Chocolate-Covered Strawberry Nice Cream
Frozen bananas turn into creamy ice cream without any dairy. Add strawberries and chocolate, and you’ve got dessert that tastes indulgent but sneaks in fruit.
No ice cream maker needed. Just a food processor and some patience while it freezes.
Banana Ripeness Changes Everything
Use bananas with brown spots all over the peel. They’re sweeter and blend smoother than yellow ones. Slice them before freezing so your food processor doesn’t work overtime. Frozen banana chunks that are too big will jam the blades and leave you with chunky mess instead of smooth cream.
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Pulse Before You Blend
Start with short pulses to break up the frozen fruit. Your food processor will sound angry at first – that’s normal. Scrape down the sides every 30 seconds. After two minutes of pulsing, switch to continuous blending. The mixture goes from crumbly to creamy like magic.
Chocolate Timing Prevents Seizing
Add melted chocolate when the base is almost smooth but still cold. Hot chocolate will melt the frozen fruit and make everything watery. Let your melted chocolate cool for five minutes before drizzling it in. This creates ribbons instead of hard chunks.
Preventing Ice Crystals
- Press plastic wrap directly onto the surface before covering with the lid to prevent ice crystals from forming on top.
- Substitute frozen mango for strawberries and white chocolate for dark to make a tropical version with the same technique.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will this work without a food processor?
A high-powered blender works but you’ll need to stop and scrape more often. Regular blenders usually can’t handle frozen fruit this thick.
How long does homemade nice cream stay fresh?
Best within one week. After that, ice crystals form and the texture gets grainy even in an airtight container.
Should I add the strawberries fresh instead of frozen?
Fresh strawberries make it watery and less thick. Freezing them concentrates the flavor and maintains the creamy texture you want.
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Chocolate-Covered Strawberry Nice Cream
Ingredients
Equipment Needed
- Food processor
- Rubber spatula
- Freezer-safe container with lid
- Small microwave-safe bowl
Instructions
- Freeze fruit: Slice bananas into 1/2-inch rounds and freeze on a parchment-lined baking sheet for at least 3 hours or overnight. Hull and halve strawberries, then freeze them the same way for 2 hours.
- Melt chocolate: Melt chocolate in microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring between each, until smooth. Set aside to cool for 5 minutes while you prepare the base.
- Pulse bananas: Add frozen bananas to food processor and pulse 15-20 times until they break into small pieces. Scrape down sides with rubber spatula.
- Blend fruit base: Add frozen strawberries, cocoa powder, honey, vanilla, and salt. Pulse 10 times, then blend continuously for 2-3 minutes until mixture becomes smooth and creamy, scraping sides as needed.
- Add chocolate: With processor running, slowly drizzle in cooled melted chocolate. Blend for 30 seconds until chocolate creates ribbons throughout the mixture.
- Freeze nice cream: Transfer to freezer-safe container and smooth top with spatula. Cover and freeze for 3-4 hours until firm enough to scoop. Let sit at room temperature for 5 minutes before serving.
Nutrition Facts
Per Serving (1 serving)
