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It’s like ice cream, but only nicer! How much nicer, you say? Well it’s vegan, so it’s made without any cream. In fact, I use bananas as a base for creating this vegan Cappuccino Nice Cream. And although the texture, flavor and taste are not exactly like real ice cream, it’s a healthy frozen treat that’s low in calories, dairy-free and absolutely delicious!
What is nice cream
In short, this is basically “ice cream” that you can make with one ingredient: frozen bananas. The good thing is you actually don’t need an ice cream maker. All you need is a food processor. By using frozen bananas, the food processor churns them quickly and turns them into a smooth and creamy banana ice cream. It will also look like a super thick smoothie that you’ll need a spoon to eat.
This whole idea started out as banana-based ice cream. But since then, it’s really become a term used to describe any dairy-free and fruit-based frozen treat. So you can literally make it using frozen coconut cream, frozen peaches or frozen strawberry. The idea is that it’s a healthier alternative to regular ice cream since it’s free from artificial ingredients, preservatives and added sugar.
How do you make vegan ice cream
All you really need is frozen fruit and a blender or food processor!
Gather the ingredients
There are endless ways and techniques for the recipe. It’s a great base that you can customize and make unique. Here are the ingredients you’ll need to make this cappuccino version.
- Bananas: Use 3 large ripe bananas. Make sure to cut them and place them in the freezer ahead of time.
- Cold brew: I love using the Califia cold brew because it’s strong and flavorful without added sugar.
- Vanilla extract: Adds sweetness without the sugar.
- Cocoa powder: Gives it the cocoa color that blends well with coffee.
Blend ingredients in food processor
You’ll want to add the bananas, cold brew and vanilla extract first into the food processor to break down the bananas.
Once they’re smooth and creamy, you can add as much of the cocoa powder as you’d like. I use ¼ cup for 3 bananas. But I recommend starting with 1-2 tablespoons and adding depending on the shade of cocoa you’re looking for.
And when it’s all blended, this is the color you’ll get using ¼ cup of cocoa. It will look like a starting-to-melt ice cream or a super thick smoothie. You can enjoy it right away and it will be the consistency of soft-serve ice cream.
For a thicker consistency, I recommend freezing it for at least 2 hours.I use a loaf pan and cover it tightly. You can use any freezer-safe container you’d like.
When it’s frozen solid after a couple hours, give it a chance to thaw for 5 minutes. Then you can scoop and serve this banana ice cream as you would any ice cream. I like adding chocolate chunks on top.
Tips for making vegan ice cream
- Make sure to cut the bananas before freezing them. This makes it much easier for the blender or food processor to break down and churn the bananas quickly before it turns into a smoothie.
- Give it time to churn. At first it may seem like there’s not enough liquid to process the bananas and you may be tempted to add more of the cold brew coffee. But be patient and allow the machine time to slowly churn the bananas. You don’t want to add too much liquid or the consistency won’t be right.
- Add more cocoa powder for a darker color. You can vary the amount of cocoa powder by adding more for a rich dark color or less for a milkier look.
- Add some (healthy) fats to make it extra rich and creamy. This could be peanut butter, almond butter or even coconut cream. You might even want to add some melted chocolate which will freeze on contact and turn into chocolate chunks.
- Freeze the ice cream container before adding ice cream to it. It’s hard to remember, but if you can do this for 24 hours before you add the ice cream mix to it, it will really help improve the consistency.
- Work quickly to transfer the ice cream. Try to scoop it from the food processor bowl to the ice cream container as quickly as possible. That’s because fast freezing help minimize ice crystals.
For more vegan desserts:
- Avocado Ice Cream
- Mint Chocolate Brownies
- Peanut Butter Ice Cream Pie
- Almond Joy Ice Cream
- Avocado Chocolate Mousse
- Vegan Lemon Pudding
- 3-Ingredient Chia Pudding
This is a luscious creamy vegan dessert that you can literally whip up anytime. It’s amazing to see how bananas transform into a creamy consistency that looks like the real stuff! This is such a fun banana-based alternative to ice cream. And the great thing about it is that it’s low in calories, low in fat and low in sugar. It’s totally a healthy dessert that you can enjoy all summer long.
If you’ve tried this healthy-ish feel good Cappuccino Nice Cream recipe or any other recipe on FeelGoodFoodie, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave me a comment below! I would love to hear about your experience making it. And if you snapped some shots of it, share it with me on Instagram so I can repost on my stories!
This recipe is part of my collection of Easy No Bake Dessert. Check it out!
Cappuccino Nice Cream
Ingredients
- 3 ripe bananas sliced and frozen
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup cold brew coffee
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- Chocolate chunks for serving
Instructions
- Add bananas, vanilla extract and cold brew coffee to a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth and creamy, scraping down the sides of the blender as necessary.
- After a 1-2 minutes of blending, add the cocoa powder and blend until it’s well incorporated, scraping down the sides of the blender as necessary.
- Pour into a freezer-friendly airtight container. Sprinkle chocolate chunks on top if desired, and freeze for at least 2 hours until the mixture is solid. Allow the ice cream to thaw for a 5-10 minutes before scooping.
Video
Notes
- Instead of cold brew, you can use brewed coffee or espresso. I recommend making it extra strong and allowing it to cool in the fridge for best results.
- You can skip the cocoa powder if you’d like, but it gives it the dark color and goes really well with the coffee flavor.
- Feel free to add any mix-ins or maple syrup to sweeten it.
Nutrition
Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.
This turned out soooo good!!! I’m super impressed! My food processor is old and draggin’ along so the frozen bananas took a liiiittle longer than usual to blend, but we got there. I used my favorite store bought cold brew and it gave the ice cream this wonderful subtle coffee flavor.
Yay!! I’m glad it was worth it and that you enjoyed it!
This looks geat Yumna!! I was wondering- if I wanted to reduce the fruit sugar content and increase some healthy fat, can I use half frozen bananas and half frozen avocados? I know you’ve made avo ice cream before- how do you think it would work here?
I think that might work here! Definitely give it a try 🙂
What size food processor do you use?
13 cup – I have two of them linked in my Shop if you’d like to check them out.
Loved this so much! Perfect for summer
Yay! So glad to hear you liked it!
I have not made it yet but was wondering if the brew, being 1/2 cup would make the nice cream have crystals. When I just use a banana cocoa powder and a tablespoon of almond butter there are no crystals and it is really creamy.
Hi Christine, it will have some crystals as you can see in the recipe video, but it’s not too much. You can definitely lessen the amount or even use instant coffee if you’d like!
Hi! Unfortunately I only have 2 ripe bananas. How should I adjust the measurements of the other ingredients? Thanks in advance!
Hi! I would estimate around 3/4 tsp of pure vanilla extract, 6 tbsp of cold brew coffee, and 3 tbsp of unsweetened cocoa powder.
What did you use to freeze the bananas?
I used a Stasher bag!
This was delicious. Chocolatey and healthy! ☺️
Yay! I’m so glad you liked it!
Amazing and so easy, thank you!! I added some almonds too.
You’re so welcome! Love that you added almonds to it!
How much peanut butter do I use if I choose to add in to the nice cream?
I think 2 tablespoons will work here!
What can I substitute the bananas with?
You can use other fruits like peaches, strawberries or mangoes.
This has all the ingredients I look for in my ice cream. No milk, bananas and coffee. And one more great ingredient: simple
Yay! I hope you try it and like it!