Sweet Potato Chocolate Nice Cream
Nice cream is a sugar-free dessert made by blitzing pieces of frozen fruit (or veges) in a food processor or high-speed blender. The whole-food ice cream is rich, creamy, and luscious enough for a special occasion yet light and easy enough for an anytime indulgence. It’s called ‘nice cream’ rather than ice cream, just to differentiate the two. Nice cream is a super easy, take on traditional ice cream, yet made very differently. You don’t need one of those special ice cream churning machines, you simply use frozen fruit or veges, a splash of milk and some flavourings – that’s it!It sounds too good to be true doesn’t it? Ice-cream just out of fruit – yeah right! About this little concoction, I cannot hold back. It IS amazing. You will need to keep going back and trying it and saying – that can’t be right. It tastes like ice cream and it is so damn good! This is definitely one for the recipe bible. You will be in awe of the creamy, fruitful deliciousness before your spoon even begins to melt into the bowl.You can satisfy an ice cream craving guilt-free with this “nice cream“! Seems so simple, that it feels like you are cheating a bit…but to be honest – it’s delectable stuff. And let’s face it, why make it complicated when something this simple can taste insanely delightful!Once you start making nice creams, you will stop buying store bought ice creams, the creaminess it has is nothing less than any ice cream and the plus point is, it is absolutely healthy!This incredibly creamy, delicious, chocolatey ice cream is made with sweet potatoes. In fact, it’s the sweet potatoes that make it extra creamy and delicious.In fact, this orange superfood is one of the most nutritious vegetables you can find! My favorite way to eat it is as soft serve right out of the blender, but you can also freeze it so it's firm enough to scoop into ice cream cones! It's a healthier dessert that tastes just as creamy and indulgent as regular chocolate ice cream.Oh, and don’t let the fact that there’s sweet potatoes in this nice cream scare you away, sweet potatoes are naturally sweet and delicious, so the fact that they aren’t in more ice cream recipes is beyond me!You could probably not even tell the kiddos (or hubby) that’s there is a veggie in the easy ice cream recipe and they would never know! Mine didn’t 😉How exactly did I use sweet potatoes to make chocolate ice cream? Well, I simply cooked the sweet potato, chopped it up and froze it. Then I added it and the other ingredients to a blender and in just a couple of minutes the most delish soft serve ice cream was created. Yes…it was just that easy.While we are talking about them, what are some of the health benefits of sweet potatoes?Sweet potatoes are rich in beta carotene and vitamin A, plus, being a healthy veggie with all the fiber, folate, potassium, and other vitamins that your body needs.Rich in Vitamins C, B, beta carotene, iron and phosphorus (which are all great immunity boosters), sweet potatoes help your immune system defend itself against infections and inflammation.Since sweet potatoes are rich in fiber, aside from tasting good, this vegetable is your excellent ally in better digestion. Fiber also aids in the balance of water in your body.So, give this recipe a try and I’m sure you will agree that it’s the absolute best nice cream that you will make that rivals any store bought ice cream. The combo of sweet potatoes, coconut milk and cocoa gives a rich, creamy, chocolatey ice cream that is reminiscent of ice cream we all grew up on...but so much healthier.
Ingredients
- 3 cups sweet potato cubes, cooked, frozen
- 1/2 cup coconut (or any other) milk
- 1/4 cup cocoa or cacao powder
- 2-3 tablespoons honey or maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Place all ingredients into your blender or food processor and process on medium speed for 30 to 60 seconds, or until the frozen sweet potatoes have been blended into a smooth soft-serve consistency.Scoop it out into a bowl and top with coconut chips, cacao nibs or your favourite toppings.
Notes
What’s the best way to cook the sweet potato when making homemade chocolate nice cream?
I microwaved my sweet potato, but you can bake it if you prefer. Microwaving the sweet potato was the fastest option. I had a medium size sweet potato and it was nice and soft in just 5 minutes.
To cook your sweet potato in the microwave, wash it, dry it, and then pierce the sweet potato 4-5 times with a fork or knife.
Next, place the sweet potato on microwave-safe plate and cook for 5 minutes. If your sweet potato isn’t soft and fork tender after 5 minutes continue microwaving in 30 second increments until it’s ready.
Or you can prick a large sweet potato all over with a fork. Wrap in foil and bake in a 200 C (400 F) oven for 45-60 minutes until tender all the way through.
Do not steam or boil it, as too much water will get into the potato and then make your nice cream watery.
Leave to cool then scoop out the flesh, discarding the skin.
Chop into chunks and keep in the freezer so you always have some at the ready to make instant nice cream.