This is another Otis recipe! My youngest son, Otis, loves to experiment in the kitchen. Like mom, he likes to raid the cookbook aisle at the library and try new recipes. This recipe came from one of such experimentations. It is nothing that I would have pursued making on my own, but Otis took charge, and we made our first nice cream recipe. I was pleasantly surprised. It was easier than I thought and oh so delicious! Plus, why are we shelling out so much cash on unhealthy ice cream when we could be enjoying an equally delicious frozen treat that is full of good things? So began many more nice cream experiments; we had to find our favorite combinations of toppings, of course!
We are a house of chocolate lovers, so it’s not shocking that our favorite nice cream flavor is chocolate peanut butter. A nut butter is really key to getting that soft serve like consistency, especially if you are adding cacao powder. You really need something to absorb the powder. Tahini is also a great option. I am extra fond of the peanut butter from the machines at your local natural foods store; it is so good! My favorite is peanut butter with unroasted peanuts if you can find them. Try to avoid peanut butter with palm oil. I know, it’s super easy to spread, but harvesting palm oil is not good for the environment. Moreover, peanut butter tastes great without it, so skip the unnecessary oil.
Dairy Free Ice Cream
This chocolate and peanut butter dairy-free ice cream recipe is a great option if you are lactose intolerant like me. You can still enjoy a creamy, delicious sweet treat, just one that will be way easier on your stomach. Although there are lots of great dairy-free and vegan ice cream options on the market now. I love making this chocolate & peanut butter dairy-free ice cream because it’s also healthy and costs way less than pints of specialty dairy-free ice cream.
How to Make Nice Cream
Nice cream is super easy to make. The base of nice cream is just frozen bananas. We actually just keep some bananas frozen in the freezer now to have ready to go whenever someone is in the mood for a nice cream treat. You can freeze the bananas whole or peel and pre-slice to prep for blending. If you freeze the bananas whole, you will need a good, high-powered blender to handle chopping them up. I use a Kitchenaid K400 blender, and it works great. To make nice cream, just toss your bananas and flavorings into the blender and blend. That is seriously it! So simple. For my Kitchenaid K400 blender, using the low settings 1 or 2 works best for this recipe since it’s so thick. If your blender is struggling, go ahead and add some plant-based milk to help thin it a little and try blending again.
Cacao Vs. Cocoa
Have you ever wondered what is the difference between cacao and cocoa? Or are they really just the same thing with a different name? The answer is no, they are related but refer to two different forms of “chocolate powder”. Time for food semantics!
Cacao is the name of the plant, and unroasted (raw) beans are called cacao beans. Cacao powder is the raw beans finely ground into a powder. To make cocoa powder, cacao beans are roasted and then ground into a powder. Dutch processed cocoa powder (yup we’re talking about cocoa now) is processed using baking soda and greatly decreases the nutritional value of the cacao. So basically cocoa powder is processed cacao powder. You can use cocoa powder in this recipe, but I highly recommend using cacao powder, it is less processed and has more of the nutritious benefits chocolate is known for. My favorite cacao powder is Navitas organic cacao powder, you can sometimes find it in a super size bag at Costco, but it’s readily available at Whole Foods or Royal River Natural Foods here in Maine.
Only 4 Ingredients
This decadent chocolate & peanut butter nice cream has only 4 ingredients and is ready is less than 5 minutes. It really is that simple: bananas, cacao powder, peanut butter, and maple syrup. Blend and enjoy! Pro tip, keep a supply of frozen bananas on hand so you can have nice cream whenever a sweet tooth arises. Nice cream is a great healthy swap for other highly processed, super sugar loaded desserts. You can still have dessert and be healthy, it’s all about making smart choices. Now let’s get blending!
PrintChocolate & Peanut Butter Nice Cream
Healthy chocolate & peanut butter nice cream recipe is a delicious alternative to soft serve ice cream. With only 4 ingredients, this decadent dessert can be whipped up in 5 minutes.
- Prep Time: 5
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 3 cups 1x
- Category: Plant based
- Method: No cooking
- Cuisine: Healthy
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
- 4 frozen bananas, peeled
- 1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
- 2 tablespoons cacao powder
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
Instructions
- Add the frozen bananas, peanut butter, cacao powder, and maple syrup to the pitcher of a high-powered blender. Blend until smooth. Add your favorite toppings and enjoy!
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