Welcome to the world of 4 ingredient chocolate ice cream. This No eggs, No sugar, No ice cream maker dessert is healthy and fairly instant. This plant-based ice cream is guilt-free and vegan and perfect when you crave something sweet but do not want those extra calories.
Let me show you how it is done
What is nice ice cream
Ice cream made only with blended bananas, also referred to as ‘nice cream,” is a super simple, plant-based, version of ice cream made with 1 key ingredient: bananas!
Plain banana ice cream has a great texture and it isn’t super-sweet. (If you don’t typically use sweeteners, it’s fairly sweet on its own.) For someone liking things a little sweeter, you can add a touch of maple syrup or honey to the food processor to blend along with the bananas, or try one of the flavor combinations below.
If you want to jazz up the flavor of your banana ice cream, try one of the following options. Keep in mind that these measurements are just suggestions, so be sure to taste it as you go and adjust the flavoring until it tastes perfect to you.
- Peanut/almond butter + Banana -Add 1 tablespoon of all-natural peanut butter per frozen banana; this is my favorite version! I’ve been making them for years.
- Double Chocolate Banana Ice Cream -Add 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder + 1 tablespoon maple syrup per banana + a sprinkle of mini chocolate chips; optionally you can also add a splash of vanilla and 1 tablespoon of almond butter for added creaminess.
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Ice Cream -Add 1 tablespoon peanut butter + 1 tablespoon cacao powder + 1 tablespoon maple syrup.
The combinations are endless, so feel free to also blend in any other ingredients you like, such as raspberries, blueberries, cinnamon, pumpkin, and more
Is Chocolate Banana ice cream really Instant?
Banana Ice Cream has a “soft serve” consistency immediately after you make it, and you can serve it right away like that. However, if you want to make it ahead of time or if you want a scoop-able consistency more like other ice cream, transfer the ice cream to a freezable container.
Few things to keep in mind while making this Nicecream
- Use ripe but not brown bananas for this recipe.I prefer the banana to be just ripe and not overly spotty. Spotty bananas have a banana flavor and may interfere with the taste of the ice cream.
- Peel and slice the banana into before freezing. Big uncut chunks of bananas do not process well to give the ice cream a creamy texture.
- Freeze in a single layer in freezer-proof bags so that the bananas can process easily
- Thaw the bananas in case your processor is not of a high wattage.
- Refreeze the blended bananas with flavors for 3-4 hours, thaw, and scoop for ice creams.
I find that banana ice cream is the easiest to scoop after it’s been in the freezer for about 2 hours. If you freeze it overnight, it will be much harder in texture, and you’ll need to let it sit out on the counter at room temperature for 15 to 20 minutes to let it thaw and soften up again.
Unlike other ice cream this chocolate ice cream does not stay well frozen for months. So enjoy these for a week as the banana tends to discolour and lose it flavour.
4 ingredient Chocolate Ice Cream
Ingredients
- 4 bananas just about ripe(approx 500 grams)
- ¼ cup cocoa powder
- ¼ cup almond butter/peanut butter/chocolate hazelnut spread/cashew butter/melted chocolate
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons of water during the time of blending
Instructions
- Chop and freeze the bananas in a food-safe teacher bag in the freezer overnight.
- In a food processor, blend the frozen bananas, along with the cocoa powder.
- Once blended in add the nut butter to the mixture and blend till everything is incorporated.
- Add the vanilla extract and blend again. (see notes)
- Empty the mixture in a freezer-safe container.
- You could top this mixture with chocolate chips, roasted nuts, or any chunky nut butter if your choice if you wish at this stage. (see notes)
- Freeze for 4-6 hours and serve with extra chocolate sauce and toasted nuts.
Notes
- Chop the bananas and then freeze as it will be easier to blend
- Choose just ripe bananas as over ripe banana will impart a strong flavour in the ice cream
- This is a master recipe, after which you choose your choice of add-in and flavour.
- Add 2 tablespoons of maple syrup in case your bananas are not very sweet.
- Use water while processing if only needed. Too much water only thins down the ice cream.
- Flavour choices
- For Coffee flavour use espresso powder to make a decoction and add in the mixture
- Mint Chocolate chips-Use chocolate chip and crushed mint candies
- Roasted Almonds, peanut butter, Twix bars, crushed chocolate are some of the flavour options that can be made with this recipe.
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