No-churn, easy, chocolate-banana ice cream bites dipped in rich dark chocolate. These fun and healthy frozen treats make for the perfect afternoon snack or dessert!
Chocolate covered banana slices are a staple in our house. Simply slice up a banana, melt some chocolate, dip the banana slices in, top with any nuts or sprinkles, and store them in the freezer! It’s one of our favorites since they are very easy to make, a fun afternoon activity with the kids, healthy, and they last forever in the freezer. Not to mention the fact that I love being able to say ‘yes’ to my kids when they ask for a treat.
This past week, it was that time again, and my son asked if we could make them together after he came home from school. Of course I said yes. But this time, I thought it’d be fun to switch it up and make them these vegan Chocolate Covered Banana-Chocolate Ice Cream Bites instead. They are similar to the chocolate dipped ice cream bars you can find at the store. But, I still wanted to stick with the banana base, keep them easy to make, and healthy.
Since I had a few frozen bananas in the freezer, I used them to make some home-made no-churn vegan banana chocolate ice cream in my food processor. We’ve made all sorts of ice cream flavors out of frozen bananas in the past (‘nice-cream’ as it’s been termed), especially over the summer, so this was just an extension of that. To avoid that frozen banana texture that you get when you freeze nice-cream (which is why it’s best when eaten right away), I added some almond butter to the base.
With Valentine’s Day coming up this week, I remembered that I had these silicone heart shaped ice trays/molds that my friend gave me years ago. She was moving and had no need for them, and sometimes kitchen throw-aways can be like GOLD to a food blogger haha! They were perfect for these easy vegan ice cream bites, and they doubled up as Valentine’s Day treats since they were heart-shaped, which I knew my daughter would love. As a bonus, at the end of this post, I’ve put together three fantastic 3-Course Vegan Valentine’s Day Menus by Cuisine (Italian, Mexican, & Thai). I’ve also included a few fun breakfast-in-bed ideas, so make sure to keep scrolling past the recipe to check them out!
The silicone molds were also perfect because the ice cream bites easily popped out of the molds without much effort and kept their heart-shape really well. If you don’t have any, I highly suggest getting one. They are much better than the plastic ice-cube trays that come with freezers. I also use the silicon molds to freeze freshly squeezed lemon juice so I have bags full of adorable heart-shaped lemon juice available for cooking and morning warm lemon water. If you don’t care about the shape of these vegan ice cream bites, you can easily use any ice cube tray. Be careful not to over-fill them and it should work just fine.
So back to these heart shaped chocolate banana ice cream bites I now have. As you know, everything tastes better covered in dark chocolate. So in each went into some of my favorite melted dark chocolate. Pop them in the freezer, and you have yourself home-made healthy delicious frozen treats! My kids loved them when they came home from school…they almost polished off the entire batch!
These heart shaped vegan Chocolate Covered Banana-Chocolate Ice Cream Bites are the perfect way to surprise your loved ones this week for Valentine’s Day! You can even get fancy and plate a few with some fresh fruit and coconut whip cream for a nice dessert after dinner. They’re healthy, free of refined-sugar, and rich. The best part is that they are easy and you can make them well in advance. Try them out and let me know what you think!
But wait…there’s more! If you’re staying in for Valentine’s Day this year and want to make something special for a loved one for dinner, I have you covered! Scroll below this ice cream bites recipe for three different Valentine’s Day 3-Course Menu suggestions based on Cuisine (Italian, Thai, Mexican). Most of these recipes are easy to make, and you can prepare most of it ahead of time so that you don’t have to spend all of Valentine’s Day cooking.
Chocolate Covered Banana-Chocolate Ice Cream Bites (Vegan)
INGREDIENTS
- 3 medium bananas ,frozen and sliced into large pieces
- 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk , or other non-dairy milk
- 2 1/2 tbsp almond butter , no salt and creamy
- 2 tbsp cocoa powder , unsweetened
- pinch salt
- 2 tbsp chocolate chips , optional
For the Chocolate Coating:
- 2 cup chocolate chips , such as Enjoy Life brand
- 4 teasp coconut oil
INSTRUCTIONS
To Make the Ice Cream:
- Place the frozen bananas, unsweetened almond milk, almond butter, cocoa powder, and pinch salt in a food processor (or high powered blender such as a vitamix).
- Pulse and process on high until the mixture becomes thick and creamy and all the frozen banana blends in completely. This should not take too long.
- Add 2 tbsp chocolate chips if using, and pulse a few times to chop them up.
