Pineapple Nice Cream is a dairy-free frozen dessert that’s just as smooth and creamy as ice cream, but it’s made from frozen bananas and pineapple.
Make it an extra special treat by rolling it in toasted coconut and drizzling it with warm cinnamon honey!
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This Pineapple Nice Cream recipe is my favorite guilt-free summer treat.
It’s so creamy and decadent and the tropical flavors of pineapple and banana go together perfectly -- and I don't even need an ice cream maker to whip up a batch!
On its own, the pineapple nice cream is a delicious and healthy treat. When it’s rolled in toasted coconut and drizzled with warm cinnamon honey, it gets a pina colada vibe, and kind of reminds me of fried ice cream … or I guess unfried nice cream.
You’re Going to Love This
- Ideal summertime treat for ice cream lovers and nice cream fans alike
- Sweet dessert that also gets kids (and grown-ups) to eat more fruit.
- Easy recipe for dairy-free ice cream made from simple ingredients.
- Tastes like fried ice cream with toasted coconut and warm cinnamon honey
What is Nice Cream?
If you’re not familiar with nice cream, it's a sweet treat that’s made by blending frozen sliced bananas or other frozen chunks of fruit in a food processor or high-speed blender until it's smooth with a creamy consistency, just like soft-serve ice cream.
This type of banana ice cream is a great alternative to traditional ice cream and the perfect way to enjoy a sweet frozen treat with no dairy and no added sugar.
Nice cream can be blended with almost any frozen fruit combination to create delicious nice cream creations like this delicious Mango Sorbet.
Pineapple Nice Cream Ingredients
Frozen ripe bananas. The secret ingredient in nice cream is frozen ripe bananas. When my bananas reach that perfect eating ripeness, that is the peel is yellow with brown spots, I slice and freeze them in big zip top bags.
Frozen pineapple chunks. I use bagged frozen pineapple chunks from the grocery store, but you can freeze fresh pineapple chunks, too. For a fun twist, substitute some or all of the pineapple for frozen mango chunks.
Unsweetened vanilla almond milk, optional. A little milk or almond milk helps loosen up the frozen fruit in the blender so it comes together more quickly. But you can definitely make nice cream without milk, it just may take a bit more time in the blender and the consistency will be a bit thicker.
Sweetened coconut. Toasted sweetened coconut flakes make a crunchy coating and tastes so delicious with pineapple and banana.
Honey. The warm honey drizzle makes this dessert recipe. Don’t skip it. For a vegan alternative to honey, try agave nectar or maple syrup. Just keep in mind that the consistency of these options is a bit thinner than honey.
Create Your Own Nice Cream Flavors
Put your own magical twist on simple nice cream by adding things like:
- Flavor extracts -- vanilla, almond, mint
- Creamy coconut milk
- A tablespoon of cocoa powder
- A scoop of peanut butter powder
- Protein powder
- Yogurt
- Peanut or other nut butters
- Chocolate chips
These are some of my favorite nice cream recipes:
How to Freeze Bananas for Nice Cream
The best way I've found to prepare bananas for making nice cream is to slice them into chunks, place them in a large zip top bag, arrange them in an individual layer, lay the bag flat in the freezer, and freeze. Once frozen, after about 4-6 hours, loosen the frozen banana chunks, and store the bag upright.
As an alternative, you can place the banana chunks on an individual layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, freeze them, then place them into bags.
Step-by-step instructions
Step 1
Remove frozen pineapple and banana chunks from the freezer and let them sit out for about ten minutes.
Step 2
Add the bananas, pineapple chunks, and almond milk to a food processor or high powered blender. Process until it has a smooth and creamy texture. You will have to stop the processor several times to scrape down the sides and for the fruit to come together into a smooth and creamy mixture.
At this point, it will be the exact texture of soft-serve ice cream. You can just stop right here and enjoy a nice big bowl of pineapple banana nice cream. Or give it a taste and keep going :).
Step 3
Place the pineapple nice cream in a freezer-safe container with a lid or a loaf pan covered with plastic wrap. Freeze for about two hours.
