Coconut Nice Cream is a vegan ice cream lover’s dream come true! It’s made by blending wholesome frozen bananas and rich coconut cream into a thick and creamy soft serve treat. This 5-minute recipe is gluten-free, dairy-free, and naturally sweet!

If there was only one dessert I could pick to eat for the rest of my life, it would be nice cream. My love for this frozen miracle runs deep. One time, before a flight home, I spotted a box of very overripe bananas sitting next to a garbage can just outside the smoothie stand in the airport’s food court. Could they be throwing these golden nuggets away? Double checking with the cute smoothie barista, the bananas were “too old” to be used in smoothies and were headed for the trash. Tragedy! I rescued what I could fit in my personal item and gleefully took this treasure home to freeze.

Fortunately, you won’t have to go much farther than the discount shelf in the produce aisle to find overripe bananas. You might even have some lurking at the back of the fruit bowl, which is a total score. Peel those babies, pop them in the freezer, and prepare to have your mind blown! Vegan nice cream is fluffy, creamy, tastes like ice cream, and is healthy enough to eat for breakfast.

What is nice cream?

Nice cream is simply blended overripe frozen bananas. That’s it! From there you can customize to your heart’s delight. Adding a healthy fat such as coconut cream or peanut butter bumps up the richness and elevates the creaminess. I tablespoon per banana is enough to make it uber luscious without turning your dairy free ice cream into a calorie bomb.

Coconut nice cream has both vanilla and coconut extract for subtle layers of flavor.

Tips for making perfect nice cream

Overripe bananas are key!

Bananas are the main ingredient in nice cream and what makes it naturally sweet. Choose bananas that are over overripe and covered all over with black spots. You know, the kind you see stacked on the discount shelf in your grocer or discover at the bottom of your kid’s lunch box? Those are perfect and will be very sweet!

Freeze the bananas whole-

Peel your bananas, lay them side by side in a freezer-friendly container, and freeze them whole. This keeps them from sticking together and saves you the time of spreading sliced bananas on a cookie sheet to freeze and bag later. If you stumble upon a pile of overripe bananas, go for it! Frozen bananas will keep their flavor for about 6 months.

Click here to read all about freezing bananas for nice cream.

Thaw your bananas a little bit before blending-

Even in a Vitamix, frozen solid bananas will cause my motor to smoke, overheat, and eventually quit. Thaw them in the microwave for 20 seconds at a time until they are still frozen but not rock hard. Or, let them sit on the counter until you can just cut them with a knife.

Use a high-powered blender-

It will make your nice cream loving life a lot easier. I’ve made hundreds of batches in everything from a Vitamix, to a Blendtec, and a Nuwave. In these types of blenders, you can pile in all your ingredients and let the blender do the work. The handy tamper in these models makes it easy to push the frozen fruit down toward the blade without stopping the blender.

If you have a standard blender like Ninja, plop your coconut cream in first followed by the bananas. This will help the blades grab onto the frozen fruit and blend with less effort. You’ll want to thaw your bananas until they make a slight dent if pressed to help the motor out. Stop and scrape the sides of the container to push the ingredients toward the blade for quicker blending. If you blend for too long, the friction of the blades will melt the bananas and you’ll end up with a smoothie instead of a frozen treat.

Eat right away or freeze for later-

Nice cream fresh from the blender is fluffy, creamy, and has the texture of soft serve. I love dishing it into a fun dessert glass or a big coconut bowl. It melts quickly so enjoy right away. For firmer nice cream, smooth it into a small pan, cover, and pop it in the freezer for later. Just be sure to let it thaw until scoopable before serving.

Where do I find coconut cream?

There are 2 ways to find coconut cream:

Purchase a can of coconut cream and scoop out the thick cream.
Refrigerate a can of full fat (not lite) coconut milk overnight and scoop out the hard cream. (Do not use Thai Kitchen Organic Coconut Milk, the cream will not separate.)

Serving Suggestions:

Mix in dollops of Healthy Vegan Cookie Dough to make cookie dough nice cream

Place a scoop between two Classic Chocolate Chip Cookies for a crave-worthy ice cream sandwich

Add ¼ cup of Dutch cocoa powder for chocolate coconut nice cream

I hope you fall in love with this coconut cream nice cream, it’s:

Naturally sweet
Completely healthy
Low calorie
Minimal ingredients
Quick and easy
Creamy
Dairy-free
Vegan

Keep Scrolling for step-by-step instructions and photos!

Ingredients

4 overripe bananas, peeled and frozen whole
¼ cup of coconut cream (from a can of coconut cream or scoop the hard cream from a refrigerated can of full-fat coconut milk)
1 teaspoon of coconut extract
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
A pinch of fine sea salt

How to Make This Recipe

1. Thaw your frozen bananas slightly so the blender can grab onto them. You’ve got a couple of options here: Microwave them for 20 seconds at a time, checking to see if you can dent them with a knife. Or, let them sit on the counter until still frozen but not rock hard. Cut them into thick slices.

2. Tumble the bananas into a blender followed by the coconut cream, extracts, and salt.

3. Secure the lid and start blending at low speed. Stop now and then to scrape the sides of the container or use the tamper to push the bananas toward the blade. When it begins to come together in a fluffy mass, increase the speed to medium and blend until creamy.

4. Scoop into a fun dessert glass, bowl, or cone. For firmer nice cream, smooth into a small pan and freeze for later.

Notes:

If freezing for later, let thaw until scoopable before serving.

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Yield: 2 Generous Servings

Author: Carol Clayton