Banana ‘Nice’ Cream with Candied Nectarines and Caramel
This banana nice cream with caramelized nectarines is a two-ingredient vegan ice cream base dressed up into a proper dessert. You blend frozen bananas into a thick, soft-serve cream, swirl through warm jammy nectarines cooked in coconut oil and brown sugar, then freeze and finish with caramel, grated dark chocolate, biscuits and fresh mint. This is the best vegan banana ‘nice’ cream I have ever tasted, and I can even dare to say it is comparable with my all-time favorite (non-vegan) ice cream, Nirvana with Pralines.
What I like about this recipe is that it is really easy to make. It has both crunch and creaminess: the banana base stays smooth and cold, while the candied nectarines add that soft, sticky, jam-like bite on top. I also made a video for this recipe so you can see step by step how I did it and how easy it is. In the video you’ll see only 3 bananas added, but as you can notice from the recipe below, I used 6 frozen bananas. I realized 3 bananas didn’t fill the tray, and I wanted to make more ice cream, not just a couple of servings. I also used the tiniest, ugliest nectarines ever, and it still turned out beautifully.
The two ingredients that carry this ice cream
The whole texture of this dessert lives in the bananas, so freeze them properly. Peel very ripe, spotty bananas, cut them into chunks, and freeze them fully before you blend. Ripe bananas are sweeter and blend down into a creamier base, which is why no liquid is needed at all. For the topping I used nectarines, but any ripe stone fruit that softens well will behave the same way. Do not worry about how they look. Small, imperfect nectarines actually cook down into jam faster because there is less flesh to break down. The coconut oil and brown sugar are what turn them from plain cooked fruit into a candied, glossy caramel layer.
How to get that soft-serve texture right
Two things make or break the texture. First, use a high-power blender and be patient. Frozen bananas will clump and look like they will never come together, then suddenly turn into smooth cream. I used my Optimum 9200 for this and needed no added liquid. Resist the urge to pour in plant milk to speed it up, because any liquid dilutes the banana and makes the frozen result icier. Second, and this is the key step people skip: for the first 3 hours in the freezer, stir the ice cream with a spoon every hour. Stirring breaks up the ice crystals as they form, so the final texture stays scoopable and creamy instead of setting into a solid block.
Cooking the caramelized nectarines
Heat the coconut oil in a saucepan, add the brown sugar, and stir until the sugar starts to melt before the nectarines go in. This gives the sugar a head start on caramelizing. Then add the chopped nectarines and cook on low to medium heat, stirring continuously, until they collapse into a soft, jam-like consistency, around 7 minutes. Keep stirring the whole time so the sugar does not scorch on the bottom. You want them spreadable, not dry, so pour them over the banana cream while they are still warm and swirl or spread evenly. If you love a caramel note, this is the same warm, sticky idea behind my vegan dulce de leche.
Toppings and how to serve it
Once frozen, serve this with caramel sauce, grated vegan dark chocolate, fresh mint, and biscuits. I used gluten-free biscuits, Maria by Schar, so the whole dessert stays gluten-free. The caramel, chocolate and biscuit toppings are what turn this from a simple banana base into a dessert for any occasion. You can even turn this into an ice cream sandwich, which is what I did, though I didn’t add that part in the video because the result was too messy. I exaggerated with the caramel drizzle. If you want another frozen banana treat to try next, my strawberry banana frozen milkshake uses the same frozen-banana trick, and for a richer scoop there is my vegan chocolate ice cream.
Make-ahead and storage
This is very much a make-ahead dessert. It needs at least 5 hours in the freezer, or overnight, to set fully, so plan for that stirring window in the first 3 hours. Keep it in a shallow tray or freezer-safe container with a lid. Because there is no stabilizer, homemade banana nice cream firms up hard once fully frozen, so let it sit at room temperature for a few minutes to soften before scooping. Add the caramel, chocolate, biscuits and mint fresh at serving time rather than in advance, so the biscuits stay crisp and the mint stays bright. If you are in a banana mood, my banana breakfast smoothie is a good way to use up any extra ripe bananas.
If you make this, I’d love to hear whether you went full ice cream sandwich like I did or kept it as a simple scoop. Rate the recipe and leave a comment below to let me know how your caramelized nectarines turned out and whether you dared to over-drizzle the caramel too.
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Banana ‘Nice’ Cream with Candied Nectarines and Caramel
Ingredients
- 6 bananas ripe and frozen whole
- 4 nectarines pitted, chopped (I used multiple smaller ones)
- 3 Tbsp coconut oil
- 150 g brown sugar
Toppings:
- biscuits I used gluten-free biscuits, Maria by Schar
- vegan dark chocolate grated
- caramel sauce
- mint fresh
Instructions
- Slice the frozen bananas and chop the nectarines.
- Blend the bananas in a high-power blender until smooth and creamy. No liquid is needed.
- Pour the banana cream into a small tray.
- Heat the coconut oil in a saucepan. Add the brown sugar and stir until it starts to melt.
- Add the chopped nectarines.
- Cook over low-medium heat, stirring continuously, until the nectarines reach a soft, jam-like consistency (about 7 minutes).
- Pour the cooked nectarines over the banana cream and spread evenly.
- Place in the freezer for at least 5 hours, or overnight. For the first 3 hours, stir the ice cream with a spoon every hour so it keeps its creaminess.
- Serve with caramel sauce, grated dark chocolate, fresh mint, and biscuits.
Notes
Frequently Asked Questions
You do not need an ice cream maker at all. Freeze very ripe bananas, then blend them in a high-power blender until they turn from clumps into smooth soft-serve cream, with no liquid added. Pour into a tray, top with the cooked nectarines, and freeze. Stirring every hour for the first 3 hours in the freezer keeps it creamy without any machine.
Yes, it is fully vegan. The base is just frozen bananas, and the topping uses coconut oil, brown sugar, nectarines, vegan dark chocolate and caramel sauce, with no dairy or eggs. It is also gluten-free if you use gluten-free biscuits. I used Maria biscuits by Schar.
Stirring the nice cream with a spoon every hour for the first 3 hours breaks up the ice crystals as they form. This keeps the final texture soft and scoopable instead of freezing into one solid, icy block. It is the single most important step for a creamy result in a homemade banana ice cream.
Yes. Any ripe stone fruit that softens when cooked, such as peaches, apricots or plums, works the same way in the caramelized topping. Cook it in coconut oil and brown sugar on low to medium heat until it reaches a soft, jam-like consistency, about 7 minutes. Small or imperfect fruit actually cooks down into jam a little faster.
Freeze it for at least 5 hours, or overnight, until it is fully set. Remember to stir it every hour for the first 3 hours so it stays creamy. Because there is no stabilizer, let it sit at room temperature for a few minutes to soften before scooping.
No. Ripe frozen bananas release enough of their own moisture to blend into a smooth cream on their own, which is why the recipe needs no added liquid. Adding plant milk or water only dilutes the banana and makes the frozen result icier rather than creamier. A high-power blender does the work instead.
This is honestly one of the best ‘nicecreams’ in my life. The perfect amount of sweetness, perfect texture and it even has my favorite fruit: nectarines. I don’t need any other ice cream ever! 🙂
Thank you! So glad you liked it!