Plantain nice cream is an easy way to make naturally sweetened ice cream without an ice cream maker. It's smooth and creamy with tropical plantain and coconut flavor in just five ingredients or less!
As a Nigerian and Black American, I eat a lot of plantain. In fact, my fried plantain recipe is one of the most popular here on the site. And I'm often inspired by trying familiar ingredients in new ways.
Nigerian cuisine is flavorful and rich, and draws almost exclusively on savory, spicy, salty, bitter, and pungent tastes. If you search for Nigerian dessert recipes, you won't find a ton. Homemade ice cream with plantains is extremely easy to make and truly delicious. Trust me, you need this no-churn ice cream recipe in your rotation.
If you like no-churn ice cream recipes, you'll also love my Pineapple Nice Cream or Strawberry & Honey Nice Cream. And my Pear & Riesling Sorbet is an elegant frozen treat for grownups!
What You'll Need for this Recipe
I love a short, simple ingredient list and this easy vegan ice cream recipe has that. These are items I typically have on hand and what you need to add to your grocery cart if you don't.
- Coconut Milk
- Coconut Sugar (optional)
- Plantain - Overripe is best.
- Sea Salt
- Vanilla Extract
As far as tools, you already know you won't need an ice cream maker here but you will need either a powerful blender or a food processor. I also recommend a silicone spatula for scraping down the sides of the bowl to ensure even texture. Lastly, freeze and store your nice cream in a freezer-safe container.
What Does Plantain Ice Cream Taste Like?
The flavor profile of this easy plantain dessert is deeply sweet, lightly fruity, and a touch nutty from the coconut milk and sugar. Sea salt helps balance the dish so that it's not cloyingly sweet and the vanilla extract helps add smoothness and depth. I would compare the overall taste to caramelized plantains--or bananas foster if you haven't had that.
Candied Groundnut Topping for Plantain Nice Cream
Sweet plantain nice cream is a wonderful treat all by itself but if you want to take it over the top, sprinkle on some candied groundnut! Groundnut is a kind of peanut used in notable Nigerian recipes like yaji. To candy it quickly, I chop it up and add to a hot skillet with a bit of coconut sugar, sea salt, and water. The crunchy, salty-sweet caramelized result pairs perfectly with smooth and creamy ice cream.
Do I have to boil the plantain first? When cooking with overripe plantains, some people boil them as a preparatory step to remove starch. This is an optional step up to your preference. I don't boil plantains for nice cream. But if you are not familiar with the starchy taste and texture of ripe sweet plantain, boiling might be a great step.
Tips for Making Creamy Plantain Dessert
- Be sure to use overripe plantains. This will concentrate the sugar and ensure you get naturally sweetened ice cream without the need for added sugar. I even have tips for picking perfectly sweet plantains for you!
- Coconut sugar is optional. If you use overripe plantains that are close to spoiling, the natural sugar will likely be enough. You can also use other sweeteners like honey, maple syrup, or agave nectar instead, if needed.
- Use a container that is freezer safe and seals out air to keep your sweet plantain treat fresh and free of ice crystals.
- Allow the nice cream to thaw for about 10 minutes before serving so that you get smooth, creamy, and even scoops. Because there are no additives in this recipe, it takes a bit longer to soften up compared to what you'd buy at the grocery store. And it's well worth the wait.
This is one of my favorite ripe plantain recipes and I hope you'll enjoy it soon. And sharing is caring so be sure to pint this healthy ice cream without ice cream maker for later and follow me over on Pinterest. Thanks for reading!
Plantain Coconut Ice Cream Recipe
Plantain Ice Cream (No-Churn)
Ingredients
For the Plantain Ice Cream
- 4 plantains overripe
- 13.5 ounces full fat coconut milk unsweetened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon coconut sugar optional
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
For the Candied Groundnut
- ½ cup groundnut or roasted peanuts
- 1 tablespoon coconut sugar
- pinch of sea salt
- 1-2 teaspoons water
Instructions
For the Plantain Ice Cream
- Remove skin from plantains. Add plantains to the food processor bowl.
- Add coconut milk, vanilla extract, coconut sugar, and sea salt.
- Cover food processor and pulse on medium speed until ingredients form a smooth and uniform mixture. Pause and scrape down sides of bowl with a spatula, as needed.
- Transfer nice cream mixture into a freezer-safe, sealable container and freeze for at least four hours or until it is frozen solid.
- To serve: remove from freezer and thaw for at least 10 minutes then scoop.
For the Candied Groundnut
- Heat a large skillet over medium flame. Chop groundnut or peanuts to desired consistency.
- Add chopped groundnut to skillet then sprinkle coconut sugar and sea salt over top. Gently turn ingredients in skillet.
- Pour water over top and move ingredients quickly around skillet to coat and caramelize the groundnut.
- Serve over top of plantain ice cream and store extra in an airtight container.
Notes
- Be sure to use overripe plantains. This will concentrate the sugar and ensure you get naturally sweetened ice cream without the need for added sugar. I even have tips for picking perfectly sweet plantains for you!
- Coconut sugar is optional. If you use overripe plantains that are close to spoiling, the natural sugar will likely be enough. You can also use other sweeteners like honey, maple syrup, or agave nectar instead, if needed.
- Use a container that is freezer safe and seals out air to keep your sweet plantain treat fresh and free of ice crystals.
- Allow the nice cream to thaw for about 10 minutes before serving so that you get smooth, creamy, and even scoops. Because there are no additives in this recipe, it takes a bit longer to soften up compared to what you'd buy at the grocery store.
- Do I have to boil the plantain first? When cooking with overripe plantains, some people boil them as a preparatory step to remove starch. This is an optional step up to your preference. I don't boil plantains for nice cream. But if you are not familiar with the starchy taste and texture of ripe sweet plantain, boiling might be a great step.
Camille says
I love ripe plantains, so when I saw you dropped a plantain ice-cream recipes I knew I had to try it. My family loooooooved it!! Making another batch this weekend! 💃🏾💓
Kaluhi says
This was not only ridiculously easy to make but it was so so delicious too!! I loved the texture the nuts introduced too. I will be making this every weekend!
Robin says
I served this at a recent family gathering and was lucky to even get a taste - it was gone in minutes! My Mother particularly loved the peanut topping.
Jessica says
I LOVE plantain and when I saw this recipe, I just knew I had to try it. It definitely did not disappoint! It was smooth, creamy and the perfect amount of sweet and the candied peanuts just set it off. Amazing.
Marta says
I can't wrap my mind around how delicious this plantain ice cream is! I've never thought to use plantains, which are staples in my cooking in sweet recipes, but this is genius.