Ice cream, but make it healthier! This Caramel Nice Cream is made of just a few ingredients and comes in the creamiest texture. The best part? The delicious dessert is vegan, dairy-free, refined sugar-free and gluten-free.
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What is nice cream?
Nice cream is ice cream made of bananas. In the process, bananas are cut into bite-sized pieces and frozen until solid. The frozen banana is then transferred into a blender or food processor and blended until smooth.
Much healthier than regular ice cream, right? I hardly believe it myself when making it that this nourishing ice cream is so delicious.
I always add a dollop of nut butter before blending to make the nice cream ultra-creamy.
Is this nice cream healthy?
Nice cream is a healthier alternative to regular ice cream. While regular ice cream contains saturated fats, nice cream contains just a few nourishing ingredients.
Moreover, regular ice cream comes with lots of refined sugar. This nice cream only contains natural ingredients with no added sugar. But don’t worry, if using ripe bananas, the nice cream will still be sweet enough.
Why you'll love this recipe
This nice cream recipe is one of my favourite delicious and nourishing treats to make in Summer.
Creamy – Using bananas and nut butter makes this nice cream super creamy and silky.
Vegan – This nice cream is also the perfect nourishing alternative to regular ice cream because it is dairy-free.
Refined sugar-free – This nice cream recipe does without the addition of sugar. The ripe bananas contain natural sugar, making for a sweet treat.
Healthy – Bananas are high in potassium and fibre, making them a nourishing base for this nice cream. The nut butter adds some healthy fats into the mix. Moreover, the caramel sauce does without refined sugar, making it a healthy but indulgent treat. This nice cream is also vegan, dairy-free, and gluten-free.
No churn – You can make this nice cream without an ice cream maker. A blender or food processor will do.
Customisable – Add different spices like vanilla and cinnamon before blending to add other flavours. I also used cashew butter in this recipe to make the nice cream even creamier. But you can also use almond or peanut butter if you like. Or, mix the nice cream with chocolate chips or cacao nibs after blending.
Serve a scoop of this caramel nice cream with my Healthy Banana Nut Muffins or these Blueberry Buttermilk Muffins. Love nice cream? Try my easy Almond Dark Chocolate Nice Cream to change it up.
Ingredients
Ingredients for the nice cream
Ingredients for the caramel sauce
For the nice cream:
- Frozen Bananas – Freezing them in slices makes it easier to blend them. Also, use ripe bananas to get a naturally sweeter nice cream.
- Cashew Butter – I love to add nut butter to make the nice cream extra creamy.
For the caramel sauce:
- Cashew Butter – Nut butter is also the base for the healthier caramel sauce here.
- Maple Syrup – The taste of maple syrup is perfect to use for this caramel sauce, keeping it refined sugar-free.
- Vanilla extract – The maple syrup mixed with the cashew butter and the vanilla extract makes for a delicious caramel flavour.
- Sea salt – Like your caramel a little salty? I love to add a pinch of sea salt into the sauce for that extra kick of flavour.
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Put frozen bananas and cashew butter in the blender or food processor.
Blend until smooth and creamy.
Transfer into a loaf pan or freezer-friendly container.
For the caramel sauce, mix cashew butter, maple syrup, vanilla extract, water and a pinch of salt in a bowl.
- Freeze bananas: First, peel and slice the bananas. Then, transfer them to a sealable freezer-friendly bag, placing them next to each other. Make sure they don't overlap, or else they will stick together. Freeze for approximately 6 hours or overnight until completely frozen.
- Blend until smooth: Transfer the frozen banana slices with the cashew butter to a blender or food processor and blend/pulse until smooth and creamy. Scrape down the sides a few times if necessary.
- Freeze again (optional): If you like the texture as it is now, go for it and indulge. Or put the nice cream in the freezer for a bit to firm it up.
- Make caramel sauce: This is probably the easiest caramel sauce you will ever make. Mix cashew butter, maple syrup, vanilla extract, water, and a pinch of sea salt until smooth. Add more or less as stated in the recipe, depending on how runny you want the caramel sauce to be.
- Assemble and serve: Add the nice cream to a bowl and drizzle over the caramel sauce. Sprinkle with some chopped nuts if you like, and serve.
Equipment
- small bowl
- whisk
- blender or food processor
- freezer-friendly container
- spoon (to scrape down the sides while blending)
Tips & Substitutions
To get the best nice cream, make sure the bananas are ripe. The riper, the sweeter the nice cream will be. Buy them a few days before using them and let them sit on the kitchen counter to ripen.
Use a strong blender or food processor to get the best result. Blending usually takes longer in a blender than in a food processor. But it depends on which appliance you have on how long it will take to get a creamy result.
Compared to other nut butter, like hazelnut or almond, cashew butter is the most neutral in flavour. The slightly nutty flavour makes it perfect to go with the maple syrup. But feel free to use a different nut butter if you like. Almond or peanut butter is also delicious when added to the nice cream before blending.
Top tip
I like to freeze the nice cream after blending to make it firmer, so I freeze it in a sealable container to get the texture I want. Another tip: The shallower the container, the faster it freezes.
Recipe FAQs
I do not recommend freezing the whole bananas to ensure a smooth blending process. Peel and cut them first before placing them in an air-tight freezer bag. Arrange them next to each other, making sure they don't overlap. Otherwise, they would freeze together, which makes it harder to blend.
Keep the nice cream in a shallow covered container and store it in the freezer. Before serving, take it out and let it thaw for 10-20 minutes, depending on what texture you want it to be.
If you store it in a sealable container, this nice cream will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months.
More cooling recipes
Almond Dark Chocolate Nice Cream
Frozen Strawberry Yoghurt Protein Bites
📖 Recipe
Caramel Nice Cream
Equipment
- small bowl
- whisk
- blender or food processor
- spoon (to scrape down sides)
- freezer-friendly container
Ingredients
For the nice cream:
- 4 bananas (ripe, sliced)
- 3 tablespoon cashew butter
For the caramel sauce:
- 4 tablespoon cashew butter
- 3 tablespoon maple syrup (mild)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoon water
- pinch of sea salt
Instructions
- Peel and slice the bananas. Transfer them to a freezer-friendly bag, placing them next to each other. Freeze for approximately 6 hours or overnight until completely frozen.
- Transfer the frozen banana slices with the cashew butter to a blender or food processor and blend/pulse until smooth. Scrape down the sides with a spoon a few times if necessary. If you like the texture as it is now, go for it and indulge. Or put the nice cream in the freezer for a bit to firm it up.
- For the caramel sauce, mix cashew butter, maple syrup, vanilla extract, water, and a pinch of sea salt until smooth.
- Add the nice cream to a bowl and drizzle over the caramel sauce. Sprinkle with some chopped nuts if you like, and serve.
Notes
- Prep time excludes freezing time.
- To get the best nice cream, make sure the bananas are ripe. The riper, the sweeter the nice cream will be.
- Add more or less water as stated in the recipe, depending on how runny you want the caramel sauce to be.
- I like to freeze the nice cream after blending to make it firmer, so I freeze it in a sealable container to get the texture I want. Another tip: The shallower the container, the faster it freezes.
Nutrition
Nutritional values are estimates only calculated with the recipe calorie and nutrition calculator provided by verywellfit.com. The author of this website is not a nutritionist nor a doctor. All nutritional data provided in the recipes and correspondent blog posts are for informational purposes only. Do not use the information as nutritional or medical advice.
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