Healthy Berry Ice Cream (3 Ingredient Nice Cream)

Healthy berry ice cream is thick, creamy and naturally sweet with no added sugar and no cream. Made with 3 ingredients, it tastes like soft-serve ice cream but is ready in 5 minutes using frozen berries and banana. There's no ice cream maker required!

Jump to:

• What is 'nice cream'?
• What you'll love about the recipe
• 3 Ingredients
• How to make healthy berry nice cream
• Which berries make the best nice cream?
• Expert tips
• Storage and serving
• Other healthy summer fruit recipes
• Frequently asked questions
• Recipe
• Comments

What is 'nice cream'?

Nice cream is a kind of instant ice cream. It's made using fruit which is already frozen, so there's no need to freeze the ice cream after you've made it. There's no churning required, and no need for an ice cream maker.

Most nice cream recipes have a base of frozen banana. The addition of a banana adds creaminess as well as natural sweetness.

You won't really notice the flavour of banana against the fruity flavour of the berries. And you don't need cream or sugar to make nice cream so it's ideal for a healthy dairy free treat.

This kind of instant ice cream is called nice cream because it tastes delicious, and is 'nice' for your body.

You might also like this chocolate cinnamon nice cream recipe, or this easy kiwi sorbet - both are easy, healthy frozen desserts.

What you'll love about the recipe

• Healthy berry nice cream is a refreshing, easy frozen summer dessert and this instant ice cream is ready to eat in 5 minutes
• Packed with berry goodness, this healthy nice cream recipe is a healthy alternative to 'proper' ice cream. It is crammed full of the goodness of low-sugar, high-fibre summer berries. Berries are a super healthy choice of fruit, packed with nutrients such as vitamin C and other antioxidants
• Berry ice cream with frozen fruit is low-fat, low-calorie and has no added sugar. This summertime treat is also gluten-free, dairy-free, paleo, and vegan if required. Berry nice cream is an easy way to make healthy dairy-free ice cream which still tastes creamy and indulgent

3 Ingredients

Frozen berries. You can use whatever mix of berries or soft fruits that you like. Either freeze them yourself or purchase a bag of mixed frozen summer berries. Most UK supermarkets now sell bags of frozen berries in the freezer section, and they are brilliant for making this frozen fruit ice cream.

Fruit such as strawberries or blueberries will result in a sweeter nice cream, blackberries or blackcurrants less so.

If your sugar-free ice cream is a little too tart for your taste, you could add a spoonful of honey or maple syrup.

Frozen banana. Of course bananas, one of the most popular fruits in the world, are also very nutritious. They are also a great source of fibre and several important vitamins and minerals.

If you've got any bananas that are starting to go black, slice them up and freeze them so that you can use them for nice cream, smoothies and other recipes.

Optional yogurt. A spoonful of yogurt loosens the mixture a little so that it is easier to process. Any kind of unsweetened yogurt is suitable, so you can keep the ice cream dairy-free or vegan if needed.

You can even use coconut yogurt for an extra twist of flavour. Icelandic or Greek yogurt will add extra protein if needed.

The yogurt is completely optional, so leave it out if you prefer, especially if you have a high powered blender. You could also use a splash of milk to loosen the mixture if needed.

How to make healthy berry nice cream

You will need a food processor or blender to make this no-churn berry nice cream. But other than that, this recipe is very easy.

All you have to do is simply blitz the frozen banana and frozen berries together, along with a small amount of yogurt to help loosen the mixture.

Depending on how powerful your food processor is, you might need to stop and scrape it down a couple of times. The frozen fruit will become chopped, and then it will start to break down into a smooth mixture.

Keep going until the texture is completely smooth and creamy. This low calorie frozen dessert is now ready to serve!

Which berries make the best nice cream?

This is really down to personal taste. As I make this nice cream every couple of days when it's hot, I've tried most varieties!

I often use a mix of berries, which provides a good selection of nutrients as well as flavour. The supermarket mix I buy tends to include strawberries, blackberries and red and blackcurrants, which I find a good balance of sweetness and tartness.

However, you can also make a single variety of ice cream with frozen berries. Blueberry and banana is a great combination, and has a fabulous deep colour.

Strawberry nice cream tends to be popular with children, and is a great healthy after school snack on a hot day.

Whilst not strictly speaking a berry, I've been making a lot of frozen cherry nice cream this summer. I add a couple of drops of almond extract to bring out a deeper flavour from the cherries and it has a fabulous flavour. It's hard to believe that such a delicious summer treat is so healthy and easy to make!

If you are using tart fruits such as blackcurrants, you might want to add a spoonful of honey for a little extra sweetness.

Expert tips

• Use fully ripe bananas, as they make the berry nice cream creamier and sweeter. Ripe bananas have a higher proportion of natural sugars, and once frozen, these blend with the soluble pectin to make a delicious, creamy texture which is perfect for healthy ice cream.
• Ripe bananas should be deep yellow, with black blotches beginning to appear on the skin. Even if the skin is starting to go quite black, they should still be suitable
• To freeze the banana, peel and slice into discs, and spread out in a single layer on a tray. Freeze for a couple of hours or until solid.
• If you want to make a smaller quantity of this 3-ingredient frozen berry nice cream, it's best to use a mini processor or blender.

Storage and serving

Berry nice cream is ready to be eaten as soon as it is made. But if you want to prepare it ahead of time, cover and place in the freezer. Remove it 5 or 10 minutes before you are ready to serve.

Use a wet (not hot) spoon to scoop out the nice cream from the container. If you prefer you could also freeze it in single servings.

If you want an extra fruity topping, add a spoonful of this healthy blackberry sauce or low sugar chia jam. Or serve it as a nice cream sundae with some chopped nuts and extra berries.

For a more indulgent but still healthy frozen dessert, make frozen raspberry nice cream and drizzle with a little melted dark chocolate. Add a little coconut oil to your melted chocolate so that it instantly hardens into a thin shell.

On a hot day, you might also like to cool down with a glass of this 5-minute honey lemonade, or a 2-ingredient instant iced coffee.

Other healthy summer fruit recipes

Other summer berry recipes that you might like to try include healthy summer berry pudding, summer berry crumble  and summer berry jellies. You can also make a quick healthy 10 minute jam with a bag of frozen summer fruits.

When the weather is hot, you might also like to try these easy no-bake healthy treats and desserts.

Frequently asked questions

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Recipe

Please note nutritional information is per serving and is provided for guidance only.