A healthier alternative to traditional ice cream, this caramel nice cream is super creamy and without refined sugar. Made with natural ingredients including banana, coconut cream and Medjool dates, this indulgent treat will leave you feeling good about yourself.
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🍨What is nice cream?
Nice cream is a term coined off traditional ice cream. It is a dairy free ice cream alternative made with a base ingredient of ripe frozen bananas, that are blended into a creamy consistency, usually with dairy-free milk or cream, to create an ice cream-like texture.
Most are ideal for those on a dairy-free, vegan, plant-based diet and does not require the use of an ice cream maker. However, check the ingredients before consuming.
😋Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Naturally creamy, nutritious, and feels indulgent without the heaviness
- Made with real fruits
- Dietary friendly - vegan, dairy-free, gluten-free, grain-free, refined sugar-free, oil-free, corn free, and soy free
- Is very easy to make and customizable. This is a no-churn ice cream.
✔️Ingredients You’ll Need
Notes on some of the ingredients, the full list of ingredients and their measurements can be found in the recipe card below.
Whole ripe bananas - select bananas that are medium-large size and are ripe. The riper the bananas the darker the vegan ice cream will be, I prefer mine to be about to turn spotty, the skin still yellow.
The bananas will need to be peeled and chopped into chunks prior to freezing. They will then be blended frozen.
Dairy free milk - up to a couple of spoonfuls is needed to help blend the frozen bananas in the blender to create a creamy consistency. Select your preferred variety, I like to use almond milk.
Vanilla and salt flakes - are optional and can be used to taste.
Date caramel sauce - you can use as much or as little as you like. I always use this vegan date caramel sauce recipe - which is just the BEST!
🍨How To Make Caramel Nice Cream
Step 1 - Peel ripe bananas and chop them up into thick coins. Place them into a singular layer in a freezer-friendly snap lock bag and freeze overnight. Skip this step if you have pre-frozen bananas.
Step 2 - Take out frozen bananas 3-5 minutes before adding them to a blender (or food processor) with the dairy free milk (and optional vanilla and salt) and blend on high until it is a thick and creamy consistency. Scoop out into a bowl and add spoonfuls of date caramel sauce on top and enjoy.
⭐ Pro Tips
The blender needs to be high-powered and able to crush ice as the frozen bananas are hard. The blender I am using in the video is the froothie G2.6 blender (affiliate link) use discount code "Plantbasedfolk15" to get $15AUD off your next purchase (AU only).
Save time - always have frozen banana coins in your freezer ready to go and or prep the vegan caramel sauce a day or two before.
🥄Serving Suggestions
Whilst this caramel nice cream is delicious on its own, you can also enjoy it with your favorite toppings such as;
- Crushed/chopped nuts such as pecan or pistachio
- Chopped fruit and berries.
- Sprinkle some spices such as cinnamon
- Dairy-free chocolate
- Flaky salt - this will deepen the sweetness and create a pleasing contrast in flavors
❓FAQ
Blend up a big batch of frozen bananas with dairy free milk and transfer to a freezer-friendly container with a lid. Freeze for up to 3 months. To serve, allow nice cream to sit at room temperature for 10-15 minutes before scooping and serving.
Yes, follow the steps in this recipe, then transfer the nice cream to an ice cream container or a shallow glass dish with a lid. Ensure the container is completely sealed before transferring it to the freezer and keep for up to 3 months. Take out about 10-15 minutes prior to scooping, as it will be rock hard straight out of the freezer.
🍮Related Recipes
You might also be interested in these cold desserts - chocolate persimmon pudding, creamy milk pudding or one ingredient vegan mango sorbet.
Or to really cool down on a hot day, try a refreshingly cold lemon mint juice known as Lemonana.
For a healthy chocolate treat, try these raw chocolate date balls, otherwise another recipe using dates is my easy black sesame cookies.
Creamy Vegan Caramel Nice Cream
Ingredients
- 2 Frozen bananas
- 1-2 tablespoons Dairy free milk
- 1-2 tablespoons Date caramel sauce see linked recipe
- ⅛ teaspoon Vanilla optional
Instructions
- Skip this step if you have pre-frozen banana chunks. Peel ripe bananas and chop up into thick coins. Place them into a singular layer into a freezer friendly snap lock bag and freeze over night.
- Take out frozen bananas 2 minutes before adding them to a blender (or food processor) with the dairy free milk and blend on high until it is a thick and creamy consistency. Scoop out into a bowl and add spoonfuls of date caramel sauce and enjoy.2 Frozen bananas, 1-2 tablespoons Dairy free milk, ⅛ teaspoon Vanilla, 1-2 tablespoons Date caramel sauce
Video
Notes
Nutrition
N.B., nutrition info is an estimate based on an online nutrition calculator. This will vary based on the specific ingredients you use.
Tilda
this came to my inbox last night, it was wasperfect timing, I was craving ice cream. I made this and the caramel sauce. Loved every spoonful, I have more frozen banana in the freezer and will be making more of this, it's so hot here on the East coast right now. Thanking you for this nice cold recipe
Janelle Hama
Perfect for those hot days, you'll be a nice cream expert soon!