Mushroom Ice Cream - The All Natural Vegan (2024)

I am so excited to bring today's Mushroom Ice Cream recipe! This adaptogenic ice cream recipe is loaded with 7 different mushrooms and heirloom cacao for the perfect creamy and milky homemade vegan ice cream! It's easy to make, super healthy, and so perfect for summer!

What are adaptogens?

I know how crazy Mushroom Ice Cream sounds. However, if you're familiar with adaptogens, this recipe probably doesn't sound too crazy. If you don't know what adaptogens are, do not fear, I am here to give you an intro to adaptogens course as quickly as possible!

Adaptogens refer to any herb, mushroom, or root that helps your body to adapt to stress, fatigue, anxiety, etc. Adaptogens are also known to help balance hormones, as well as boost immunity.

How do they do that? By balancing your body back into its natural state (Homeostasis). The adaptogens can raise, or lower the levels of cortisol (for example) back to their normal state.

What are some popular adaptogens? Popular adaptogens include ashwagandha, reishi, cordyceps, rhodiola, ginseng, and the list just goes on. Each adaptogen is different and has different effects on the body. This is why it's important to incorporate all kinds of adaptogens, and not be hyper-focused on just one. Blends like the Anima Mundi Adaptogenic Powder : 7 Mushrooms + Heirloom Cacao make it easy to incorporate multiple adaptogens at once!

Why I Love Anima Mundi Adaptogen Powder:

I have been a huge fan of Anima Mundi ever since I stopped at a coffee shop once and had a mushroom latte. I was blown away by how delicious it was. Before this I always thought that superfood powders always had a slight "healthy" taste to them. However this mushroom latte waS creamy, smooth, and delicious!

After doing some digging I discovered that it was made with the Adaptogenic powder featured in this ice cream. Needless to say, I've been hooked for years! What's in this powder that makes it so great?

• Reishi Mushroom - This is great for boosting immunity, cancer prevention, fighting fatigue and depression, and blood sugar control.
• Agaricus Mushroom - May have digestive, anti-cancer, and anti-inflammatory benefits.
• Lion's Mane Mushroom - Helps to relieve symptoms of anxiety and depression, protects against ulcers, reduces heart disease risk, manages diabetes, and could protect against dementia.
• Cordyceps Mushroom - This is anti-inflammatory, antioxidant-rich, and helps support athletic performance.
• Chaga Mushroom - Lowers blood sugar and cholesterol, prevents and fights cancer, and boosts the immune system.
• Heirloom Cacao - Is loaded with antioxidants, iron, and magnesium.
• Maitake Mushroom - Helps to keep cholesterol in check, as well as prevent type 2 diabetes and cancer.
• Shiitake Mushroom - Prevents weight gain, is anti-cancer, contains antimicrobial properties, boosts energy, and is a plant-based source of vitamin D.

Ingredients For This Mushroom Ice Cream:

• Raw Cashews - It is absolutely crucial that you use raw cashews and not roasted cashews. Roasted cashews will not blend as smoothly. Roasted cashews are often coated in unhealthy seed oils and excessive salt. Personally, I find buying raw cashews in bulk is the way to go.
• Coconut Milk - Any full-fat coconut will work. However, it's important to look for one that does not contain any preservatives or artificial ingredients!
• Medjool Dates - You can use any dates, but I strongly recommend using Medjool dates. They're creamy and super sweet, and add a slight caramel flavor to the ice cream. I always buy my dates in bulk, because it is so much more affordable!
• Pure Vanilla Extract - I can not recommend using Mexican vanilla enough. It is exploding with flavor. Once you make something using Mexican vanilla, there's no going back, it's so good!
• Anima Mundi Adaptogenic Powder - This is the core ingredient for this recipe. This adaptogenic blend is by far the best mushroom powder I've ever had. I love Anima Mundi products, because they're made with the best of the best ingredients, and they're so delicious! As always, my code: "NATURALVEGAN" gets you 15% off!
• Cacao Powder - Even though the adaptogenic powder already has some cacao in it, I like to add additional cacao powder to really deepen the chocolate flavor of this ice cream, as well as add additional nutrients.
• Cacao Nibs (optional) - The perfect healthy crunchy topping. I love cacao nibs on anything frozen because they have the perfect candy-like texture.
• Chocolate Sauce (optional) - Any plant-based chocolate sauce will work perfectly. I love this one because it's date-sweetened and doesn't have any weird ingredients added to it.

