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Banana ice cream, often called nice cream, is a perfect way to create a cold creamy treat and use up bananas. Today, I’m making an easy sweet, luscious, and creamy vanilla banana nice cream that has the best vegan cookie dough chunks!
As always, step-by-step photos are in the post and recipe card below!
why we love this vanilla nice cream
This recipe is basically a healthy version of cookie dough ice cream that could honestly be eaten for breakfast, lunch, or dinner! It’s a great way to use up extra bananas too. You could also make my vegan Jumbo Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins to use up ripe bananas.
The edible cookie dough is dairy-free, eggless, and vegan friendly and tastes just like Ben and Jerry’s cookie dough chunks that I always find myself trying to dig out of the ice cream tub.
I’ve also included substitutions to make an equally delicious gluten-free version of the edible cookie dough.
what is nice cream?
Before we begin, let’s talk about what in the world nice cream is. If you’ve never heard of nice cream, it’s short for banana ice cream!
It’s made with just 2 ingredients- frozen bananas and some type of milk (dairy-free in our case). By whipping or blending frozen bananas, you can create a healthy, incredibly creamy, sugar-free, and dairy-free ice cream base!
why this recipe works
You don’t need an ice cream maker to create this recipe, so it’s completely no-churn. However, you will need a powerful blender or a food processor.
I prefer to use my mini food processor that came with my immersion blender. It’s the perfect size for 2-3 servings, it takes less time to blend everything up, and it’s easier to get all the nice cream out of the container (as opposed to a deep blender jar).
This recipe uses frozen, slightly ripened bananas which are already sweet and coconut milk to create the healthy, dairy-free ice cream base.
When blended together, the coconut milk helps balance the banana taste and creates a smooth creamy, dreamy texture.
the ingredients
The nice cream base only requires 3 simple ingredients which is yet another reason I love this recipe. Prior to making it, you’ll want to gather the following:
- Slightly Ripened Bananas
- Coconut Milk, or cream (full fat is preferred)
- Vanilla Extract
To make the edible cookie dough, you’ll need the following:
- All-purpose flour (heat-treated- don’t worry, I include instructions below!), or oat flour if GF
- Vegan Butter, or coconut oil
- Brown Sugar, or coconut sugar
- Vanilla
- Salt
- Mini Chocolate Chips, vegan
how to minimize the ‘banana’ flavor
Just like in my Vegan Banana Pudding recipe, I prefer using bananas that are just starting to ripen. The bananas are still a lighter yellow and only have a few spots on them (versus dark yellow and very spotty bananas). The picture above is the ripeness level we’re going for.
Using bananas at this stage helps minimize the ‘banana’ taste but still creates a smooth and creamy nice cream.
heat-treating the flour
If using all-purpose flour, it is important to heat treat it before making the cookie dough. This kills the bacteria in the flour and makes it safe to eat raw.
There are a few ways to do this both of which only take a few minutes. You can microwave the flour on high for 1 minute. Or you can spread the flour on a baking pan and bake it at 300F for 5 minutes, or until it reaches an internal temperature of 160F.
use oat flour for gluten free cookie dough
If you prefer not to use all-purpose flour (although it does give a texture and taste closest to Ben & Jerry’s cookie dough), you can sub very finely ground oat flour. The oat flour gives a bit of a grainier texture but it tastes delicious and is gluten-free!
You can make out flour at home by grinding old-fashioned oats in a high-speed blender or food processor until it is a fine meal.
making the cookie dough balls
Cookie dough ice cream has iconic tiny cookie dough balls scattered throughout the ice cream base. They’re super simple to make and so worth the extra few minutes it takes to whip them up.
- Combine the softened vegan butter (or softened coconut oil), brown sugar (or coconut sugar), and vanilla. Cream the mixture.
- Sprinkle in the heat-treated flour (or the oat flour) and salt. Mix to combine into a rollable dough.
- Stir in the mini vegan chocolate chips.
- Roll the dough into ¼” balls.
- Place in the freezer for at least 15 minutes to firm up.
the best dairy-free chocolate for this recipe
We can’t have cookie dough without chocolate, so here are a few of my favorite allergen-friendly chocolate brands for this recipe:
- Enjoy Life Mini Chocolate Chips: this is the exact brand I used in this recipe! These semi-sweet chocolate chips are vegan, dairy-free, gluten-free, kosher, and paleo which is awesome.
