N’Ice Cream – Guilt Free Dessert!

Posted by Ellie

Now for something completely different!

Several people have asked me for my recipe for this favourite dessert of ours, so I have decided to make a post of it here. I know that this looks like a fattening, rich dessert but it is absolutely not! It is just fruit (bananas) with a tiny bit of peanut butter and some natural cocoa powder. Everything is good for you, there are no animal products in it, so it’s safe for the lactose intolerant and it is absolutely delicious. And most important is that it is easy to make at home. There are more flavours below the description, so have fun with this one – maybe you can come up with another tasty combination for this n’icecream!

Feel free to ask any questions you might have in the comments and I will do my best to answer them. Let me know if you try this out and which are your favourite flavours!

Don’t let the fact that it’s good for you put you off trying this out! (No ice cream maker needed.)

DAIRY FREE CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER BANANA ICE CREAM recipe: (more flavour recipes below)
Serves 2 or 3

Ingredients:

  • 2 bananas peeled and cut into medallions and frozen for several hours (I have several sitting in the freezer waiting for emergencies)
  • 2 tblsp organic plain cocoa powder – not drinking chocolate! (I use Camino Organic)
  • 2 tblsp peanut butter, with nothing but peanuts in it – no sugar, salt, added oils etc (optional, but if you leave it out you have to change the title!)
  • Small handful of unsweetened plain chocolate chips (Camino Organic 71% again) or cacao nibs or a combination, for a bit of crunch

Method:

  • Put your frozen banana pieces into a high speed blender or food processor and blend. Keep on blending, stopping to scrape down the sides as needed as you watch the chunks of banana transition through a kind of dry looking mixture, then start to resemble soft serve ice cream.
  • At this point add in the additional ingredients – cocoa powder, honey, peanut butter, chocolate chips – and keep blending to incorporate and aerate the ice cream.
  • Either eat at once or put into a container and freeze for a little while. Make it a 2 fruit serving by serving it with strawberries, blueberries etc.

Enjoy! (More flavours below)

Stage Photos of making n’ice cream

Stage 1 of N'icecream
Photo 1: when you have processed for a short time the bananas become almost like flakes. Keep going!
Photo 2: you’ll see it begin to ‘come together’ rather the way pastry dough might. Keep going!
Photo 3: suddenly it becomes creamy and looks like soft serve ice cream.
Photo 3: suddenly it becomes creamy and looks like soft serve ice cream.
Photo 4: Now add the extra yummy ingredients (cocoa, chocolate chips, honey, peanut butter etc). Blend until it's all incorporated. Eat at once or freeze!
Photo 4: Now add the extra yummy ingredients (cocoa, chocolate chips, peanut butter etc). Blend until it’s all incorporated. Eat at once or freeze!

Alternate Flavours

Black Cherry or other fruit: Add some frozen fruit to the banana mixture at any stage, follow all the other steps as above. Quantities will vary, but for the above 2 bananas perhaps 1/2 cup or more of frozen fruit, depending on your taste. Add other flavours to taste (a (very) little cardamom if you like it is nice with the black cherry, or vanilla.

Vanilla Crunchy Peanut Butter: to the bananas add 1/4 tsp vanilla extract, plus 1 heaping tablespoon of crunchy peanut butter at stage 3 or 4. Recipe adaptation contributed by Diana Brown.

Matcha: add 1/2 tsp matcha powder to the 2 bananas above – probably the 2nd stage would be best to avoid the powder flying around too much, mixing it gently with a spoon before starting to blend again. This is a super healthy version of this dessert! (Original recipe for the Matcha version is in the “How Not to Die” Cookbook by Dr. Michael Greger.)

35 Responses

  14. I've now made my first batch of this. Sampled, of course: it was noms. There are now two containers in the freezer, a smallish jar to take to work to share with a colleague who doesn't consume dairy. And a large one for me and my visitors.

    Reply

  20. +Prue Stopford​ could be good! If you're thinking of cheesecake, I do have an excellent recipe for an avocado lime one that I will share at some point. It's raw but there is coconut oil in it, not sure if you are able to eat that. And let me know if you try this!

    Reply

  21. +Ellie Kennard
    Thank you so much, Ellie, because I've never actually frozen banana, so these are useful tips. I'll definitely use the cocoa, but the idea of vanilla is a good one. Now I'm wondering if vanilla and lemon juice would add a 'cheesecake' flavour? Might be worth a try… but we are very keen on chocolate here! 🙂

    Reply

  23. +Prue Stopford​ 🙂 I've never seen frozen bananas here either. Sometimes they have organic ones on sale/special and and I'll buy a bunch or two and chop and freeze. Peel first though! And I freeze on a tray and bag once frozen so they separate easily. They are best when nicely ripe with the brown spotted skin, not going mushy, but not under ripe.
    Even if you don't add any cocoa etc, just frozen bananas blended up taste wonderful, surprisingly. You could try some vanilla and cinnamon or other flavour combinations if you get tired of the chocolate. (Hasn't happened here yet!)

    Reply

  25. This looks wonderful Ellie! I have to avoid as much fat as possible, so it will definitely work for me. Do you freeze your bananas, or can you buy them frozen? Not sure if I can buy frozen here. 🙂 Sorry, I just read the recipe again… Forget that question, (note to self : try to pay attention!) 🙂

    Reply

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