This Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Banana Nice Cream is made with frozen bananas and filled with chunks of edible cashew flour cookie dough. A healthy homemade alternative for the popular ice cream flavor, but Paleo, Vegan, gluten-free and dairy-free too!
Jump to RecipeI’ve been wanting to make a nice cream or smoothie bowl or just about anything with frozen bananas for a while now, but I just couldn’t pick what, or even what flavor.
Somehow I decided to go for a nice cream, so there was that one bit down. The flavor part remained tough, so I asked you guys on Insta, and cookie dough won the vote.
Well hey at least I had narrowed it down to 2 options: this or a chocolate peanut butter.
The win margin wasn’t that big though, so I think I’m gonna go for a choco pb soon – why not right?!
Ingredients for this Healthy Cookie Dough Banana Ice Cream
The ice cream in itself barely needs anything, just frozen bananas, vanilla extract and a splash of almond milk.
Yes, that’s really all it needs. A 3 ingredient super creamy base!
As for the actual cookie dough part:
- Cashew or Almond flour: I used cashew flour which is just ground cashew seeds, but almond flour or almond meal also work well. Keeps this recipe gluten free too!
- Coconut flour: This soaks up a lot of the moisture that’s added to give the dough balls their flavor. Another GF flour here.
- Almond Milk: Normal milk works, but this makes the recipe won’t be no milk and dairy free anymore.
- Almond Butter: You could use any nut or seed butter here. Cashew or Peanut are good ones too, but if you want this cookie dough banana ice cream to be Paleo, don’t use the peanut butter.
- Maple syrup: Gives it a rich flavor! I used a sugar free syrup from Lakanto, but the regular one, or even honey would work just as well.
P.S. avoid the honey if you want to keep it Vegan - Vanilla Extract: Some extra flavor coz why not?
- Chocolate Chips: I actually chopped up some sugar free stevia sweetened dark chocolate into small pieces, but you can use mini chocolate chips too. Try to get the good kind though.
How to make no churn frozen banana ice cream?
There’s no blender or ice cream maker needed here!
Just freeze the banana slices for an hour or two and then process/blend them in a food processor for about a minute with the almond milk and vanilla.
The chocolate chip cookie dough part of this banana nice cream is just as easy:
- Mix together the cashew/almond and coconut flour.
- Add in the wet ingredients (almond milk, almond butter, maple syrup and vanilla) and mix it all
- Fold in the choco chips or chocolate chunks
- Roll the mixture into tiny cookie dough balls about a half a thumb size – or just any chunky shape you want!
Fold the balls of chocolate chip cookie dough into the banana nice cream mixture (keep some for the top) and you’re all ready to dig in to it as a soft serve!
If you want something more like a milkshake, add some more milk when blending.
For something that’s like an actual ice cream, place the mixture in a loaf pan lined with plastic wrap, press on more plastic wrap and freeze it for an hour or so.
How this banana ice cream compares to the normal ones?
All you need to do is blend it in a food processor – there’s no ice cream maker or blender needed.
It’s dairy free since there’s no need for milk or cream, or condensed milk.
No sugar added (so long as you use stevia or monk fruit sweetened syrup).
No eggs in this ice cream – apparently its a thing!
Gluten free and healthy cookie dough.
So so easy!
Other flavor options?
There’s so many flavors possible with banana nice cream if you don’t want to go for cookie dough – a chocolate, chocolate chip, vanilla, mint, peanut butter.
The possibilities are endless.
The best part about this though is that whatever you choose, the banana nice cream will still likely be healthy, so long as you add good stuff and no sugar, since the frozen fruit itself is sweet enough.
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Banana Nice Cream (Paleo & Vegan)
Ingredients
Cookie Dough:
- ¼ cup Cashew Flour or Almond Flour, 30g or 20g
- 2 tsp Coconut Flour, about 14g
- 1 Tbsp Almond Milk
- 2 tsp Almond Butter
- 1 tsp Maple Syrup, Stevia Sweetened preferred, 5ml
- ¼ tsp Vanilla Extract
- ½ Tbsp Mini Chocolate Chips or Chopped Chocolate, 7g
Nice Cream:
- 2 medium Ripe Bananas, 240g
- 1 Tbsp Almond Milk
- ¾ tsp Vanilla Extract
Instructions
Prep:
- Slice the banana (about ½” thick each) and freeze for about 1-2 hours until solid.
- Make Cookie Dough:
- In a small bowl, combine cashew/almond flour and coconut flour.
- Add in almond milk, almond butter, maple syrup and vanilla and mix well until uniform.
- Chop chocolate into about ⅛” size pieces and fold into mixture.
- Divide mixture (about ½ tsp worth each) and use palms of your hands to roll into small balls or chunks.
Make Ice Cream:
- Transfer frozen banana, almond milk and vanilla to a food processor or blender and process until creamy, about 1-2 minutes.
- Scrape down the sides or add a Tbsp of more almond milk if needed.
- Fold in cookie dough balls, reserving a few for topping.
Serve:
- Serve immediately as a soft-serve, or for a more ice-cream-like consistency, freeze in a loaf pan with plastic wrap pressed on for 1-2 hours.
Notes
- Nature’s Eats Cashew Flour
- Nature’s Eats Superfine Almond Flour
- Anthony’s Organic Coconut Flour
- Lakanto Maple Flavored Syrup
- Lily’s Original Dark Chocolate
- Servings: 2 cups | Serving size: 1 cup
- Calories: 284kcal
- Fat: 12.5g | Saturated fat: 2.7g
- Carbohydrates: 43g | Fiber: 5.1g | Sugar: 23.2g
- Protein: 6.1g
Hey! I'm Haylee
Google Software Engineer
I use my passion for baking (and eating) to create healthy, high-protein, good-for-you and diet-friendly desserts and sweet treats that are actually delicious.
Come join me in Hayl's Kitchen and let's eat high protein, sweet and guilt free!