Learn how to make these sugar-free and extra healthy homemade banana popsicles with chocolate and nut butter flavor for the best summer treat!
These homemade sugar-free banana popsicles with chocolate and nut butter are everything you need for this summer and even more! This recipe is love at first sight. It's pretty easy to make, it's chocolaty and fudgy without any dreadful ice crystals ruining your indulgence, it's very filling (due to the nut butter and banana) and healthy enough since it doesn’t contain any refined sugars or unhealthy fats. It's the perfect summer treat for kids and grown ups! And you won’t even need popsicle molds to make them! 🙂
I don’t think there’s even one internet user left who's not familiar with the 1 ingredient banana ice cream. You know, the one where you freeze a few ripe bananas, throw them in the food processor and after a minute or two, you have a healthy, creamy and delicious ice cream. Of course, this is just a basic recipe so by now there have been plenty of variations in which you can add honey, vanilla, cocoa powder, milk, strawberries and lots more, just to make a dessert suitable for your needs.
This sugar-free banana popsicles recipe is inspired by this ice cream, just because frozen ripe bananas offer a healthy, naturally sweet and soft base for the popsicles. To this base, I added a chocolate ganache (sort of), but not your everyday heavy cream and chocolate ganache, but a healthier one made with dark chocolate, almond milk, and tahini (instead of tahini you can use whatever nut butter you prefer).
The first time I photographed a frozen treat for the blog was for this bee pollen golden milk no-churn ice cream. I had planned ahead and made it early in May, but as it turned out, the weather was extremely warm that weekend something that made me running to the freezer and back all day, in desperate attempts to salvage the texture of my very soft and creamy ice cream which was starting to melt after 3-4 minutes outside the fridge!
For these banana chocolate popsicles, I had the (false) expectations that they would remain intact a bit longer than 3-4 minutes because they were more firm and fudgy. Well… they didn’t, but the magic shell helped a little and all went OK at the end 🙂
What nut butter to use in these sugar-free banana chocolate popsicles?
Any all-natural, no-sugar-added nut butter will do!
For kids, I believe peanut butter will be a great choice. Because chocolate has a strong flavor, tahini does not overpower its taste but gives it an extra nuttiness that goes really well with the rest of the ingredients. Hazelnut and roasted almond butter also work very well. A raw almond butter or cashew butter are more neutral, but that's not a bad thing, especially if you love the chocolate and banana combo 🙂
And in case you’re searching for ways to use tahini in your recipes without it overpowering the rest of the ingredients, you should also check this eggless olive oil and tahini chocolate cake, where tahini lends a subtle nuttiness and tenderness to the cake making it pretty awesome.
Why is this homemade popsicles recipe healthy?
Bananas contain several essential nutrients and have benefits for digestion, heart health, and weight loss. In addition, they are rich fiber and antioxidants.
Cocoa and dark chocolate can lower cholesterol levels in our body and prevent memory decline. Dark chocolate is also rich in fiber, Iron, Magnesium, Copper, Manganese and a few other minerals and antioxidants.
The nut butter provides a healthy dose of plant-based protein, plus it is high in healthy fat, amino acids, and vitamin E, B1, B2, B3, B5, and B15. It helps regulate blood pressure and promotes healthy cell growth, among other things.
Honey provides energy, nutrients and it’s a natural sweetener and memory booster.
Some notes/tips:
- Use any other kind of nut butter instead of tahini.
- Use maple syrup or agave nectar instead of honey if you’re vegan.
- Olive oil contributes to a creamier texture while adding some extra monounsaturated fats.
- Don’t throw away overripe bananas ever again! Peel, chop and freeze them. You’ll have them ready for the next time you want to make these popsicles!
- Don’t have popsicle molds? Fill some paper espresso coffee cups and you’re set to go!
- Don’t have popsicle sticks? Use colorful, ice cream plastic spoons instead!
- For this recipe, you will not need an ice-cream machine, just a food processor or even a blender.
- Optionally, you can dip popsicles in the magic shell and sprinkle some crushed roasted almonds on top.
Similar recipes:
Faux tiramisu in a glass
Melt-in-your-mouth olive oil brownies
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Recipe
Sugar-free banana popsicles recipe (chocolate & nut butter)
Ingredients
- 3.5 oz (100 grams) chopped dark chocolate, 55% cocoa at least
- ¼ cup nut butter
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons Dutch-processed cocoa
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 cup vegan milk (or regular milk for non-vegans)
- ¼ - ⅓ cups honey or maple syrup
- Pinch of salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 ½ – 2 cups ripe bananas (about 4 large)
- 8 espresso paper cups /94 oz / 100 ml)
- 8 wooden sticks or small plastic spoons
- Optional: magic shell and crushed roasted almonds or pistachios
Instructions
- Chop the bananas and place in the freezer for at least 4 hours or overnight.
- In a small pot combine the cocoa, cinnamon, salt, chocolate, tahini and olive oil. Place over medium heat and stir until chocolate is melted. Remove from heat and add the honey, milk, and vanilla. Stir well until combined and homogenized. Cool in the fridge for four hours or overnight.
- Transfer the frozen bananas and the chocolate mixture to a food processor and process well until creamy. Fill 8 cups with the mixture, place sticks in the middle of each cup and freeze for at least 6 hours.
- To unmold, deep each cup into a bowl with hot water for 10-20 seconds ot just tear and peel off the cups.
- Eat!
Notes
- Suggested nut butters: tahini, peanut butter, hazelnut butter, almond butter, cashew butter
- For the magic shell, you’ll need to melt together 5.25 oz (150 grams) dark chocolate, 1.75 oz (50 grams) coconut oil and 1 teaspoon honey. Wait until lukewarm to use.
- Dip half a popsicle in a small bowl filled with magic shell and sprinkle with nuts. Wait 10-20 seconds to set.
- It is best to unmold each popsicle just before eating, but you can also unmold them all together and store in the freezer in an airtight container.
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Maria
Beautiful, tasty and healthy, great combination!
Makos
Thank you very much Maria!