My decadent, rich, and tasty chocolate nice cream is a healthy indulgence you’re going to love serving up to your family! Sweet, ripe bananas are blended with lush cocoa powder to create a nourishing dessert that satisfies your sweet tooth!
Velvety, rich, and satisfying – my chocolate nice cream is going to become your new favorite!
Regular dairy ice cream is delicious, but sometimes we all want that sweet indulgence without the extra added sugar, dairy, or hidden ingredients. This nice cream makes that possible!
It only has 5 ingredients and the base comes completely from frozen bananas! This makes it nutrient-dense, especially with the added minerals and antioxidants from the cocoa powder!
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My rich and decadent chocolate nice cream is the perfect dessert for the whole family. The best part Is you can add toppings or mix-ins to create a personalized treat that kids and adults are going to love!
Nice cream is also perfect for those who can’t have dairy! The base is made of frozen bananas, and if you need a splash of milk to help blend, you can use a dairy-free alternative like almond, coconut, or oat milk! This makes it vegan-friendly too!
❤️ Why You'll Love This Recipe!
So Fast! Nice cream comes together in just a few minutes – that’s way faster than making ice cream from scratch.
So Indulgent! Rich cocoa powder turns the delicious, sweet frozen bananas into a decadent frozen treat that’ll wow your tastebuds!
Friendly to All Eaters! Not only is nice cream perfect for the pickiest of eaters, but it’s also a perfect dessert for anyone who is lactose intolerant, allergic to eggs, or vegan!
🥘 Ingredients
My rich, velvety chocolate nice cream is the perfect quick dessert that you’ll be sure to come back to! Try freezing several batches of overripe bananas so you always have some on hand!
- Bananas – You want to use overripe, browned bananas for this recipe! They need to be peeled, cut up, and frozen at least overnight.
- Milk – You can use regular whole milk, or a dairy-free milk alternative if you prefer! I like either almond, coconut, or soy.
- Vanilla Extract – Vanilla extract always enhances the sweet notes of chocolate! Use pure vanilla extract for the best result!
- Salt – This is optional but recommended! Just a pinch helps balance the flavors of the nice cream. Chocolate and salt pair especially well together, too!
- Cocoa Powder – You can use Hershey's, Ghirardelli, Godiva, or your favorite cocoa powder for this recipe! (See Tips & Recipe Notes)
🔪 Step-by-Step Instructions
This delectable chocolate nice cream takes just 5 minutes to make! Leaving the bananas on the counter to soften up a bit before blending helps create that ultra-creamy texture!
- Freeze the bananas. Using 3 large, overripe, and brown bananas, peel and cut them into several chunks, place into an airtight freezer bag or container and freeze overnight.
- Prep the nice cream. Take the frozen, ripe bananas out of the freezer and let them sit out on the counter to soften, about 5 minutes while you prep everything else. Grab your blender, food processor, Vitamix blender, nice cream maker like Yonana, or even an immersion blender if you have a big cup for blending.
- Blend the nice cream. Place the softened pieces from 3 large bananas into your food processor, blender, or nice cream maker, along with ¼ teaspoon of pure vanilla extract, a small pinch of salt, and 3 tablespoons of cocoa powder. Blend until you reach a smooth, creamy soft serve like consistency.
You can add a splash (about ½ a tablespoon) of milk or dairy-free alternative as needed. Try not to add too much, as it can make the nice cream runny. - Serve! Once the nice cream is the proper texture, serve immediately! You can also freeze in an airtight container or loaf pan for at least 30 minutes to make it more scoopable and ice cream like.
My indulgent, luscious chocolate nice cream is perfect served for dessert with just a spoon! But if you want, you can top with crushed Oreos or peppermint candy, a drizzle of hot fudge, or a drizzle of caramel sauce! Enjoy!
💭 Tips & Recipe Notes
I like using natural, unsweetened cocoa powder, like Hershey’s or Penzey’s, for this recipe.
- This will give the nice cream a darker, rich chocolate flavor. If you want a lighter, more milk chocolate flavor, try using Dutch Processed cocoa!
