Chocolate Cherry Nice Cream

Chocolate Cherry Nice Cream is a deliciously refreshing cold treat for a hot summer’s day. Made with banana and cherries, it’s perfect for breakfast, dessert, or just a snack. No ice cream maker is needed! This easy recipe is vegan and gluten-free.

Banana Based Nice Cream

The first time I had banana-based ice cream was probably about 20 years ago. I hadn’t been vegan very long. I had already been vegetarian for many years, and was making my way in a very un-vegan-friendly world. There were a few non-dairy brands available at the time, so I didn’t miss ice cream too much, but going cheeseless was a little difficult.

There was a vegan food festival put on by EarthSave at Lincoln Center one hot summer’s day. I don’t remember what it was called it, but I know they didn’t use the word “vegan,” because they didn’t want to scare anyone off. It was the first time I had been to any kind of veg-friendly festival, and it seemed magical. Dr. Furhman and Marion Nestle spoke, long before most people knew who they were, and there was lots of vegan food to partake in.

One of New York City’s raw food restaurants (I can’t remember who it was, but I think it might have been the now defunct Bonobos) had a stand selling banana ice cream, and I decided to give it a try. I could pick the type of fruit we wanted mixed with it, so I picked cherries. They’re my favorite fruit, and I just can’t get enough them in the summer! To make it, frozen bananas were fed through what looked like a meat grinder (I’m sure it wasn’t) along with the cherries. It was simple and delicious. I was amazed.

Chocolate Cherry Nice Cream

I recreated the treat at home using my food processor and was soon hooked. The addition of a little bit of chopped chocolate made it even more heavenly. Ben and Jerry’s Cherry Garcia Frozen Yogurt had been a staple in my diet before going vegan, and at the time, none of the non-dairy ice creams available had a similar flavor. Of course, Ben and Jerry’s has vegan Cherry Garcia now, but this is a much healthier treat!

Since then, “nice cream,” which is what banana-based ice cream is now known by, is quite popular. I’ve seen recipes on some of my favorite blogs for all kinds of deliciously creative flavors, and I love them all! My original Chocolate Cherry Nice Cream might not be the most original, but with just three or four ingredients, it’s super easy to make, and it remains my favorite.

What you Need

You only need a few ingredients to make this tasty treat!

• Bananas
• Cherries
• Chocolate chips
• Non-dairy milk, optional

See recipe card for exact amounts.

How to Make Vegan Nice Cream

This recipe is super easy to make!

• Slice your bananas into small chunks, place in an airtight container, and place in the freezer. You need to freeze them  for 2 to 8 hours. The longer they’ve been in the freezer the better they'll work in this recipe.
• In a food processor or blender, process your banana chunks and 1 cup of the cherries. Process until the mixture is smooth, scraping down the sides as needed. If the mixture seems to thick, add a little almond milk.
• Once your nice cream is smooth, add the rest of the cherries and the chocolate. Give it one or two more pulses, just to break the cherries up.

Serving Your Nice Cream

Serve your nice cream immediately if you like soft ice cream. If you'd like a firmer nice cream, transfer it to an air-tight container and freeze until solid.

Storing Your Nice Cream

Store any uneaten nice cream in an air-tight container in the freezer. It will last about 3 months.

Chocolate Cherry Nice Cream

Dianne

Chocolate Cherry Nice Cream is a deliciously refreshing cold treat for a hot summer’s day. Made with banana and cherries, it’s perfect for breakfast, dessert, or just a snack. No ice cream maker is needed! 

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Cook Time 5 minutes mins

Banana Freezing Time 8 hours hrs

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 4 servings

Calories 198 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 2 bananas
• 1 ½ cups cherries pitted (fresh or thawed frozen cherries)
• splash almond milk optional
• ½ cup dairy-free chocolate chips or chopped dark chocolate

Instructions

 

• Slice the bananas into small chunks, place in an airtight container, and place in the freezer. Freeze for 2 to 8 hours. (The longer they’ve been in the freezer the better.)
• In a food processor or blender, process the banana chunks and 1 cup of the cherries. Process until smooth, scraping down the sides as needed. If the mixture seems to thick, add a little almond milk. Once smooth, add the rest of the cherries and the chocolate. Give it one or two more pulses, just to break the cherries up.
• Serve immediately if you like soft ice cream, or transfer to an airtight container and freeze until solid.

Calories: 198kcal | Carbohydrates: 35g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.04g | Sodium: 1mg | Potassium: 326mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 24g | Vitamin A: 71IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 39mg | Iron: 2mg

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More Cherry Recipes You Might Like Include:

• Chocolate Cherry Chia Pudding Parfaits
• Cherry Chocolate Overnight Oats
• Chocolate Cherry Smoothie
• Cherry Almond Smoothie Bowl

More Frozen Desserts You Might Link Include:

• Matcha Avocado Ice Cream
• Vegan Chocolate Ice Cream from Super Vegan Scoops! by Hannah Kaminksy