Healthy No Sugar Added Ice Cream Sandwiches | Dairy-Free, Vegan
Healthy No Added Sugar Ice Cream Sandwiches are made using no added sugar oatmeal chocolate chip cookie bars and banana nice cream. These healthy ice cream sandwiches are vegan, dairy-free and high in protein thanks to the addition of salted caramel protein powder!
Healthy Ice Cream Sandwiches. I’ve officially PEAKED.
I’ve been on a no-added-sugar recipe kick so it was only a matter of time before it led me to make healthy no-sugar-added Ice cream cookie sandwiches.
Especially with how hot it’s gotten in Georgia. We seriously went from the 30s to the 80s in no time!
The warm weather has me craving all the cool eats and treats. Anyone else?
What makes these ice cream sandwiches healthy?
Well, first of all, they have zero sugar added and are made with nice cream instead of traditional ice cream.
Second of all, they are made with only whole ingredients like oats, nut butter, dates, and banana.
What is Nice Cream?
Nice Cream is a healthier gluten-free, low-calorie plant-based alternative to ice-cream. Banana-based ice cream may be the original nice cream, but the term has come to represent any fruit-based, vegan, dairy-free treat free from artificial flavors, colors, preservatives, and added sugar.
Nice cream isn’t just a dessert, though. This fruit-based creamy treat is perfect for breakfast or an afternoon snack.
Best of all, you don’t need an ice cream maker to make banana nice cream! Cutting the banana into small pieces before you freeze it helps it break down faster when you blend it, giving you thick & creamy ice cream, without making your food processor work too hard.
How do you freeze bananas for nice cream?
Before you freeze bananas for ice cream, it’s important that you peel them first (or the peel could be stuck forever), and then slice them into coins.
I cut each banana slice about 1-inch thick. The thinner the slices, the easier they will blend, but you can cut them into smaller pieces or larger chunks if you’re in a pinch!
How long does banana nice cream last in the freezer?
If you’re not ready to eat the nice cream right when you make it, transfer it to a freezer-safe container. When you’re ready to dig in, let it thaw for a few minutes before serving.
Banana nice cream will stay good in the freezer for a few months.
Ingredients for Healthy No-Sugar-Added Ice Cream Sandwiches:
- Rolled Oats
- Banana
- Dates (You will blend this into a date paste with 2 tbsp water. If you don’t have dates, feel free to sub for 1/4 cup honey or maple syrup.)
- Nut Butter (I used cashew butter but any nut butter will do!)
- Vanilla Extract
- Chocolate Chips
- Salted Caramel Protein Powder (If flavoring your nice cream.)
- Salt
If you don’t want to flavor your nice cream with protein powder, feel free to toss in 1/4 cup peanut butter instead! This makes for a delicious peanut butter ice cream sandwich.
How to store no-sugar-added ice cream sandwiches in the freezer:
Cookies can be frozen for up to three months in your freezer in an air-tight container, so these ice cream sandwiches will also last for three months in your freezer.
If you plan on taking them out one at a time, you will want to store them individually.
I keep mine in individual sandwich baggies in the freezer.
PIN ME FOR LATER
I hope you all enjoy this no added sugar recipe!
Be sure to tag me on Instagram when you make this recipe or any of my other recipes.
If you like this recipe you will also love:
- No Added Sugar Banana Bread
- Peanut Butter Chocolate Banana Muffins
- Vegan Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Bananadoodles | Gluten-Free, Vegan Snickerdoodles
- Tahini Chocolate Chip Blondies
No Sugar Added Ice Cream Sandwiches
Ingredients
Cookie Sandwich
- 1 Cup Rolled Oats
- 1 Cup Banana, Mashed and Ripe
- 8 Dates Pitted and soaked in hot water for 2 hours. You will blend this into a paste. Can sub 1/4 cup maple syrup.
- 1/2 Cup Nut Butter I used cashew butter
- 1 Tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1/4 Tsp Salt
- 1/3 Cup Chocolate Chips
Nice Cream
- 3 Frozen Bananas
- 1 Scoop Salted Caramel Protein Powder Brand is linked above
- Almond Milk Just a splash
Instructions
Cookie Bars
- Before starting: Soak your pitted dates in hot water for 1-2 hours. Add to your blender with 2 tbsp water and blend into a paste.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Add your bananas to a food processor and blend until smooth. Add in remaining ingredients except for chocolate chips. Combine until dough is formed.
- Fold in chocolate chips.
- Spray two 8x8 baking pans with cooking spray or line with parchment paper. Divide cookie batter into baking pans and spread out evenly. The dough will be thick. Make sure your cookie bars are as evenly spread out in the pan as possible as they will not spread out much on their own.
- Bake for 15 minutes or until edges start to brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before moving onto the next step.
Nice Cream
- Peel and slice the bananas. Put sliced bananas in a freezer bag and place in the freezer for approximately 4 hrs.
- Blend 3 frozen bananas and 1 scoop salted caramel protein powder in your food processor until ice cream texture forms. Add almond milk until desired texture forms. If you don't want to add protein powder, try adding 1/4 cup peanut butter instead.
Making the Sandwiches
- Spread your caramel nice cream evenly on top of one of the cookie bars. Carefully remove the cookie bar from the other pan and place it on top of the ice cream. Press the cookie bar gently into the nice cream. This ensures it will freeze together in your freezer. Cover your 8x8 pan container your ice cream sandwiches with foil and place into the freezer so the ice cream sanwiches will freeze together.
- Remove from the freezer when you are ready to serve. Slice into 9-12 ice cream sandwiches, or your desired size.