- Whatever you wind up using, just make sure it’s 100% cocoa and has no extra sweeteners or fillers.
If you want a more pronounced vanilla flavor, try using vanilla bean!
- You can use half of a scraped vanilla bean, or even ¼ teaspoon of vanilla bean paste! Vanilla pairs excellently with chocolate and will enhance the flavor of the nice cream wonderfully.
This recipe uses 3 large bananas, which makes 1-2 servings.
- You can have two small servings of this chocolatey nice cream, or one large serving (which I recommend)!
- If you’re wanting to make nice cream for multiple people, I would try not to do more than one batch at a time, as it can stress your blender, unless you have a high power one like a Vitamix.
📖 Variations
Once the nice cream is blended, you can fold in anything you like! The possibilities are endless!
- Try peanut butter chips for a classic peanut butter/chocolate/banana combo.
- You can also mix in chopped strawberries for nice cream that tastes exactly like a chocolate covered strawberry or chopped cherries for a cherry cordial chocolate flavor!
- You can fold in crushed Oreos for a chocolate cookies & cream that’s out of this world!
- If you’re a fan of mocha, add 1 to 2 teaspoons of instant espresso powder with the bananas before you blend, and it’ll be incredible!
🥡 Storing
Because it’s a frozen dessert, my chocolate nice cream will store perfectly in the freezer! Transfer any extra or any that you’ve made ahead into an airtight container or a loaf/bread pan. Put a sheet of plastic cling film directly on the nice cream, pressing down slightly so it adheres to the whole top to prevent ice crystals. Then put on the lid or another piece of plastic over the top of the whole container and it’ll keep in the freezer for up to 3 months!
When you’re ready to eat, simply place out on the counter for 5 to 15 minutes depending on how soft you want it. Then scoop and enjoy!
❓ FAQ
I wouldn’t recommend this as I don’t think it would blend evenly throughout the bananas. Though, it may create a chocolate ripple effect when the melted chocolate hits the frozen bananas, which could be a tasty addition to the cocoa powder!
In my opinion, there is enough sweetness from the ripe bananas! But if you want a little extra sweetness, try adding a tablespoon of maple syrup, agave, or honey for a healthier sweetener option!
I sure do! Check out my creamy, dreamy vanilla nice cream and my cool, decadent mint chocolate chip nice cream for more ways to make incredible nice cream desserts!
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📋 Recipe
Chocolate Nice Cream
Ingredients
- 3 large bananas (overripe browned bananas, peeled and frozen in advance)
- ½ tablespoon milk (or milk of choice, if needed)
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract (or vanilla bean or vanilla paste)
- 1 pinch salt (optional)
- 3 tablespoon cocoa powder
Instructions
Freeze the Bananas
- To start out, wait until your bananas are nicely browned and leopard-spotted. Peel and cut into 5-6 chunks then place the banana pieces into an airtight freezer storage bag or container.3 large bananas
Make Your Nice Cream
- Set your frozen bananas out for about 5 minutes while you prep everything else needed. Grab a food processor, blender, vitamix, or even an immersion blender if you have a great big cup for blending. *There are easy commercial nice cream makers, but this is pretty simple without them!
- Place the banana chunks from 3 large bananas into your food processor along with vanilla extract, a pinch of salt, and cocoa powder. Blend until you reach a soft-serve consistency, adding milk as needed if you want.½ tablespoon milk, ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 pinch salt, 3 tablespoon cocoa powder
- Serve immediately once the nice cream reaches a soft-serve consistency, or freeze for at least 30 minutes before serving with an ice cream scoop (for a more ice cream-like consistency).
Notes
- Freeze batches of your browned bananas in advance that way they're always ready to go when you want some nice cream!
- 2-3 large bananas are one generous serving or two small servings of nice cream.
Nutrition
Angela is an at home chef that developed a passion for all things cooking and baking at a young age in her Grandma's kitchen. After many years in the food service industry, she now enjoys sharing all of her family favorite recipes and creating tasty dinner and amazing dessert recipes here at Bake It With Love!
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