How To Make This Mushroom Ice Cream:

If you've never made homemade ice cream before, you may be a bit intimidated by this recipe. However, there is no reason to be intimidated by this ice cream. It's super easy to make, and so worth it! All you will need is a large bowl, a blender, and an ice cream machine.

Begin by combining the cashews and dates together in a large bowl. Cover completely with water and place in the fridge to soak for a couple of hours, or overnight. You want the dates to be super soft and almost falling apart before blending them.

Once ready, strain and add to a blender (make sure to save the water for smoothies and such, it's sweet and full of nutrients). Add the coconut milk, vanilla extract, cacao, and Anima Mundi Adaptogenic Powder to the blender. Blend until silky smooth (about 1 full minute on high). There should be no chunks. It should look like super thick hot chocolate or chocolate pudding.

Pour the mixture into the ice cream machine and churn for 30-45 minutes, or until it sticks to the paddle. You can either serve immediately as a soft serve or freeze for an additional 4+ hours and enjoy by scooping.

Frequently Asked Questions:

What Does Mushroom Ice Cream Taste Like?

You may see the title of this recipe and be a bit frightened. Mushrooms and ice cream? Trust me, I know how weird it sounds. However, there is no reason to fear, because this ice cream is creamy, sweet, chocolatey, and doesn't taste like mushrooms (or at least how you know mushrooms to taste) at all.

So what does it taste like? It may surprise you to learn that this ice cream actually just tastes like chocolate ice cream (pretty damn good ice cream that is). In my opinion, the adaptogenic mushrooms deepen the chocolate flavor of this ice cream even more. To me, it works similarly to the way that espresso powder in brownies works. It adds a flavor that only enhances the chocolate.

Can You Take Adaptogens Every Day?

Adaptogens are an incredible food to add to your diet. However, should you be adding them to your daily routine? I always assumed that it was best to take them every day. However, I recently discovered that it is actually recommended to take one day off a week from adaptogens. This helps your body to absorb the adaptogens, and therefore receive the maximum benefits.

This is why recipes like this Mushroom Ice Cream are the perfect way to incorporate adaptogens into your diet. It's easy to make and you can store it all week long for the perfect superfood packed late night treat!

How Long Does This Ice Cream Keep?

Although there's a good chance there won't be any leftovers of this Mushroom Ice Cream, you may be like me and live alone. If that's the case, you may have a couple of questions. How long does this recipe keep? What's the best way to store homemade ice cream?

This homemade vegan ice cream can keep (if stored properly) in the freezer for about 3 weeks before the flavor starts to be affected. This is significantly less than store-bought ice creams, but this is because this ice cream does not have any preservatives, fillers, or artificial ingredients added to it. However this ice cream makes about 6 servings, so I'd like to think that it would not be stored in anyone's freezer for three weeks.

For this ice cream recipe to keep in the freezer, it's important that it is stored properly. I have made a ton of ice cream flavors this summer, so my freezer has been packed full of ice creams. Therefore I have had to be a little creative with my storage methods. Needless to say, I found out what works, and what doesn't work.

Best Ways To Store Homemade Vegan Ice Cream:

If you own an ice cream machine and are committed to making it at home, I strongly recommend investing in reusable ice cream containers. They're the best way to store homemade ice cream. You can use other methods to store it, however, you will probably run into issues.

If you store homemade ice cream in a glass container, you will run into the ice cream becoming too hard, and not defrosting properly. It will be like trying to scoop from a block of ice.

Some plastic storage containers can work well, but you run into the issue of BPAs when you use this method. They also don't hold up well and can fall apart when scooping.

Related Vegan Ice Cream Recipes:

• Peanut Butter and Jelly Ice Cream
• Mint Chocolate Chip Popsicles
• Vegan Coffee Ice Cream