This chocolate banana nice cream is the perfect hot weather treat when you’re looking for something tasty, satisfying and healthy! Made with only of a handful of wholesome ingredients and no ice cream maker in sight!
What is Nice Cream?
The concept of nice cream or banana ice cream is not a new one, it’s one of the earliest healthy desserts I remember making when I embarked on my health journey. It’s basically a a dairy-free alternative to traditional ice cream, typically made from blended frozen bananas. It is popular among those who are vegan, lactose intolerant, or simply looking for a healthier dessert option.
The basic nice cream recipe involves blending frozen bananas until they achieve a creamy, ice cream-like consistency. From there, you can add various ingredients to create different flavours, such as:
- Fruit: Berries, mango, or other frozen fruits for added flavour and nutrition.
- Chocolate: Cocoa powder or chocolate chips for a rich, chocolatey taste.
- Nut Butters: Peanut butter, almond butter, or other nut butters for a creamy texture and nutty flavour.
- Sweeteners: Honey, maple syrup, or dates for added sweetness.
- Spices: Cinnamon, vanilla extract, or other spices for extra flavour.
Why I love making this chocolate banana nice cream:
I, like many others, find myself craving ice cream on a hot summer day. There’s nothing quite so satisfying and refreshing when you need something to keep cool. However, the average ice cream isn’t always kind to me and my digestive system. It often leaves me feeling heavy as well as leaving me with heart burn and acid reflux. The high dairy, fat and sugar content just doesn’t seem to sit right with me and I struggle to digest it. Every time I have an ice cream, I almost always regret it afterwards because I feel AWFUL!
That’s why I prefer making my own healthier version at home with more wholesome ingredients. This chocolate banana nice cream is so much lighter as well as being lower in sugar and fat. It’s also really easy to make. As I don’t have an ice cream maker, knowing I can blend a few basic ingredients in a blender and freeze for an hour works perfectly for me!
Unlike most nice cream recipes, I added some yoghurt and tahini to my chocolate banana nice cream to bump up the protein and healthy fat content. This makes it a little more balanced and nutritious compared to the average carb heavy nice cream recipes. The yoghurt and tahini also add creaminess, which makes the chocolate banana nice cream so much more satisfying, satiating and enjoyable.
Here are some ways you can customise your chocolate banana nice cream:
This chocolate banana nice cream is not only easy to make, but it’s also easily customisable. Here are some ways you can change it around:
- If you’re not a chocolate fan, omit the chocolate. You can add other flavours like cinnamon, desiccated coconut, coffee (love this option!) or fruit.
- I love tahini, but I know it’s not for everyone. If you’re not a fan or don’t have any on hand, feel free to use any nut-butter you like. Peanut, almond or hazelnut butters all work really well.
- I added 2 tbsp of maple syrup for extra sweetness as my bananas weren’t as ripe as I would have liked them to be. If you used really sweet bananas, you may feel you don’t need to add any extra sweetness. Of course you can add more than 2 tbsp if you have a sweeter tooth.
- I also added yoghurt to bump up the protein and make it more creamy. You can of course use a dairy-free alternative for a vegan version or omit completely.
what you need to make this chocolate banana nice cream:
Bananas – the riper your bananas, the sweeter the nice cream will turn out. Depending on how sweet your bananas are, you may feel you don’t need to add any extra sweetener, so you can omit the maple syrup. You’ll need to chop your bananas into chunks, add them to a freezer bag and freeze for a few hours until solid.
Yoghurt – I like to add fat-free Greek yoghurt to make my chocolate banana nice cream creamier, but also to make it more balanced and satisfying. Each serving offers 7g protein due to the added yoghurt. You can of course use a dairy-free yoghurt alternative if you need the recipe to be vegan/dairy-free. I would recommend using a thicker Greek style vegan yoghurt.
Tahini – I only added 2 tbsp to add some creaminess and healthy fats. You can omit, or use another nut/seed butter like peanut butter, almond butter, etc.
Cocoa – This will add an intense chocolatey flavour as well as lots of antioxidants! You can omit if you don’t like chocolate.
Maple syrup – I only added some because my bananas weren’t as ripe/sweet and I would have liked. This will depend entirely on your taste and preference. You can add more if you like, or omit completely.
How to make this chocolate banana nice cream:
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Add everything to a high-speed blender/food processor and blend until smooth.
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Transfer into a cake tin and freeze for 1-2 hours.
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Scoop, serve and enjoy!
This chocolate banana nice cream is:
- Healthy
- Gluten-free
- Nut-free
- Can be made vegan/dairy-free
- Made with wholesome ingredients
- Easy to make
- Made without an ice cream maker
- Lighter than your average ice cream
- A source of protein and healthy fats
- The perfect snack for hot weather
- So tasty!
Chocolate Banana Nice Cream
Ingredients
- 400g frozen bananas around 3-4 ripe bananas
- 130g fat-free Greek yoghurt or a thick plant-based yoghurt
- 4 tbsp cocoa powder
- 2 tbsp maple syrup or to taste
- 2 tbsp tahini
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- Add everything to a high-speed blender/food processor and blend until smooth.
- Transfer into a cake tin and freeze for 1-2 hours.
- Scoop, serve and enjoy!
Nutrition
Wow, this recipe looks absolutely delicious! I can’t wait to try it out this weekend. Thanks for sharing🤗!I recently discovered FoodHub, and it’s been a game-changer for me! I love how easy it is to find new recipes, meal ideas, and even local restaurants all in one place. It’s like having a personal foodie guide at my fingertips!