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My Nice Cream Recipe Is Smooth, Creamy, And Totally Dairy Free
This nice cream reminds me of a truffle, ice cream, and peanut butter cup, all rolled into one irresistible frozen treat that you’d never guess is secretly a healthy dessert. Here’s why it’s different from any other nice cream recipe you might have tried before:
- Decadent chocolate peanut butter flavor – Most nice cream recipes are made with frozen bananas or other frozen fruit. I love banana ice cream and frozen yogurt, but this one is different. It’s rich, chocolaty, and actually satisfies that ice cream craving.
- Rich, creamy, and satisfying – It’s definitely richer than any other dairy-free ice cream I’ve tried. It scoops like a dream.
- Easy to make – Just toss 6 ingredients in a blender and churn (or use my no-churn alternative below).
- Better for you – This nice cream is of course dairy-free, but it’s also gluten-free, has no refined sugar, and even sneaks in 6 grams of protein and 3 grams of fiber.
If you need a “nicer” way to enjoy ice cream this summer without dairy, make a batch of this one with me, and you’ll see why I keep coming back to it!
Ingredients & Substitutions
Here I explain the best ingredients for my nice cream recipe, what each one does, and substitution options. For measurements, see the recipe card.
- Full-Fat Coconut Milk – This is the base of the nice cream and gives it that creamy texture. I grabbed organic from my local Sprouts because it also carries my Besti sweeteners (listed below — find your closest store here), but this brand is also great if you want one without gums. I don’t recommend lighter milks, like almond milk, that watery coconut milk in the dairy case, or regular dairy milk, because they make the nice cream too icy.
- Peanut Butter – For flavor and texture. This is my favorite brand with no added sugar because it’s spreadable and not runny, but for this particular recipe, runny natural peanut butter will work, too. You can also use almond butter, any other nut butter, or even sunflower seed butter for a nut-free option.
- Coconut Oil – Makes the nice cream easier to scoop and not harden as much. I used this one.
- Cocoa Powder – For the chocolate flavor. I recommend Dutch processed cocoa powder because it’s less bitter.
- Besti Powdered Monk Fruit Allulose Blend – This sweetener makes a huge difference in the end result! Not only does it dissolve easily for a smooth texture, it also lowers the freezing point of the nice cream, making it harden less and stay scoopable. The only other sweetener that will work the same way is plain powdered allulose, but you’ll need an extra 1/4 cup to get the same sweetness. Conventional sugar, erythritol, and other brands of monk fruit or stevia will make your ice cream turn out much harder and likely grainy.
- Vanilla Extract
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How To Make Nice Cream
I have step-by-step photos here to help you visualize the recipe. For full instructions with amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card.
- Blend it up. Toss all the ingredients into a high-speed blender and blend until super smooth and creamy.
- Freeze or churn. Pour the mixture into an ice cream maker (this is the one I use — but see my tips below if you don’t have one) and churn until it reaches a soft-serve consistency. Transfer to a glass container and freeze until solid.
- Scoop and serve. I drizzled my nice cream with extra peanut butter and sprinkled with sugar-free chocolate chips. You can also top it with my sugar-free chocolate syrup, chopped nuts, sprinkles, fresh berries (I’m partial to strawberries or raspberries), whipped cream, or even crushed peanut butter cookies.
My Recipe Tips
- Powdered Besti is key for keeping this nice cream smooth and scoopable. I can’t emphasize it enough — other sweeteners make it gritty and icy.
- Freeze your ice cream maker bowl for at least 24 hours. If you do it for less, it often warms up before the churning process is finished and the nice cream doesn’t get thick enough.
- A high-powered blender like this will get you the best texture. A food processor works too, just not quite as silky.
- Once you’re done churning, get the mixture into the freezer right away. If it starts melting before you freeze it, the texture gets harder later on.
- For the best creamy texture, try to eat this nice cream 3-4 hours after freezing. It’s fine past that point, you’ll just need to let it sit out for about 10 minutes before scooping.
- Don’t have an ice cream maker? You can freeze the blended liquid in a pre-frozen glass container without churning, but you’ll need to stir every 30 minutes for the first 3-4 hours. Alternatively, you can shake it in a jar to skip the stirring part — like my mason jar ice cream.
- Run your ice cream scoop under warm water. It makes scooping easier and melts the edges slightly, which I think makes it even better. This is my favorite ice cream scoop!
Nice Cream (Chocolate Peanut Butter)
By
My chocolate peanut butter nice cream recipe is rich, creamy, and dairy free, with 6 grams of protein and 3 grams of fiber. So easy to make!
Instructions
[ See step photos See my tips ]Tap on the times in the instructions to start a kitchen timer.
