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Protein Ice Cream

4.91 from 42 votes

Rich and creamy homemade chocolate protein ice cream that’s secretly GOOD for you at the same time!

Healthy Chocolate Protein Ice Cream

If you’re anything like me and have ever finished a workout by going straight to the freezer for a pint of Ben & Jerry’s, this healthy ice cream recipe is for you.

The healthy chocolate treat is a perfect solution for anyone who wants to be healthy but could happily eat a bowl of ice cream every day.

It tastes like a sweet and decadent dessert, and yet it’s packed with vitamins, fiber, protein, and nutrition.

You may also like: Chickpea Cookie Dough Dip

Chocolate Workout Ice Cream

The best high protein dessert

The ice cream recipe was inspired by these Workout Brownies.

While it might seem like eating ice cream would counteract all the hard work and benefits of exercising, the ingredients in this wholesome snack are the same ingredients you’d find in a post-workout smoothie. 

Just instead of a smoothie this time, it’s deliciously creamy chocolate ice cream.

Ice Cream >> Smoothies.

Still craving chocolate? Make a Brownie In A Mug

Chocolate Covered Katie Ice Cream

Protein ice cream ingredients

The protein ice cream calls for just five plant-based ingredients, with no refined sugar, xanthan gum, or artificial preservatives.

It can easily be customized to suit your own personal needs.

Feel free to add a handful of chia seeds or shredded coconut, sub the almond butter with peanut butter or coconut butter, and change up the flavor by experimenting with different protein powders until you find your favorite.

What kind of protein powder?

To ensure good results, I recommend going with a brand and flavor of protein powder you already know you like, either sweetener or unsweetened.

Some readers swear by casein, whey protein, or egg white protein. But as a vegan, I like to make protein ice cream using a plant based powder instead.

A few of my favorite options include a blend of ingredients such as hemp seed, brown rice, pea protein, or pumpkin seed protein. Chocolate soy protein works as well.

*If you prefer a version of the protein ice cream recipe without protein powder, try this healthy Chocolate Peanut Butter Nice Cream.

Plant Based Chocolate Ice Cream Recipe

To get the fancy soft-serve ice cream look, I piped the nice cream through a bag fitted with a 1M star tip.

I use the same star tip for many other healthy dessert recipes, including the frosting on my Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes and on this Vegan Cheesecake Recipe.

Chocolate Workout Ice Cream Recipe (Vegan, No Ice Cream Maker)

Vanilla protein ice cream

Want to make a vanilla version instead of chocolate?

Simply omit all of the cocoa powder. Use either your favorite vanilla protein powder or plain protein powder and pure vanilla extract to taste.

Or for peppermint workout ice cream, add a scoop of unsweetened or chocolate protein to this Mint Chocolate Chip Nice Cream.

Above – watch the video of how to make the healthy chocolate ice cream

Secretly Healthy Chocolate Workout Ice Cream Recipe

The recipe was adapted from this Banana Ice Cream.

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Chocolate Protein Ice Cream

Creamy chocolate ice cream that is good for you at the same time.
Prep Time 5 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes
Yield 2 – 4 servings
4.9 from 42 votes

Ingredients

  • 4 frozen overripe bananas (banana-free options are listed below)
  • 1/4 cup almond butter, or allergy friendly sub
  • 3 tbsp cocoa powder
  • 2 tbsp chocolate protein powder (such as this one)
  • 1/8 tsp salt
  • optional 1/4 tsp instant coffee

Instructions

  • Blend all ingredients until completely smooth. (If you’re not using a Vitamix or food processor, thaw the bananas a little before blending so your machine will be able to handle them.) Either serve immediately as soft serve, or freeze up to an hour and then scoop out with an ice cream scoop for the classic ice-cream shape.
    View Nutrition Facts

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Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie

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Low Carb Keto Protein Bars

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Published on July 12, 2020

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16 Comments

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  1. Lauren says

    Looks delicious, don’t get me wrong. But that’s an awful high ratio of fat and carbs to protein for a post workout ice cream. Again, delicious. But I’d probably sub the bananas for frozen strawberries, up the protein powder, exchange the nut butter for PB2 powder, add enough unsweetened plant milk to make it mix and use a thickener like guar gum or xantham gum to make it thick like ice cream. That would be much more inline with a post workout snack where you don’t want to sabotage a workout with high calories for not a whole lot of protein.
    I will however be making this ice cream for my kids as its a much healthier alternative to store bought with all the right micro-nutrients for growing bodies.

  2. Deborah says

    Hi,
    Could you please tell me how you got the lovely swirls in the ice cream? It’s like you would see on a soft serve on an ice cream cone.

    Thank you

  3. Michelle bainbridge says

    5 stars
    I have just made this but with salted caramel protein powder as I had that to hand. Also used peanut butter and added some butter biscuit flavdrops and it tasted like banoffee ice cream and was bloody yummy 🤤 will be making more! Thanks for the recipes . 🙏🏼

  4. Fran Morrell says

    5 stars
    So yummy!! I actually just wanted a replacement for regular ice cream since I’m lactose intolerant and this was perfect.

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