This is the ultimate chocolate banana nice cream! Made with bananas, this is a delicious and healthy treat that everyone will love. Vegan + nut free recipe.
You are not gonna believe this amazing chocolate banana nice cream!
It’s made with simple ingredients like bananas, dairy free milk, and cocoa powder. It’s also free of eggs, nuts, gluten, and can be made sugar free!
This healthy ice cream is perfect anytime you have a sweet tooth craving and some overripe bananas. The best part? No ice cream maker is required! You will get soft-serve ice cream with just some frozen banana slices and a blender.
Free from: Wheat, gluten, dairy, casein, eggs, soy, peanuts, tree nuts, coconut, fish, shellfish, crustaceans, mollusks, celery, corn, sesame, mustard, lupin, sulfites, nightshades, tomatoes, and more
There are a lot of 3 ingredient nice cream recipes out there, but this one is different. It is the ULTIMATE Nice Cream recipe! This one is filled with those little extras to make it a stand out recipe that you go to again and again.
Consider this the ultimate guide to making the ultimate chocolate nice cream!
In the mood for more frozen desserts? Check out my chocolate s'mores nice cream, chocolate nut butter banana protein shake, or some gluten free cookie dough ice cream.
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Why You’ll Love this Nice Cream
- Super easy to make in a blender or food processor
- Filled with healthy ingredients
- So easy to customize the flavors
- Dairy free, Egg free, Nut free, Gluten free, and more!
Ingredients
Here is a quick rundown of what ingredients you’ll need for this banana nice cream. See the Allergy Substitutions below for how to adapt this recipe to your unique needs.
- Bananas: The more ripe the bananas are before you freeze them, the better the nice cream will be! I like to let mine get tons of freckles and spots. Then, I slice them into coins and freeze them on a parchment lined baking sheet for a few hours before transferring them into a container for longer storage.
- Cocoa Powder: You can use either natural, unprocessed or Dutch processed cocoa powder. Both have great results but with slightly different flavors. The Natural is unprocessed and has retained a few more of the natural antioxidants in the cocoa powder. Dutch processed is darker, sweeter, and has a richer flavor, but not as many health benefits. Choose which one you like best!
- Dairy free Milk: Any kind of dairy free milk will work in this recipe so use the one that works best for your allergy needs. I find that a richer milk like coconut milk and soy milk give good results.
- Dairy free Whipped Cream: There are a lot of new dairy free whipped creams available in stores. Go with the one that works best with your allergies. I have a list of the ones I enjoy in the allergy substitutions section.
- Vanilla: A bit of vanilla to deepen the chocolate flavor.
- Sugar: This ingredient is optional, but if you are going to make the ultimate nice cream, a touch extra of sugar never hurts! Use white sugar or coconut sugar to keep this refined sugar free. You can also omit this ingredient if you wish to have this with no added sugar.
- Salt: A pinch of salt really helps to balance all the flavors out.
Allergy Substitutions
To make this chocolate free, use an equal amount of carob powder. No other changes needed!
To make this refined sugar free, either replace the white sugar with an equal amount of coconut sugar or date sugar, or, omit the additional sugar altogether.
If you are avoiding corn, make sure that your vanilla extract is made with corn free vanilla. My favorite brand is Singing Dog Vanilla. You can find it and all my other corn free recommended products on my shop page!
Best Dairy free Whipped Cream
There are lots of options for store bought whipped cream. Here are a few of them.
- Forager Project - Contains coconut and sunflower
- So Delicious Coco Whip - Contains coconut and pea protein
- Silk Whipping Cream - Contains coconut and sunflower
- Trader Joe’s Coconut Whip - Contains coconut
- TruWhip Vegan - Coconut Free! Does contain soy
- 365 Oat-Based Whipped Topping - Coconut free! Contains oats
Variations
There are so many ways to jazz up this vegan ice cream. Here are a few of my favorite flavors.
- Mocha Chip: Replace half a cup of milk with half a cup of strongly brewed coffee, chilled of course! After blending, stir in chocolate chips and a drizzle of chocolate sauce. Let it freeze and enjoy!
- Mint Chocolate Chip: Add a few drops of peppermint extract while blending. Be careful! Mint can get overwhelming quickly. After blending, stir in chocolate chips. Let it freeze and enjoy!
- Peanut Butter Banana: Replace the vegan whipped cream with your favorite peanut butter, or any nut/seed butter. Sprinkle some dark chocolate chips on top.
- Different Toppings: And of course, you can totally change the flavor with some toppings. Here are a few of my personal favorites:
- A handful of chocolate chips, different fresh fruits like raspberries or strawberries, sliced banana with chocolate syrup, crumbled cookies, or some crunchy granola.
Recommended Equipment
A good high-speed blender or food processor is essential for this recipe. If you only have a traditional blender, this recipe will still work, it just might not get the same soft-serve consistency. However, it will still taste amazing.
