Sinfully rich, indulgently dark, and secretly healthy chocolate ice cream!
This no-churn, creamy chocolate nice cream has a secret:
A full 1/3 cup of cocoa powder is packed into the recipe, for the ultimate richness.
So if you’ve tried healthy ice cream recipes before and not been blown away, definitely give this one a shot, because you might be surprised.
It’s the perfect healthy frozen treat for any dark chocolate lover, and every time I make this chocolatey nice cream, I can’t stop eating it from the blender!
Also be sure to try this Vegan Chocolate Cake
The new-and-improved recipe is adapted from the chocolate version of my original Banana Ice Cream Recipe, and it uses only natural ingredients, without any additional sweeteners.
If you’re not a dark chocolate fan, you can of course add a little stevia or pure maple syrup or your favorite sweetener if you wish.
But it is not required for the recipe, especially if you start with ripened bananas, often referred to as “nature’s candy” because of their ability to sweeten recipes naturally without having to add extra sugar.
For those of you who don’t want a banana flavor, the extra cocoa added in this healthy ice cream does a great job masking the banana, and opting to use the nut butter (or your favorite nut-free alternative) masks it even more.
I honestly could not taste any banana at all. Then again, I love bananas so I might not be the best person to ask.
*For a banana-free version, try this Almond Milk Ice Cream.
Healthy Chocolate Ice Cream
Ingredients
- 3 frozen bananas (a banana-free version is linked above)
- 1/3 cup cocoa powder
- 2-3 tbsp peanut or almond butter, optional
- pinch salt
- broken-up dark chocolate bar or chips, optional
Instructions
- *Make sure bananas are at least partially brown before peeling, chopping, and then freezing.Combine all ingredients in a high-speed blender or food processor—you can add the optional chocolate and the brownie bites before or after blending. Process until completely smooth, adding a little milk of choice if it’s too thick for your blender to process. Either serve immediately as soft serve, or freeze for about an hour and then scoop out with an ice cream scoop. Although nice cream tastes the best the day it’s made, you can technically freeze for up to a few weeks and thaw before eating.View Nutrition Facts
Notes
More Healthy Chocolate Desserts
We have eaten and made our own Larabars for years, but haven’t tried the bites! We’d love to try the hazelnut, hemp and cacao! Many thanks to you, Katie and Larabar!
I think I’ve tried almost every flavor of the original (Cashew Cookie is my favorite!) but I can’t wait to try the bites!
The chocolate chip mint is killer! Also love lemon bar, apple pie, peanut butter…basically they’re all amazing.
I would love to try the new superfoods larabar in the picture. I have not seen those in my area yet… and cannot wait!
I wish I could see a picture of how ripe your bananas were. Maybe mine were not overripe enough because my ice cream tasted too banana. I am not a banana fan, but I thought I would try the recipe because you said you didn’t taste the banana. I added extra cocoa and chocolate bar, but it still tasted too banana.
Sounds and looks delicious. Sometimes bananas don’t sit well on my stomach. Is there a substitute for the bananas?
Use this recipe instead: https://lett-trim.today/2015/08/03/vegan-chocolate-ice-cream/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
Thanks, Jason! Looks great. Maybe I’ll try it this weekend.
Will it make a difference if I choose not to include Lara bars?
Nope, you can omit!
I see a ton of comments about the Larabars and very few comments about the featured recipe, which by the way sounds amazing! Has anyone tried to make the ice cream and if you did, how did it come out? Would love to see more comments on the recipe. 🙂
I tried it and posted my comment below. I recommend pairing it with chocolate syrup or dropping in gobs of brownie or cookie dough to offset the banana intensity.
I made your “ice cream” and froze it, then cut it into slabs and coated it with your healthy chocolate topping. They are so good!! Thank you!! 🙂
That looks so amazing!
Ooooo! Great idea!!!
If you’re like me and you eat ice cream for a healthy session of indulgence (rather than for a healthy treat), then you should consider pairing this recipe with chocolate syrup.
The banana-ness is intense and I have always found that banana-dependent ice creams really kill the magic of ice cream. But when you smother it with a healthy chocolate syrup, it makes for a much more indulgent ice cream.