Chocolate Banana Nice Cream is a healthy 3-ingredient chocolate "ice cream" that's just as decadent and creamy as traditional ice cream. The peanut butter drizzle makes it even more indulgent without adding processed sugar.
The first time I made chocolate banana nice cream, I was amazed that blended frozen bananas and cocoa powder could be as smooth and creamy as soft serve and taste so spot-on like chocolate ice cream.
It was everything my sweet tooth was craving -- and the best part, it was super easy to make!
To make healthy banana ice cream, all you do is drop frozen banana slices, cocoa powder, and a little almond milk into a food processor or high speed blender (like a Vitamix or similar), and whiz it up until it’s smooth and creamy.
No ice cream maker is needed to make this sweet treat!
If you dig in right away, it will be the perfect consistency of soft-serve ice cream. You can also freeze it for a couple of hours into scoopable chocolate banana ice cream.
For a little extra indulgence, add the peanut butter drizzle, a few dark chocolate chips, or any of your favorite toppings. This just might become your new favorite frozen dessert!
Try some of my other healthy ice cream recipes next!
- Mint Chocolate Chip Oreo Nice Cream
- Strawberry Smoothie Bowl
- Strawberry Ice Cream Sandwiches
- Pineapple Nice Cream Coconut Balls
You’re going to love this
This chocolate banana nice cream recipe is just as smooth and creamy as soft serve ice cream.
The flavor is so deep, dark, and rich, you’ll swear you’re eating chocolate ice cream.
This healthy treat is also dairy-free with no processed sugar — unless you add chocolate chips :).
Chocolate banana nice cream with the maple peanut butter drizzle tastes like peanut butter revel ice cream!!
Ingredients
Frozen ripe bananas. Fresh banana slices frozen at the perfect ripeness lend natural sweetness to this classic banana nice cream recipe, so no added sugar is necessary.
Cocoa powder. I use dark unsweetened cocoa powder because it has a dark, rich, decadent chocolate flavor. Regular cocoa powder also works.
Unsweetened almond milk, optional. A little liquid like almond milk or any type of milk is optional to help loosen up the frozen bananas and speed up the process.
Salt. A dash of salt brings out the natural flavors in the other ingredients.
Peanut butter powder or peanut butter. The yummy peanut butter drizzle can be made with regular peanut butter or peanut butter powder.
Pure maple syrup. Maple syrup adds sweetness to the peanut butter drizzle, without any added sugar.
How to Freeze Bananas for Nice Cream
When your bananas start to turn brown and speckly, peel and slice them into 1-inch pieces, then throw them in the freezer. I use a large zip-top bag so I can spread out the bananas in a single layer and lay it flat in my freezer.
Let the bananas freeze fully — at least 4-6 hours -- before using them to make nice cream.
You can also freeze the banana slices in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, then place them in a freezer bag once frozen.
Step-by-step instructions
Place frozen sliced bananas, cocoa powder, almond milk, and a dash of salt in a food processor or high-speed blender.
Process on high for 3-5 minutes, stopping from time to time to scrape down the sides.
If the bananas are slow to break down, you can pulse your food processor on and off a few times to get things moving.
Process until the banana ice cream mixture is smooth with a creamy texture.
Right away, it will have the perfect soft serve consistency.
For scoopable nice cream, store it in the freezer for at least 2 hours. Place it in a tightly covered freezer-safe container like a glass food storage container or a metal loaf pan. Place plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the nice cream to keep ice crystals from developing.
Chocolate banana nice cream is very firm when frozen for several hours or overnight. Take it out and let it sit at room temperature for about 20 minutes or until it’s soft enough to scoop into ice cream cones or sundaes.
Peanut Butter Maple Drizzle
To make your own chocolate peanut butter revel ice cream, add a drizzle of Peanut Butter Maple Drizzle.
Stir the peanut butter powder and maple syrup together. Add water until the peanut butter sauce reaches the right drizzling consistency.