Instructions
For the full instructions, complete with ingredient measurements, please see the recipe card below.
Making this is really easy! Into a large blender or food processor, add the dairy free milk, frozen bananas, whipped cream, and vanilla. Blend this together a few times before adding the cocoa powder, sugar, and salt. Then, blend on high speed until it all comes together!
You may need to scrape it down a few times or use a blending stick to make sure that all the ingredients are fully incorporated.
Pour this into a parchment lined container (I used a loaf pan) or other freezer-safe container and spread it into a single layer. Let it freeze for about 2 hours, or until it is scoopable. Serve and enjoy!
Tip! You don’t have to freeze this to serve this nice cream. This can be served like soft serve ice cream right away after blending it together.
If you made this and it's been in the freezer for more than a few hours, it will have a firmer texture than regular ice cream. Let it rest on the countertop for 5 to 10 minutes so that it is easier to scoop.
FAQs
I think it is! Bananas are a super nutritious food, full of potassium, as well as vitamins and minerals. Because you are using them as the base of the ice cream, you are reducing a lot of the added sugars and other heavy creams while still getting a thick and luxurious frozen dessert.
How long do bananas take to freeze?
This depends on your freezer and how big of chunks you cut your bananas. For me, it takes about 3 hours for the bananas to freeze up when I slice them into about 1-inch chunks.
How can you make a banana ripen quicker?
The classic technique for ripening bananas is to pop the bananas into a paper bag and fold it over a few times. This traps the off gasses naturally produced and helps the banana ripen faster.
How to Store
Store any leftover nice cream in a freezer safe container for up to a month.
Allow the nice cream to rest on the countertop for 10 minutes before scooping to allow it to soften slightly.
More Ice Cream Recipes to Love
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Recipe
Equipment
- blender or food processor
- measuring cups
- measuring spoons
- Freezer safe container
Ingredients
- 4 bananas frozen, about 4 cups
- ½ cup cocoa powder
- 1 cup milk I recommend soy milk, coconut milk, oat milk, rice milk
- ½ cup vegan whipped cream I recommend coco whip
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
- 2 tablespoons sugar can swap with coconut or date sugar, or omit
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Freeze the bananas. Peel and slice the ripe bananas into 1-inch thick coins and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Freeze for 2 hours or until fully frozen before transferring to a freezer safe container for longer storage.I typically do this the night before I’m making nice cream.
- Blend the nice cream together. In a large blender or food processor, add the frozen bananas, dairy free milk, vegan whipped cream, and vanilla. Blend this together for about a minute before adding the cocoa powder, sugar, and salt. Blend on high until fully combined. You may need to use a spatula to scrape down the sides and have it fully combined.
- Freeze and serve! Serve as soft serve immediately after blending, or, transfer it to a parchment lined freezer safe container. Freeze for 2 hours or until scoopable. Scoop and serve! After freezing overnight, allow the nice cream to rest on the kitchen countertop for 10 minutes to make it easier to scoop.
Notes
- Best Dairy free Whipped Cream
- There are lots of options for store bought whipped cream. Here are a few of them.
- Forager Project - Contains coconut and sunflower
- So Delicious Coco Whip - Contains coconut and pea protein
- Silk Whipping Cream - Contains coconut and sunflower
- Trader Joe’s Coconut Whip - Contains coconut
- TruWhip Vegan - Coconut Free! Does contain soy
- 365 Oat-Based Whipped Topping - Coconut free! Contains oats
- Variations
- There are so many ways to jazz up this vegan ice cream. Here are a few of my favorite flavors.
- Mocha Chip: Replace half a cup of milk with half a cup of strongly brewed coffee, chilled of course! After blending, stir in chocolate chips and a drizzle of chocolate sauce. Let it freeze and enjoy!
- Mint Chocolate Chip: Add a few drops of peppermint extract while blending. Be careful! Mint can get overwhelming quickly. After blending, stir in chocolate chips. Let it freeze and enjoy!
- Peanut Butter Banana: Replace the vegan whipped cream with your favorite peanut butter, or any nut/seed butter. Sprinkle some dark chocolate chips on top.
- Different Toppings: And of course, you can totally change the flavor with some toppings. Here are a few of my personal favorites:
- A handful of chocolate chips, different fresh fruits like raspberries or strawberries, sliced banana with chocolate syrup, crumbled cookies, or some crunchy granola.
- Allergy Substitutions
- To make this chocolate free, use an equal amount of carob powder. No other changes needed!
- To make this refined sugar free, either replace the white sugar with an equal amount of coconut sugar or date sugar, or, omit the additional sugar altogether.
- If you are avoiding corn, make sure that your vanilla extract is made with corn free vanilla. My favorite brand is Singing Dog Vanilla.
Nutrition
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
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