Calling all ice cream lovers, this creamy Peanut Butter Banana Nice Cream is about to become your new favorite. Smooth and rich with chocolate peanut butter cups mixed within, this nice cream takes healthy dessert to the next level. And to really treat yourself, add a hefty drizzle of chocolate syrup and peanut butter overtop then thank me later.
The only thing I like better than dessert is a healthy dessert that makes me feel good without sacrificing flavor. Made with only four, better-for-you ingredients, this banana nice cream is both tasty and easy! Now there’s no excuse to not enjoy dessert every single night … who’s with me?!
And to complete this nice cream dessert, I highly recommend baking up a batch of my Almond Flour Chocolate Cookies. There’s just nothing better than fresh baked cookies and cold banana nice cream. It’s a match made in heaven!
Ingredients in this Nice Cream Recipe
Bananas – The riper your bananas, the sweeter the nice cream will be. I suggest freezing the bananas when they’re the type of ripe for baking banana bread. Not mushy, but right before that stage!
Coconut Cream – This is the solidified part from a refrigerated can of full fat coconut milk. I get this coconut milk and it makes for great coconut cream.
Almond Milk – My favorite plant based milk to use because it has a neutral flavor and isn’t too thin/thick.
Peanut Butter – I prefer to use a natural brand that’s just roasted peanuts and salt. Feel free to use whichever brand or type you have available though.
Peanut Butter Cups – I prefer using these milk chocolate peanut butter cups from Theo Chocolate but any brand will work.
How to Make Banana Nice Cream
- In a food processor or high speed blender, add your frozen banana slices, coconut cream, and almond milk.
- Blend until no chunks of banana remain, scraping down sides of food processor/blender as needed.
- Add in ¼ – ⅓ cup of peanut butter, blending until fully combined.
- Remove and stir in chopped peanut butter cups.
- Serve immediately for a soft-serve like consistency.
- Alternatively, for more of an ice cream consistency, line an 8”x4” loaf pan with parchment paper and fill with PB Banana ‘Nice’ Cream and spread in an even layer. Leave in freezer for 1-1.5 hours. Remove from freezer and serve with ice cream scoop.
How to Ripen Bananas
Bananas and avocados are two of the most infuriating foods when it comes to ripening. I swear they’re either not ripe when I need them or else I suddenly have a bunch of “overly” ripe bananas (or avocados) to use. Granted, that’s not a bad problem to have but still, the timing is just never ideal.
If you have bananas and need them to ripen ASAP for this banana nice cream, try the paper bag trick. Stash the banana(s) in a paper bag and loosely fold over the top. The trapped ethylene gas will ripen the banana(s) within a day or two. And if you happen to have a ripe apple, add that in to help increase the flow of ethylene gas and quicken the process. It’s not instant but it does work!
And PSA: there’s an oven tip for ripening bananas too but that can quickly turn them into mush. Which is great for baking but not so great for freezing and making nice cream. Just something to remember 🙂
What is Nice Cream?
While there’s nothing wrong with good old ice cream, there is a time and place when you just want something … lighter. Maybe it’s because you can’t have dairy or maybe you’re just craving a healthier dessert, either way, this is the recipe for you.
Nice cream started as a healthy ice cream alternative because it’s “nice” to your body versus the traditional versions that are loaded with sugar, dairy, and processed ingredients. You could say that nice cream is better for your body in terms of blood sugar and digestion, but to each their own!
I think there’s room for both in life and it just depends on what you’re really craving / what your body needs. For the times when you do want something healthier though, I highly recommend making this peanut butter banana nice cream, you won’t regret it!
Nice Cream Recipe Flavors
All nice cream starts with bananas so the key to making different flavors is finding what pairs well with banana. I don’t have specific recipes for these flavor ideas but I’ll include them below and you can experiment. Each of these flavors will pair with the banana + peanut butter but you could always try swapping different nut butters for different flavors as well!
Strawberry – Easy enough, strawberry and banana are a tasty fruit combo. I’d suggest adding a few drizzles of a strawberry syrup or mixing in thawed, frozen strawberries for bites of berry flavor. Another idea is to swirl strawberry jam throughout the nice cream before freezing.
Chocolate – There are so many ways to add chocolate flavor, the first being to add 1-2 tbsp cacao powder to the mix before blending (you may need a tbsp of maple syrup to sweeten though). You could add a few drizzles of chocolate syrup before blending, mix in chocolate chips, or even swirl chocolate syrup into the nice cream right before freezing.
Coffee – Banana and coffee actually pair very well so this is a fun combo. Try adding in a tablespoon of espresso or a coffee blend such as Jot. It’s kind of like enjoying banana bread with a mug of coffee … just in a cold nice cream form!
Toppings and Mix Ins for Banana Nice Cream
The best part of any ice cream or nice cream situation is choosing the toppings and/or mix ins. This is where you can get real creative and have fun trying new things! This banana nice cream recipe calls for mixing in chocolate peanut butter cups and topping with chocolate + peanut butter but you could also try:
- Chopped nuts such as walnuts, pecans, or peanuts.
- Chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, or toffee chips.
- A healthy candy like these UNREAL milk chocolate or peanut gems.
- Frozen, fresh, or dried fruit such as strawberries or raspberries.
- Or perhaps my favorite of all, little homemade balls of cookie dough!
How to Serve Peanut Butter Banana Nice Cream
Once your peanut butter banana nice cream is frozen and firmed up, I suggest letting it sit on the counter for 10-15 minutes to thaw before scooping. Then make sure to store it in an air tight container in the to freezer to prevent any freezer burn. If you somehow manage to save some of this and not devour it within a week, be sure to enjoy any leftovers within ~2 months. Any longer and it’s going to get too icy and frosty.
And if you still have ripe bananas to use after making this nice cream, check out these other delicious banana dessert recipes. PB & J Banana Bread is perfect for the peanut butter and chocolate lovers out there. The loaf is moist and subtly sweet for either breakfast or dessert. Then this Banana and Coconut Cream Cake is a twist on a classic with moist texture and a decadent frosting that’s delicious yet healthy!
If you try this recipe, please let me know by leaving a comment and rating in the boxes below! I always love to hear from you, and it also helps other people find this recipe when they search online for the BEST Peanut Butter Banana Nice Cream 🙂
Ingredients
- 4 medium bananas cut into slices and frozen
- ¼ cup coconut cream solidified part from refrigerated can of full fat coconut milk
- ¼ cup almond milk
- ¼ – ⅓ cup peanut butter to taste
- 10 mini peanut butter cups chopped
Instructions
- In a food processor or high speed blender, add your frozen banana slices, coconut cream, and almond milk.
- Blend until no chunks of banana remain, scraping down sides of food processor/blender as needed.
- Add in ¼ – ⅓ cup of peanut butter, blending until fully combined.
- Remove and stir in chopped peanut butter cups.
- Serve immediately for a soft-serve like consistency.
- Alternatively, for more of an ice cream consistency, line an 8”x4” loaf pan with parchment paper and fill with PB Banana ‘Nice’ Cream and spread in an even layer. Leave in freezer for 1-1.5 hours. Remove from freezer and serve with ice cream scoop.
Did you make this recipe?
Tag @themindfulhapa on Instagram and hashtag it #themindfulhapa!
Facebook Pin Recipe
Leave a Review!