- Lily’s Dark Chocolate Chips: if you’re looking for a sugar-free option, these are great! Just watch out because not all of Lily’s products are vegan. Most of their dark chocolate is though.
- Nestle’s Allergen Free Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips: I’ve been able to find these at my local grocery store and Walmart making them pretty convenient. These are free from dairy, gluten, tree nuts, egg, and soy. Just keep in mind, it does look like they’re more expensive online.
- Trader Joe’s Dark Chocolate Chips: TJ’s in-house brand of chocolate chips is vegan and super affordable. They don’t come in a mini size though which is a bummer.
making the vanilla nice cream
freezing the bananas
Prior to making this recipe, it’s important to freeze the bananas. This is how we achieve the cold, creamy, ice cream consistency.
- About 2 hours (or overnight) before making the nice cream, peel and slice 2 semi-ripe bananas into ¼”-½” discs.
I prefer slicing them into thinner pieces because they freeze faster and it makes them easier to blend.
- Place the bananas in a single layer on a parchment-lined tray or plate, and cover loosely with plastic wrap. Place them in the freezer for about 2 hours. Once the bananas are frozen, they can be transferred to a freezer-proof baggie or an air-tight container and they won’t stick to each other.
- These sliced bananas will stay fresh in the freezer for about 1 month. After that, they may start to oxidize and turn brown or they may start to develop freezer burn.
I’ve found using bananas that have only been frozen for a few days gives the best taste and texture.
blending the bananas
Once the cookie dough is prepped and the bananas are frozen, the next step is to make the nice cream!
- In a high-speed blender or a food processor (I prefer using a mini food processor), add the sliced frozen bananas, 1 tbsp of the coconut milk, and vanilla extract.
- Blend on high until the bananas are smooth and creamy. Add any extra coconut milk as needed.
- Mix in as many cookie dough balls as you’d like.
- Scoop and serve immediately!
a few tips!
- Be sure to freeze the bananas for at least 2 hours prior to blending.
- Use as little liquid as possible. Add the coconut milk 1 tablespoon at a time, so you don’t add too much.
- The nice cream can be placed in the freezer after blending to firm up if you’d like. About 30 minutes should do the trick.
how to store the vanilla nice cream
You can transfer the vanilla nice cream to a small loaf pan, cover it with plastic wrap and aluminum foil, and freeze it for 1-2 days.
However, banana ice cream has the best consistency when freshly blended.
If you’d like to make this ahead of time, I recommend prepping the cookie dough and sliced bananas and storing those separately in the freezer until ready to blend it.
add-ins and toppings:
Ice cream is always best when you top it off with some more yummy ingredients. Here are a few ideas:
- Dairy Free Chocolate Sauce
- Vegan Sprinkles
- Chopped Nuts, like pecans or walnuts
- Cookie Crumbles
- Chocolate Chips
- Whipped Coconut Cream
- Maraschino Cherries
nice cream faq
To help minimize the banana taste, I prefer using bananas that are just starting to ripen. The bananas are still a lighter yellow and only have a few spots on them (versus dark yellow and very spotty bananas).
This nice cream has a subtle banana flavor (if you use the bananas mentioned above), with hints of vanilla and creamy coconut. The cookie dough provides bursts of chocolatey sweetness.
All-purpose flour is raw and can have harmful bacteria in it like E. coli. Because we aren’t baking the cookie dough, it’s important to heat treat it by zapping it in the microwave or baking it for a few minutes before mixing it into the dough. This kills the bacteria and makes it safe to eat! If you’d rather not heat treat the flour, you can use oat flour made from rolled oats. You can read more about the safety of raw flour and oats here.
This cookie dough doesn’t have any leavening agents in it, so I don’t recommend using it to bake cookies.
For this recipe, I prefer to use my mini food processor that came with my immersion blender. It’s the perfect size for 2-3 servings, it takes less time to blend everything up than a full-sized food processor. It’s also easier to get all the ice cream out of the container (as opposed to a deep blender jar).
LOOKING FOR MORE VEGAN cold and creamy dessert RECIPES?
