Raspberry dairy free ‘nice cream’
This raspberry nice cream is a healthy and dairy free alternative to ice cream! It’s made simply with frozen bananas, raspberries and a little optional maple syrup. Whizz it up in a food processor and you will have an instant delicious pudding which is perfect for babies and kids.
Quick reference dietary information
Dairy, egg & soy free | gluten free | nut free | sesame free | vegan
A dairy free alternative to ice cream, perfect for babies & kids
I was delighted when ‘nice cream’, made using frozen bananas, started showing up all over Instagram. My son had a cow’s milk allergy but was desperate to try ice cream. At the time there were not many dairy free ice cream options available; and the their sugar levels were not great for a a young toddler. Frozen banana ‘nice cream’ was a perfectly timed craze!
When I first gave it a try my expectations for how it would taste were low 😂, but it was actually great and very easy to make. The consistency is like soft serve ice cream – delicious! We have experimented a lot with flavours, and this raspberry nice cream is one of our favourites.
These days there are a lot of dairy and soy free ice cream options available, usually based on nuts or coconut. I have done extensive taste testing and can confirm that most of them are very tasty! They are generally a lot more expensive than normal ice cream though, and not very suitable for the youngest weaners. So, this nice cream is a cheap, healthy and easy alternative for the whole family to enjoy ice cream together!
Which ingredients are needed to make raspberry nice cream?
This version keeps it very simple, you just need frozen bananas and raspberries. There’s also an option of a drizzle of maple syrup for extra sweetness.
This works for many different dietary requirements, because the ingredients are so straightforward. As well as being dairy & soy free, the nice cream is:
- Egg free
- Vegan
- Gluten free
- Nut and sesame free
In fact, raspberry nice cream is free from all of the top 14 allergens!
Top tips for freezing the bananas!
This pudding does need a bit of planning ahead, as the bananas have to be sliced up and frozen in advance.
To stop the banana slices freezing together in a clump, follow this process:
- Peel and slice the bananas (an inch or two thick)
- Lay the slices out on some greaseproof baking paper
- Place them in the freezer for a few hours
- Once frozen they can all be put into a freezer bag and you’ll be able to get out however many you need without them sticking together.
I do this when I have a bunch of very ripe bananas just about to go off. It’s a good way to stop them from going to waste.
Serving raspberry nice cream to babies
Without the optional maple syrup, this recipe is purely fruit and has no added sugar, so it’s very suitable for babies. It’s very easy to eat; the texture is soft serve. You can use a pre-loaded spoon for baby led weaning.
If you’ve got the bananas frozen in advance, then making the nice cream only takes a few minutes. It’s perfect for a quick pudding or snack for babies who don’t want to wait around!
Raspberry nice cream (dairy free)
Equipment
- 1 Food processor
Ingredients
- 2 ripe bananas, peeled, sliced and frozen (see recipe notes for tips on freezing bananas)
- 110 g raspberries (fresh or frozen)
- Squeeze maple syrup (optional)
Instructions
- Put all ingredients in the food processor and whizz it up on a high setting.
- Initially the mixture will look crumbly and you will doubt it’s going to work! Persevere, stopping every 30 seconds to scrape the mix back down to the bottom of the food processor.
- After a few minutes it will start to look like soft serve ice cream. Serve immediately and enjoy!
Notes
- If you or your child has an allergy, always double check that the recipe and all of the components are suitable. This includes checking ‘may contain’ statements on each ingredient and making your own assessment of risk based on personal circumstances.
- The bananas need to be frozen in advance. To do this, peel and slice them (an inch or two thick) and lay them out on some grease proof baking paper, then put them into the freezer. Once frozen, you can put them together in a freezer bag. Initially freezing them laid out flat stops them from sticking together, letting you remove only as many as you need.
If you like this recipe you might also like:
- My round up of the best dairy free ice lollies for babies and toddlers
- Our favourite Chocolate and Avocado Dairy Free Lollies
- Dairy free yogurt sundaes, which are perfect for an exciting breakfast or healthy pudding
- Raspberry and Beetroot Lollies, which also include spinach!!
Subscribe and get your FREE 4 week meal plan!
A month of family dinner ideas, all free from dairy, soy, egg & gluten x
