Chocolate Nice Cream Recipe (2024)

This healthy chocolate n’ice cream is a delicious, dairy-free, gluten-free, soft serve that isn’t really ice cream at all!

If you love chocolate but don’t love the calories, and you love banana but don’t love the mushy texture, and you love n’ice cream but don’t love processed sugars, then this chocolate banana nice cream is for you! Chocolate n’ice cream is a frozen dessert that is practically guilt-free.

What Is Nice Cream?

Banana nice cream is a dessert dish made of very simple ingredients. Namely, sliced and frozen bananas. When blended, it produces a consistency very similar to dairy-based ice cream.

Is Nice Cream Healthier?

That depends on your definition of healthy. But generally speaking, yes. It’s much healthier than regular ice cream.

Why Do They Call It Nice Cream?

There are two reasons it’s called “nice cream”.

1. It’s a term coined by vegans who avoid animal products such as dairy in the interest of reducing the mistreatment of animals. So in this case, it’s a “nicer” ice cream because no cows were mistreated in getting their milk to make the ice cream.
2. Because it is non-dairy and plant-based, and because it is already blended, it tends to be very easy on your digestion, making it a “nicer” dessert for your tummy.

Does Nice Cream Taste Of Banana?

Yes, no and it depends. Ha! The truth is, the riper your bananas are, the more your nice cream will taste like bananas. So if you want to avoid the flavor of bananas, it’s best to use green bananas. Green bananas also have a lower number on the glycemic index, so they are much friendlier to your blood sugar.

How To Make Chocolate Banana Nice Cream In A Food Processor

A food processor is the easiest to use because you can dump everything into it and turn it on. You will, however, have to scrape the sides from time to time to keep things moving. A little bit of liquid will go a long way to not burning out your processor motor. But don’t overdo it or you will have a soft yogurt consistency instead of ice cream. Add approximately 1 tablespoon of liquid at a time, at most.

How To Make Chocolate Banana Nice Cream In A Blender

In a blender, you’ll want to work in smaller batches. And just like in a food processor, you’ll need to stop the blender occasionally to scrape the sides. You may also need to add a small amount of liquid here too. Although, in general, a blender will be a bit stronger than a food processor. But that will depend greatly on your appliances.

Topping Ideas

If you want to top this, you can try a few of these delicious ideas!

• Cacao nibs
• Maple syrup (great if you used less sweet bananas. Use in place of honey)
• Chocolate chips
• Peanuts
• Pecans
• Walnut
• Pistachios
• Chunks of fresh berries such as raspberries or strawberries
• Slices of fresh, ripe bananas

Recipe Variations

You can add a few extras to give this extra or different flavors. Try adding:

• 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp. natural peanut butter for chocolate peanut butter ice cream
• 1 tbsp. almond butter (no sugar added)
• ¼ cup nuts – stir in when you pour the ice cream into the loaf pan.
• ½ cup chocolate chips – stir in when you pour the chocolate banana ice cream into the loaf pan.

🥣 About The Ingredients

Sliced bananas – Slice them, freeze them in a single layer on a parchment-lined cookie sheet, and then use them for making this n’ice cream.

Milk – This amount you use will vary based on your appliance and how much liquid it will need to get the job done. Just remember to use a little at a time so you don’t add too much liquid and end up with a smoothie instead of ice cream. You can use any type of milk! Try soy milk, almond milk, or even coconut milk for a non-dairy version.

Unsweetened cocoa powder – Make sure it’s unsweetened.

Honey – This is optional and should be added to taste.

How Do You Make Chocolate Nice Cream?

Collect all your ingredients and add them to a blender or food processor.

Blend well. You will need to stop the processor or blender a few times and adjust things with a spatula just to be sure you got all the bananas blended. There are always a few rascals in there that like to hide.

Pour this into a loaf pan or other freezer-safe container.

Place in the freezer for up to 2 hours, or until it reaches a scoopable consistency. Note that this will be more on the level of soft-serve ice cream. If you freeze this for too long, you’ll have a hard block that will need to thaw again on your counter. DO NOT OVER-FREEZE!

Scoop and serve.

Recipe Supplies

For this recipe, you’ll need either a good food processor or a good blender. A high-speed blender is best, such as a Vitamix.

More Healthy Vegan Ice Cream Recipes:

• Strawberry Banana Nice Cream
• Cherry Almond Nice Cream

Chocolate N’ice Cream Recipe Card

Recipe from the Gracious Pantry® archives, originally posted 5/5/2010.