There are few things quite as satisfying as a rich chocolate ice cream. This Chocolate Nice Cream offers the rich, chocolaty goodness without added sugar or dairy, and is simple to make, paleo and vegan-friendly.
Jump to:
- Ingredient Notes & Possible Substitutions
- What Equipment is Needed to Make Chocolate Nice Cream
- How to Freeze Bananas for Ice Cream
- How to Make Chocolate Nice Cream
- What Makes This Banana Ice Cream Healthier?
- Storage
- What I Love about this Chocolate Nice Cream
- Recipe Tips
- Related Recipes
- Other Great Recipes
- Did you try this Chocolate Nice Cream?
- 📖 Recipe
Banana nice cream is simple to make and so satisfying on a hot summer day. Simply by freezing and blending bananas, you are able to make an indulgent treat that is free from added sugars and serves as a great way to use up bananas that might otherwise go to waste.
Ingredient Notes & Possible Substitutions
Bananas - For this recipe, it is helpful to slice the bananas before freezing so that they will blend easier. I usually do this by freezing the banana slices on a parchment paper lined baking sheet, then transferring the frozen banana slices to a gallon sized resealable freezer bag.
Coconut Milk - You can use full fat canned coconut milk or coconut cream for this recipe. Other milk alternatives will work and provide a lower calorie option, but the nice cream will be a little less creamy.
Cocoa Powder - Select an unsweetened cocoa powder or cacao powder, since the bananas add enough natural sweetness. I like Hershey's Special Dark 100% Cacao Powder. It has a really rich flavor and can be found at most grocery stores in the baking aisle. It can be purchased online, but is typically cheaper at the grocery store.
What Equipment is Needed to Make Chocolate Nice Cream
You don't need much to complete this recipe! A good blender is really the most important piece of equipment. I use a Vitamix, but have also had good results with a Ninja blender. Because the Vitamix blade is short and low, you will need to scrape the sides more throughout the blending process.
Apart from a blender, a sheet pan to freeze the bananas, and a rubber spatula to scrape the sides of the blender is about all you will need.
How to Freeze Bananas for Ice Cream
Generally, I freeze ripe bananas by peeling, breaking them into chunks and placing them in a resealable freezer bag. You can absolutely do it that way, but for banana nice cream recipes, I prefer to slice them before freezing. This aids in blending and is especially helpful if using a Vitamix blender.
To do this, slice ripe bananas and lay them out on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Place the pan in the freezer for about 2 hours. Once frozen, transfer to a gallon-sized freezer bag and store in the freezer overnight or until ready to use.
How to Make Chocolate Nice Cream
Making this healthy treat is a so easy! Here is how to do it:
- Place all ingredients in a large high-powered blender. Blend until smooth, scraping the sides of the pitcher with a rubber spatula as needed.
- Serve immediately for soft serve or transfer to a glass Tupperware container and freeze for at least 3 hours for a scoopable ice cream.
What Makes This Banana Ice Cream Healthier?
- Minerals present in cacao. cacao adds a hearty dose of magnesium, copper, manganese, iron, selenium, potassium, phosphorus and zinc. Many of these minerals are micronutrients that most Americans don't get enough of.
- Fiber. This recipe has 6 g of fiber. That is more than ¼ of the fiber you need daily. This is naturally occurring fiber with can support gut health and growth of beneficial bacterial.
- Dairy free. Although ice cream tends to be tolerated better than lower fat dairy products, more people are sensitive to dairy than are aware of it. As much as 70% of the population cannot digest lactose (1), and that is just lactose. There are other components of dairy (like the proteins casein and whey) that some people have trouble digesting.
- No added sugar. The only sugar in this recipe is the naturally occurring sugar in the bananas. Satisfying a sweet craving with bananas and 6 grams of fiber is much more blood sugar friendly than about 45 grams of sugar in half a pint of Ben and Jerry's.
Storage
I prefer this banana ice cream served as soft serve. It is so silky and smooth, but you can freeze it. To freeze, I will use a glass Tupperware container with a lid. I like these Pyrex containers with the snapping lids. When stored in the freezer, the ice cream will save for 1 week. To enjoy, simple thaw on the counter for about 10 minutes so that it is easier to scoop.
What I Love about this Chocolate Nice Cream
- Real Food Ingredients - This better-for-you ice cream is made from healthy ingredients and no added sugar.
- Easy to Make - This banana ice cream is made in a blender and requires only about 5 minutes of time.
Recipe Tips
- For the smoothest ice cream, scrape the sides of the blender with a rubber spatula several times throughout blending. This will ensure all the cocoa powder gets blended evenly for the richest, chocolatey flavor.
- Blend until the ice cream is completely smooth with no visible chunks. This usually takes 1-2 minutes with my Vitamix, and I pause and scrape the sides frequently. The cream in the coconut milk can become solid at cold temps, so blending completely is key to get all the ingredients to fully incorporate into a smooth ice cream.
Related Recipes
Other Great Recipes
📖 Recipe
Chocolate Nice Cream
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 Medium ripe bananas sliced and frozen
- ¼ cup Full fat coconut milk or coconut cream
- 2 tablespoon Unsweetened dark cocoa powder I used Hershey's Special Dark
- ½ teaspoon Vanilla extract
- ⅛ teaspoon Sea salt
- 2 tablespoon Chopped chocolate or mini chocolate chips optional
Instructions
- Add bananas, coconut milk, cocoa powder, vanilla and salt to the blender and puree. Scrape the side with a rubber spatula as needed to ensure everything blends well. Continue to blend until you have a smooth, lump-free consistency.
- Serve immediately for soft serve, or spread in a shallow dish glass Tupperware container and freeze for up to 2 hours. Top with chopped chocolate or mini chocolate chips before servings.
Sarah says
Bought dark cacao for this recipe and now i'm addicted! So good.....thanks!!
foodbornewellness.com says
Yes, I love it too!
zhenya says
Looks wonderful!
foodbornewellness.com says
Seriously, the best and easiest hot day treat!