Healthy “Nutella” Nicecream
This vegan ice cream tastes like a fudgy rich Nutella ice cream but instead of dairy, it's based on frozen bananas! You only need 4 ingredients and a strong blender!
This is my ABSOLUTE favorite treat at the moment! It's so absolutely mindblowingly delicious that I never want my portion to be finished! And guess what? It's full of healthy stuff! Bananas, unsweetened cacao powder, hazelnut butter and a splash of almond milk blended together to make this creamy, cold and super flavorful ice cream. Well, nicecream. But it's nicecream that 100% tastes like ice cream!
And not just any ice cream! It tastes like fudgy rich Nutella ice cream! Like a frozen healthy Nutella kind of treat. Have I raved about it enough? Looking at the photos just makes me crave it again!! I think I still have some frozen bananas in the freezer. Mmmmmmmh... Even my husband who is REALLY not mad about banana tasted the ice cream and gave it a big thumbs up!
I first came across the concept of nicecream at least 10 years ago. It was such a new concept for me but such a great one! Ice cream is one of my absolute weaknesses and by far my most favorite dessert! So the thought of being able to enjoy something, that could trick my mind into believing it's ice cream while it's actually healthy, was fantastic! I tested it and while I'm fine with just a plain banana ice cream (aka nicecream), I much prefer a chocolate version. And mixed with nuts of any kind makes it even better!
If you don't have hazelnut butter at home, don't fret. It's super easy to make! That is, if you have a strong blender... I roasted whole hazelnuts at 180°C (356°F) for 10 to 15 minutes until they were roasted and fragrant. Then I put them straight from the oven into a dishcloth and rubbed them against each other until most of the peel had come off. Add them to a blender and blend until smooth and you have your super yummy and flavorful hazelnut butter!
I didn't add all of the roasted hazelnuts to the blender but left some for later topping the nicecream. I love a bit of texture in all my food and adding those chopped crunchy roasted hazelnuts turns the nicecream into next level! It's also super delicious without the hazelnuts on top but if you have any, I highly recommend adding them on top!
Will you make this for dessert soon? Or how about my Chocolate Chia Blender Pudding?
This vegan ice cream tastes like a fudgy rich Nutella ice cream but instead of dairy, it's based on frozen bananas! You only need 4 ingredients and a strong blender!
- 2 medium-sized frozen bananas (see notes)
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened cacao powder
- 1 tablespoon hazelnut butter
- 1 splash of almond milk
- 10 roasted hazelnuts (see notes)
Take the bananas out of the freezer (if using a whole banana) and wait for 5 minutes so that it's easier to handle. Then peel and cut into slices. (see notes)
Add sliced bananas, unsweetened cacao powder, hazelnut butter and almond milk to a blender. Blend until smooth.
Chop the roasted hazelnuts.
Scoop the nicecream into a bowl and top with the roasted hazelnuts. Enjoy!
- Bananas: the bananas should be ripe but NOT overripe! The banana taste is too strong if overripe for this recipe. I like to freeze it whole and then wait a few minutes after removing it from the freezer. Then I make a cut down the middle lengthwise and cut it into slices. It's easy to peel then.
- Roasted Hazelnuts: If you don't have roasted hazelnuts at hand, you can roast them yourself at 180°C (356°F) for 10 to 15 minutes, then peel them by wrapping them in a cloth and rubbing them together.
