What could be better on a swelteringly hot day than to enjoy a delicious, nutritious, cool, refreshing – but also just a little decadent – chocolate ice cream pop? Although that being said, you definitely don’t need to limit yourself to warm weather to enjoy a sweet treat that’s also loaded with goodness.
These ice cream pops make a great dinner party dessert, which you can serve more informally when everyone’s enjoyed their main meal and moved away from the dining table. Heck, you can even have them for breakfast if that’s what you feel like! I also like them as a healthy snack in-between meals, to satiate your appetite and give your body the natural energy that it needs to get through the next few hours – and they’re a great pick-me-up if you feel an afternoon slump coming on.
Coconut milk adds a lovely smooth texture to the ice cream, and its unique fatty acids can help with weight loss and weight management, improve the function of your immune system, reduce your risk of heart disease, and improve your hair and skin health.
Delicious cashew butter (which you will catch me spooning straight from the jar sometimes) is full of nutrients like protein, calcium, iron, vitamin E and so on, with a moderate amount of healthy fats. It makes sure your metabolic functions and immune system are working properly, fights free radicals, keeps your heart healthy, and helps to prevent diabetes. 
Raw cacao powder (as well as the dark chocolate, but to a lesser extent) is absolutely chock full of antioxidants. It’s the highest plant based source of iron, is full of magnesium to boost your brain and heart health, is high in calcium for strong bones, and it’s a natural mood elevator so it will also leave you feeling happy!
Bananas add to that happy feeling with their tryptophan content. They’re also high in fiber and help with digestion, they’re good for your heart health, provide your body with essential vitamins and minerals, help to lower your blood pressure, and they help to fight anemia.
And finally, the zesty citrus flavor from your orange essential oil further increases the nutrient content of your popsicles. It’s known to be an anti-depressant, it has anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer and anti-septic properties, improves your digestion, encourages detoxification, and it promotes your body’s production of collagen as well as increasing blood flow to the skin.
And if that weren’t delicious and nutritious enough, you still have your toppings to add! A tip for doing this in the least messy way possible, is to lay the popsicles onto wax paper or baking paper, and then drizzle the melted chocolate and sprinkle the rest of the toppings. When everyone’s helped themselves to a popsicle, simply scrunch up the paper and throw it away.
Non-Dairy Ice Cream Pops with Chocolate
Ingredients
- 1 cup full fat coconut milk refrigerated overnight
- 2 tbsp cashew butter
- 1 cup vegan good quality dark chocolate melted and cooled
- 2 tsp raw cacao powder
- 2 ripe bananas cut into slices, frozen
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp food-grade orange essential oil
- Toppings: melted vegan chocolate bee pollen, rose petals, hemp hearts, almond flakes, crushed raw cacao nibs, chopped mint leaves
Instructions
- Add the coconut milk, cashew butter, 3/4 cup melted chocolate and cacao powder into the food processor and pulse to incorporate.
- Transfer the mixture into a bowl and set aside.
- Add the frozen banana slices into the processor and pulse to obtain medium crumbles.
- Add the coconut-chocolate mixture and pulse until smooth.
- Add the orange oil and pulse to incorporate.
- Divide the mixture into the ice cream popsicle molds, add the sticks and freeze overnight.
- Remove from the molds and drizzle with melted chocolate and toppings, then serve.
Notes
I literally spent an hour yesterday brainstorming vegan ice cream flavor combos and then this showed up in my inbox this morning. Great minds think alike!
I’m doing the Whole30 right now, but as soon as I’m finished these pops and I are going to get to know each other. 😉
Wow, how cool is that!! Very interested in Whole30 too, but I can’t imagine life without beans and legumes. I hope it does wonders for you! 🙂
It’s a yummy recipe for the hot summer days.
It proves that vegan foods can be delicious.
For those that want to be everyday vegans, there is a good guide :
http://stop-animal-cruelty.org/the-ultimate-guide-to-vegan/
Thank’s for sharing Ana