content written in collaboration with Hanna Johnson // Nice cream is a dairy-free alternative to traditional ice cream. Nice cream is made using frozen bananas by blending them until they form a texture similar to ice cream. You can also make it from frozen coconut milk or other frozen fruits such as pawpaw, mangoes or strawberry. The name “nice cream” comes from this recipe being healthier and more beneficial than traditional ice cream.
Some of the health benefits include:
- Getting important nutrients such as vitamin C, vitamin B6, copper, magnesium and manganese.
- Since bananas are rich in fibre, they’ll help enhance digestion
- Bananas are an important source of antioxidants like catechins and dopamine.
Making nice-cream is very easy! Begin with whole, overnight frozen bananas or other frozen fruits. Once they are frozen, put the frozen banana chunks in a powerful food processor, like the ones by Kenwood for example. Use just enough to cover your food processor’s bottom, although the precise amount will depend on your bowl size.
If desired, add juicy fresh fruit, fat like nut butter or coconut cream, or a liquid like almond milk to make blending easier or to add taste. Blend till creamy and thick. Switch off the machine, open the lid, and scrape down the blender’s sides. If necessary, repeat until the desired texture is achieved. Now serve your nice cream or store it in the freezer for later.
Here are 3 other recipes for making nice-cream with other flavors!
1) Coconut Cream / Coconut Milk Nice Cream
Pour the contents of a can of coconut milk or cream onto an ice cube tray after shaking it. Make a great soft serve by freezing it overnight and blending it with a small amount of almond milk (I try to keep it around 1/4 cup). Note that some coconut milk/cream products have a pretty strong coconut flavour.
2) Mix and Match with Different Fruits
You can add various fruits to your already-blended base fruit, such as frozen berries, cherries, mango, pineapple, kiwi, persimmon, and more. Alternatively, you might use 1 cup of chopped fresh or frozen fruit or nuts for a chunkier texture. Just stay away from fruits like apples and pears that ripen fast or have a lot of moisture, they won’t yield the creamy texture you’re looking for.
3) Make it Better with Flavourings
After preparing the basic cream, the possibilities for nice cream combinations are endless, ranging from: the traditional chocolate (bananas and cocoa powder) and creamy pistachio (banana and pistachio butter) to the exotic and extremely healthy acai berries (base fruit and frozen acai purée) or the seasonally appropriate strawberry basil (base fruit + strawberries + chopped basil). Add these flavourings to your blended bananas, and you’ll get a perfect nice cream.
Storing Nice Cream: Once you’ve made your nice cream, store it in an airtight freezer container, which can last up to 3 months.
If you had no idea what nice cream is, at least now you know how to prepare it. So, follow this guide’s recipes and create some yummy nice cream!
