Nice cream recipes ( plus 5 delicious flavor combos) (2024)

I am sharing the easiest nice cream recipes you can make in under 5 minutes, plus 5 amazing, nice cream flavors I often make in my kitchen.

These frozen desserts are:

• Dairy-free,
• Sweetened with dates or dried fruits only,
• Have a lovely soft serve-like consistency,
• And are Vegan, whole30, and Paleo-friendly!
• You can make frozen fruit ice cream with or without frozen bananas.

It's the perfect healthy frozen treat to satisfy your sweet cravings guilt-free any time of the year.

These nice cream recipes allow for dessert to be an afterthought.

When the weather changes to hot, sunny days, there is nothing better than creamy ice cream from frozen fruit you can blend in less than 5 minutes.

The frozen treats are concocted solely from fruits and sweetened with dried fruits only.

But if you want to take it up a notch, I suggest adding chocolate toppings, serving it in a cone, or adding chocolate peanut butter to the mix.

This is one of those frozen fruit ice cream recipes that, even if you have the basics down, you might want to adjust and taste as you go until you get the flavors, level of sweetness, and creaminess that is perfect for you.

And although you can become quite craftsy—I had my fair share of kitchen faux pas trying to go too wild with flavor experimentations—nice cream is not supposed to be complicated or overly time-consuming.

So, I've kept it simple here with a formula that makes everyone happy—well, at least in my family—and creates a super creamy texture with or without frozen bananas.

And they are amazing. Let's make some nice cream!

What is nice cream

It's delicious ice cream made from frozen fruit and thus a dairy-free and vegan dessert without added sugars.

As I remember, the original nice cream was the one-ingredient banana ice cream or other fruits mixed with a frozen banana base to give this treat its creamy and soft-serve texture.

Sometimes I still make it that way if I have some frozen bananas on hand.

But you can get that same smooth texture with a few tablespoons of coconut cream or plant milk—cashew is my favorite.

So, let's look at the ingredients that make quick and easy nice cream recipes.

Frozen banana ice cream—the basics

Ripe frozen bananas give your nice cream recipes a beautiful soft serve-like texture. For banana enthusiasts, you probably won't need anything else.

Just throw three or four frozen bananas in a blender until smooth—it's delicious and perfect for kiddos.

But I often swirl in some other fruits or flavors and use frozen bananas as a base for making quick and creamy desserts.

The perfect bananas to freeze are the very ripe ones with a few brown spots. I peel them first, break them into large pieces, place them in a zip-lock bag, and keep them in the freezer.

It's best to freeze bananas overnight to get a more solid consistency. And sometimes, I still add some coconut milk or plant milk up to ¼ cup to get the blades of the blender to run smoother or create a more luxurious ice cream texture.

Frozen banana ice cream pairs so well with a few tablespoons of peanut butter and Medjool dates and, when topped with chunks of chocolate—a bit more decadent but so good and still simple.

And for the adults, a tad of rum or bourbon, maybe?

Nice cream without frozen bananas—the basics

You can still get a delicious soft-serve-like consistency without using frozen bananas.

First, choose your favorite frozen fruits

You'll need a bag or two of your favorite frozen fruits. Whatever fruits you choose will dominate the flavor of your ice cream, so go for the ones you love most.

Here are some of my all-time frozen fruit favorites, and not necessarily in that order:

• Dark sweet cherries are incredibly sweet-tasting, and their color is so beautiful and irresistible.
• Wild blueberries are always a kids' favorite.
• Raspberries: they are heavenly sweet with an almost light citrus-like taste.
• Strawberries or a bag of berry mix: a mixture of berries is always a winner.
• Chopped mangoes: perfect if you like a more tropical flavor—an excellent choice in summer.
• Peaches: creates a delicate sweet floral taste.

Add a touch of coconut cream

Just like frozen banana ice cream, it creates a creamy soft-serve consistency.

I always store my organic coconut cream (full fat) in the fridge. The congealed and hardened thick cream sets on top while the liquid part settles at the bottom—best to use the fattiest part.

Adding a bit of coconut cream creates a creamy touch to smooth out the frozen fruits without making them too liquid—you want rich scoopable ice cream, not a smoothie.

Another great option is to add a few tablespoons of cashew or almond milk.

Nice cream without bananas is a worthy ice cream dessert.

Use dried fruits as a natural sweetener

The frozen fruits are already sweet, but not enough, in my opinion, to call it "ice cream."

If you usually don't use sweeteners, you can omit dried fruits. Otherwise, blend in soft Medjool dates to make it naturally sweeter.

You only need 5 or 7 (about a cup) of them to make it dessert-worthy sweet. It also adds a hint of a caramel-like flavor and fiber!

Other options are black raisins or dried apricots, which sometimes work better depending on what fruits you use (see flavor combos below).