- Using a spoon, fill each of the silicone mold or tray with the banana-chocolate ice cream. I used a spoon to do this. Be careful not to over-fill since it will slightly expand when frozen.
- Place in freezer for an hour until it's completely frozen.
To Make the Frozen Bites:
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Remove the silicone molds and carefully pop out the frozen ice cream shapes. This shouldn't be too difficult, especially if you're using a silicone mold. Place in container and put back in freezer so they don't start to melt.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Setup a double broiler over the stove. Add the 2 cups chocolate chips + coconut oil. Mix until the chocolate is completely melted, pour-able, and smooth. Once done, turn off the heat.
- Take 1/2 of the melted chocolate into a small deep bowl and add more melted chocolate as needed.
- Take a few of the frozen ice cream shapes out of the freezer (working with a few at a time to avoid melting).
- Working quickly, take a toothpick and pierce it 1/4th of the way into one of the frozen ice cream shapes. Pick it up and quickly dip it into the melted chocolate, using a spoon to help coat the entire piece. Once completely covered in chocolate, place it back on the parchment paper and remove the toothpick carefully using another toothpick to slide it off.
- Continue until all of them are done. Then take the next batch out of the freezer and repeat.
- Once all the bites are covered in chocolate, place the baking sheet back in the freezer until ice cream bites are completely frozen.
- Store them in an airtight container.
- Serve individually or plate a few with some fresh strawberries/raspberries and coconut whip cream and enjoy with a spoon!
NOTES
NUTRITION
Valentine’s Day 3-Course Vegan Menus & Breakfast!
ITALIAN CUISINE MENU
Appetizer: Mushroom Crostini w/Garlic Basil Spread or Velvety Zucchini Basil Soup
Entree: Vegan Lasagna w/Roasted Veggies & Garlic Basil Ricotta or Caramelized Onion, Roasted Eggplant, & Tomato Penne Pasta
Dessert: Chocolate Mousse or Chocolate Covered Banana-Chocolate Ice Cream Bites (recipe above) plated with fresh strawberries/raspberries & Coconut Whip
MEXICAN CUISINE MENU
Appetizer: Tortilla Soup and Fresh Mango Kiwi Salsa w/Chips
Entree: Crispy Tofu Tikka Masala Tacos or Roasted Balsamic Portobello Tacos
Dessert: Warm Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies served w/vegan vanilla ice cream or Mango Mousse Parfait
THAI CUISINE MENU
Appetizer: Fresh Rice Wraps or Wontons
Entree: Sweet Chili Lime Tofu and Thai Basil Eggplant OR Thai Pra Ram Tofu and Crispy Garlic Fried Brown Rice w/Kale (all served with cooked quinoa or brown rice)
Dessert: Fresh Mango Coconut Chia Seed Parfait or Chocolate Covered Dates Stuffed w/Orange Coconut Cream
BREAKFAST IN-BED IDEAS:
Cinnamon-Infused Vegan Mascarpone on Focaccia Topped with Strawberries & Roasted Pistachios
Double chocolate Chip Strawberry Oat Waffles
Strawberry Hemp Milkshake
Overnight Chocolate Strawberry Overnight Oats
Banana Macadamia Nut, Coconut Whip Pancakes
HAPPY COOKING!
Rashmi
Oh these ice-cream bites are just so adorable and they are perfect for Valentines 🙂 They sound absolutely phenomenal and so easy to make.
Your three cuisine options below all sound fantastic too.
What are you getting up too for Valentines? My hubby and I will be celebrating in doors on Tuesday but will be going out on Thursday evening for dinner, movies and ten pin bowling 🙂
anjali
Thanks Rashmi! Yeah I thought the heart-shaped would be perfect for this week! They are very easy to make, and I love frozen treats. Bowling sounds like a lot of fun! Nothing much for us…just a night in ordering sushi, making dessert, and probbably a movie after the kids go to bed =) Need a nice relaxing night with the week we’ve had =)
Reshana
Wow Anjali, I am so in love with these chocolate ice cream bites! They are so cute! I also have a silicone heart shaped mould, got it as a gift. Love the different cuisine ideas you have put together.
Yes, please share your plans for V-day?
I am also spending the day indoors and have a dinner planned on Thursday aswell and movies, going to see fifty shades darker, hehe 🙂
Once again, these look absolutely gorgeous and I am so pelased your kids loved them!
anjali
Thanks Reshana! I love the heart shaped molds, and these were the perfect use for them, especially with Valentine’s Day coming up. Since you have one, you’ll have to try this recipe out! Nothing much for V-day…just staying in, ordering some sushi, making dessert, and watching a movie after the kids go to bed! =) Enjoy fifty shades, let me know how it is ha! What are you making for dinner?