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Combine all the ingredients in a powerful blender. Blend until smooth and creamy.
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Pour the mixture into a frozen ice cream maker bowl and churn according to the manufacturer's instructions. The texture won't be like typical soft-serve, but should be very thick, like pudding.
Alternatively, if you don't have an ice cream maker, you can pour the mixture directly into a pre-frozen glass container and freeze, but you'll need to stir every 30 minutes until solid.
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Pour the mixture into a glass freezer safe container. Cover and freeze for at least 4 hours, until firm.
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Chocolate peanut butter nice cream gets harder in the freezer after 4 hours, so if you're serving it later than that, let it thaw on the counter for 10-15 minutes to soften.
Did you make it? Leave a review or tag me @wholesomeyum on Instagram!
Maya’s Recipe Notes
Serving size: 1/2 cup
- Tips: Check out my recipe tips above to help you get the creamiest texture, smooth consistent results, and easy scooping.
- Storage: You can keep it in the freezer for up to 3-6 months. Don’t forget to let it soften a bit before serving!
I provide nutrition facts as a courtesy. Have questions about calculations or why you got a different result? Please see my nutrition policy.
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Nice Cream
142 Comments
Jess
0Why is it that whenever I type recipes into My Fitness Pal (I verify that the numbers coincide with my product), that my macros are way off from what is listed in the recipe? Can our products be so different?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Jess, My numbers come straight from the USDA Food Database and you can find separate values in my low carb food list. My Fitness Pal has lots of entries which can be submitted by anyone, and many food labels also round up or down to the nearest whole number of carbs, which can add up when there is a large amount of something in a recipe. So, there are many reasons it can be off. One of the biggest differences in sweet recipes is that MFP does not recognize that the erythritol is not included in net carbs. It’s possible that the products are different too (for example, peanut butter can have sugar added), but rounding and treatment of sweeteners are more likely culprits.
Marion Robinson
0Good Morning Maya, from the beautiful & very sunny, West coast of Scotland.
It’s certainly “nice cream” weather, so I will be making this for after dinner this evening.
I just wanted to say, I make my low carb ice cream, then when I’ve mixed it, I pour it into silicone bagel molds, freeze it, and then it’s just the right portion size. There’s no struggling to get it out of the container, when needed.
Hope you find this tip helpful.
Best wishes, Marion
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0That is so smart, Marion! Thanks for sharing your tip with us!
Natalie Ellis
0Look so tasty! I bet it would be more delicious if we add some topping like some peanuts, coconut glaze, etc 🙂
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Those toppings sound delicious, Natalie! Thanks for stopping by!
Margaret Brown
0This looks so lovely! Do you think it would work with almond butter instead of peanut?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Margaret! Yes, you can definitely substitute almond butter!
Joyce
0Peanuts and peanut butter are very unhealthy….. any chance almond butter would work?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Joyce! Yes, you can substitute almond butter. I hope you like it!
Roberta
0This “nice cream” (nice name too!) seems delicious… do you think it would be done also using another nut butter instead of peanut butter for those who can’t use legumes?
Thank you in advance!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Roberta, I haven’t tried, but I’m sure you can. Try almond butter or any other kind of nut butter you like.
Natalie
0Hi! Looks yummy! I have made sooo many of your recipes since I found you on Pinterest!! My husband is allergic to coconut so I wanted to know what I can sub the coconut oil and coconut milk in this recipe for! (And any others if you have some general suggestions for coconut replacement in your recipes! Thank you!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Thank you so much, Natalie! Unfortunately I’m not sure about coconut substitutes in this recipe. You could possibly try heavy cream and a neutral tasting oil (like avocado oil or macadamia nut oil), but both have different consistencies than thick coconut cream and coconut oil, so I can’t say for sure if the end result would work out. Please let me know how it goes if you try!
Sandi
0I would really like to try this recipe but could I use pure monk? It’s about the only sweetener I can use without adverse effects. I cannot tolerate any of the powdered sweeteners with any bulking agent including erythritol. How much pure monk would I use?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Sandi, I haven’t tried it but you probably could. The texture might be just a little different, and you’ll end up with a little less total, since the powdered sweetener adds some bulk. I have a sweetener conversion chart here than can help. You can also just adjust to taste when you mix it all together. Please let us know how it goes if you try!
Bianca
0Hi Maya! I love ALL of your recipes. Your site is my go-to for ANYTHING! Can this be made in an ice cream maker??
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Thank you so much, Bianca! Yes, you can make it in an ice cream maker.
Lise
0Sounds good, but I much prefer almonds to peanuts. Is there any reason we could not substitute almond butter for the peanut butter?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Lise, Yes, you can use almond butter. Let me know how it goes!