This healthy and dairy-free chocolate nice cream is made out of just 4 ingredients! It’s sweet, creamy, chocolatey, and sure to satisfy your sweet tooth!
For the past three months I have made this recipe every single morning for breakfast. EVERY. SINGLE. MORNING. If that isn’t enough to tell you how good this recipe is you’re just going to need to try it for yourself! All that’s needed is frozen bananas, cacao powder, dairy-free milk, and your sweetener of choice.
Benefits of Cacao Powder
Cacao powder is created by cold-pressing cacao beans that have not yet been roasted, and is what you might call a “superfood.” On top of being packed with high amounts of calcium, iron, and magnesium, raw cacao is also extremely rich in antioxidants. These antioxidants help protect the cells in your body from free radicals, which may reduce the risk of heart disease or cancers. Cacao can also help lower blood pressure, relieve stress and fatigue, and keep your heart healthy.
What is Nice Cream?
“Nice Cream” has a texture similar to traditional ice cream, but is made by simply blending together frozen bananas. By using frozen bananas, you get a luscious and creamy consistency, not a smoothie. Despite being so simple, this velvety dessert will not disappoint!
Chocolate Nice Cream Ingredients:
- Frozen Bananas
- Cacao Powder
- Dairy-Free Milk : We only need a small amount in this recipe, so any dairy-free milk will work great without changing the taste too much. I like using almond milk or oat milk, but the choice is yours!
- Maple Syrup : This can also be substituted for your sweetener of choice, such as agave syrup or honey. Feel free to adjust the amount you use, depending on which sweetener you choose.
Making Chocolate Nice Cream:
- Freeze Bananas: It’s important to use frozen bananas in this recipe, or you won’t be able to achieve the thick consistency. You have two options here. The first is to freeze the bananas whole and then cut them into pieces before using. The second option, and my personal choice, is to slice the bananas first, so they’re ready to go in the blender. Then freeze the banana slices in a reusable bag, food container, or on a tray. I find that it’s easier to blend when you are working with smaller pieces of banana.
- Blend: Now all you need to do is add the frozen bananas, almond milk, cacao powder, and maple syrup into the blender! I suggest starting on a lower speed and slowly increasing from there. If your blender has a tamper, use it to help start the blending process. Alternatively, stop the blender every so often to give the mixture a few stirs, making sure it is blended evenly. If the mixture is too difficult to blend, you may need to slowly stream in some more almond milk.
Storing and Serving
This nice cream tastes great when eaten right after blending. However, if you want to freeze some for later, I recommend you take it out of the freezer around 20 minutes before serving in order to make sure it’s not too frozen. By keeping it in the freezer before serving, you’ll get a more traditional, scoopable ice cream texture.
What To Avoid Doing
- Don’t put your blender on the highest speed right from the start! I know I’ve already mentioned this but it makes the process so much easier if you avoid this. Instead, start on one of the lowest speeds and wait for the ingredients to begin combining. From here you can slowly increase the speed until the mixture blends easily and is completely smooth.
- Don’t add too much milk! If the bananas aren’t blended smooth right away it may be tempting to start adding more milk. Instead give the mixture time to blend and only then add more milk if necessary. If you add too much milk your nice cream will not be as thick. (It’ll still taste great though!)
Chocolate Nice Cream Serving Suggestions
There are so many choices when it comes to topping this chocolate nice cream! Some of my favorites include…
- Frozen or Fresh Berries (raspberries + strawberries are my favorite combination)
- Nut or Seed Butter
- Granola
- Chopped Nuts (pecans, walnuts, and almonds work great)
- Dark Chocolate Chips
- Cacao Nibs
- Chia Seeds
- Hemp Seeds
- Coconut Flakes
- Cherry Berry Jam
Let me know if you make this Chocolate Nice Cream, I’d love to hear if you enjoy it!
Other Recipes You’ll Love
- Frozen Stuffed Dates
- Mango Peach Jam
- Vegan Parmesan Cheese
- Cherry Berry Jam
- Chocolate Overnight Oats
- Blueberry Chia Jam
Chocolate Nice Cream
Ingredients
- 2 frozen bananas sliced
- 2 tbsp almond milk
- 1½ tbsp cacao powder
- ½ tbsp maple syrup
Instructions
- Add frozen bananas, almond milk, cacao powder, and maple syrup to high speed blender or food processor.
- While gradually increasing the speed, blend until a smooth and thick consistency is reached. If needed, slowly add an additional 1-2 tbsp almond milk.
- Eat immediately for a soft serve consistency, or freeze for 1-2 hours for a more traditional ice cream texture.
- Serve with toppings of choice.