These dried fruits add tons of natural sweetness without even noticing their usually distinctive taste when combined with the right frozen fruits.

Note on dried apricots. Go for the very ripe dark-orange-colored Turkish fruits. Trader's Joe sells them, or you can find them easily online. They are deliciously sweet instead of the more sour-tasting bright orange ones—the sweet-tangy taste pairs well with frozen peaches.

How to make nice cream—a few tips

• Place the dried fruits and coconut cream at the bottom of the blender. The softer parts go through the blades first and create a pasty base making it easier to combine the hard frozen fruits.
• If you use a Vitamix, use the tamper tool to rotate the ingredients and use your highest setting at the end for a few seconds or until everything looks creamy.
• If you use a food processor, fit it with an "S" blade. You might need to stop and scrape the machine down once or twice to ensure everything keeps moving and blending.
• Work fast; otherwise, the fruits begin to lose their frozen consistency.
• Make sure that your dried fruits are soft, so they pulverize easily. If hardened, place them in a small bowl, cover with boiling water, and let steep for 10 to 15 minutes until plump and juicy again.

Nice cream flavors and toppings I love

You can go fancy with your nice cream recipes and add herbal flavors like Basil, or mint, make it nutty with nut butter or chopped nuts as a topping or go a bit fancy with vanilla extract and cacao powder.

The FUN is experimenting with these nice cream recipes.

But I share a few flavor combos I love the most, and you can make them in no time as a quick weeknight treat—delicious, healthy, guilt-free, and super simple!

• Very Berry: 1 (10 oz/284 grams) pack frozen berry mix, like strawberries with blueberries and blackberries, 7 Medjool dates, 3 to 4 tablespoon coconut cream. Top it with crushed pecans or chocolate bits.
• Tropical: 1 (10 oz/284 grams) pack frozen mango pieces, 5 Medjool dates, 3 to 4 tablespoon coconut cream. Top it with dried and fine coconut shreds.
• Floral: 1 (10 oz/284 grams) pack frozen sliced peaches, 1 cup black raisins or dried apricots or a mix of both, and 3 to 4 tablespoon coconut cream. Top it with homemade oatmeal raisin cookies or Einkorn Crispy Cocoa Cookies by Jovial—they are also accidentally vegan.
• Raspberry or cherry chocolate: 2 cups frozen raspberries or cherries, 2 frozen bananas, 5 pitted dates, 3 or 4 tablespoons coconut cream. Top with dark chocolate chunks or shavings—The combo of frozen bananas and coconut cream makes it extra creamy!
• Date and banana-peanut buttery: 2 frozen bananas, 5 pitted dates, 3 or 4 tablespoons coconut cream, 3 tablespoons peanut butter, Generous pinch of salt (if using unsalted peanut butter). Experiment here by maybe adding ½ teaspoon of powdered cinnamon, cardamom, or a dollop of "Nutella-like" nut butter.

Bowl, or cone, and dark chocolate

• Serve your creamy creations in small bowls filled with plenty of dark chocolate chunks or your topping of choice.
• But, I'll admit that If you have kiddos, they will be asking for a cone.
• I always add some extra toppings at the bottom of the cone before filling it up with ice cream. You will love that special surprise at the end as my daughter does.
• If you are a chocolate lover, use extra shaved or crushed chocolate chunks in addition to your toppings—adults might like chocolate infused with chili pepper—another great option! I always go for dark chocolate with 70 % cacao, or if you want to keep it Paleo or vegan-friendly, choose Hu chocolate Gluten-free snacks—insanely delicious.

Storage

To enjoy a super-rich consistency, you should make this dessert right before serving. But if you have leftovers, store the nice cream in an airtight container and keep it in the freezer for up to 3 months.

When in the mood for some healthy ice cream, let it sit for 15 to 20 minutes at room temperature to soften the texture and make it scoop-able again (it can become quite hard when refrozen).

Serve Nice Cream with Cake

A slice of homemade cake with a scoop of homemade frozen fruit ice cream? Perfect for celebrations.

Pair one of the nice cream flavor combos with one of these baked goods.

• Fig and walnut cake
• Flourless chocolate cake
• Gluten-free cinnamon doughnuts
• Healthy Paleo Brownies

Or serve your favorite scoop of nice cream topped with cookies:

• Buttery Buckwheat Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Homemade Speculaas (perfect for the Holidays)
• Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies

These are just a few suggestions.

Note: you will need a powerful blender or food processor to make nice cream recipes.

Enjoy!

You might also like

• My nice cream sandwiches
• Healthy Homemade Popsicles (3 flavors)
• Mascarpone mousse

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📖 Recipe

Common questions about nice cream

Note: this post was initially published in May 2017. It has since been updated to include new info and photos

Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated and without optional ingredients or toppings.