became a family favorite. And it’s no wonder why since Leo’s is ranked on the National Top Ten Ice Cream joints in the United States. As a result, a visit to Leo’s soon became a Saturday night ritual for our family.
Not only did we get to spend time together enjoying our favorite frozen treat, Leo always had some pretty incredible flavors. My then twelve year-old daughter adopted my favorite childhood ice cream the moment she discovered it. At first, I was surprised that she liked it, mostly because we don’t usually have anything in common, including taste in food and ice cream preferences. But then again, Grapenut Ice Cream is a pretty amazing flavor.
But the story doesn’t end there! For her 13th birthday, all she wanted was a big bucket of Grapenut Ice Cream!! I could hardly believe it. There are so many other things newly minted teenage girls might ask for on a birthday. But my daughter wanted a big bucket of Grapenut Ice Cream all to herself. When I asked Leo if he would sell me part of his special batch, he kindly obliged. I made my daughter very happy for a moment in time. She savored her special birthday ice cream for a couple of months.
Now that we have opened a new chapter in our lives and enjoy a plant-based lifestyle, I try to find healthier ways to enjoy some of our family favorites. In other words, I had to find a plausible remedy for our beloved Grapenut Ice Cream. It needed to be creamy and delicious, with a nice smooth caramel ice cream base, and of course, the crunchy bits of cereal.
Granted, an impromptu google search will quickly tell you that there are quite a few grapenut ice cream recipes out there. Most, if not all, contain egg yolks, sugar, and heavy cream. As usual, I wanted to find a healthier way to thicken the ice cream without the use of any eggs, refined sugar, or heavy cream.
Where to even start? Over the past few years, I’ve successfully used oats as a natural whole-grain thickener in recipes like smoothies and moon milk. And I’ve used soaked raw cashews in recipes that needed some much-desired luxurious creaminess. And dates just happen to be extremely healthy as nature’s natural sweetener.
The Good Idea Fairy suggested that I combine all three of these choice ingredients to make a naturally thickened and sweetened creamy Grapenut Ice Cream. You’ve got to try this recipe and let me know if you approve. I think it’s incredible. But, I’d like to know what you think.
Let’s break it down, starting with the humble oat. So I’m sure you’re familiar with the heart-healthy benefits of oats. Just one-half cup of dry oats contains 13 grams of protein, 5 grams of fat, and 8 grams of fiber. This gluten-free whole grain also contains loads of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, including manganese, phosphorous, magnesium, copper, iron, zinc, folate, and Vitamins B1 and B5. As a result, oats successfully reduce the risk of heart disease, is proven to lower blood sugar, and promotes regularity and weight loss with a healthy diet. (Healthline)
For these reasons, I include rolled oats, in addition to my Oat + Nut Milk, an easy and smooth plant-based and dairy-free milk featuring a blend of raw nuts and whole grain oats. When the oats are soaked and pureed in your blender, you’ll be amazed at how smooth and creamy your liquid ice cream base is.
Dates, on the other hand, are chock full of sugar – 80% in fact. But this doesn’t necessarily make dates any less healthy. In fact, some studies have shown that consuming three to four dates each day is quite beneficial for our bodies. Just 3 1/2 ounces of dates contain 2 grams of protein, 7 grams of fiber, and important nutrients like potassium, magnesium, copper, manganese, iron, and Vitamin B6. (Healthline)
Technically a seed, the lovely cashew is among a vegan’s most-treasured resources when it comes to creating dairy-free alternatives. Just one ounce of raw cashews contain 5 grams of protein, 12 grams of fat, and 1 gram of fiber. (Healthline) Because they’re rich in unsaturated fats, I tend to use raw cashews whenever I’m trying to create creamy sauces, desserts, and fillings.
I also like the fact that cashews contain quite a bit of copper, magnesium, manganese, zinc, phosphorous, iron, selenium, thiamine, and Vitamins K and B6. And while you can use just about any soaked raw nut, the cashew is ideal in this Grapenut Ice Cream because it’s neutral in flavor. (Healthline)
And lastly, Post’s Grape-nuts Cereal is reportedly one of the healthiest cereals you can purchase and consume. (Healthline). Containing only four ingredients, a one-half cup serving provides 6 grams of protein, 1 gram of fat, and 7 grams of fiber. I love that this cereal doesn’t contain any high fructose corn syrup, other added sugars, or unnecessary fillers.
Working together, these four incredible ingredients make this Grapenut Ice Cream a truly remarkable frozen treat!
