Cherry Nice Cream
By the Gracious Vegan
“Nice cream” was an awesome invention (I haven’t been able to find out who invented it). Because of the sweetness of very ripe bananas and the high amount of air they contain, frozen bananas help create a light, smooth, creamy frozen treat without sugar or cream.
See other nice-cream variations below the recipe.
Makes about 2 cups of nice cream
Add the following ingredients to a food processor or blender and process/blend them until you get a mixture that looks like smooth soft serve ice cream. You may have to stop the machine once or twice to wipe down the sides, but don’t worry, it will get there within a few minutes.
1.5 cups pitted, halved, frozen cherries (see more needed below)
1 ripe banana, sliced and frozen beforehand
1/4 cup non-dairy milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Add the additional cherries and optional cocoa nibs and pulse a few times so that they are still in chunks.
1/2 cup pitted cherries (frozen or not frozen), cut in half
(optional) 1/8 cup cocoa nibs
Nice cream is easiest to serve right after making it, with a soft-serve texture. It can be frozen, and it gets hard. Once hard, it requires 30-60 minutes at room temperature or some careful microwaving to make it scoop-able.
Other variations for nice cream
Chocolate: use 3 frozen bananas and 2 Tablespoons cocoa powder instead of cherries.
Mangoes: substitute peeled, mango chunks for the cherries
Peaches: substitute peeled, peach chunks for the cherries
Nectarines: substitute peeled, nectarine chunks for the cherries
Raspberries: substitute raspberries for the cherries
Blueberries: substitute blueberries for the cherries
Combination of tropical fruits (mango, pineapple, kiwi, unsweetened shredded coconut): substitute a combination of fruits for the cherries
Additional flavorings you can add:
Fresh herbs (basil, mint, rosemary)
Lemon, lime, or orange zest
Cinnamon or cardamom
A spoonful of nut butter for added richness
Timing: if the fruits are frozen, this takes 5-10 minutes
Gluten-free