Chocolate Cherry Nice Cream

Chocolate Cherry Nice Cream is a decadent chocolaty treat made with just 5 ingredients. It’s like a chocolate covered cherry, but ice cream style! Easy to make and a great treat on a summer day!

When I had my dad sample my creation, he told me this is better than the store bought ice creams! He’s a chocolate lover too, so I took that as a great compliment for this creation!

This recipe was inspired by the Strawberry-Banana Nice Cream from the How Not to Die Cookbook. 

A few notes before you get started:

GROUND CHIA SEEDS: You can purchase ground chia in the stores or online, but I make mine at home! You can make it in a high-speed blender, or use a coffee grinder! I have a coffee grinder I use for herbs, spices, and chis seeds- and it’s a perfect way to make ground chia at home. I store the leftovers in an air tight container in the fridge, like my ground flaxseed. The chia helps to keep the texture creamy and smooth after freezing. You can swap in 2 tablespoons of a nut butter (like cashew or almond) or seed butter (like sunflower butter) if desired, but I’ve been trying to use ground chia seeds more in my recipes for their nutritional benefits.  I have been trying to include more nut-free options on my blog (for people with allergies) so this is a great option in smoothie/ nice cream type recipes. 

CHERRIES: I have only made this recipe using fresh cherries. Feel free to try making this with frozen cherries. I would recommend letting them thaw slightly before adding to the food processor. I will update the recipe notes if I get around to testing that variation. 

FOOD PROCESSOR VS. BLENDER: I use a food processor to make this version of nice cream. You can make it in a high-speed blender, but you may need to add up to about 1/4 cup of dairy-free milk to get it smooth and creamy. Using a food processor, you can skip the dairy-free milk and just use fruit.

Chocolate Cherry Nice Cream

Kristina DeMuth, MPH, RD
Chocolate Cherry Nice Cream is a decadent chocolaty treat made with just 5 ingredients. It’s like a chocolate covered cherry, but ice cream style! Easy to make and a great treat on a summer day!
Course Dessert, Snack
Servings 4

Ingredients
  

  • 3 cups sliced frozen bananas
  • tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 2 tablespoons ground chia seeds (see note above)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup pitted and chopped fresh cherries (about 15 cherries)

Instructions
 

  • In a food processor, combine the frozen bananas with the cocoa powder, ground chia seeds, and vanilla. Process until fairly smooth. 
  • Add the pitted cherries and pulse into the mixture. Process until reaches desired texture. Enjoy as is, or freeze for 4-5 hours and then serve. If freezing longer, allow the nice cream to thaw just slightly to make it easier to scoop it out.
    Serves 2-4