Beat The Weekend Ice Cream Binge With These 5 Guilt-Free ‘Nice’ Cream Recipes

Few things scream ‘weekend’ more than a creamy, melty scoop of ice cream atop a crunchy sugar cone. But sometimes, the nutrition facts attached to those treats limit how often we allow ourselves to indulge (sigh). Luckily, it’s pretty easy to combine some much healthier ingredients (with names you can pronounce!) to create a similarly creamy and indulgent dessert. Here are five frozen ‘nice’ cream recipes that will satisfy that sweet craving — without all the guilt.

1. Pistachio & Cacao Dairy Free Ice Cream

Roz Purcell has an ahhh-mazing recipe for a dairy free ice-cream that doesn’t involve frozen bananas. This recipe is really simple to make and tastes even better than your tub of shop-bought stuff.  The only downfall? It’s so delicious you won’t be able to stop! We love this little delight with pistachio butter or sprinkled with crushed almonds and dark chocolate. 

2. Caramel Fudge Ice Cream

Rosanna Davidson’s easy banana-based recipe has only a handful of ingredients, and the best bit is, when chunks of peeled banana are frozen and then blended, their texture is almost identical to soft-whip ice cream. Yum! Add in yummy ingredients like smooth almond butter and vanilla, drizzle with syrup and you have yourself a bowl of healthy caramel fudge ice cream.

3. Green Tea Coconut Milk Ice Cream

So what’s a clean-eater to do when she has a mean ice cream craving? Make a super healthy substitute that’s perfectly acceptable in moderation, of course. The green tea flavor in this dairy-free ice cream comes from matcha, a powder made from finely ground green tea leaves which are chock-full of antioxidants. In fact, matcha is said to have 20 times more antioxidants than pomegranates or blueberries. The preparation of this one is pretty easy, too. Simply dissolve the matcha in coconut milk, stir in some agave, chill and process in an ice cream maker. Add strawberries or grated coconut for va-va voom.

4. Nutella Frozen Yogurt

You can whip up this dreamy frozen chocolate treat in seconds. Made with items you probably already have in your kitchen cupboards … and no ice cream machine or blender required! If only every decision you had to make on a Friday evening were this easy.

5. Nobó – Ireland’s Dairy Free Paleo Ice Cream

And for those who are feeling a little lazy, we suggest sampling some of the fabulous frozen treats from Irish company Nobo.  It’s an all-natural, paleo-friendly and dairy-free ice cream alternative. At about €7.50 a tub they’re pretty pricey but for anyone who has wrestled with a blender full of frozen bananas you might just be willing to pay a little extra for ready to go paleo ice cream, without the washing up.

By Jennifer Conway

• healthy
• home-made
• ice-cream
• natural