Frozen dark cherries, ripe banana, and a splash of almond milk blended into a naturally sweet, dairy-free frozen dessert that tastes like cherry ice cream — without any of the ingredients that don’t work for MS.

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

Cherry nice cream is my all-time favorite flavor — and I’ve tried a lot of them.

Nice cream is what happens when you blend frozen bananas into a thick, creamy consistency that looks and tastes remarkably like soft-serve ice cream. Add frozen dark cherries and a splash of almond milk, and you have something that genuinely satisfies a dessert craving without dairy, refined sugar, or anything your body has to work against.

I’ve been making this for years, and cherry-banana-almond milk is the combination I always come back to. The dark cherries give it a deep, rich flavor and a beautiful deep pink color. The ripe banana adds natural sweetness and the creamy texture that makes nice cream work. The almond milk keeps everything moving in the blender without watering down the flavor the way plain water would.

One thing I’ve learned: don’t add too much liquid. A tablespoon at a time is the right approach — just enough to get everything blending smoothly. Add too much, and you’ll have a milkshake instead of nice cream. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it’s a different experience.

Why Cherry Nice Cream Works for MS

Conventional ice cream is one of the first things to go when you change your diet to manage MS — it’s dairy-based, high in refined sugar, and the ingredients that make it taste good are the same ones that can trigger inflammation and gut issues.

This cherry nice cream gives you the experience of a cold, creamy, sweet frozen dessert without any of those trade-offs. It’s dairy-free, naturally sweetened by fruit, and made entirely from whole ingredients. The cherries and banana both contain anti-inflammatory compounds, and a small amount of clean almond milk is all you need to bring it together.

It also requires almost no effort. A few minutes of blending and you’re done. On a warm day when you want something cold and satisfying, that matters.

🌿 Healing Tip:

Dark cherries are one of the richest food sources of anthocyanins — the pigments that give them their deep red color and some of their most impressive health benefits. Anthocyanins are potent antioxidants with well-documented anti-inflammatory properties. Research has shown they may help reduce oxidative stress and inhibit inflammatory pathways. For people with MS, where chronic low-grade inflammation is a central concern, regularly eating anthocyanin-rich foods like dark cherries is a simple and delicious dietary strategy.

Why Every Ingredient Earns Its Place

Frozen dark cherries: The star of this recipe. I buy mine at Costco — they consistently have the best price on frozen dark cherries compared to other stores, and the quality is excellent. Dark cherries have a deeper, richer flavor than sweet red cherries and blend into a more intensely colored nice cream. Frozen is actually better than fresh here — the texture is what makes nice cream work, and you need the fruit to be frozen solid.

Ripe frozen banana: This is what makes nice cream creamy. A banana that’s slightly overripe — with brown spots on the skin — is sweeter and blends more smoothly than an underripe one. The riper the banana, the better the nice cream. Two bananas is the right amount for two servings, and it gives the recipe enough body to hold together without becoming too banana-forward.

🌿 Healing Tip:

Ripe bananas are a good source of vitamin B6, which plays an important role in nervous system function and neurotransmitter production. They also contain resistant starch — particularly when slightly underripe — which feeds beneficial gut bacteria and supports the gut microbiome. Since gut health is so central to MS management, bananas are more than just a sweetener in this recipe.

Almond milk: Just a tablespoon or two — enough to help the blender process the frozen fruit without turning the nice cream into a milkshake. Use unsweetened almond milk with a short, clean ingredient list. I use Califia Farms Organic Unsweetened Almond Milk, which has just three ingredients: water, organic almonds, and sea salt. That’s it.

Not all almond milks are the same — and this is worth knowing before you shop. Many popular brands have a long ingredient list that includes preservatives, gums, and additives you don’t need. Always read the ingredient label. If the list is longer than three or four ingredients, put it back. You can also make your own — I have a homemade almond milk recipe on the blog that uses just almonds and water.

Food Processor vs. NutriBullet

The tool you use depends on how much you’re making.

For two servings: I use my food processor. It handles the volume comfortably and gives a smooth, consistent result. Add the frozen fruit, pulse a few times to break it down, then blend until creamy — scraping the sides as needed.

For one serving: I reach for my NutriBullet. It’s much easier to use for a smaller amount, easier to clean, and gets the job done just as well. Add the liquid first, then the frozen fruit, and blend in short bursts until smooth. This is the NutriBullet I own.

