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Home » All posts » Desserts

Cherry Nice Cream with Almonds

Updated: Sep 26, 2024 · Published: Jul 19, 2019 by Laura Yautz · This post may contain affiliate links · 6 Comments

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If you haven't yet tried or made nice cream, now's the time. It's unbelievably easy, and it's a healthier (and dare I say more delicious!!?) way to use up your overripe bananas than banana bread. This no-churn Cherry Nice Cream will have you ditching the regular calorie-, sugar-, and fat- laden frozen treats for good.

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Two glass dishes of cherry ice cream.

Summer is finally here, and this is the perfect treat to finish up your day. Treat your body right with this frozen dessert that's both delicious and heart healthy!

Since we're using bananas as our base, we don't even need any added sugar or other sweeteners, so this cherry nice cream is also a good way to get another serving or two of fruit in your day! Dare I say you could even have it for breakfast?! These Mango Pops are another great frozen treat.

Jump to:
  • Heart Health Benefits of Cherry Nice Cream
  • Ingredients
  • Instructions
  • Substitutions
  • Equipment
  • Storage
  • Pro tip
  • FAQ
  • Related
  • Pairing
  • Reader Review
  • 📖 Recipe
  • Food safety

Heart Health Benefits of Cherry Nice Cream

Our recipe base is bananas. Bananas sometimes get a bad rap because of their sugar content. Not to worry, though. The sugar in bananas, and all fruit, is naturally occurring sugar, and not the kind of sugar we need to be very worried about.

Added sugar is a problem when we eat too much of it (most of us do). Check out my video explaining:

Bananas are also a good source of fiber, potassium, and vitamins B6 and C. They are an excellent snack, and a their creamy texture makes this recipe seem like soft serve.

Cherries are light on calories, but deliver big on flavor! Their dark color indicates a high antioxidant content (1), as is true for all berries. They also are a good source of fiber and vitamin C. They may help reduce the risk for chronic inflammatory related conditions, like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and some cancers (2).

You've no doubt heard how great almonds are for your heart! This is owed mainly to their high vitamin E content, which is a potent antioxidant. It also plays a role in immune function, as well as helping to inhibit platelet aggregation in blood vessels (reducing your risk of atherosclerosis and blood clots). Eating almonds has been shown to help lower LDL cholesterol, while also maintaining stable HDL levels (3).

Almonds are also good sources of magnesium, copper, and manganese. But you only need a little bit of these babies! Just a small handful will run you about 200 calories.

Ingredients

We start with simple, whole ingredients. Only four of them, and one is optional!

Ingredients for cherry nice cream.
  • Bananas
  • Cherries
  • Almonds
  • Corn starch

See recipe card for quantities.

Instructions

This no-churn cherry ice cream is a breeze. No ice cream maker needed!

Slices on banana on a parchment lined baking sheet.
  1. Step 1: Slice and freeze the bananas for at least an hour.
All the ingredients in a food processor, before processing.
  1. Step 2: Add all the ingredients to a food processor.
All the ingredients processed until smooth, in a food processor.
  1. Step 3: Process until smooth, scraping down the sides of the food processor as needed.
Chopped almonds on a cutting board.
  1. Step 4: Roughly chop the almonds.
Blended nice cream with almonds being stirred into it.
  1. Step 5: Scoop the nice cream into a freezer safe container, and stir in half of the almonds.
Processed cherry nice cream, topped with chopped almonds, in a freezer safe dish, ready for the freezer.
  1. Step 6: Smooth out the top, and sprinkle with remaining almonds. Freeze for at least an hour, until solid and scoopable.

Hint: the bananas can be frozen a day or more in advance, and using frozen cherries makes the nice cream easy and fast!

Substitutions

The sky is the limit with nice cream. Here are some basic substitutions.

  • Fruit - the banana is necessary for the creamy texture, but sub any other fruit for the cherries you like - blueberries, raspberries, mango, or pineapple come to mind
  • Nuts - use any nuts you want, or go nut free
  • Corn starch - it's there for texture, but you can leave it out completely

Equipment

To make this banana cherry ice cream, you will need a food processor or blender. I find my food processor works better than a blender for this task, but either will work.

You'll also need a knife and cutting board, a tray for freezing the bananas, measuring cups/spoons, and a freezer safe container for storing the nice cream.

Storage

Store cherry nice cream with almonds in a freezer safe container with a lid, in the freezer, for up to 3 months.

Pro tip

The cornstarch helps prevent large ice crystals from forming, so the nice cream stays a little softer and easier to scoop. But you should still move it to the refrigerator for 20-30 minutes before you intend to serve it once it's frozen solid. That way it will have more of a soft serve consistency.

FAQ

What is nice cream?

Nice cream is a frozen treat that uses bananas as a base, to mimic the consistency of soft serve ice cream without added sugar or dairy.

How can I keep my nice cream from becoming an ice block?

That's what we use the cornstarch for. That will prevent large ice crystals from forming, allowing for a smoother consistency. For a softer nice cream, move it to the refrigerator 20-30 minutes before serving.

A hand holding an ice cream cone filled with cherry ice cream, and a cherry on the top.

