Chocolate chip cookie dough nice cream – dairy free, vegan, & no added sugar.
I first tasted cookie dough ice cream as a child growing up in Tokyo, Japan.
By that point, they’d started selling the flavor in America (thanks, Ben & Jerry’s), but it wasn’t readily available to purchase in Japan.
So my resourceful mother decided to make homemade cookie dough ice cream for us by replacing the egg in her usual chocolate chip cookie recipe with water and stirring pieces of unbaked cookie dough into store-bought vanilla ice cream.
Needless to say, it was pretty amazing.
Making this cookie dough nice cream brought me straight back to childhood.
Suddenly I was five years old again, eating ice cream straight from the container… and of course eating all the cookie dough pieces first – Tell me I’m not the only one who does that!
For the cookie dough component of this recipe, you have a dizzying array of choices.
I give out one option in the actual recipe listed later in this post, or you can choose to use any of the following options if you’d prefer:
Or use the dough from any of my Healthy Cookies Recipes – They are all egg-free!
For the ice cream base, I list three different versions because I know you all like options.
There’s a coconut-based option, a cashew-based option, and a banana-based option; and all have their benefits.
If I want cookie dough ice cream that truly tastes reminiscent of real cookie dough ice cream you can buy in pints at the store, I will go with the Healthy Haagen Dasz option (which also happens to be one of my personal favorite recipes on the blog).
The banana option is of course not as rich as the other two, but it is much quicker to make and also lower in fat and calories for those who want or need a lower-calorie option.
This option can also be entirely free of any added sugars, thanks to the natural sweetness of banana making up the base.
**For banana-free, simply use my Almond Milk Ice Cream or Coconut Ice Cream recipe instead of the base below.
Cookie Dough Nice Cream
Ingredients
- 2 overripe frozen bananas
- pinch of salt
- optional 1/2 cup coconut cream or raw cashews for a richer taste
- chocolate chips or pieces of chocolate bar
Instructions
- If using the optional nuts, soak them 6 hrs to soften, then drain completely. Be sure to start with bananas that are brown or at least turning brown. Peel and cut into pieces, then freeze in an airtight bag or container. To make the ice cream, blend all ingredients until completely smooth. You can add the chocolate before or after blending. Stir in pieces of your favorite cookie dough or use my recipe directly below. Serve immediately in a bowl, or freeze in a container until firm, then scoop out with an ice cream scoop. As mentioned earlier in this post, the banana version is great for a lower-calorie or quicker option; or you can use one of the two bases linked above if you’d like a cookie dough ice cream that is more reminiscent of real store-bought cookie dough ice cream.5 Ingredient Cookie Dough(Feel free to use my Chickpea Cookie Dough recipe if you’d prefer)1/4 cup quick or rolled oats, 1/4 cup nut butter of choice, or allergy-friendly sub, 1 1/2 tbsp liquid sweetener of choice OR pinch stevia, scant 1/16 tsp salt, 1 tbsp flour of choice or protein powder or oat branStir all ingredients together. If too dry, add a little milk of choice or water until it resembles cookie dough. Roll into balls. If you don’t want a peanut butter cookie dough taste, try raw cashew butter, almond butter, or even walnut butter! Allergy-friendly can use sunbutter, soybutter, coconut butter, or pea butter. This makes enough cookie dough for multiple servings of ice cream, so store leftover cookie dough balls in the refrigerator or freezer.View Nutrition Facts
More Nice Cream Flavors:
Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Nice Cream
Banana Ice Cream – 10 New Flavors
Mint Chocolate Chip Nice Cream
Is there anything to sub for banana, i can’t eat bananas.
I made this for dessert last night. The flavor was good, but the nice cream had bits of cashews which gave it an unpleasant mouthfeel. I soaked the cashews for over 6 hours and processed until the nice cream looked completely smooth, so I’m not sure what I could have done differently. Next time, I’ll try soaking the cashews for much longer (maybe 12 hours), adding coconut cream instead of cashews, or even using cashew butter in the place of the raw cashews.
Hmm what food processor are you using? If you have a Vitamix, it will get soaked cashews SUPER smooth!
I used a CuisinArt food processor. It normally works great for banana ice cream. I don’t have a Vitamix, so next time, I’ll try this recipe using the cashew cream, or at least soaking the cashews longer.
Update: I tried making this recipe again in a mini Cuisinart food processor. I tried that once before, and it left bits of cashews in the nice cream. This time, however, I soaked the nuts for longer, and processed them until as smooth and creamy as possible before adding the banana slices. Much better! The nice cream turned out smooth and did not have bits of cashews. I recommend that method to anyone that doesn’t have a Vitamix but still wants to make this recipe using cashews.
Wow this looks amazing!!
I was super excited for this recipe as my husband is trying to lower his cholesterol and cookie dough ice cream is his absolute favorite!!!… but I had a little trouble. I tried making the “ice cream” with my Nutribullet and also Cuisinart blender and both had trouble chopping the frozen bananas and making the cashews smooth. I had to keep adding more and more almond milk to get them to even process the mixture. The “ice cream” also turned slightly brown… not sure if that’s becase the whole process took so long and the bananas were exposed to the air for too long or if it’s from the cashews. My finished product definitely did not look like your beautiful photos which actually look just like real cookie dough ice cream. Better luck to me next time I attempt this, I guess! ??
Hmmm, Maybe can you just thaw the bananas a little more before starting so they are easier to blend and don’t need the extra liquid? Maybe your freezer is just extra cold! 🙂
i tried this and it was yum.