To make your Grapenut Ice Cream, you’ll need to first soak the cashews, oats, and dates in hot water for at least thirty minutes. Because we rinse and drain the cashews, you’ll want to soak the cashews separate from the dates and oats. You’re going to then blend everything up in your high-speed blender until super smooth. The trick with this ice cream is to blend the liquids until it gets super hot and thick – it should resemble a very warm caramel pudding.
If your blender doesn’t heat your ice cream base in a few minutes, no problem. Simply pour the very smooth liquid base into a saucepan and cook over medium heat until it has thickened. Then let it cool completely in the refrigerator for a few hours, until very cold. The idea is to develop a really nice thick and creamy pudding-like consistency.
Now you’re going to let your ice cream maker do all the heavy lifting!!
Pour the chilled ice cream base into a chilled canister in your ice cream maker and allow your ice cream maker to perform some pretty awesome ice cream churning magic right before your eyes. Ta-da!! Though the freezing part usually takes about twenty to thirty minutes, depending on the temperature of your base and the efficiency of your ice cream maker, this last part takes less than a minute. Once the ice cream is ready, you’ll want to pour in your grape-nuts cereal and allow it to be fully incorporated.
Oh, you don’t have an ice cream maker? That’s alright. No problem. You can still make this delicious Grapenut Ice Cream without an ice cream maker. You’ll just need to consider and choose one of two options.
Option 1 – Pour the liquid ice cream base into ice cube trays and freeze until very firm – but not rock hard – about 1-2 hours. Then use a high-speed blender or food processor to blend until smooth. You may need to add a splash of milk and the tamper to help it along. The key is to not let the ice cream get too hard in the ice cube trays. Otherwise, they’ll turn to blocks of frozen grape-nuts ice cubes -not good for your blender or food processor. Then fold in the grape-nuts cereal.
Option 2: This method is a little more hands-on, but works great. Simply pour your liquid ice cream base into a freezer-safe container, cover, and place in the freezer. Stir every thirty minutes or so until it gets hard enough to scoop out for ice cream. Depending on how hot your mixture is and how cold your freezer is, this may take three to four hours. Then fold in the grape-nuts cereal.
Enjoy!
Once the ice cream maker is complete, you can either eat the soft-serve ice cream or transfer it to a freezer-safe container and place it covered in the freezer for one to three hours to firm up a bit more. If you allow it to remain in the freezer, it will get rock-solid hard because this recipe doesn’t contain any gums or alcohol.
You can add 1-2 Tbsp non-flavored alcohol (such as vodka) to keep the ice cream from getting as hard in the freezer. Or you can simply let it rest at room temperature for ten to twenty minutes before serving. I just let mine thaw for a little while and it turns out perfectly fine every time.
This ice cream is delicious on its own in a bowl, served in a cute ice cream dish, inside a standard no-frills ice cream cone, or in a waffle cone. All are great choices! One of my favorite things to do is sprinkle some more grape-nuts cereal over my Grapenut Ice Cream. Truth be told, I just can’t get enough of these crunchy little guys! (ah! My ice cream is melting!!)
I hope you enjoy this Grapenut Ice Cream as much as I do.
I would love to see your results! Please leave a comment and rate it down below, tag a picture @pebblesandtoast and #pebblesandtoast on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook! Enjoy!!
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Grapenut Ice Cream
Ingredients
- 1 cup dates* (pits removed), soaked in 1 cup hot water for 30 minutes
- ¼ cup rolled oats, soaked with dates (above)
- 1 cup raw cashews, soaked in hot water for at least 30 minutes
- 1½ cups Oat + Nut Milk
- ½ cup maple syrup
- 1 tsp vanilla
- dash of salt (optional)
- ¾ cup Post’s Grape-nuts cereal
Instructions
To make the custard base.
- Soak the dates and oats in 1 cup of water for at least 30 minutes. Do not drain.
- Soak the raw cashews in water for at least 30 minutes. Drain the water and rinse well.
- In a Vitamix or high-speed blender, combine the dates and oats with soaking water, drained soaked cashews, plant milk, maple syrup, vanilla, and salt (if using).
- Blend until very smooth, hot, and creamy – about 4-5 minutes. You’ll know it’s ready when it’s thick enough to coat the back of your spoon or spatula.
- If your blender isn’t powerful enough to heat/thicken your mixture, pour the ice cream base into a saucepan and heat on medium heat, stirring occasionally, until it thickens enough to coat the back of your spoon or spatula, about 5-10 minutes, depending on the temperature of your ingredients, the level of flame/heat on your stove, and the conductivity of your saucepan.
