Strawberry Nice Cream – A Delicious Fruit Based Dessert

Strawberry Nice Cream,” or dairy free ice cream, is the perfect fruit based dessert for summer! No ice cream machine needed.

If you're looking for healthy frozen treats to make this summer, I have a good one for you today!

I love making “nice creams” and this is one of my favorites. Made with a base of bananas, frozen strawberries and coconut milk, chocolate chips really take this one over the top. This is every bit as delicious as traditional ice cream. If you have kiddos, this is also a great recipe to make with them!

I strive to make sure my recipes are accessible to everyone and this one does not need an ice cream machine. All you need to is a few basic ingredients and a blender or food processor.

I hope you love it!

 

What is “nice cream”?

“Nice cream” is just a fun term for dairy free ice cream, often made with a base of bananas.

Unlike coconut milk ice cream, you don't need an ice cream maker to make it set. If you're dairy free, nice cream is an excellent way to enjoy a frozen treat!

If you love it as much as I do, make sure to try my Peanut Butter Banana Nice Cream and my Chunky Monkey Nice Cream as well.

(Psst! if you're dairy free or looking for more dairy free alternatives, make sure to check out my YouTube video on 10 Dairy Free Alternatives to Your Favorite Foods!)

What is the nutrition like for this Strawberry Nice Cream?

For a dessert, Strawberry Nice Cream is quite healthy! It gets almost all of its sweetness from fruit and you can leave out the small amount of honey if you wish. You can also sub cacao nibs for chocolate chips if you want an entirely fruit-sweetened dessert.

This isn't just a healthier alternative to ice cream, it offers some substantial nutritional benefits as well. Here are a few of the highlights:

Bananas (Vitamin B6, Vitamin C, Manganese, Potassium)

You've likely heard that bananas have potassium but did you know that they're also a great source of vitamin B6, manganese and vitamin C? Bananas also have a lot of fiber, which is good for healthy digestion and blood sugar regulation. The potassium in bananas is excellent for your heart, for healthy blood pressure and for kidney health.

Strawberries (Antioxidants, Vitamin C, Manganese, Folate, Potassium)

A good source of vitamin C, manganese and antioxidants, strawberries may help prevent heart disease, aid in blood sugar regulation and reduce inflammation. Strawberries are also one of the lowest carb fruits, making them perfect for anyone following a low carb diet.

Coconut Milk (Manganese, Copper, Iron, Magnesium, Selenium, Potassium, Vitamin C, Folate)

Made of the white flesh of coconuts mixed with water, coconut milk is high in manganese, copper, iron, magnesium and selenium. It's also a good source of potassium, vitamin C and folate. Some studies have shown that coconut helps to reduce inflammation, fight bacteria and viruses and fight stomach ulcers. It's of course also an excellent substitute for milk in many dairy free recipes!

Honey (Antioxidants)

Honey has antibacterial and antioxidant properties, which are strongest in darker honey. Buy raw local honey when possible as filtering the honey can diminish its nutrients.

Tips for How to Make Nice Cream

Nice cream, or dairy free fruit-based ice cream, is actually quite simple to make. Still, if you've never made it before, I wanted to provide a few tips for success.

• Taste the “batter” for sweetness. Fruit varies greatly in sweetness. You may want to try tasting the mixture before adding the honey, and then add until you reach your desired level of sweetness.
• Experiment with mix-ins. Have fun playing around with the mix-ins in your strawberry nice cream! toasted walnuts, slivered almonds, chopped macadamia nuts. cacao nibs and shredded coconut would all be delicious additions.
• Freeze fully before enjoying, but then let it sit on the counter for 10 minutes before enjoying. I know it's super tempting to dig into this lovely dessert but I recommend freezing for 8 hours or, even better, overnight for maximum deliciousness. You will want to let it sit on the counter for about 10 minutes when you're ready to enjoy though, to make it easier to scoop.

I want more delicious, fruit-based desserts!

While I am a chocolate lover at heart, I do have a strong love of fruit-based desserts. There's so much natural sweetness in healthy fruit, why not take advantage of it instead of using less nutritious sweeteners?

I've actually recorded two episodes of my podcast, Meal Prep Monday on this very topic. Listen to Episode 35 on Fruit Based Desserts for Summer and episode 56 on Fruit Based Desserts for Winter.

If you enjoy healthier desserts like these, our weekly Gluten Free and Paleo meal plans always include a delicious dessert made with clean ingredients. You don't have to choose between denying your sweet tooth and eating healthily!