Wondering how to make strawberry banana nice cream? It’s easy! With a food processor or Vitamix and a few simple ingredients, you can have healthy soft serve! This low calorie strawberry nice cream will satisfy your sweet tooth and is great for weight watchers. Vegans, vegetarians, and omnivores alike all love this delicious plant based dessert. Believe it or not, this vegan ice cream has no sugar added!
Want a healthy snack that is colorful, tasty, and will help you increase your fruit intake? Or do you just want a dairy free ice cream that’s delicious, perfect for topping with chocolate syrup and whipped cream? I’ve got you!
You’re going to love this vegan nice cream recipe whether you are health minded or not. We’ve got an easy crowd pleaser with this one. You can even make this thick and creamy vegan strawberry ice cream with no ice cream maker!
Banana berry ice cream is one of my favorite cooling desserts when the weather gets hot. It takes advantage of seasonal produce, is a great way to use up ripe bananas, and tastes great! What’s not to love?
If you have kids, this healthy vegan dessert is great for the whole family. There’s something about serving fruit in ice cream form that makes it more appealing.
Call it magic, call it nourishing, or just call it delicious. It’s time to break out the food processor and whip this summertime treat up!
Jump to:
🍦 What is nice cream?
Why is it called nice cream? “Nice cream” is basically just a healthy ice cream alternative (i.e., nice because it’s better for you). It often has no added sugar, instead using frozen fruits (usually bananas) for sweetness and creaminess.
Many nice cream recipes also happen to be vegan, though not always. If you’re looking for a fun way to eat more fruit, nice cream recipes can be a great option!
📋 Calories, Net Carbs, Protein
One serving of Strawberry Banana Nice Cream has 119 calories, 24.3 grams net carbs, and 2 grams protein. This doesn’t include any nice cream toppings you choose to add.
⭐ Benefits
What are the benefits of strawberry ice cream? This vegan strawberry nice cream recipe offers a few advantages, such as:
- Gluten free: If you have celiac disease or NCGS, you’ll be happy to learn that this strawberry frozen dessert has no gluten.
- Dairy free: This no dairy nice cream is creamier than your standard sorbet or sherbet, no milk needed! It’s also egg free, making it appropriate for vegan diets.
- No added sugar: This is a step better than no refined sugar IMO, as we’ve nixed things like coconut sugar and agave as well. (That said, you’re always welcome to add your favorite ice cream syrups to sweeten things up!)
- 5 ingredients: If you want a simple recipe, this nice cream has got your number. You only need five ingredients to make it.
- No ice cream maker needed: This is a no churn healthy ice cream recipe! It’s perfect when you want to spend less time in the kitchen and more time enjoying the warm weather!
- Prevent food waste: Have some imperfect fruit, such as over-ripe bananas or strawberries that are a bit past their prime? Don’t throw them out- pop them in the freezer and use them here! Your berries and bananas will make an even sweeter nice cream when they’re super ripe.
- Delicious: This strawberry banana nice cream is so good! I could eat it at any time of the day. (Breakfast ice cream for a serving of fruit? Yes, please!)
🥘 Ingredients
Here's what you need to make vegan strawberry banana nice cream:
- Frozen strawberries
- Frozen bananas
- Unsweetened soy milk (plain or vanilla is fine)
- Chopped rhubarb (stems only, the leaves are poisonous)
- Granular Swerve (or your favorite 1-to-1 sugar substitute)
I actually prefer using non-dairy milk alternatives here. There is a risk that dairy milk will curdle, since we’re heating the milk. With plant based “milks,” we’re eliminating that risk.
Make sure you use ripe bananas only, as they are providing most of the sweetness. Rhubarb is often paired with strawberries, but it typically needs more sweetener to be palatable. I didn't think the bananas were enough by themselves, so I added a little Swerve as well.
Either way, this strawberry nice cream is not as sweet as most strawberry ice creams. I think this will make those looking for healthy ice cream recipes happy. I figure if you want even more sweetness, you can always add chocolate sauce, whipped cream, etc.
Hey y’all, I’m a dietitian. I’m not going to tell you to load up on the added sugar, but what you do is your business. Hahaha
As you can see, the toppings do make our nice cream with strawberries very photogenic. You wouldn’t guess we’re getting a nearly all fruit and vegetable treat in that indulgent-looking dessert!
