Nice Cream is the perfect ice cream alternative! And this Tropical Banana Coconut Nice Cream is an easy, vegan, and healthy no churn ice cream substitute made with bananas and coconut milk. Then it's topped with toasted coconut and lime zest for the perfect balance of sweetness. It's also a great way to use up your overripe bananas!
Not only is this healthy dessert a win because it's made of real food, creamy, and is refined sugar-free, dairy-free, vegan, and gluten-free, but it also wins because I always struggled with how to use up those overripe bananas. And now, because of banana nice cream, they have a real purpose in this life.
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Back when I worked in a nursing home, the weekly ice cream cart was a big event-especially for the seniors, who never seemed to turn it down. For just $2, you could get two scoops with sundae toppings, and while it was tempting, I'd always pass to avoid the extra calories and fat. Still, the excitement it stirred up was contagious-it felt more like a room full of kids than a long-term care centre.
As I've gotten older, ice cream has become more of an occasional treat, so I've looked for healthier alternatives to satisfy those cravings. This Banana Nice Cream, inspired by the tropical flavors in my favorite banana bread (rum, coconut, and lime), is the perfect guilt-free solution. I leveraged the complementary flavours of my favourite Banana Bread (rum and coconut with a lime glaze) into this delicious Coconut lime banana nice cream.
The absolute best thing about being a kid is never having to worry about what you eat - the calories, fat content, Weight Watchers points, or even sugar. None of it even matters! Although in my childhood, I recall that those opportunities were few and far between because, to my dismay, my parents were in control, and they were responsible when it came to healthy eating.
I could not wait to grow up so I could have ice cream whenever the hell I pleased! Ice Cream was one of the most highly coveted of junk foods in my house.
🥘Ingredient Notes
For this nice ice cream recipe, you'll need:
- Bananas. I used previously frozen overripe bananas, but you could use fresh bananas.
- Coconut milk. I use light coconut milk to keep this nice cream lower-fat and more ww friendly.
- Amber rum. I use amber rum because it has more complex flavors like vanilla, caramel, and spice, compared to white rum. This is due to it being aged longer.
- Unsweetened coconut. You can use shredded coconut (fine, or medium) or use coconut flakes. I use whatever I have on hand.
- Lime zest. I like to use the bigger pieces of zest in this recipe, so I use a vegetable peeler to achieve this (instead of a zester).
*Please see recipe card for full list of ingredients and quantities!
📖 Variations
This frozen dessert makes a fabulous ice cream substitute because it's quick and you don't even need an ice cream maker.
- Rum: You can use a ½ teaspoon of rum extract if you want to keep it alcohol free. *You can buy rum extract at most grocery stores.
- Chocolate Nice Cream: You can add 4 tablespoon of cocoa to the mix and skip the rum. You'll want to add it to the food processor in the first step* coconut is optional
- Nice Cream Banana Split: You can even make it into a healthy banana split by adding fruit, toasted coconut, some shaved dark chocolate, and a little whipped cream, as I did! And if you want to keep it vegan, just use Nutriwhip.
🔪How to Make Banana Coconut Nice Cream
- Step 1: Toast coconut: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place ½ cup coconut in a shallow pan (a pie plate or 8-inch round cake pan).
- Step 2: Bake for about 2-3 minutes- watch it closely to avoid burning.
- Step 3: Place milk, bananas, vanilla, and rum together in a food processor. *If you are using cocoa and making chocolate nice cream, add it here and skip the rum.
- Step 4: Blend until smooth.
- Step 5: Pour into a dish to freeze. You can use any type of dish (bread pan, baking dish, Tupperware, etc.) as long as it can be covered.
- Step 6: Cover with lid or plastic wrap (I recommend using Glad Press n' Seal) and freeze for about 6- 8 hrs (This will depend on your freezer - mine are pretty full, so I let it freeze overnight). To serve: Grate lime with grater/zester. Top nice cream with sprinkles of toasted coconut and lime zest
Top Tip
Peel your bananas BEFORE you freeze them - saves you lots of hassle and minor frostbite!
*If you are using frozen bananas you should defrost them in the microwave for about 2 minutes
Expert Recipe Tips
- For best results, use overripe bananas with plenty of brown spots - they're naturally sweeter and creamier, which gives the nice cream a better texture and flavor.
- Let the nice cream sit at room temperature for 5-10 minutes before scooping to make it easier to serve without needing to thaw it completely.
- If you don't have a food processor, blend the bananas and coconut milk in stages with a high-powered blender. Add a splash of milk to help it blend if needed, but be careful not to over-thin the mixture.
- Toast the coconut just before serving (or re-toast it briefly) for maximum flavor and crunch. Freshly toasted coconut adds more contrast to the creamy nice cream.
- To get beautiful strips of lime zest for garnish (instead of small specks), use a vegetable peeler and then thinly slice the strips, as mentioned in the post - it adds both flavor and visual appeal.
🌡️Storing
This banana nice cream recipe should be stored in the freezer in a sealed container. It will last up to 3 months.
👪 Serving size
This recipe makes 10 servings. However, you can cut it in half, double, or triple the recipe by simply clicking on the serving size in the recipe card and selecting the number of servings. The recipe amounts will then adjust accordingly. It's 5 WW points on the blue plan per ½ cup serving.
🔢WW Points
This recipe is Weight Watchers friendly @ 2 WW points per ½ cup serving.
