Chocolate Nice Cream
Healthy Chocolate Nice Cream is SO quick and easy to make! It’s a deliciously wholesome dessert that everyone will enjoy because it’s vegan, dairy-free, gluten-free, and even sugar-free.
There are lots of different flavors of nice cream, and this one just happens to be my favorite, though I also love Mango Lime Nice Cream.
So what is nice cream?
Almost everyone I know loves ice cream, but it’s usually loaded with fat and sugar. Nice cream is basically healthy ice cream made with a base of bananas, and it can even be made with only bananas if desired.
It gets its name Nice because it’s wholesome and complementary to a healthy diet and lifestyle without all of the usual sugary stuff.
How to make chocolate nice cream
It really doesn’t get much more simple than this easy vegan dessert. The only thought that has to be put into it at all is freezing ripe bananas ahead of time.
Many grocery stores actually bag up the overripe or ugly bananas that have brown spots on them and sell them for really cheap. That’s when I like to grab them up.
Bring them home, peel each one, and place them in a gallon-size freezer bag, and store them in the freezer. Some people slice theirs into circles, but I’ve never had a need for that and freezing them whole after peeling works great.
Oftentimes, when I want a really quick snack in the evening, I’ll just eat a frozen banana because they don’t freeze solid hard like ice but have more of a popsicle consistency.
When you’re ready to make nice cream, simply place two frozen bananas in your blender or food processor. They can be broken up into chunks before tossing them in, but I tend to leave them whole. If your blender isn’t pretty powerful, breaking them into chunks will help them process.
My favorite blender is the Vitamix 5200 because it is so powerful, it can blend anything. I actually own two of them because I use them in the Food for Life classes I teach for the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine.
Plain banana nice cream can be made by simply adding a splash of plant milk and blending, and it’s really good. Other varieties can be made by adding in other frozen fruits like strawberries, mango, raspberries, and more.
I like to add cocoa powder and a teaspoon of vanilla to mine to get a delicious healthy chocolate fix. Blend until nice and smooth. My blender has a tamper to press ingredients down to the blade while blending. If yours doesn’t have that, you’ll need to stop and scrape down the sides a few times.
It will be a soft-serve consistency which is how I like it. However, if you would like for it to be scoopable, simply place it in a freezer-safe container for a couple of hours.
Topping options
Though you don’t have to top it with anything extra, some of my favorite toppings are:
- Dairy-free chocolate chips
- Crushed walnuts
- Shredded coconut
- Sliced bananas
- Nut butter such as peanut or almond
Your Chocolate Nice Cream Questions Answered:
- Q: Can you make it without bananas? You actually CAN make nice cream without bananas. I often purchase frozen fruit in a tropical or berry blend and make nice cream without bananas.
- Q: Is nice cream good for you? Absolutely! A dessert of frozen fruit that is naturally sweetened is a terrific healthy snack.
- Q: Do the bananas have to be frozen? Yes, otherwise it’s going to be liquid after blended. You could always freeze it after blending, but my guess is that it would change the consistency a bit.
Other easy vegan desserts
- Chocolate Mug Cake
- Vanilla Nice Cream
- Fruity Vegan Nice Cream
- Chocolate Mousse
- Rainbow Fruit Skewers with Lime Sauce
For those of you new to the whole food plant-based lifestyle, we’ve created a FREE 7-Day Plant-Based Menu Planner to help you get started!
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my full disclosure here.
If you try this recipe, please let us know how you like it by rating it and leaving a comment. We love to hear from you!
Want to Save This Recipe?
Enter your email & I’ll send it to your inbox. Plus, get great new recipes from me every week!
By submitting this form, you consent to receive emails from EatPlant-Based
Chocolate Nice Cream
Ingredients
- 2 overly ripe frozen bananas
- 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 tablespoon plant milk almond, soy, etc
Instructions
- Place two frozen bananas in your blender or food processor. They can be broken up into chunks before tossing them in, but I tend to leave them whole. If your blender isn’t pretty powerful, breaking them into chunks will help them process.
- Add cocoa powder, vanilla, and plant-milk and blend until nice and smooth. My blender has a tamper to press ingredients down to the blade while blending. If yours doesn’t, you’ll need to stop and scrape down the sides a few times.
- It will be a soft-serve consistency which is how I like it. However, if you would like for it to be scoopable, simply place it in a freezer-safe container for a couple of hours.
- Serve as is or top with banana slices, crushed walnuts, dairy-free chocolate chips, or shredded coconut.
Video
Notes
- Q: Can you make it without bananas? You actually CAN make nice cream without bananas. I often purchase frozen fruit in a tropical or berry blend and make nice cream without bananas.
- Q: Is nice cream good for you? Absolutely! A dessert of frozen fruit that is naturally sweetened is a terrific healthy snack.
- Q: Do the bananas have to be frozen? Yes, otherwise it’s going to be liquid after blending. You could always freeze it after blending, but my guess is that it would change the consistency a bit.
Nutrition
Disclaimer
To obtain the most accurate representation of the nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator. You are solely responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information provided is accurate, complete, and useful.
About Terri Edwards
Hi guys! I am the content creator behind EatPlant-Based and a licensed Food for Life instructor with the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. I am passionate about sharing healthy recipes and tips to empower others to get healthy. I’m so glad you’re here! Read More…
This is fantastic! I usually add chocolate unsweetened almond milk and always have to add more than the recipe calls for. I break up the bananas as that seems to help the Vitamix not get bogged down. I use Hershey’s dark chocolate and this is now a regular dessert for us. Thank you!
Hi Zoey- So glad that you like it, and breaking up the bananas into chunks really does help.
I’m not a huge fan of ice cream. That being said:
This is amazing!!!!
I will definitely be keeping bananas in the freezer from now on.
Not only is this delicious it’s easy and fast.
Thank you
What a “NICE” treat
Hi Pam- I agree that it’s crazy how simple this is and how great it tastes! So glad that you like it enough to keep it in your rotation. 🙂
This recipe is awesome! We had to add more tablespoons of almond milk since our blender couldn’t break down the sliced bananas with just one, but the consistency and flavor were amazing! We will definitely use this recipe again with cocoa powder and try different add-ins to create other flavors as well!
This is absolutely divine! I can’t believe I waited so long to make it. It was so easy and 10 minutes included clean up. I even put some in the freezer for later. Thank you!!
Colleen- That’s awesome! I’m so glad that you like it. It’s so perfect for these hot summer days!
I made mine with chocolate protein and caffeine free coffee and it was absolutely amazing.
wowsa!! Just made some for hubby and me..! so, so good.. Thank you Terri for all your recipes..