One of the simplest vegan ice cream recipes that’s made with only 5 ingredients! Let me introduce to you Vegan Chocolate Banana Nice Cream. It’s creamy, healthy and made with frozen bananas and coconut milk. This frozen dessert is perfect for summer or anytime that you’re craving ice cream.
What Is Nice Cream?
You might be wondering, what is nice cream and what makes it different from ice cream? It’s similar to classic ice cream but it’s made with bananas instead of dairy, making it vegan friendly and easy to make at home. I like to think of nice cream as a variation between a smoothie bowl and ice cream. You also don’t need an ice cream maker or any fancy equipment besides a blender or food processor.
I’m going to share how to make chocolate nice cream but the possibilities on flavors are practically endless. Feel free to add some of the flavors I suggest below or make up your own!
Why This Recipe Works
Simple: One of my favorite reasons to make nice cream is that you don’t need an ice cream machine! This nice cream is made with just a high speed blender or food processor, that’s it!
Diet Friendly: I know a lot of us try to eat dairy free and this nice cream is a great alternative to regular dairy ice cream. You’ll love that it only requires 5 ingredients and it’s easy to customize to your liking and diet preferences.
Kid Friendly: Not only is this nice cream great for adults, kids love it too! It’s a fun sweet treat without the extra sugar. It’s easy to get kids involved in making this recipe too since the step-by-step instructions are simple and straightforward.
Ingredients In Vegan Chocolate Banana Nice Cream
- Bananas: You can use fresh or frozen bananas for this recipe but make sure they are ripe. I like to use frozen bananas usually because they are always in my freezer but you can use either.
- Coconut Milk: I like to use full fat canned coconut milk. Alternatively, you can try almond milk but the consistency will be thinner so I’d suggest using only ½ cup of almond milk instead of 1 cup.
- Maple Syrup: You can adjust the amount of maple syrup you use based on your sweetness preference. Usually 2-3 teaspoons of maple syrup makes this ice cream sweet enough for my preference.
- Cocoa Powder: This is what gives that delicious chocolatey flavor to the nice cream!
- Chocolate Chips (Optional): I use vegan mini chocolate chips and will either mix them in after the nice cream is blended or sprinkle them on top of the nice cream once it’s served.
How To Make
Add all of the ingredients except the chocolate chips in a food processor or blender. Blend until smooth and creamy texture.
Optional: Pour the chocolate chips and mix together. Alternatively, you can sprinkle the chocolate chips over the nice cream once it’s frozen and ready to be served.
Transfer the banana ice cream to a freezer safe container and freeze for at least 2 hours to get a scoop-able ice cream. You can freeze this ice cream for up to 1 month but it will be hard so make sure to allow a few minutes to thaw before serving.
Flavor Ideas
One of the best parts about nice cream is how easy it is to customize.
Here’s some additional flavor ideas:
- Add peanut butter for a chocolate peanut butter banana nice cream flavor
- Try mint chips instead of chocolate chips
- Blend strawberries into the nice cream for an extra fruity flavor
Topping ideas:
- Add fresh fruit like strawberries, pineapple, raspberries
- Drizzle peanut butter or nut butter
- Try chopped nuts like pecans or walnuts
How To Store
This nice cream dessert can last in the freezer for up to 1 month. I think the nice cream tastes best the first week in the freezer though so don’t wait too long to serve it. Once ready to serve, take it out of the freezer and let it thaw a little so it’s easier to scoop.
More Desserts To Try:
- Creamy Strawberry Pineapple Popsicles
- Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble
- Gluten Free No Bake Triple Berry Pie
- Healthier Lemon Bars
- No Bake Raspberry Energy Balls
- Lemon Blueberry Cookies
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Vegan Chocolate Banana Nice Cream
Equipment
- food processor or blender
Ingredients
- 3 ripe bananas fresh or frozen
- 1 cup full fat coconut milk
- 3 tbsp cocoa powder
- 2 tsp maple syrup
- ¼ cup vegan mini chocolate chips optional
Instructions
- Add all of the ingredients except the chocolate chips in a food processor or blender. Blend until smooth and creamy texture.
- (Optional) Pour the chocolate chips in and mix together.
- Transfer the banana nice cream to a freezer safe container or loaf pan and freeze for at least 2 hours to get a scoop-able ice cream. You can freeze this ice cream for up to 1 month but it will be hard so make sure to allow a few minutes to thaw before serving.
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