🍽 Equipment
You’ll want to have the following pieces of kitchen equipment on hand for this recipe:
- High-powered blender or food processor
- Rubber spatula
- Freezer-safe container
- Ice cream scoop
I use a 10-cup Hamilton Beach food processor, but a larger 12-cup processor would work too. A high-speed blender (like a Vitamix) could also be used to get a smooth texture.
I wouldn’t try to use a regular blender for this recipe. We don’t use a lot of liquid to make nice cream. It may be frustrating to try and break down all the frozen fruit without much liquid in a regular blender.
The spatula is used to scrape the frozen fruit off of the sides of the food processor. Chunks of fruit tend to stick to the processor, but we need to get everything completely smooth.
For a really nice soft serve ice cream presentation, you can pipe the vegan strawberry nice cream into bowls. This was a little too fussy for me, so I just used an ice cream scoop.
(What can I say?!? I really wanted to eat! Haha)
🔪 How to Make Strawberry Banana Nice Cream
How do you make strawberry nice cream? Start by chopping the rhubarb into small pieces (0.5-0.75 inch/1.27-1.9 cm). You can peel the rhubarb first if it’s not pink and tender.
Put the rhubarb, soymilk, and Swerve in a small saucepan. Heat it on the stovetop over medium heat for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. You want the rhubarb to soften and the Swerve to fully dissolve.
Allow the rhubarb mixture to chill in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours before proceeding.
Chop the frozen strawberries and bananas into small pieces if they are large. The smaller you chop them, the easier they’ll blend into smooth nice cream.
Put the chilled rhubarb mixture, frozen strawberries, and frozen bananas in a food processor. Blend until completely smooth. It will take several minutes.
You will likely need to stop the processor a few times to scrape down the sides with a spatula. The frozen fruit likes to stick!
Be patient during this process. At first, the fruit will break into small bits. It takes a few minutes of blending to get smooth and creamy strawberry ice cream.
After it’s completely smooth, you can enjoy your vegan nice cream as a soft serve right away. (Instant gratification!)
If it’s too soft, put it in a freezer-safe container and let it freeze for 1-1.5 hours before serving. It should be easy to scoop at that point. If you let it freeze considerably longer, scooping gets harder.
You can top your strawberry nice cream with all of your favorite ice cream toppings (suggestions below!) or leave it plain. Enjoy!
️🌡️ Leftovers
How long does nice cream last? Leftover nice cream can be stored in the freezer in a covered container for 1-3 months. It will harden with freezing, so let it soften a bit at room temperature before trying to scoop it.
🍨 Toppings
What are some good strawberry nice cream toppings? You can top nice cream in any health-promoting or not so healthy way you wish! Here are a few of my favorite toppings for ice cream sundaes:
- Whipped cream
- Chocolate chips
- Chocolate syrup
- Caramel syrup
- Honey or maple syrup
- Chopped nuts
- Sprinkles (AKA jimmies or hundreds and thousands, depending on where you are from)
- Fresh fruit (sliced bananas, pineapple, peaches, raspberries, blueberries, sliced strawberries)
- Mint leaves (stick to a few for garnish)
- Maraschino cherry (or a fresh cherry)
If you really want to go all out, you could also get some ice cream cones or waffle bowls. For gatherings, you could put all the toppings out on a table to make a DIY ice cream sundae bar! Just keep in mind that strawberry banana nice cream melts fast when it’s hot out!
💭 Expert Tips from a Dietitian
This is a level 1 recipe (may help support fat loss). I usually keep my level 1 snacks under 100 calories, but I thought I’d make an exception here. This high-volume and low-calorie treat is nearly entirely fruits and veggies. It completely blows most 100-calorie snacks out of the water in terms of phytonutrients.
For example, strawberries are rich in anthocyanins, a group of compounds linked to a lower risk of nutrition-related chronic disease. These phytochemicals are especially abundant in berries.
The downside is that this strawberry ice cream is nearly all carbs, with little in the way of other macros. You get a little protein from the soy milk, but it’s truly minimal. This dish definitely fits the “snack” category, as it’s not a balanced meal.
Still, if you’d normally have fruit by itself as a snack, this recipe is a fun spin. And if you try to avoid “naked carbs” (i.e., carbs eaten by themselves without other macronutrients), you have some options. For example, top your vegan strawberry ice cream with chopped peanuts for a little more fat and protein.
You could also use a whipped cream or whipped coconut cream topping for more fat. (Go for a sugar-free option if you’re trying to bump up the fat without adding more carbs.)
