Rich and creamy homemade chocolate protein ice cream that’s secretly GOOD for you at the same time!
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
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
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.
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.
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
The recipe was adapted from this Banana Ice Cream.
Chocolate Protein Ice Cream
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
Video
Notes
Post Workout Recipe Ideas
Protein Bars – 5 Flavors
Or these 4 ingredient Protein Cookies
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.
Hi Lauren, for a lower fat recipe you can just add protein powder to any of these banana ice cream recipes: https://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/banana-ice-cream-healthy/
Just read the comments above and would like to add that guar gum from what I have read is not a healthy ingredient, May be the same applies to xanthum gum. I think these products glue up your digestive system.
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
It said to use a piping bag with a tip(;
This was sooo good!! So thick and creamy. I did add a little milk just because it wasn’t blending well but was still thick.
Thank you so much for trying it!
Hey, the recipe look delicious and super healthy. Can u tell me the for how many days can I store this
I definitely try this recipe! Sounds so easy and no machine required, thank you so much!
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 . 🙏🏼
Salted caramel protein ice cream sounds amazing!
So so good!
So yummy!! I actually just wanted a replacement for regular ice cream since I’m lactose intolerant and this was perfect.
Thank you so much for making it!
Like the recipe but here the silly Imperial system and can’t find a conversion option on the page
Can you make this using an electric ice cream maker or won’t it blend the same?
Can you make this recipe in a cuisinart ice cream maker? Would you just replace the frozen bananas with unfrozen bananas?
Thanks!