I'm getting in my last licks of summer (literally)! My favorite season is winding down but the heat is still in full force. Why not cool off while enjoying a sweet healthy treat like this Wild Blueberry Nice Cream? Wild blueberries, frozen bananas, dates and a touch of oat milk are blended together in a frozen dessert that's perfect any time of day!
What Is Nice Cream?
Nice cream is a vegan dessert that is made by blitzing together frozen bananas in a blender or food processor to create a consistency similar to soft serve ice cream. As you can imagine, the flavors are completely customizable as you can blend together just about any fruit together with the frozen bananas.
Using Wild Blueberries vs Regular Blueberries
I love using frozen wild blueberries in this recipe. Wild blueberries are smaller and contain less water than regular blueberries, making them a better choice for nice cream. Their flavor is also more intense and sweeter, which is why I often choose them for smoothies as well. You can find frozen wild blueberries wherever you normally buy your frozen fruits. I use 365 brand wild blueberries.
Making Nice Cream + Important Tips
- Start by slicing bananas into one to two inch pieces and freezing them (this can take several hours).
- I like to add a bit of liquid to my Vitamix before adding fruit. Adding the liquid first helps make the blending process a little easier. You'll need to use the tamper (the blending stick) to help move the fruit around and get that thick smooth consistency. If you don't have a high-powered blender you can use a food processor as well. Although I haven't tested this method, some say using a food processor is easier especially when making large batches of nice cream.
- Once blended, serve the nice cream immediately for best texture. If the texture is too soft, freeze for about 20-30 minutes. Longer freezing time (usually more than 2 hours) will cause the nice cream to become icy and hard and will therefore need time to defrost to make it soft and scoopable.
- If needed, you can adjust the sweetness of your nice cream by adding in your favorite sweetener. I love using dates, maple or agave syrup. For this recipe I only needed to use ½ date to achieve the desired sweetness level.
How To Serve + Favorite Toppings
This one may be pretty obvious. Serve nice cream just as you would regular ice cream, in a waffle or sugar cone or a bowl.
I love this Wild Blueberry Nice Cream as a healthy snack with some shredded coconut and Kind brand granola.
Wild Blueberry Nice Cream
Equipment
- High Powered Blender or Food Processor
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups banana sliced and frozen
- 1 cup wild blueberries frozen
- ¼ cup oat milk or plant-based milk of choice (I used oat milk creamer for richness)
- ½ Medjool date pitted (I know ½ sounds odd, but plump Medjool dates are pretty sweet).
Instructions
- Add milk to the blender first.
- Next, add the frozen bananas, blueberries and the date.
- Begin to blend (using the tamper to help move the fruit around) until the fruit is completley smooth and soft serve ice cream consistency is reached.
- If the nice cream is too soft, simply freeze for 20-30 min and then scoop into a bowl or onto a cone. Then serve immediately.
Notes
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Nutrition
I prefer to focus on quality ingredients from a variety of sources that work in tandem to promote optimal health. Nutrition calculations may not reflect these valuable interactions. However, I understand certain values can be helpful to some. Please note these calculations are merely estimates. Values will vary depending on modifications, brands used, and portion size. Should you require specific information, it's best to consult with a dietitian or qualified healthcare provider.
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