Natalie | Feasting on Fruit
Sweet, easy, adorable, and banana-based–this is totally my kind of treat!! Oh I totally feel you on the random kitchen items that most people don’t want, but can make all the difference for a cute seasonal photoshoot like this haha! The mold is perfect, and so are those little sprinkles on top. And so clever to add a little almond butter to the nice cream to keep the texture from becoming an ice brick. In time for Valentine’s or not, I can’t wait to try this concept just for myself, I imagine having these in the freezer would be a perfect way to avoid going straight for the open and half-used bag of chocolate chips like I’ve been doing lately…oops 😀 So cute!
anjali
This is DEFINITELY your type of treat Natalie! I thought of you while developing these ha! My kids LOVE plain old chocolate covered banana slices, but they’re always too solid and frozen for me…so the little bit of almond butter made the filling nice and creamy but kept the sweetness of the bananas. I even remember asking myself what I’d do with heart shaped molds years back, but SO glad I took them! I even have nice cute heart shaped frozen lemon juice that makes me happy every morning for my lemon water ha! Oh and there’s nothing wrong with going for the open and half-used bag of chocolate chips ha! I do that daily =)
Laura | Wandercooks
What a gorgeous recipe and such a cute idea! We’ve experimented with a few banana based ‘nice-creams’ in the past but they’ve always ended up going rock solid in the freezer so thanks for the tip to add almond butter!
anjali
Thanks Laura! Agreed…although my kids love the rock solid chocolate covered bananas, I completely agree! I wanted these to be more of a creamy ice-cream like texture, but still wanted to keep the sweetness coming purely from the bananas. It could be even creamier with more almond butter, but this amount was the perfect balance in taste and texture! let me know if you try!
Luci's Morsels
I love these treats and putting them into a heart mold makes them the perfect February treat. I love this idea!
anjali
When I saw the heart shaped molds, I knew I needed to do something with them for valentine’s Day! It was perfect timing!
Molly Kumar
This sounds fabulous and love the flavors. I’m always looking for easy dessert recipes and bookmarking this for trying later.
Bintu - Recipes From A Pantry
These are so cute and perfect for Valentine’s day. Great that they are vegan too
anjali
Thanks!
valentina
I love this recipe! Valentine’s Day or not! I would be in danger of eating all of them. 😉 Such a great mold, too.
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
What a cute idea! Those sound so yummy!
anjali
thanks!! the kids were excited!
Mary Ellen @ VNutrition
Oooh, what a perfect treat for Valentine’s Day! I bet kids would love these as much as adults will!
anjali
Yes! My kids loved them…super excited to show them the shape also =) the best part is that they last forever in the freezer, although it didn’t take long for us to polish them off =)
Amy Katz from Veggies Save The Day
By some miracle, I think I already have all these ingredients! Looks like I have no excuse not to make them. 😉
anjali
Oh awesome! Yes…then no excuses for sure ha!
Sophia | Veggies Don't Bite
I have some small heart shaped molds too, and they are so easy to make great shapes since they pop out so well! Adorable treats!
anjali
Yes! I used them for the first time awhile back to make fresh lemon juice cubes when my mom brought over tons of lemons, and they work great!
Reshana
I will do so 🙂 Nothing very fancy. Vegetable pies with a side salad.
anjali
Nice!! I’ve never had a vegetable pie!
Linda @ Veganosity
These look so good, Anjali! I’d eat the entire batch. 🙂
anjali
Thanks Linda! I had a hard time not devouring all of them when I first made them ha!
Uma Srinivas
Wow! these are amazing, going to pin this for later 🙂
anjali
Thanks Uma!
Nicole Dawson
I have a few silicone molds and I just love them! Can’t wait to try out this recipe using them too, it just sounds perfect for Valentine’s or any other time the sweet tooth hits. Thankfully its a healthy treat.
anjali
Thanks Nicole!! Perfect…yes you need to try them out! The heart shape made them nice for valentine’s day, but we’ve been enjoying them all the time!
P.desai
Perfect Valentine treat, Banana & Choclate..good combination.
Katherine
Hi Anjali,
This is a fantastic recipe for Valentine’s Day. I loved it so much, I featured it in my best of posts 37 Healthy Valentine’s Day Recipes: Indulge Without The Bulge.
I have shared one photo and a small quote from here, and given full credits to you and linked back to this page.
Have a fantastic day!
Katherine @ GreenThickies.com
anjali
Thanks so much Katherine! Will check it out!