Step 4
Toast the coconut. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Arrange shredded coconut in an even layer on a sheet pan and place it in the oven. Stir it around every few minutes.
Do not, I repeat, do not walk away from the oven during this process. You will need to watch this like a hawk because it will turn from not done to burned in a blink.
When it starts to get pretty brown and toasty, remove it. It will continue to brown after it has been removed from the oven, so pull it out when it’s still a light brown.
Optional step: Run the toasted coconut through a food processor to get a smaller crumb for rolling the coconut coating.
Step 5
Scoop the pineapple nice cream into large balls and roll it in toasted coconut until it is completely coated.
Step 6
Warm honey and cinnamon in the microwave until warm, about 15-20 seconds, and stir to combine. Drizzle with the warm cinnamon honey over each pineapple nice cream ball. Serve immediately.
Make Ahead
Freeze coconut balls without honey in an airtight container and serve later.
Pineapple nice cream freezes really hard. Remove the frozen balls from the freezer about 15-20 minutes ahead of time to soften. Drizzle with warm cinnamon honey.
Expert Tips
- Slice and freeze bananas for nice cream when they are at the perfect eating ripeness — yellow with brown spots.
- Keep your eyes on the coconut while it’s toasting. Once it gets going, it can burn quickly.
- You can definitely make this nice cream without milk. The milk just loosens things up a bit to make it blend together more quickly, but with time and patience, the fruit will blend into smooth soft-serve-like consistency all on its own.
- Try frozen pineapple-mango nice cream and substitute half of the pineapple chunks for frozen mango.
FAQs
Nice cream is a smooth and creamy dairy-free frozen treat that has the same consistency as soft-serve ice cream. It’s usually made with bananas, but can also be made with other types of fruit.
I find the banana flavor in nice cream to be very subtle, especially when using bananas that are the perfect ripeness. Underripe and overripe bananas have a distinct flavor, while perfectly ripe bananas have a much more neutral flavor.
When paired with other types of fresh fruit and add-ins that have stronger flavor profiles, the flavor of the nice cream will take on those other flavors, as well.
Yes, you can store pineapple nice cream in the freezer for a couple of months. It freezes quite hard, so it is recommended to let it sit out for 15-30 minute to soften before scooping.
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📖 Recipe
Pineapple Nice Cream Coconut Balls
Ingredients
- 2 bananas, sliced and frozen
- 2 cups frozen pineapple chunks
- ¼ cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
- 1 ½ cups coconut
- ¼ cup honey
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Remove frozen pineapple and banana chunks from the freezer and let them sit out for about ten minutes.
- Add the bananas, pineapple chunks, and almond milk to a food processor or high powered blender. Process until it has a smooth and creamy texture.You will have to stop the processor several times to scrape down the sides and for the fruit to come together into a smooth and creamy mixture. At this point, it will be the exact texture of soft-serve ice cream. You can just stop right here and enjoy a nice big bowl of pineapple banana nice cream.
- Place the pineapple nice cream in a freezer-safe container with a lid or a loaf pan covered with plastic wrap. Freeze for about two hours.
- Toast the coconut. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Arrange the shredded coconut in an even layer on a sheet pan and place it in the oven. Every few minutes, remove the pan and stir it around. Don't step away; it can burn quickly. When it starts to get pretty brown and toasty, remove it. It will continue to brown after it has been removed from the oven, so pull it out when it’s still a light brown. Optional step: Run the toasted coconut through a food processor to get a smaller crumb for rolling the coconut coating.
- Scoop the pineapple nice cream into large balls and roll it in toasted coconut until it is completely coated.
- Serve immediately or freeze the coconut balls in an airtight container and serve later. To serve, warm honey and cinnamon in the microwave until warm, about 15-20 seconds, and stir to combine. Drizzle with the warm cinnamon honey over each pineapple nice cream ball.
- If serving later, remove frozen balls from the freezer 15-20 minutes ahead of time, or until they're soft enough to dip a spoon into.
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