Black Sesame Nice Cream

Are you craving something sweet but want to keep it healthy? Try our creamy and nutty 3 ingredient Black Sesame Nice Cream.  It’s ready in just 5 minutes, requires no churning and it’s vegan too.

This quick and easy dessert is made with black sesame paste (kuro neri goma), frozen ripe bananas and a splash of non-dairy milk. All you need is a little help from a food processor or blender to transform these simple ingredients into a decadent and rich homemade ice cream.  When you crave something cool and sweet, this Japanese treat won’t disappoint.

What Does it Taste Like?

Have you ever tried a peanut butter and banana sandwich? Isn’t it delightful how the sweetness of the bananas perfectly complements the nutty, earthy flavors of the peanuts?  This healthy black sesame ice cream has a similar taste profile but with a deeper and richer flavor but it’s entirely gluten free. In addition, the charcoal black color is stunning.  So, let’s get cracking on the recipe!

Ingredients

Frozen bananas – chopped into slices. It’s best to use ripe bananas as they are sweet.

Black sesame paste – or you can use plain black sesame tahini.  However, you will need to add a sweetener like maple syrup, date paste or honey to sweeten to combat the slight bitter taste of tahini.

Non-dairy milk – just a little to get the mixture moving in the food processor or blender. We used almond milk.  This black sesame ice cream is also delicious with coconut milk, soy milk, hemp milk or non-dairy of choice. If you do not need to keep this recipe lactose free or vegan, feel free to use regular milk.

How to make Black Sesame Ice Cream ?

• Slice frozen bananas.
• Place in food processor or blender and blend.
• Brush down the sides of the food processor or blender and add a little non-dairy milk to get the nice cream moving.

• Add black sesame paste and blend until smooth.

• Enjoy as a soft serve ice cream or place in a freezer safe container for 2 hours or until frozen.

Food Processor vs Blender

The food processor is more efficient for making black sesame nice cream. However, both devices can get the job done. Here are the differences and the techniques required depending on the device you have at your disposal.

Food Processor

1. After you add the sliced frozen bananas to the food processor, blend until the mixture looks like sand like we did without matcha nice cream.
2. Sometimes, the banana mixture will continue to blend until smooth.  However, often you will have to add a teaspoon at a time of non-dairy milk to get the mixture moving. With a food processor, we can usually get away with as little as 1 tablespoon of non-dairy milk to achieve a soft and creamy texture.
3. Then, you can add the black sesame paste and continue mixing until smooth like soft serve ice cream.

Blender

1. After you add the frozen sliced bananas to the blender, put the lid on and attempt to blend. Often, you will need to stop the blender and push the bananas down to the blades with a spatula.
2. Then, add a tablespoon at a time of your non-dairy milk of choice to get it moving. We ended up adding ¼ cup almond milk to get it moving. The goal is to add a little non-dairy milk as possible to keep it thick or else you will end up with a smoothie.
3. A blender will need a little more personal attention. You will need to stop the blender a few times to push down the banana mixture to the blades to get the banana nice cream moving.

How to Freeze Nice Cream?

• Freezing the black sesame seed nice cream for 2 hours makes it easier to scoop.
• If you freeze the nice cream overnight, it will freeze solid. Please set the nice cream out on the counter at room temperature for about 15 minutes before attempting to scoop.

How to Enjoy?

• Enjoy black sesame nice cream right away as a soft serve or freeze for 2 hours for a firmer texture.
• Try this healthy ice cream in a cone or waffle bowl.
• Top with a crispy strawberry pirouette cookie.
• Top with fresh fruit, coconut whipped topping, extra toasted sesame seeds, vegan chocolate chips or even a little strawberry rhubarb jam. 
• Pour soft serve black sesame ice cream into popsicle molds and freeze overnight for a sweet treat.
• Make a Japanese black sesame and matcha affogato. Place a few scoops of black sesame nice cream into a glass and top with a warm matcha latte for a delicious treat.

Frozen Banana Ice Cream Tips

• One serving is 1 frozen banana with 1+ tablespoon of black sesame paste.
• If you have a large food processor, you will want to use at least 3 to 4 frozen bananas so that the blades can get moving with 3 to 4 tablespoons of black sesame paste.
• Use RIPE bananas for a naturally sweet ice cream.
• Add more black sesame paste, for a deeper nuttier flavor.
• On the other hand, if you want a more prominent banana flavor – add less black sesame paste.
• Feel free to keep black sesame nice cream in a freezer safe container in the freezer for up to 3 months.
• Eat it slow so you don’t get a brain freeze!

Japan’s Black Sesame Craze

Living in Japan, we had the unique experience of tasting everything black sesame in Japan. From the best homemade Black sesame bread at the Japanese bakery to Furikake seasoning on onigiri to salads and ramen. We are completely enamored with the flavor of black sesame.

Some of our favorite ways to enjoy black sesame are in desserts like mochi, bubble tea, mochi donuts, black sesame balls, pudding, cookies, milk bread and of course black sesame nice cream. Are you ready to join the black sesame craze?