🍽 Equipment
You do NOT need an ice cream maker for this Weight Watchers Nice Cream, but you will need a food processor (affiliate link) for this recipe. You can freeze this nice cream recipe in any container that is freezer safe, but I usually freeze it in a 9x5 loaf pan with a lid or covered with either Glad Press n Seal or Saran Wrap.
❔ Recipe FAQs
If you have a good immersion blender, you can use that instead of a food processor. A high-powered blender may also work as a substitute, but it can be more difficult to achieve a smooth consistency without the wide bowl and blade of a food processor.
Banana-based nice cream tends to freeze quite hard. Let it sit at room temperature for 5-10 minutes before scooping, or microwave it in short bursts (about 10-15 seconds) to soften slightly.
You could add a splash of maple syrup, agave nectar, or a pitted Medjool date to the mix if you prefer a sweeter result and still want to keep it naturally sweetened.
A small amount of alcohol, like rum, can help reduce iciness slightly, but it won't prevent the nice cream from freezing solid. If you're skipping it or using extract, the texture will be very similar
Getting old has its benefits. When you're a kid, you can't wait to grow up so you can supposedly do anything you want. Yet you never hear about anyone actually wanting to grow old. I would argue that there are benefits.
Now I can't wait to grow old so I can eat ice cream whenever the hell I please. But in the meantime, I eat this Banana Coconut Nice Cream.
🍨More WW friendly frozen desserts
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📋 Banana Coconut Nice Cream Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 400 ml can light coconut milk
- 6 bananas frozen or fresh
- 1 tablespoon amber rum
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Garnish:
- 2-3 tablespoon lime zest
- ½ cup toasted unsweetened coconut
Instructions
- Toast coconut: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place ½ cup coconut in a shallow pan (a pie plate or 8 inch round cake pan) and bake for about 2-3 minutes- watch it closely to avoid burning. (see NOTES)½ cup toasted unsweetened coconut
- In a food processor, blend coconut milk, bananas, vanilla, and rum together until combined and smooth. *If you are using cocoa and making chocolate nice cream, add it here and skip the rum.1 400 ml can light coconut milk, 6 bananas, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 tablespoon amber rum
- Place in a covered dish in the freezer until firm- about 6- 8 hrs (This will depend on your freezer - mine are pretty full so I let it freeze overnight)
Garnish:
- Grate lime with grater/zester.
- Top nice cream with sprinkles of toasted coconut and lime zest2-3 tablespoon lime zest
Notes
-
- For best results, use overripe bananas with plenty of brown spots - they're naturally sweeter and creamier, which gives the nice cream a better texture and flavor.
-
- Let the nice cream sit at room temperature for 5-10 minutes before scooping to make it easier to serve without needing to thaw it completely.
-
- If you don't have a food processor, blend the bananas and coconut milk in stages with a high-powered blender. Add a splash of milk to help it blend if needed, but be careful not to over-thin the mixture.
-
- Toast the coconut just before serving (or re-toast it briefly) for maximum flavor and crunch. Freshly toasted coconut adds more contrast to the creamy nice cream.
-
- To get beautiful strips of lime zest for garnish (instead of small specks), use a vegetable peeler and then thinly slice the strips, as mentioned in the post - it adds both flavor and visual appeal.
Jenn
Hi Terri, I tried this recipe for dessert tonight and it was great! Kids had second servings! Yoshi's even likes it with chocolate sauce. I prefer the toasted coconuts and lime zest. Thanks for the idea. Super simple and healthy dessert.
Terri Gilson
I am glad you guys loved it!! Mmmmm ...chocolate sauce-will have to try that!
Dana Sandonato
This looks and sounds so delicious! I made something similar a year or two ago and it was so refreshing. I didn't use bananas though, and I'm loving that idea. I need to break out the ice cream maker — even if we're in September now. Haha.
Terri Gilson
Hi Dana- Thanks! The great thing about this recipe is that all you need is a food processor! 🙂
Kiki
Hi Terri! Oh, this recipe comes at the perfect time! We have been experiencing a bit of a late summer heatwave here in Calgary. The Nice Cream looks fab and I love the tropical twist with the rum, lime, and coconut! I shall try this at home!
Terri Gilson
Hi Kiki,
I hear you - I'm a fellow Calgarian! And yes, it's the perfect for this wonderful weather we've been getting (minus the smoke). Enjoy!
Gabrielle @ eyecandypopper
Although I don't count calories myself, and occasionally eat ice cream on special occasions, I still enjoy making my own dairy-free ice cream at home because I know what goes into it. I think one of the main problem of junk food isn't necessarily the calories but all of the junk (i.e. additives, colouring, and other chemicals, on top of ultra-processed ingredients) that goes into it. 1This recipe is great because you don't need as much sugar and you get good vitamins and minerals from the banana 🙂 and it tastes delicious too! The best of both worlds!
Terri Gilson
Gabrielle, that is a really good point! And yes, you are right - much of the reason I cook from scratch is to avoid all the chemicals that go into processed foods. I am also always looking for ways to use up those overripe bananas because when it comes to eating them fresh, bananas have a short life span around here!
Riz
Oh my! I think you've just given me something to try out this weekend!
Terri Gilson
I hope you do - I think it's the perfect end of summer treat!
Ingrid
This sounds like a winner. I can't have dairy and am always looking for alternatives. Thanks!
Terri Gilson
Thanks, Ingrid! Hope you like it- don't even miss ice cream when I eat this!