Either way, the key is to add liquid one tablespoon at a time. Start with one tablespoon of almond milk and blend. If it needs more, add another tablespoon and blend again. The goal is the thickest consistency that will still blend — somewhere between soft-serve ice cream and a very thick smoothie.

My Banana Freezing Trick

When my bananas start getting a little too ripe — brown spots on the skin, softer than I’d want to eat fresh — I don’t throw them away. I peel them, cut them into coin-sized pieces, and freeze them in individual small freezer bags, one banana per bag.

This does two things. First, it means I never waste bananas. Second, it means I always know exactly how much frozen banana I have — one bag equals one banana, which makes measuring for nice cream effortless.

Frozen banana coins also work perfectly in smoothies, so a well-stocked freezer of banana bags means I always have a smoothie or nice cream ingredient ready to go. It’s a small habit that makes a real difference in how easy it is to eat well on the days when you don’t have a lot of energy to spare.

Easy Ways to Make It Your Own

Nice cream is one of the most flexible recipes I make. Once you have the cherry-banana base, you can adjust in any direction.

More cherry, less banana. If you want a more intense cherry flavor and less sweetness, increase the cherries to 2 cups and use just one banana. The texture will be slightly less creamy but still delicious.

More banana, less cherry. For a sweeter, creamier result, use two full cups of cherries and two bananas. This version is closer to classic banana nice cream with cherry flavor running through it.

Add a handful of spinach. It blends in completely invisibly — the cherry color hides it entirely — and adds folate, magnesium, and iron without changing the flavor at all. This is one of my favorite ways to quietly add greens to a dessert.

Add ground flaxseed. One tablespoon blends in without affecting the flavor and adds omega-3 fatty acids and soluble fiber — if you want to know more about why I add flaxseed to so many recipes, I wrote about it in The $5 MS Game-Changer.

Cacao nibs as an occasional topping. I rarely use cacao nibs because they naturally contain trace amounts of heavy metals, which is worth being aware of if you eat them regularly. But for a special occasion — an anniversary, a birthday — a small sprinkle on top is a lovely finishing touch. Use them sparingly rather than as an everyday addition. If you do use cacao nibs occasionally, this is the brand I’d choose.

Serve immediately or freeze for later. Nice cream is best eaten right after blending, when it’s the consistency of soft-serve. If you want to make it ahead, freeze it in a container and let it sit at room temperature for 5–10 minutes before serving — it will firm up in the freezer and need a few minutes to soften to the right consistency.

A Note on Cherries and Digestion

Cherries are high in fiber and sorbitol, a natural sugar alcohol that can have a laxative effect in larger amounts. This recipe uses 1.5–2 cups of frozen cherries, which is a perfectly reasonable serving. Just enjoy it at a comfortable pace rather than eating the whole bowl in two minutes — your digestive system will thank you, especially if your gut is sensitive.

Common Questions

Can I use fresh cherries instead of frozen? Fresh cherries won’t give you the same creamy texture because the recipe depends on the fruit being frozen solid. If you want to use fresh cherries, pit them, spread them on a baking sheet, and freeze until solid before blending. It’s an extra step but worth it.

What if my nice cream is too thick to blend? Add almond milk one tablespoon at a time, blending between additions. Don’t add it all at once — a little goes a long way, and too much liquid quickly turns this into a smoothie.

Can I make this ahead? Yes — freeze leftovers in a sealed container. Let it sit at room temperature for 5–10 minutes before serving to soften back to a scoopable consistency. It keeps well in the freezer for up to a month.

Is this recipe good during a flare? Yes — it requires almost no prep and no cooking. If your bananas are already frozen and your cherries are in the freezer, the only effort is blending. On a hard day, that’s a very manageable ask.

Can kids eat this? Absolutely — kids love it. It looks and tastes like ice cream, and there’s nothing in it they need to avoid. It’s one of those recipes that works for the whole family regardless of dietary approach.

Cherry Nice Cream Ingredients

2 ripe bananas, peeled, sliced into coins, and frozen
1½–2 cups frozen dark cherries
1–3 tablespoons almond milk, added one tablespoon at a time

Optional topping: Fresh dark cherries

Cherry nice cream is the recipe I come back to every single summer — it’s that good. If you make it, leave a comment below and let me know whether you kept it simple or added something that made it even better. I read every single one.

Recipe