A leafy green mint ice cream made nutritious with hidden veggies and fruits, light and airy, and easy to make with only 5 ingredients and no ice cream maker needed!
A leafy green mint ice cream that tastes creamy and minty, with chunks of chocolate in every bite. It's high in fiber and protein, and bright with a strong mint flavor thanks to both fresh mint leaves and extract. Ice cream is so easy to make with bananas (this recipe), but if you want a non-banana ice cream, you might want to try my chocolate ice cream and my sweet potato ice cream.
Why You'll Love This
A beautiful color green. Thanks to fresh leafy greens, including spinach, kale and mint, and matcha powder, the soft green color of this ice cream is enticing.
A cool minty flavor. Fresh mint and mint extract make this ice cream a mint dream. And the mint is more than flavor, and is known for calming stress and cramps.
Nutritious. Thanks to bananas and yogurt, this ice cream has an incredible creamy texture. And both contribute fiber, protein and potassium to this delicious treat. And although this ice cream is dairy-free and vegan, it's really going to be a welcome treat to all eaters.
How to Make
Step 1: Prep
- 1.Freeze everything the night before preferably.
- 2.Clean your leafy greens and mint, pat dry with paper towels, and freeze in an air tight container.
- 3.Peel your bananas, chop into one-inch chunks, and store in an air tight container.
Step 2: Make Ice Cream
- Blend all ingredients until combined. Add a bit more milk if your blender gets stuck, but not more than 2 tablespoons more.
Step 3: Without an Ice Cream Maker
- 1.Fold in chocolate chips. Pour the mixture into ice cube trays.
- 2.Freeze about 2 hours or until the cubes easily release from the tray.
- 3.Re-blend until creamy.
- 4.Scoop into ice cream dishes. Sprinkle and enjoy!
Recipe Tips
Be sure your leafy greens and mint leaves are frozen. I mean crispy frozen. I always keep baby kale and baby spinach and chopped chard leaves frozen in the freezer for many recipes, including smoothies. Then crush them into confetti with clean hands as I add them to a blender.
FAQS
Sherbert vs. Sorbet vs. Granita
Sherbert: Sherbert is also spelled “Sherbet”, both variations are correct according to Merriam Webster. And it is like sorbet with a creamy ingredient added. In the vegan world, the creamy ingredient we add is coconut or cashew yogurt. Or cashew cream or coconut cream or even avocado.
Sorbet: The definition of sorbet is a frozen treat made of only fruit and sugar. And in my world, the “fruit” can sometimes be a veggie😍. Here I made a cilantro sorbet. And let's kick the sugar to the curb, shall we? It's best to depend on the added fruit for sweetness.
Granita: And then there is granita, which is basically sorbet only in icy flake form.
Ice Cream vs. Nicecream
Ice Cream: Ice cream is made with heavy cream, and is typically considered dairy based.
Nicecream: Nicecream is basically a non-dairy ice cream made primarily with bananas, but often such ingredients as cashews, coconut cream or avocados. Nicecream is considered suitable for vegans in that no animal was harmed (nice).
Some of my other nicecreams are my Blueberry Citrus Sherbet and my Cauliflower Ice Cream.
Q & A
What Kind of Mint Is in Mint Ice Cream?
I use fresh mint leaves here as well as mint extract.
Is Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Typically Peppermint or Spearmint?
The commercial version combine both peppermint and spearmint mixed, or vanilla and peppermint mixed. The fresh recipes usually depend on fresh mint and possibly mint extract.
Can You Add More Fresh Herbs to Homemade Ice Cream?
Yes! Choose from basil, cilantro, oregano, parsley and thyme. All those flavors go well with mint ice cream.
Other Healthy Ice Creams
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📖 Recipe
Leafy Green Mint Ice Cream
Ingredients
- 1 cup baby leafy greens
- 2 tablespoon mint leaves, frozen and crushed
- 3 bananas, frozen
- ½ cup dairy-free yogurt or a small frozen banana
- 1 teaspoon mint extract
- ½ teaspoon matcha powder optional, for color
Optional Fold-in
- ½ cup mini chocolate chips
Useful Equipment
- Half Moon Ice Cube Tray
- sprinkles (I use this brand)
Instructions
Prep
- Freeze everything the night before preferably.
- Clean your leafy greens and mint, pat dry with paper towels, and freeze in an air tight container.
- Peel your bananas, chop into one-inch chunks, and store in an air tight container.
Make Ice Cream
- Blend all ingredients until combined. Add a bit more milk if your blender gets stuck, but not more than 2 tablespoons more.1 cup baby leafy greens, 2 tablespoon mint leaves, frozen and crushed, 3 bananas, frozen, ½ cup dairy-free yogurt, 1 teaspoon mint extract, ½ teaspoon matcha powder
Without Churn
- Fold in chocolate chips. Pour the mixture into ice cube trays.½ cup mini chocolate chips
- Freeze about 2 hours or until the cubes easily release from the tray.
- Re-blend until creamy.
- Scoop into ice cream dishes. Sprinkle and enjoy!
Notes
2. Blend up all ingredients except for mix-ins. Refrigerate for one hour.
3. Pour mixture into your chilled ice cream maker container and churn according to your maker's instructions.
4. Fold in the mix-ins when the churning is completed.
5. Store the ice cream in an ice-cream safe container in the freezer.
Nicole Jenkins
Hi there! This looks great! At what point would I want to churn the ingredients if I have a churn? Thanks!
Dee Dine
I updated the recipe to include steps to take if you have an ice cream maker, but also read your ice cream maker instructions as they are all a bit different. Good luck! Dee
Ela
This Mint Chocolate Chip Sherbert looks amazing, Dee! I love that the recipe contains only 5 ingredients! Awesome. 🙂
Dee Dine | Green Smoothie Gourmet
Thank you so much Ela! Dee xx