On July 3, 2017, the Associated Press published a video featuring “nice cream.” A non-dairy, simple but heavenly variation on ice cream that we have been obsessed with for years, nice cream is made with a base of blended frozen bananas. Delicious, dairy-free, and easy to make, we’d venture to say it is about to become the next big trend in clean-eating. After all, even big-name dairy companies are investing in plant-based replacements these days, and over one-third of consumers prefer dairy-free milk. U.S. milk consumption has declined, leaving room for nice cream to take its place.

Vegan ice cream is skyrocketing in popularity right now. Not only do big name brands like Ben & Jerry’s, Häagen-Dazs, Breyer’s, and Talenti all offer vegan ice cream flavors, but there are countless recipes populating the web encouraging home cooks to whip up their own batches of dreamy frozen love. But while a tub of vegan Ben & Jerry’s sure is delicious, it’s not the best choice if you are trying to cut back on food with refined sugar. Whether you’re using ripe or unripened bananas as your base in a nice cream, both varieties boast an impressive amount of nutrients and prebiotic fiber, including calcium and potassium. Bananas are also low in sodium and naturally free of all sugar additives, making them suitable for many diets. Traditional ice cream is processed; nice cream is natural and nutritious.


Nice cream can be more than just bananas — this Blackberry Açaí Nice Cream is a combination of frozen bananas, frozen blackberries, full-fat coconut milk, and açaí powder.

Trying to incorporate more antioxidants such as açai into your diet? Then the Blackberry Açai nice cream above is probably right up your alley. However, if you’re craving something more fruity and light to help you cool down in the summer, trying out something like this Fruity nice cream variation is probably going to hit the spot, because it is packed with your favorite summer fruits.

The more adventurous among us might even be tempted to sneak in some vegetables by whipping up a batch of this creamy Cauliflower nice cream. While the flavor possibilities are endless, what’s really exciting about nice cream is just how much of a nutritional powerhouse it can be if you make it right. We also suggest this gluten-free and raw Matcha Raspberry nice cream Cake (yes, cake!) or these gluten-free and raw Strawberry Shortcake nice cream Bars for a variation on the soft-serve version.

Nice cream can be made extremely creamy and rich with the addition of nut butters, different plant-based milks, or whatever topping your heart desires. This Peanut Butter Cup nice cream is a good option for a protein-packed variation of the dessert.

So, yeah. Associated Press is right when it says that nice cream is “not just for vegans anymore.” It’s for anybody who wants to treat themselves to a delicious, dairy-free dessert with none of the usual sugar-laden nutritional drawbacks.


If you’re excited to try these and want to peruse some nice cream or other vegan recipes for inspiration (believe us, you’ll want as many variations of this stuff as possible for the sweltering summer months), make sure you check out our Food Monster App. With over 8,000 vegan recipes to look through, you’re sure to find your favorite new flavor combination.

Lead image source: Simple No-Churn Lemon Balm Ice Cream

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