The dog days of summer are here and who doesn’t like a frozen treat during these hot months. “Nice Cream” is a sugar-free dessert made from frozen bananas and is a great alternative to ice cream when you have a craving for something cold and creamy. The best part is you can make “nice cream” at home with a blender or food processor; no ice cream maker required!
Experiment and make your own flavors of “nice cream” by adding other fruits like pitted peaches or mangoes, try flavored extracts such as lemon, coconut or peppermint, and spices like nutmeg, cinnamon or ginger and you have yourself a flavorful treat that is truly your own.
Before making nice cream, you will need frozen bananas for the base. Start by peeling and cutting bananas into slices. Place bananas, in one flat layer, in a freezer bag or freezer-safe container and freeze for 2 hours or overnight. Before using, remove bananas from freezer and allow to thaw slightly for 5 minutes. Here are a few recipes for inspiration to get you started. Enjoy!
Chocolate Peanut Butter Nice Cream
Makes 4 servings
– 4 frozen, sliced bananas
– 2 Tablespoons of peanut butter
– 2 Tablespoons of cocoa powder
– 1 tsp vanilla extract
– Milk or milk substitute of your choice, up to ¼ cup, optional
Place the first four ingredients in a blender, bananas through vanilla extract. Process until smooth and creamy. Mixture may appear to be thick, if so, add milk of your choice in one Tablespoon at a time until desired consistency is reached. Can be stored in freezer safe container for up to 1 week.
Strawberry Nice Cream
Makes 4 servings
– 4 frozen, sliced bananas
– 1 cup frozen strawberries, slightly thawed
– 1 tsp vanilla extract
– Milk or milk substitute of your choice, up to ¼ cup, optional
Place bananas in blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Add thawed strawberries and vanilla extract and process until ingredients are smooth and well combined. If mixture is thick, slowly add 1 Tablespoon of milk at a time, until desired consistency is reached. Can be stored in freezer safe container for up to 1 week.
Cherry Almond Nice Cream
Makes 4 servings
– 4 frozen, sliced bananas
– 1 cup frozen pitted cherries, thawed
– 1/2 tsp almond extract
– Milk or milk substitute of your choice, up to ¼ cup, optional
Place bananas in blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Add thawed pitted cherries and almond extract and process until ingredients are smooth and well combined. If mixture is thick, slowly add 1 Tablespoon of milk at a time, until desired consistency is reached. Can be stored in freezer safe container for up to 1 week.
Mocha Chip “Nice Cream
Makes 4 servings
– 4 frozen, sliced bananas
– 1 tsp. instant coffee powder
– 2 Tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
– 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
– 1 tsp. vanilla extract
– Milk or milk substitute of your choice, up to ¼ cup, optional
– 3 Tablespoons mini chocolate chips
Place frozen bananas in blender or food processor and process until smooth. Add coffee powder, cocoa powder, cinnamon, and vanilla extract. Process until ingredients are combined. If mixture is thick, you may add 1 Tbsp of milk at a time until reaching desired consistency. Stir in chocolate chips until distributed evenly throughout. Can be stored in freezer safe container for up to 1 week.
Content submitted by Janyce Gately – MS, RD, LDN, CHWC
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