Stop what you’re doing. You need to try this dairy-free treat right now to see what all the hype is about. We call it chocolate peanut butter nice cream because no animals were harmed in the making!
đź“– About
Who doesn’t like ice cream? It’s the best. But, for most of us, lactose can be a serious problem. Did you know 65% of the human population has an impaired ability to digest lactose (aka a sugar present in milk)? So, why do we do this to ourselves? Is it the taste we trade for the toilet?
We continue developing nice cream recipes because we’re suckers for frozen desserts. This dairy-free ice cream is creamy, rich, indulgent, and packed with chocolate and peanut butter. If stinking up the room from too much dairy isn’t enough for you to try this recipe, just trust us when we tell you it’s that good!
Just remember, the secret to a delicious nice cream is extra ripe bananas (literally, the ones you think about throwing away). So, with that out of the way, grab your ingredients, and let’s get blending!
We hope you enjoy this dairy-free, 100% vegan, gluten-free, oil-free, and refined sugar-free… do we need to keep going? Just try it!
🍲 Key ingredients
- Bananas: the cheapest, easiest, and most delicious way to make a naturally sweet and ultra-creamy nice cream base. Just remember, use the darkest, most spotty bananas possible for the best results. Bananas also contain 13% of your daily manganese needs, which is important for healthy-looking skin.
- Peanut butter: did you know it takes 540 peanuts to make a 12oz jar of peanut butter?! If that’s the case, we’ve eaten billions of peanuts by now. We love adding nut butter to nice cream because it creates a creamy, dreamy consistency (who wouldn’t want that?).
- Cacao powder: while very similar to cocoa powder, cacao powder should not be confused with it. Cacao is processed at lower temperatures, so it retains more vitamins and minerals like iron, magnesium, and potassium. Cacao is slightly bitter but gives a deep, dark chocolate flavor.
- Coconut milk: what do you add when you want your nice cream to be even better? Add full-fat coconut milk! You’ll love the creamy, subtle coconut flavor it brings to this recipe. It’s also full of minerals like copper, which keeps our bodies energized.
🔪 Instructions
To begin, if you don’t have pre-frozen bananas, peel, chop, and place some in the freezer overnight (or until their fully frozen). When the bananas are ready, add a splash of coconut milk to a high-speed blender or food processor.
Then, add in the bananas, vanilla, peanut butter, cacao powder, and salt. Blend on medium-high until you achieve a smooth, soft-serve consistency. This process takes about 2-5 minutes, so be patient! You may have to stop and scrape down the sides a few times throughout the blending process.
If it isn’t blending after a few minutes, add in the rest of the coconut milk a little at a time. You can serve the nice cream at this point for more of a soft-serve texture (Justine’s preference). Top with garnishes like chopped peanuts, toasted coconut flakes, chocolate chunks, or more peanut butter.
For a more firm consistency, transfer nice cream to a freezer-safe pan or container (we usually use a loaf pan). Drizzle more peanut butter over top and swirl in with a knife. Cover nice cream and freeze it for approximately 1-2 hours before eating (Mitch’s preference).
When you’re ready to serve, scoop nice cream into dishes and garnish with chopped peanuts, toasted coconut flakes, and chocolate chunks!
🌡️ Storage
This recipe will store in the freezer for up to 8-10 days in an airtight container. Although, it is best when eaten the same day.
To serve, remove container from the freezer about 10 minutes before you’d like to eat it.
đź’ Budget tips
We think everyone should be able to eat better for less, so here are a few tricks to make this recipe even more affordable:
- Use cocoa powder instead of cacao powder
- Skip the toppings because this is great even without loading it up
- Pick up a cheaper vanilla extract
- Make your own peanut butter instead of using store-bought
🍴 Tasting notes
This dessert needs to be in your freezer at all times, but it might not even make it there. It’s:
- Creamy
- Decadent
- Rich
- Indulgent
- Naturally sweet
If you try this nice cream, please rate it and leave us a comment below! Want to stay up-to-date with new recipes? Subscribe to our newsletter or connect with Broke Bank Vegan on social media. Happy eating!
Chocolate Peanut Butter Nice Cream
Equipment
- High speed blender or food processor
- Loaf pan
- Ice cream scoop
Ingredients
- 4 very ripe* bananas peeled & frozen ($0.64)
- 3 tbsp cacao powder ($0.47)
- 3 tbsp natural peanut butter ( $0.33)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract ($0.21)
- 4 tbsp full-fat coconut milk ($0.14)
- A pinch of sea salt, if using unsalted pb ($0.01)
Toppings optional
- Chopped peanuts
- Toasted coconut flakes
- Peanut butter swirls
- Dark chocolate chunks or chips
Instructions
- To begin, peel, chop, and freeze bananas overnight, or until fully frozen. When the bananas are ready, add 4 tbsp of coconut milk to a high-speed blender or food processor. Then add in the bananas, vanilla, peanut butter, cacao powder, and salt.
- Blend on medium-high until you achieve a smooth, soft-serve consistency, about 2-5 minutes. You may have to stop and scrape down the sides a few times. If it isn’t blending at all, add in the rest of the coconut milk 1 tbsp at a time.
- You can serve the nice cream at this point for a soft-serve texture. Top with garnishes of your liking (chopped peanuts, chocolate chunks, peanut butter drizzle, or toasted coconut flakes).
- For a more firm consistency, transfer nice cream to a freezer-safe loaf pan or container. Drizzle more peanut butter over top and swirl in with a knife. Cover nice cream and freeze it for approximately 1-2 hours before eating.
- When you’re ready to serve, scoop nice cream into dishes and garnish with chopped peanuts, toasted coconut flakes, and chocolate chunks!
Notes
- *Your bananas should be very spotty before you freeze them.
- Optional ingredients are not reflected in the price or calories of the recipe.
- For best results use a high-speed blender or food processor.
Nutrition
♻️ Similar recipes
For more tasty sweets, check out our:
- Pina colada nice cream if you’re feeling like a cold tropical treat.
- Chocolate peanut butter fudge for a decadent two-ingredient dessert.
- Homemade chocolate peanut butter cups if you’re a Reese’s fan.
- Healthy snickers bars if you’re feeling like a diva and are prone to getting hangry.
- Chocolate chip mug cake for the perfect dessert to pair with nice cream!
- Gluten-free mug cake for the same great flavor as mug cake without the need for gluten!
đź’¬ FAQ
No you do not have to wait for it to freeze after blending the nice cream! You can eat it right away to enjoy a texture more similar to soft serve ice cream.
You don’t have to use canned coconut, but it creates a creamier texture. Feel free to use coconut milk from the carton, but remember your results will vary.
The reason you’ll need to use a high-speed blender or food processor is to create the smoothest consistency. If you have another blender, you can still make this nice cream. You may have to scrape down the sides a few more times or add a little more liquid.
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