Stir, lick spatula, rinse, repeat. “Hey, you’d better stop that licking or there won’t be enough to fill the crust.” “I know, but it‘s unbelievable! How can strawberries, dates and cashews blended together make a filling so berry bright, sweet and rich? The best strawberry ice cream pie ever!”

They loved every creamy mouthful. Last week, without saying a word about its being dairy-, gluten- and sugar-free, I shared this frozen strawberry pie with friends. I’m stoked to have a new dessert in my back pocket that makes people happy and healthy all in the same bite.

Perfect for hot summer days, the four-ingredient recipe caught my eye because it’s so simple. I almost didn’t make it because the nuts needed soaking in water for at least 8 hours. No worries. Soaked almonds ground with dates make up the easy press-in crust; soaked cashews become the cream in the filling. Plan ahead and your pie will be nicely frozen the next evening.

Healthier desserts, naturally sweetened, gluten-free, vegan, or all of the above, you’ll find more than this one in Veronica Bosgraaf’s Pure Food cookbook. In the headnote for her strawberry ice cream pie, Bosgraaf writes that this very pie crust was the beginning of Pure Bars and her company. No wonder her business flourishes. Strawberry ice cream pie for the win!

Strawberry Ice Cream Pie recipe details:

• The cookbook doesn’t say to soak the cashews. I sometimes make incredible creamy vegan sauces with soaked cashews, so I thought why not a creamier dairy-free ice cream pie? I figured as long as I was soaking the almonds, I might as well cover the cashews in water and let them soften too.
• Author Bosgraaf has you scatter strawberries on top of the filling before freezing. I prefer to serve them on top of the already frozen pie–no berry ice cubes for me.
• See those strawberries on top? I used my favorite strawberry hulling tool to quickly pluck out the stems. Yeah—it’s my pet peeve; hulled strawberries look more natural and professional next to strawberries with the tops cut straight off.
• If you don’t get around to making the pie the next day, it’s okay to move the soaking nuts to the refrigerator.
• This recipe makes enough for a second crust. Roll the other half into almond date “candy” balls, or press the extra into a pie plate and fill it with rich chocolate cashew cream, like the chilled chocolate-espresso torte in Angela Liddon’s award-winning vegan cookbook, Oh She Glows, or like this recipe on her blog.
• Use flavorful organic strawberries. (Strawberries are on the dirty dozen list; Consumer Reports recommends organic strawberries.)

A sampling of other recipes in Pure Food cookbook:
Chocolate Rice Pudding. I also tested this nostalgic vegan dessert. Definitely a repeater.
Vegan Keema. See my adaptation here.
Hummus Pizza
Warm Potatoes and Spinach with Rosemary Dressing
Buckwheat Crepes with Butterscotch Bananas
Rhubarb Breakfast Crisp

Thanks for stopping by. If you like healthier desserts and interesting vegetarian recipes, be sure to sign up to receive notices when I post a new recipe. Subscribe here.

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I received this cookbook from Blogging for Books for this review–the thoughts and opinions expressed here are my own.

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Strawberry Ice Cream Pie

This simple and easy dessert is absolutely the bomb—a delicious crowd pleaser that just happens to be vegan, gluten free and naturally sweetened! 1 9-inch pie serves 8 to 10.

Author: Letty's Kitchen

Ingredients

• 1 cup whole almonds
• 1 cup raw cashews
• 1 cup plus 1 cup pitted soft dates
• 1/8 teaspoon sea salt
• 2 cups plus 1 cup strawberries, hulled

Instructions

1. Put the almonds in a large bowl and fill the bowl with water to cover by at least an inch. Put the cashews in another bowl, cover with water and let soak overnight.
2. Drain and rinse the almonds. Put them in the work bowl of a food processor with the first cup of dates and the salt. Process until the almonds and dates are finely chopped and begin to stick together. Press the mixture into a 9-inch pie plate and freeze for at least 30 minutes.
3. Drain and rinse the cashews. Put them in the food processor with the first 2 cups of strawberries and the remaining cup of dates. Process until smooth and creamy, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Scrape the mixture into the prepared pie shell and freeze until firm—at least 3 hours.
4. To serve, cut the remaining cup of strawberries into quarters and scatter them over the top of the pie.