Cherry Garcia Nice Cream is sweet, refreshing, and vegan friendly! Each bite is filled with cherries, chocolate chunks, and the base is super creamy and delicious. Plus, this recipe is made with only FIVE ingredients and contains no added sugar!
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Why I love this recipe
I was always a fan of the Cherry Garcia flavor combination, but I wanted to create a lower sugar, dairy free version that I could easily make at home!
The key to this ice cream recipe is unripe green bananas! If you follow me on Instagram, you know how much I am obsessed with them.
Green bananas have less sugar, and a higher starch content! (Specifically, resistant starch.) Resistant starch is amazing for your gut health, and the extra fiber helps to keep you full! Plus, they have a mild flavor which really lets the cherry flavor shine!
This recipe is naturally dairy-free, made with simple whole food ingredients, and does not contain any added sugar!
🍴Ingredient Notes
- Frozen Cherries - It's best to use frozen cherries! This eliminates the need for ice.
- Frozen Bananas - The greener, the better. If the bananas are super ripe the ice cream will have a very "banana" flavor.
- Coconut Milk - I use unsweetened coconut milk, but any non-dairy milk will work!
- Dark Chocolate - You can use dark chocolate chips or a chopped chocolate bar. My favorite brands are Pascha and Hu Kitchen. The giant Hu Kitchen Gems work great too!
- Vanilla Extract - Just a dash of vanilla gives this ice cream a delicious flavor!
🍴Step by Step Instructions
Step 1: Making the base of the nice cream
Start by adding frozen cherries, coconut milk, vanilla extract, and frozen banana slices into your blender or food processor. (Save about ⅓ cup of frozen cherries to pulse in at the end.)
Blend and stir every 20- seconds until the mixture starts blending smoothly. It takes a few minutes to get it going!
Step 2: Pulsing in Cherries & Chocolate
Once it's smooth add in the rest of the cherries and pulse a few times until they're chunky. Then, add in the chocolate and pulse a few times until it's blended in. (Do not blend too much!)
Step 3: Chilling & Serving
Scoop the nice cream into three small cups and place in the freezer for about 15 minutes to set. Enjoy!
Expert Tips
- I like to leave my frozen fruit out on the counter for a few minutes before adding it into the blender! This helps to speed up the blending process. I made a quick video on my Instagram if you want to see a closer look!
- Cut the bananas into small discs so they blend easier! (Cut before freezing.)
- If the mixture is looking too soft, just throw in a few extra frozen banana chunks! It should thicken right up!
- Leave about ⅓ cup of cherries on the side to add cherry "chunks." If you forget, you can always add in extra!
- If you use a blender, blend on a very low speed. Gradually increase speed as it blends.
How to prepare and store green bananas
When preparing your green bananas, they should be tough to peel. (Usually, a light green color is best.) If they're too hard to open by hand, they might be too green. Usually I can peel most of it on my own, but you can also take a sharp knife and slice down the long way - the banana will pop right out!
If you're planning to use a blender, you can cut them in small pieces to freeze. If you're using a food processor, I recommend cutting them into smaller chunks so it's easier to blend.
Freeze them on a baking sheet, plate, or in a baggie! (I actually use a ceramic pie dish!) Let them freeze for about 6-8 hours or overnight. I made a quick video on my Instagram if you want to get a closer look.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! You can certainly use just ripe bananas, but you won't get the gut health benefits of green bananas. I like using a mix of both because it has more fiber, less sugar, and less banana flavor. If you think it's not sweet enough, just add more ripe bananas to the mix.
Yes! I honestly use both, it just depends on what's clean at the time. My Vitamix blends a lot quicker than the food processor, but they both work great!
How to store leftovers
This recipe makes about 3 small cups of ice cream. I recommend putting the ice cream in small glass or ceramic cups, and either eating them right away or popping them in the freezer for later.
The texture is best right out of the blender, but you can pop them in the freezer for 15 minutes - an hour if you like it firmer. I have left the cups overnight in the freezer and the texture is still pretty good the next day!
Just let them defrost on the counter for about 15-20 minutes. You can even microwave it for about 10-15 seconds to soften it up.
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Recipe
Cherry Garcia Nice Cream
Equipment
- Food Processor or Blender
Ingredients
- 2 Cups Frozen Cherries
- 2 Cups Frozen Bananas Not super ripe!
- ¼ Cup Unsweetened Coconut Milk Or any non-dairy milk!
- ¼ Cup Dark Chocolate You can use chocolate chips or a chopped chocolate bar.
- 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
Instructions
- Start by adding frozen cherries, coconut milk, vanilla extract, and frozen banana slices into your blender or food processor. (Save about ⅓ cup of frozen cherries to pulse in at the end.)
- Blend and stir every 20- seconds until the mixture starts blending smoothly. It takes a few minutes to get it going!
- Once it's smooth add in the rest of the cherries and pulse a few times until they're chunky. Then, add in the chocolate and pulse a few times until it's blended in. (Do not blend too much!)
- Scoop the nice cream into three small cups and place in the freezer for about 15 minutes to set. Enjoy!
Notes
Expert Tips
- I like to leave my frozen fruit out on the counter for a few minutes before adding it into the blender! This helps to speed up the blending process. I made a quick video on my Instagram if you want to see a closer look!
- Cut the bananas into small discs so they blend easier! (Cut before freezing.)
- If the mixture is looking too soft, just throw in a few extra frozen banana chunks! It should thicken right up!
- Leave about ⅓ cup of cherries on the side to add cherry "chunks." If you forget, you can always add in extra!
- If you use a blender, blend on a very low speed. Gradually increase speed as it blends.
Nutrition
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Maria
Great recipe! …Is it possible to make these kind of ice cream with strawberries?
Mariah Mandile
Totally! Just swap 2 cups of cherries for two cups of frozen strawberries. (: