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–+ servings
pineapple nice cream coconut ball in a white bowl
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5 from 1 vote

Pineapple Nice Cream Coconut Balls

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!
Prep Time15 minutes
Freezing Time2 hours
Total Time2 hours 15 minutes
Course: Dessert, Snack
Cuisine: American
Servings: 6
Calories: 247kcal
Author: Cara Lanz

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.

Notes

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. 

Nutrition

Calories: 247kcal | Carbohydrates: 33g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Sodium: 23mg | Potassium: 324mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 23g | Vitamin A: 57IU | Vitamin C: 30mg | Calcium: 29mg | Iron: 1mg