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Cherry Garcia Nice Cream features frozen bananas and cherries blended with chunks of chocolate for a healthy and delicious, easy, soft-serve ice cream everyone will LOVE!
Cherries + dark chocolate is always a winning pair!
Inspired by one of Ben & Jerry’s top-selling ice creams, ‘Cherry Garcia’, I continue my love of banana-based nice creams, adding chocolate and cherries to the mix.
And the result is nothing short of AMAZING!
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Why We Love This Recipe!
- It’s healthy. Made with just 3 plant-based ingredients, each one containing its own health benefits, this cherry nice cream is 100% dairy-free, vegan, and delicious. Keep reading!
- No-churning required. We love the ease of blending this recipe using a food processor or blender, without the need for an ice cream maker.
- Easy to customize. You can serve this nice cream as a soft serve, ready in minutes, or freeze and enjoy as scoopable, hardened ice cream.
Gather your cherries, freeze a few bananas and get your chocolate ready – all in the name of good health and a tasty treat that you will enjoy time and time again!
Ingredient Benefits
Dark Chocolate 🍫
Dark chocolate can happily be a part of your healthy diet as long as it’s enjoyed in moderation. I usually have a small chunk every night with a dollop of Almond Butter as my dessert.
Dark chocolate contains powerful antioxidants that may help control blood sugar and insulin levels. This may help reduce the risk of diabetes. The flavanols in dark chocolate may lower the risk of Alzheimer’s and slow the onset of dementia. It’s also rich in vitamins and minerals and can improve your mood and reduce your stress. These are just some of the benefits associated with dark chocolate.
It’s best to consume chocolate that is 70% cocoa and above or pure raw chocolate, as it will have the most health benefits. And to the men out there, it has been found that men benefit most from eating dark chocolate.
So enjoy your dark chocolate without feeling guilty. For more information:Healthline: 7 Dark Chocolate Health Benefits.
Cherries 🍒
Cherries are the real star of the recipe!
Known as a ‘super fruit,’ cherries are among the few food sources containing melatonin, an antioxidant that helps regulate heart rhythms and the body’s sleep cycle. These little red beauties are also packed with antioxidants called anthocyanin’s which aid in the reduction of heart disease and cancer. This same anti-oxidant can help reduce inflammation and swelling associated with arthritis and gout.
They are a perfect post-workout snack for those looking to reduce pain and joint soreness, like runners and heavy training athletes. Cherries are abundant in vitamins C, E, potassium, magnesium, iron, folate, fiber and contain 19 times more beta carotene than strawberries and blueberries.
They are perfect for any healthy lifestyle. For further reading, take a look at these:Everyday Health: Cherries 101.
Bananas 🍌
Bananas are economical, abundantly available, and are a key ingredient in nice cream recipes! Plus, they are loaded with fiber, are good for gut health, and add natural sweetness. Once frozen, blend them into a delicious soft serve or no-churn ice cream.
How To Make Cherry Garcia Nice Cream
Making non-dairy Cherry Garcia is as easy as can be!
- Start with nice cream base by adding 2 frozen bananas, 1 cup of frozen cherries, and a splash of almond milk (or Vegan Cream) into the bowl of a food processor or high-speed blender. Blend, stopping to scrape down the sides as needed.
- Finish it off by adding 1/2 cup more frozen cherries and 1/4 cup chopped chocolate. Blend for a few more seconds. You want these last ingredients to be chunky.
And that’s it – delicious banana cherry Garcia soft serve made simple and easy!
Top Tips ✅
- Enjoy right away as a soft serve or freeze for hard ice cream. To freeze, place the nice cream in a freezer-safe container and freeze for at least 6 hours to harden fully. It will last for 2 – 3 months.
- Serve in chilled bowls or glasses.
- Using a food processor.If using a food processor, you can skip the plant milk. Just make sure to stop and scrape down the sides as needed.
More Vegan Ice Cream Recipes!
- Almond Chunky Monkey Ice Cream
- Raw Chocolate Banana Ice Cream
- Banana Coconut Ginger Ice Cream
- Butter Maple Pecan Ice Cream
If you try this cherry soft serve recipe, please let me know! Leave a comment and rate it below. I love to hear what you think, or any changes you make.
CHERRY GARCIA NICE CREAM (SOFT SERVE)
5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star
4.9 from 10 reviews
A delicious, non-dairy nice cream made with a mix of cherries and chocolate chunks blended with bananas. This is my vegan version of Ben & Jerry’s Cherry Garcia. It’s an easy no-churn ice cream or soft serve ready in minutes!
- Author: Julie | The Simple Vegansita
- Prep Time: 5 min
- Total Time: 5 min
- Yield: Serves 4
- Category: Snack, Ice Cream
- Method: blender, food processor
- Cuisine: Raw, Vegan
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 frozen bananas, cut into 1 inch chunks
- 1 1/2 cups cherries, pitted and frozen (divided)
- splash of unsweetened plant milk (plain or vanilla) or Vegan Cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla, optional
- scant 1/4 cup dark chocolate chunks (70% +), cacao nibs or raw chocolate chips
Instructions
Place banana chunks, 1 cup cherries, and a splash of milk into blender/food processor and blend until just combined, stopping to scrape down the sides as needed. Add another splash of milk to help the mixture move (especially if using a blender).
Add in chocolate and remaining 1/2 cup cherries, pulse until just combined.
Serve immediately as a soft serve or freeze for later and serve as hard ice cream. To freeze, place the ice cream into a sealed container and freeze for at least six hours. It will last for up to 2 months. Before serving, let sit at room temp for a few minutes, scoop and serve.
Makes about 2 cups.
Serves 4 small portions or 2 generously.
Notes
If using a food processor, you can get away without using non-dairy milk.
It helps to freeze your serving bowl beforehand if possible. It will keep your soft serve chilled a bit longer.
If you don’t want any chocolate chunks, try adding 1 heaping teaspoon of raw or dark cocoa powder instead.
Updated: This recipe was originally published in May 2013. It has been retested and updated with new photos and helpful tips in August 2021.
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