Mint Chocolate "Nice Cream" (dairy free!)

Mint Chocolate Nice Cream, no dairy & no refined sugar[/caption] Mint Chocolate Nice Cream is a delicious, creamy dessert that is similar to ice cream with NO dairy, NO sugar, No artificial anything, and only 4 ingredients (or 5 if you add a little honey)! It's healthy enough to eat for breakfast and decadent enough to enjoy as dessert. No ice cream machine needed.

What is "Nice Cream"?

You may already be familiar with nice cream; it has gained popularity on social media and among health bloggers over the past few years. And with good reason, since it is easy, healthy, and scrumptious! Nice cream is a soft-serve like dessert that is made from previously frozen bananas, some sort of fat, just enough liquid to blend, and added flavors like berries or chocolate. It is essentially a very thick smoothie that is eaten from a bowl, with a spoon-- and with toppings if desired! You can also freeze it for a few hours and then scoop it and eat it like ice cream, out of a bowl or a cone.

Is "Nice Cream" healthy?

You bet! It is made just with fruit (and veggies if you are feeling adventurous) and healthy fats. It is fabulous with extra toppings, after dinner or on a hot summer day.

How to Make "Nice Cream"

Here are the steps!

1. Find some very overripe bananas. You don't want them to be black and rotten, but within reason, the riper the banana, the sweeter it will be. Think: the kind of bananas you would use to make banana bread.
2. Peel and slice the bananas. Many people suggest freezing the banana in a single layer on a baking sheet. This ensures that the banana won't stick together. This means that you can get out just what you need when the time comes. Truthfully, I normally just break my bananas into chunks and throw them in a freezer bag all together like a heathen. And you know what? I have to really work to break them apart when I'm ready to make nice cream, but it works just fine for me! So. You do you. Just know that bananas take about 2 hours to freeze. I keep some in my fridge constantly, as they keep frozen for several months.
3. When ready, add bananas to a high powered blender. You can try blending them just like this-- some blenders can do it! Your blender may require some liquid to get it going.
4. Add everything else you plan to use: generally, you want a fat (like nut butter) to give your ice cream a really nice mouth feel! (This recipe adds in quite a bit of fat, so the end result is very much like ice cream). You can skip this step if you want a lighter dessert option. You may also want to add some flavors, like the chocolate mint shown here. Berries are also a great option.
5. You may need to add some liquid. Mainly to get the blender going. Make sure to scrape down the sides occasionally. Unsweetened almond milk works great.
6. Enjoy! Or, freeze and enjoy. You can either scoop right into bowls and enjoy like soft-serve, or you can freeze for two hours and then scoop with an ice cream scoop to enjoy like ice cream. Don't forget the toppings!

Did you enjoy this recipe? Check out some of our other Mediterranean Diet desserts here!