- Vegan Neapolitan Ice Cream Cake
- Vegan Peach Ice Cream Bars
- Butterscotch Milkshake (Dairy Free & Vegan)
- Vegan Mango Mousse
- Vegan Mini Cheesecakes
- Coconut Milkshake
- Banana Split Pie
Did you make This Vegan Vanilla Nice Cream Recipe?
I’d love to know! Leave a star rating and comment below!
Vanilla Banana Nice Cream with Cookie Dough
Banana ice cream, often called nice cream, is a perfect way to create a cold creamy treat and use up bananas. Today, I’m making an easy sweet, luscious, and creamy vanilla nice cream that has the best vegan cookie dough chunks!
Ingredients
Edible Cookie Dough:
- ¼ cup softened vegan butter, salted (or sub softened coconut oil)
- 3 tbsp packed light brown sugar, or sub coconut sugar
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup heat-treated flour, or sub finely ground oat flour
- Pinch of salt
- ¼ cup mini vegan chocolate chips
Vanilla Nice Cream Base:
- 2 semi-ripe bananas, sliced into ¼” discs and frozen solid (see notes)
- 2-3 tbsp full fat coconut milk, or other dairy free milk
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract, or 1 split vanilla bean
Instructions
To Make the Cookie Dough:
* If using all-purpose flour, it is important to heat treat it before making the cookie dough. This kills the bacteria in the flour and makes it safe to eat raw. Microwave the flour on high for 1 minute. Or spread the flour on a baking dish and bake it at 300F for 5 minutes, or until it reaches an internal temperature of 160F.
- In a small bowl combine the softened vegan butter (or softened coconut oil), brown sugar, and vanilla. Cream the mixture until it becomes fluffy.
- Sprinkle in the heat-treated flour (or the oat flour) and salt. Mix to combine into a rollable dough. It will look scraggly at first but keep mixing and it will come together into a smooth cookie dough. If the dough is too dry, add a ½ tsp of dairy-free milk at a time until it comes together into a thick but smooth cookie dough.
- Stir in the mini vegan chocolate chips.
- Using a 1/4 tsp measuring spoon, scoop the dough and roll it into ¼” balls. Place the balls on a plate or small baking tray. Repeat with the rest of the dough.
- Place in the freezer for at least 15 minutes to firm up.
- This cookie dough recipe will make about double the amount you'll need for two servings. The extra can be frozen in a freezer-proof baggie for up to 3 months.
To Make the Vanilla Nice Cream:
- In a high-speed blender or a food processor (I prefer using a mini food processor), add the sliced frozen bananas, 1 tbsp of coconut milk, and vanilla extract.
- Blend on high until the bananas are smooth and creamy. This should take about 2-3 minutes depending on your blender/food processor.
- Add more coconut milk as needed, 1 tbsp at a time. The bananas will look like sand granules at first, but keep blending and it will become super creamy.
- Remove the cookie dough balls from the freezer and mix as many as you’d like into the nice cream.
- Scoop and serve immediately!
- You can also transfer the nice cream to a small loaf pan, cover it with plastic, and freeze it for 1-2 days. Nice cream has the best consistency when made fresh though.
Notes
Freezing the Bananas
- About 2 hours (pref. overnight) before making the nice cream, peel and slice 2 semi-ripe bananas into ¼”-½” discs. I prefer slicing them into thinner pieces because they freeze faster and it makes them easier to blend.
- Place the bananas in a single layer on a parchment-lined tray or plate, and cover loosely with plastic wrap. Place them in the freezer for about 2 hours. Once the bananas are frozen, they can be transferred to a freezer-proof baggie or an air-tight container and they won’t stick to each other.
Banana Ripeness
- For this recipe, I prefer using bananas that are just starting to ripen. The bananas are still a lighter yellow and only have a few spots on them (versus dark yellow and very spotty bananas).
- Using bananas at this stage helps minimize the ‘banana’ taste but still creates a smooth and creamy nice cream.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 2 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 136Total Fat: 2gSugar: 15gProtein: 2.3g
Nutritional info is an estimate.
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Categories:
10 Ingredients or Less, 30 Minutes or Less, Desserts, Feel Good Food, Recipes, Spring, Summer, Vegan & Gluten-free,
