The Type Of Ice Cream You Can Make With Just One Ingredient

Oh, ice cream, where would dessert-lovers around the world be without you? This smooth, cool, indulgent treat has been a favorite for most of us since we were small, whether our tastes run towards plain ol' chocolate or vanilla or more mix-ins-laden flavors such as Ben & Jerry's bestseller Half Baked, which is loaded with chunks of chocolate chip cookie dough and squares of fudgy brownies.

While ice cream is known to be almost universally beloved, it also has a reputation for being high in fat and sugar, which spurs some folks to seek out healthier versions of the treat — there's a reason, after all, that diet ice cream offerings such as those from Halo Top are commonly top sellers at the supermarket (via Small Business Trends). And for those interested in whipping up a low-fat, low-calorie, and supremely easy ice cream-like treat at home — no ice cream maker required — there's always "nice cream," the single-ingredient frozen dessert that home cooks have adapted in many ways.

Have you ever heard of "nice cream?" If you adhere to a specialized diet such as paleo or vegan, you almost certainly have: This surprisingly rich, smooth, creamy creation consists of nothing more than frozen bananas and is therefore a healthful choice for all kinds of eaters.

To make nice cream, all you have to do is slice or break up some ripe bananas, freeze them at minimum overnight, and toss them into the jar of a food processor or blender (preferably a high-speed type, such as a Vitamix). You'll pulse the mixture until the bananas break up, pausing to scrape down the bowl, then run the machine for a good five minutes or so, according to MasterClass, until the mixture is smooth and thick like soft serve ice cream. At that point, you can leave the dessert as-is, or pulse in mix-ins of choice such as toasted nuts, chocolate chips, coconut flakes, or anything else that strikes your fancy.

Though it contains only one ingredient, nice cream truly does resemble soft serve in both flavor and texture — the sweetness due to the fruit's high levels of natural sugar and the smoothness thanks to its concentration of pectin. Food52 explains that this natural compound found within some plants' cell walls, which is used to thicken jams and jellies, by the way, easily clumps together, creating a smooth and dense texture in this one-ingredient treat. Nice, indeed.