Name: Cherry Nice Cream
Prep time: 10 min
Total time: 10 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 2 frozen bananas, sliced into 1/2 inch coins before freezing; 3 cups frozen pitted cherries; 1/2 teaspoon almond extract; 1/4-1/2 cup plant-based milk (if needed)

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Easy no-churn vegan cherry nice cream made from only three ingredients. This recipe was a huge hit in my house. Gobble it up right after pureeing the fruit or save it for later for scoop-able banana ice cream.

Cherry nice cream in a bowl with sliced cherries.

To make things special we laid out toppings to add to our nice cream, for this one we added fresh chopped cherries and mini vegan chocolate chips. My little chickpea calls it his “sundae setup.”

Nice cream is a dairy-free dessert made from frozen fruit. Bananas work great because they don’t contain much water, so they make frozen treats nice and creamy. I’m using them in this recipe for that reason. I wanted a creamy texture, but not the banana flavor. So, a higher frozen cherry-to-banana ratio works well for that.

The almond extract in the recipe brings out the delightful cherry flavor. A little extract goes a long way and just a touch gives so much flavor to this banana ice cream. For more nice cream recipes try pineapple nice cream, banana ice cream, or chocolate peanut butter nice cream.

For more recipes with frozen cherries, try cherry almond overnight oats, cherry chia seed pudding, or a mango and cherry smoothie.

Cherry nice cream in a bowl with sliced cherries on top.

I think the texture for nice cream is better without adding milk, so in the “How to” section you’ll find some tips on accomplishing that.

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How to make cherry nice cream
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How to make cherry nice cream

All the sweetness comes from the bananas and cherries, so the browner the banana the sweeter it is. Also, keep in mind the riper the banana is, the more it stands out in the flavor profile.

Peel and slice the bananas into coins before freezing. Place them on parchment paper or a silicone mat-lined baking tray that will fit in the freezer.

Adding milk helps make pureeing the fruit easier. So, slicing the bananas into coins before freezing them makes less work on your blender or food processor.

Place the sliced bananas and frozen cherries into a food processor or blender. Depending on how powerful your food processor is, you may need to let the frozen fruit thaw partly (a couple of minutes) to make it easier to puree. This will also help reduce the need for adding milk.

Frozen cherries and banana slices in a food processor.

Pulse to break up the frozen bits.

Pulsing frozen bananas and cherries in a food processor.

Then continue pureeing until thick and creamy. If your food processor or blender is still having a hard time pureeing the fruit, start with a ¼ cup of milk and puree. Add more if needed.

Pureed frozen cherries and bananas in a food processor.

Serve immediately for soft serve or freeze in a freezer-safe container for scoopable nice cream.

Cherry nice cream ready to be frozen in a glass baking dish.

If the banana ice cream is too firm to scoop, let it thaw partly on the counter for 5-10 minutes to soften. How long it needs to thaw depends on how long it's been frozen. If the banana ice cream has been frozen overnight or longer, it will be more difficult to scoop. For scoopable nice cream try freezing for just a couple of hours.

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