This delightfully healthy mint chocolate chip nice cream recipe is naturally gluten free, dairy free, and vegan. And it can be made with just FOUR ingredients!
What is your favorite ice cream flavor?
If you can only choose ONE flavor?
Without even thinking, I’ll tell you mine is—and has always been—mint chocolate chip.
While I do also love plain chocolate, and I did go through this weird phase in elementary school where I’d order black raspberry ice cream with gummy bears (which is so unlike me), mint chocolate chip has withstood the test of time; it’s still the first flavor to always catch my eye.
This healthy mint chocolate “nice” cream is sweet, creamy, nourishing, and incredibly simple – You can make it without an ice cream maker!
Trending Now: Keto Ice Cream
My favorite mint-chocolate combination has made multiple appearances on the blog before – in the Healthy Shamrock Shakes, the Mint Chocolate Fudge Pie, or in the Thin Mint Overnight Oats…
Sometimes I use spinach or avocado to achieve the green hue; other times I will skip the coloring altogether.
For this particular recipe, you can opt to skip it or you can play around with either natural food coloring or a combination of blue and green spirulina until you’ve found the perfect color balance.
Also try this Oat Milk Ice Cream
After making my nice cream a little too dark at first, I decided to add some coconut cream in order to lighten it.
As a happy accident, the coconut cream ended up not only lightening the ice cream to the perfect shade green, it also made the recipe even more delicious than it already was!
Certainly better than black raspberry with gummy bears…
The recipe was adapted from my Banana Ice Cream.
Mint Chocolate Chip Nice Cream
Ingredients
- 2 overripe frozen bananas (For banana-free, try this Almond Milk Ice Cream)
- pinch of salt
- 1/8 tsp pure peppermint extract, or more as desired
- optional pinch spirulina or natural food coloring
- optional 1/2 cup coconut cream or raw cashews for a richer taste
- 2-3 tbsp chocolate chips or sugar free chocolate chips
Instructions
- *Be sure to buy pure peppermint extract, not mint or imitation peppermint. Add more extract for a more powerful mint flavor, adding slowly because a little goes a long way. If using the optional nuts, soak them 6 hrs to soften, then drain completely.Start with bananas that are turning brown. Peel and cut into pieces, then freeze in an airtight bag or container. To make the ice cream, blend all ingredients until completely smooth. You can add the chocolate before or after blending. Serve immediately in a bowl, or transfer to a container and freeze until firm, then scoop out with an ice cream scoop.View Nutrition Facts
Notes
More Healthy Ice Cream Recipes:
Chocolate Peanut Butter Nice Cream
would this work if i used a can of coconut milk rather than the coconut cream..? thanks!! 🙂
I’ve done it, and it works great!
You’re thinking like me! I keep C milk on hand usually but I’ve never even heard of the C cream. Gonna def look for that next trip out.
Hmm sounds interesting I would forgot the coconut cream though. Ww here. I have found that freezing chocolate milk low to nonfat plus some almond or cashew milk in a ninja makes a real close frosty.
This looks AMAZING!
I love nice cream so much 🙂
Izzy | Pinch of delight
So I tried the recipe, and I can’t seem to cover the taste of the banana 🙁 I even doubled the extract (and used the coconut cream). Any hints? Thank you! 🙂
If you don’t like banana (or don’t want any banana taste at all) I’d recommend this recipe instead, using the coconut milk: https://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2011/07/06/mint-chocolate-chip-ice-cream/
I made it with 1 1/2 bananas, a big splash of vanilla extract, a splash of mint extract, and about 1 1/2-2 Tbsp of frozen cashew cream. Couldn’t taste the banana at all. Maybe try adding a little milk to it to dilute the flavor more (only a little)? Hope all that helps.
I did the mint chocolate ice cream, then put it into a graham cracker pie crust, then into the freezer. Totally my kids hero now.
Bet my little granddaughter would love that! Great idea! And sooooo easy!
Hi Katie can I tell me the name of characters font of the words and ?
Thanks
Sergio
Sounds good! Does this taste like bananas though?? Or just minty?? Thanks.
Where did you find dairy free sugar free dark chocolate chips??? I’ve been searching for these forever.
Lillis, make a great brand. milk chocolate, dark chocolate and whitechocolate! sugar-free and organic.
Hi Katie,
I would like to make this recipe but I am curious what the actual serving size is? I see that it makes 1-2 servings but I am trying to think about how to multiply that for a group of people and decide whether there will be enough based on how you have portioned it.
Thanks!
I just made this and used 1/4 tsp. Simply Organic peppermint flavor, I can still taste the banana a bit. Maybe because it’s flavor and not extract. I’ll have to play around with it. Enjoy Life makes the Allergy friendly chocolate chips. I used a good amount of Watkins green food coloring, but couldn’t achieve that beautiful green in the photo. How much spirulina (and what brand) did you use? Thanks in advance!