This candy cane nice cream is the perfect healthy holiday treat! With a base of frozen bananas, chocolate, and peppermint flavours, this 5 minute dessert is gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegan. It has a super creamy texture and the flavours of nostalgic ice cream.
This Candy Cane Nice Cream tastes like the nostalgic ice cream you know and love. Growing up, every season I would look forward to enjoying the President's Choice candy cane ice cream. Now, I wanted to make an easy and accessible copycat recipe that is dairy-free!
Nice cream is a homemade ice cream made from frozen bananas, without heavy cream. This holiday version features peppermint flavor, shaved chocolate, and crushed candy canes. Only 7 ingredients are needed to whip up a batch of this candy cane nice cream in just 5 minutes.
It's the perfect festive dessert when you need a little pick me up, and healthy enough for a snack. It's basically a Christmas smoothie bowl! Keep reading to learn just how easy it is to make.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Made in 5 minutes. Just blend and enjoy!
- Nostalgic holiday taste.
- Allergy-friendly. This nice cream is gluten-free, nut-free, dairy-free, and vegan.
- Easy ingredient swaps. Use what you have on hand to make this nice cream your own.
- Quick clean up. Add a drop of dish soap and water to your blender after using, blend, and it's clean!
This is a great recipe for the holidays! You'd also like my gluten-free ginger molasses cookies, gluten-free millionaire bars, and gluten-free slice-and-bake sugar cookies.
Ingredient Notes
Here is everything you'll need to make this candy cane nice cream:
- Frozen banana chunks: These make up the ice cream base. I like to break my bananas into quarters then freeze them all in a large bag so I always have some on hand.
- Milk of choice: I used almond milk.
- Maple syrup
- Vanilla extract
- Peppermint extract: Just a little goes a long way
- Shaved chocolate or chocolate chips: Ensure they are dairy-free.
- Crushed candy cane pieces: Read the label to ensure they are gluten-free.
Substitutions
There are many ways to change up this nice cream depending on your mood. Here are some substitution suggestions:
- Vegan & dairy-free. Simply use a non-dairy milk such as soy, almond, or coconut milk.
- Maple syrup. You could also use honey as the sweetener.
- Chocolate. If you don't have any chocolate to add, you could also use about 2 tablespoon of chocolate sauce. Or try white chocolate chips!
- Add nuts. Chopped walnuts, pecans, or almonds would be a great addition to the flavours in this recipe. Mix them in at the end.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Be sure to read the recipe card below for the full ingredient list and instructions for how to make candy cane nice cream.
(1) Place the frozen bananas, milk, maple syrup, and extracts in the bucket of your blender.
(2) Blend on high power or ice cream mode if your blender has one, using the tamper if necessary, until smooth. You can also use a food processor.
(3) Add the chocolate and candy canes to the blender and blend just until combined.
Scoop and enjoy immediately, or place in a freezer safe container and freeze for later. Allow frozen nice cream to thaw for 15 minutes before eating. Enjoy!
How to Serve
This candy cane nice cream is the perfect healthy treat during the holidays. Enjoy it as a snack or dessert, maybe alongside some other festive flavours such as:
- Enjoy with a holiday cookie spread. Pair with my gluten-free white chocolate macadamia nut cookies, matcha shortbread cookies, gluten-free oreo truffles, slice and bake sugar cookies, and more gluten-free desserts!
- With a hot tea or espresso. Try a healthy peppermint mocha or a homemade gingerbread latte.
- There are so many ways to enjoy!
Storage
Nice cream is best enjoyed fresh, but it freezes well in an airtight container for up to 1 month. Thaw for 15 minutes at room temperature before enjoying.
Expert Tips
Here are some of my top tips and tricks for successful nice cream:
- Ensure your bananas are frozen. Grabbing them straight from the freezer will result in the best texture.
- You can always add more milk, but not remove any. Start with a little less and add if you need while blending.
- Pre-chop your chocolate. So that you don't have to over blend your nice cream to crush the chocolate.
- Enjoy immediately. I prefer to eat my nice cream straight from the blender, but it will freeze great for later too.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nice cream is a dessert made from blended frozen bananas. It is meant to mimic the texture and flavours of ice cream, while being a little lighter.
Since nice cream is made from a base of frozen bananas, it is usually dairy-free or vegan. This candy cane nice cream recipe also only has 1 tablespoon of maple syrup, so it is much lower in sugar than ice cream. These factors make it slightly healthier than regular ice cream. No whipped cream, no corn syrup, no egg yolks!
Candy canes are normally a combination of sugars and colours. Ensure you read the label to confirm that they do not contain gluten ingredients.
This candy cane nice cream is the perfect healthy winter treat with a pop of peppermint! Enjoy it as a snack or a light dessert that you can feel good about this holiday season. The perfect gluten-free, nut-free, dairy-free, and vegan candy cane dessert!
More Peppermint Treats
More Gluten-Free Holiday Treats
- Chocolate amaretti cookies
- Vegan millionaire shortbread bars
- Vegan Oreo truffles
- Gluten-free ginger molasses cookies
- Gluten-free matcha shortbread
- Classic gluten-free shortbread cookies
- Slice-and-bake sugar cookies
- Gluten-free coffee cookies
- Gluten-free peanut butter cup cookies
Related Recipes
Have you made this candy cane nice cream? I'd very much appreciate it if you leave a 5-star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review below, and tag me on instagram @fromoliviaskitchen!
Recipe
Candy Cane Nice Cream
Equipment
- High powered blender or food processor
Ingredients
- 4 cups frozen banana chunks about 4 bananas
- 3 tablespoon milk of choice
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon peppermint extract
- ½ cup shaved chocolate or chocolate chips
- 3 tablespoon crushed candy canes
Instructions
- Place the frozen bananas, milk, maple syrup, and extracts in the bucket of your blender.
- Blend on high power or ice cream mode if your blender has one, using the tamper if necessary, until smooth.
- Add the chocolate and candy canes to the blender and blend just until combined.
- Scoop and enjoy immediately, or place in a freezer safe container and freeze for later. Allow frozen nice cream to thaw for 15 minutes before eating. Enjoy!
Notes
- Vegan & dairy-free: Simply use a non-dairy milk such as soy or cashew.
- Maple syrup: You could also use honey as the sweetener.
- Storage: Nice cream is best enjoyed fresh, but it freezes well in an airtight container for up to 1 month. Thaw for 15 minutes at room temperature before enjoying.
Let us know what you think!