Related

Looking for other desserts recipes? Try these:

  • Overhead shot of cherry galette with melted ice cream on top, and a serving utensil removing a slice.
    Cherry Galette with Olive Oil Crust
  • 5 peanut butter cookies with chocolate kisses in them, on a serving plate.
    Healthier Peanut Butter Blossoms
  • Small plate of peppermint hot cocoa bites.
    Peppermint Hot Cocoa Cookies (no-bake)
  • Glass dish with three scoops of peach sorbet; garnished with peach slices and fresh tarragon.
    Peach Tarragon Sorbet

Pairing

These are my favorite dishes to serve with cherry nice cream:

  • Bean burger on a bun, with onions, tomatoes, lettuce and sauce dripping out.
    Quinoa Mushroom Burgers with Black Beans
  • Glass baking dish with lentil baked beans and a wooden spoon scooping some.
    Healthy Baked Beans (with Lentils)
  • Small glass pitcher of chocolate sauce.
    Healthy Chocolate Sauce
  • Overhead shot of cherry galette with melted ice cream on top, and a serving utensil removing a slice.
    Cherry Galette with Olive Oil Crust

Reader Review

"What a wonderful treat this is. I Love, Love, Love it. It is more tasty to me than Cherry Vanilla Ice Cream..."

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Want to say thank you?

📖 Recipe

Two glass dishes of cherry ice cream.

Cherry Nice Cream with Almonds

Laura Yautz
A no-churn, easy, and delicious use of overripe bananas that will have you ditching regular ice cream for good!
5 from 3 votes
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Prep Time 10 minutes mins
Freeze Time 2 hours hrs
Total Time 2 hours hrs 10 minutes mins
Course Dessert, Snack
Cuisine American
Servings 6
Calories 157 kcal

Equipment

  • Food processor

Ingredients
  

  • 4 Bananas
  • 2 cups Cherries pitted and frozen
  • 2 teaspoon Corn Starch (optional)
  • ½ cup Toasted Almonds chopped

Instructions
 

  • Slice the bananas and place them on a parchment lined baking sheet. Freeze them for at least an hour.
  • Add bananas, cherries, and corn starch to a food processor or blender, and process on high until creamy.
  • Spread into a freezer-safe dish, and stir in half the chopped almonds. Sprinkle the other half over the top.
  • Freeze at least an hour, or until ready to serve.

Notes

The cornstarch is for texture only, and can be omitted if you prefer.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cupCalories: 157kcal (8%)Carbohydrates: 28g (9%)Protein: 3.4g (7%)Fat: 5.1g (8%)Saturated Fat: 0.5g (3%)Polyunsaturated Fat: 1.3gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gSodium: 1mgPotassium: 455mg (13%)Fiber: 4.2g (18%)Sugar: 16g (18%)Vitamin A: 13.35IUVitamin C: 10mg (12%)Vitamin K: 1.4µg (1%)Calcium: 35.4mg (4%)Iron: 0.7mg (4%)Magnesium: 52mg (13%)

*Nutrition information is an estimate, and will change based on the brand and individual ingredients and amounts you use. This is provided for your convenience only.

Keyword dairy free ice cream, heart healthy ice cream, no churn ice cream
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Food safety

Safety is our top priority in the kitchen! Always keep these tips in mind.

  • Wash hands before touching food, and after touching raw meat, your hair, face, pets, etc.
  • Thoroughly wash all produce, including thick skins and rinds, before cutting and using in this recipe
  • Use cutting boards, knives, and other equipment that have been thoroughly washed and sanitized, especially if they have been used for raw meat before
  • Keep Cherry Nice Cream frozen at all times, and discard if out of refrigeration longer than 2 hours (or 1 hour in hot weather)

See more guidelines at USDA.gov.

More Desserts

  • Overhead shot of a whole pie, with fresh peaches beside it.
    Fresh Peach Pie {no added sugar}
  • Small crock with prune compote inside it, garnished with small slices of orange and a cinnamon stick.
    Prune Compote with Warm Spices
  • Stack of cookies on a plate.
    Cherry Pistachio Cookies
  • Stack of 5 cookies, tied with a decorative string.
    Spiced Molasses Cookies

Comments

    5 from 3 votes (1 rating without comment)

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    Recipe Rating




  1. Nilda Bergmann says

    August 02, 2023 at 10:11 pm

    5 stars
    What a wonderful treat this is. I Love, Love, Love it. It is more tasty to me than Cherry Vanilla Ice Cream because I'm not really fond of Vanilla Ice Cream.
    I've tried a version of this recipe before but it lacked flavor because its ingredients were only frozen bananas and honey. I never thought of adding additional fruit to take it up a level. Thanks so much.

    Reply
    • Laura Yautz says

      August 03, 2023 at 8:41 am

      Thanks, Nilda! I'm glad you found a new taste treat! 🙂

      Reply
  2. Paula says

    August 13, 2019 at 7:01 pm

    5 stars
    Tried this last week and loved it! I added a bit of natural cherry juice to give it more cherry flavor. Even our 8 year old grandson thought it was awesome!

    Reply
    • Laura Yautz says

      August 13, 2019 at 7:39 pm

      Thanks for trying it! So glad you liked it! Great idea adding cherry juice. The sky is the limit with Nice Cream!

      Reply
  3. sheenam @ thetwincookingproject says

    July 28, 2019 at 9:30 am

    such a stunning shot. this looks so easy and yummy.

    Reply
    • Laura Yautz says

      July 31, 2019 at 5:19 pm

      Thanks so much! 🙂

      Reply
Laura Yautz in her kitchen

Hi, I'm Laura!

I’m a Registered Dietitian and I love food and cooking, It’s my passion to help you discover how delicious and easy heart healthy eating can be! I’m glad you’re here! Take a look around. You’re going to LOVE Being Nutritious!

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