- Cover the blender (or transfer to a glass container) and store in the refrigerator until completely chilled, about 2 hours.
To make the ice cream.
- If you have an ice cream maker, *** plug in your ice cream maker and turn it on.
- Pour the cooled maple-date custard into the frozen insert and place the lid on top (or follow your machine’s directions) to begin creating your Grape-nut Ice Cream. See notes*** below if you do not have an ice cream maker.
- Once the ice cream maker sounds sluggish (30-40 minutes) and is super cold and thick like soft-serve ice cream, pour in the grape-nuts cereal. Allow it to process until fully incorporated, about 1 minute.
- You can enjoy your ice cream now or transfer it to the freezer for 1-3 hours to firm it up more. If you leave your ice cream in the freezer too long and it becomes too hard, simply place it on the counter for 10-20 minutes to thaw slightly or at least until you can scoop it out.
- Enjoy your grape-nut ice cream as is or dress it up with your favorite ice cream toppings.
Notes
* I like using dates and maple syrup in this nostalgic Pennsylvania ice cream recipe. But you can use any other sweetener, including agave or sugar. Also, many ice cream recipes use more sweetener, but I only use half a cup of maple syrup in addition to the dates. You can increase the amount of maple syrup if you prefer your ice cream sweeter.
** I use raw cashews because they are neutral in this ice cream. Use whatever raw nuts you prefer or have on hand.
If you plan to freeze this ice cream more than a couple of hours, you can also add in 1-2 Tbsp neutral liquor (like vodka) to help prevent the ice cream from getting so hard in the freezer. Otherwise, allow the ice cream to thaw 10-20 minutes before serving.
*** No ice cream maker? No problem! Check out these two options. Let me know which works for you.
- Option 1: Pour the liquid ice cream base into ice cube trays and freeze until almost frozen, but not rock hard, about 2 hours. Then use a high-speed blender to blend until smooth. You may need to add a splash of milk and the tamper to help it along.
- Option 2: Pour into a freezer-safe container, cover, and place in the freezer. Stir every thirty minutes or so until it gets hard enough to scoop out for ice cream.
Enjoy!
Grape-nut Ice Cream
Equipment
- high speed blender
- ice cream maker, food processor/blender/ice cube trays
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 1 cup dates* pits removed, soaked in 1 cup hot water for 30 minutes
- ¼ cup rolled oats soaked with dates (above)
- 1 cup raw cashews soaked in hot water for at least 30 minutes
- 1½ cups Oat + Nut Milk
- ½ cup maple syrup
- 1 tsp vanilla
- dash of salt optional
- ¾ cup Post's Grape-nuts cereal
Instructions
To make the custard base.
- Drain the water from the soaked cashews and rinse well.
- In a Vitamix or high-speed blender, combine the dates and oats with soaking water, drained soaked cashews, plant milk, maple syrup, vanilla, and salt (if using).
- Blend until very smooth, hot, and creamy – about 4-5 minutes. You’ll know it’s ready when it’s thick enough to coat the back of your spoon or spatula.
- If your blender isn’t powerful enough to heat/thicken your mixture, pour the ice cream base into a saucepan and heat on medium heat, stirring occasionally, until it thickens enough to coat the back of your spoon or spatula, about 5-10 minutes, depending on the temperature of your ingredients, the level of flame/heat on your stove, and the conductivity of your saucepan.
- Place the covered blender (or transfer to a glass container) and store in the refrigerator until completely chilled, about 2 hours.
To make the ice cream.
- If you have an ice cream maker, *** plug in your ice cream maker and turn it on.
- Pour the cooled maple-date custard into the frozen insert and place the lid on top (or follow your machine’s directions) to begin creating your Grape-nut Ice Cream. See notes*** below if you do not have an ice cream maker.
- Once the ice cream maker sounds sluggish (30-40 minutes) and is super cold and thick like soft-serve ice cream, pour in the grape-nuts cereal. Allow it to process until fully incorporated, about 1 minute.
- You can enjoy your ice cream now or transfer it to the freezer for 1-2 hours to firm it up more. If you leave your ice cream in the freezer too long and becomes too hard, simply place it on the counter for 10-15 minutes until you can scoop it out.
- Enjoy your grape-nut ice cream as is or dress it up with your favorite ice cream toppings.
Maybe I missed it but when do I add the grapenut cereal?
Oops I found it in the text..great recipe 😋
Karen, I’m so glad you liked this healthier version of grapenut ice cream!!