We’re huge ice cream fans around here, so it’s nice to have some extra healthy options on hand for when the craving strikes! This nice cream gets a boost from coconut cream and vanilla giving it wonderful flavor and a dreamy soft serve texture. Like any nice cream, it’s completely fruit based and there’s no added sugar. It’s simply frozen bananas turned into the most creamy concoction with the help of a little coconut cream. If you find yourself a little skeptical about nice cream, you’re not alone! The first time I tried it with just bananas I was underwhelmed. But as it turns out, it’s really delicious with just 1-2 extra ingredients. And you’ll find all our fruit-based nice creams, plus our favorite dairy-free ice creams linked below for more inspiration.
Ingredients & Substitutions
Bananas – you want bananas that are just ripe for this recipe like the ones pictured above. They should be mostly yellow with some brown spots. Coconut cream – you can buy cans of coconut cream at the store, (be sure to buy unsweetened). Or you can refrigerate a can of coconut milk and scoop the hardened cream from the surface. Vanilla extract – is everything in this recipe, it adds so much flavor and rounds everything out. Go for a good quality vanilla here, and save imitation or vanilla flavorings for another recipe. Sea salt – a large pinch really brings everything together in this recipe and adds depth as well. Salt is key in desserts to bring out the sweetness and keep them from tasting ‘flat’.
How to make this recipe step by step
Step 1: Start by peeling and slicing the bananas into 1″ pieces. Step 2: Spread the sliced bananas out onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and freeze until firm for 2-3 hours. If you have a large bag you’re going to store them in, skip this step, add them straight to the bag, and freeze them in a single layer. Step 3: Once the bananas are frozen, place them into a sealed container and freeze them for up to 1 week before making your nice cream. Bananas will progressively turn brown over time in the freezer, so they are best used within a couple of days for this recipe. If you’re bananas have turned brown, try my Chunky Monkey Nice Cream where you won’t notice the discoloration. Step 4: Place the frozen bananas into a food processor with the coconut cream, vanilla, and sea salt. Process until smooth and it’s the texture of soft serve, stopping the machine as necessary to break up chunks. You can also make this nice cream in a high-powered blender. Blend at low speeds, using the tamper to keep the mixture moving. I prefer not to use my blender because I’ve had it overheat a few times. Luckily it turns itself off to save the motor, but I’d rather use my much cheaper food processor in this case. I’ve been making nice creams for years in the same food processor and it’s still going like a champ. I figure it’s better not to accidentally wreck my expensive blender!
Storing leftovers
To store – place any leftovers into a sealed container and freeze for up to 2 weeks. Nice cream will freeze rock hard with an icy texture. You can soften it on the counter or in the refrigerator to eat or see repurpose below. It will also progressively turn browner as it sits in the freezer so it’s best eaten as soon as possible. Repurpose – nice cream is rock hard and icy in the freezer, so to get back that soft serve texture defrost on the counter until you can just break it up with a knife. Place the broken-up chunks into the food processor and process back to creamy smoothness.
More nice cream and ice cream recipe inspiration
5 Minute Peach Nice Cream Chunky Monkey Nice Cream Mango Soft Serve Nice Cream Coconut Ice Cream Chocolate Fudge Ice Cream
I really hope you enjoy this creamy Banana Nice Cream recipe! If you do get a chance to make this recipe, please leave a rating, I’d love to hear from you in the comments. This recipe was originally published in 2017, but has been updated in 2022 with new photos and lots more information and tips.