For extra crunch, flavor, and fun, add chocolate chips, nuts, toffee pieces, or your favorite ice cream toppings.
Storage
Store chocolate banana nice cream in a freezer safe container with plastic wrap placed directly on the surface of the nice cream.
Expert Tips
Freeze bananas when they are at the perfect eating ripeness — yellow with some brown speckles.
Use a food processor or high speed blender, not a regular blender to make chocolate nice cream. A regular blender isn’t powerful enough to tackle those frozen bananas.
You will need to stop and scrape down the sides of the food processor several times until the frozen bananas break down. Be patient, it’ll all be worth it :).
Recipe FAQs
Nice cream is made by blending frozen fruit in a food processor or high powered blender until it is as smooth and creamy as soft-serve ice cream.
Store your chocolate banana ice cream tightly covered in a freezer-safe container in the freezer or in a metal loaf pan with plastic wrap pressed onto the surface of the nice cream.
Yes, the best way to freeze bananas is to peel and slice the bananas, then freeze them in a single layer on a baking sheet pan lined with parchment paper or in a very large freezer bag.
Make Your Own Nice Cream Flavors
Try creating different flavors of your own homemade ice cream by adding fruit, extracts, and other add-ins:
Flavor extracts. Add a little vanilla extract to any flavor of nice cream, or take it in a new direction with almond, lemon, peppermint, or coconut extract. With extracts like mint and almond, start with just a few drops-- you can always add more.
Frozen fruit. Start with a base of bananas to keep the nice cream extra creamy, then add in other frozen fruits like strawberries, mangos, pineapple, or blueberries.
Nut butters. Almond butter, peanut butter, or peanut butter powder pair perfectly with bananas.
Stir-ins. Add a handful of chopped nuts, chocolate chips, cacao nibs, coconut flakes, are great additions for a little texture and crunch.
Hungry for more nice cream recipes?
Recipe Essentials
This food processor is my go-to for making everything from this banana ice cream recipe to hummus to salsa.
That cute yellow dish you see is this Fiesta ramekin. Isn’t it cute!?
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Chocolate Banana Nice Cream with Peanut Butter Drizzle
Ingredients
Chocolate Banana Ice Cream
- 6 ripe bananas, sliced and frozen
- ¼ cup dark cocoa powder
- ¼ cup unsweetened almond milk, optional
- dash salt, optional
Peanut Butter Maple Drizzle
- 4 tablespoons powdered peanut butter (or 2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter)
- 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 2-4 tablespoons water, as needed (1-2 tablespoons if using creamy peanut butter)
Instructions
Prepare Your Bananas for Banana Ice Cream
- When your bananas start to turn brown and speckley, peel and slice them into 1-inch pieces, then throw them in the freezer. I use a large zip-top bag so I can spread out the bananas in a single layer and lay it flat in my freezer. Let the bananas freeze fully — at least 4-6 hours.
How to Make Chocolate Banana Ice Cream
- Place frozen banana slices, cocoa powder, almond milk, and a dash of salt in a food processor or high-powered blender.
- Process on high for 3-5 minutes, stopping from time to time to scrape down the sides. If the bananas are slow to break down, you can pulse your food processor on and off a few times to get things moving.
- Serve right away— it will be the perfect soft serve consistency. If you are looking for scoopable nice cream, store it covered in the freezer for 2 hours. Then you can scoop it into cones or build sundaes.
- Chocolate banana nice cream is very firm when frozen for several hours or overnight. Take it out and let it sit at room temperature for about 20 minutes or until it’s soft enough to scoop into ice cream cones or sundaes.
Peanut Butter Maple Drizzle
- Stir the peanut butter powder and maple syrup together. Add water until the peanut butter sauce reaches the right drizzling consistency.
- Store chocolate banana nice cream in a freezer safe container with plastic wrap placed directly on the surface of the nice cream.
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