Keep in mind that adding toppings to your ice cream will change the nutrition information. Depending on the toppings you use, you can take this from a low calorie to a high calorie dessert pretty easily. (This may or may not be a good thing, depending on what your personal goals are.)
FAQs
Chop your ripe bananas and fresh strawberries into small pieces, and freeze in a single layer on a cookie sheet lined with freezer paper. (This will help stop them from sticking together as they freeze.) After the fruit has frozen, pack it into freezer bags with the air pressed out. Store the bags in the freezer until ready to use.
To make nice cream no banana, you’ll need to add something else for sweetness and creaminess. If you want to keep it no refined sugar, you could try blending in some date paste. Coconut cream is an alternative to keep your nice cream creamy.
To make Paleo strawberry ice cream, follow this recipe except substitute coconut milk for the soy milk. You could also use a different Paleo-compliant milk alternative, such as almond milk, instead.
You can refreeze nice cream, but the texture will change. If your strawberry nice cream melts, try freezing it in popsicle molds. It will still harden on you, but this texture change is more pleasant in ice pop form.
The frozen fruit in nice cream recipes is what typically makes things thick. Make sure you don’t add too much liquid to your nice cream, even though that makes it easier to blend. If your nice cream is not thick enough, stick it in the freezer for 1-1.5 hours.
Strawberries and rhubarb fit very low carb diets, but bananas do not. To make keto strawberry nice cream, try using unsweetened coconut cream and your favorite low carb sweetener in place of the bananas.
👩🏻🍳 Other Vegan Nice Cream Recipes
Looking for more nice cream vegan recipes? Try these delicious recipes for dairy free ice cream next:
I also have a lot of other refreshing vegan snack recipes, such as these Watermelon Ice Lollies. Feel free to poke around!
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The Disclaimer…
All recipes on this website may or may not be appropriate for you, depending on your medical needs and personal preferences. Consult with a registered dietitian or your physician if you need help determining the dietary pattern that may be best for you.
The nutrition information is an estimate provided as a courtesy. It will differ depending on the specific brands and ingredients that you use. Calorie information on food labels may be wildly inaccurate, so please don't sweat the numbers too much.
For more information on how the three recipe levels may help with a weight management goal, refer to my overnight oats no sugar post. Let's get cooking!
📖 Recipe
Strawberry Banana Nice Cream (Vegan, Plant Based Ice Cream)
Ingredients
- 2 cups frozen strawberries
- 2 medium bananas, frozen in chunks (overripe)
- ¼ cup unsweetened soymilk (plain or vanilla soy milk)
- 1 cup chopped rhubarb (stems only, rhubarb leaves are poisonous)
- 1 tablespoon Swerve, granular
- optional ice cream toppings (whipped cream, chocolate sauce, cherries, etc.)
Instructions
- Chop the rhubarb into small pieces (0.5-0.75 inch/1.27-1.9 cm). You can peel the rhubarb first if it’s not pink and tender.
- Put the rhubarb, soymilk, and Swerve in a small saucepan. Heat it on the stovetop over medium heat for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. The rhubarb should soften and the Swerve should fully dissolve.
- Let the rhubarb mixture chill in the fridge for 1-2 hours.
- Chop the frozen strawberries and bananas into small pieces if they are large. The smaller you chop them, the easier they’ll blend into smooth nice cream.
- Put the chilled rhubarb mixture, frozen strawberries, and frozen bananas in a food processor. Blend until completely smooth. It will take several minutes. You will likely need to stop the processor a few times to scrape down the sides with a spatula.
- After it’s completely smooth, you can have your vegan nice cream as a soft serve right away. If it’s too soft, put it in a freezer-safe container and let it freeze for 1-1.5 hours before serving. It should be easy to scoop at that point. If you let it freeze considerably longer, scooping gets harder.
- Top your strawberry banana nice cream as desired, and enjoy!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
This is a recipe revamp that features new photos, a recipe video, and more nutrition information. Enjoy!
Terrified Amateur says
A mere hundred calories for that, Summer? Why, I have it by the highest authority just glancing at it, in all its creamy lusciousness, adds at least 800-900. Fortunately, the subsequent craving and dreaming burns them all, and then some.
Great innovation, using frozen (or at least seriously chilled) fruit to bring about just the right temperature and consistency. All without even a teaspoon of ice cream, either.
Great news, everyone - Summer's Milkshake Shop is open for the season!
Summer Yule says
Thank you so much! It's not a Shake Shack shake but we still thought that it was pretty darn good! Plus it helped to use our overabundance of rhubarb without having to make more pie 🙂