Upgrade Your Banana Nice Cream With These Genius Flavor Combinations

When it gets hot outside, I reach for one of two things at the end of a long day—Sauvignon Blanc or ice cream. And while I never get sick of a chilled glass of wine, sometimes ice cream can get a bit same-old, same-old. Especially when I'm making it myself in the form of banana-based vegan "nice" cream.

Yes, banana ice cream is one of the easiest desserts known to man (especially since it only requires frozen bananas to make), but it's easy to feel kind of ho-hum about it after making it on the regular. Thankfully, chef and nutritionist Mia Rigden offers some clever ways to mix up the now-classic dessert on the latest episode of Well+Good’s YouTube series Alt-Baking Bootcamp.

Once you whip up your base of frozen bananas in the food processor or blender, Rigden says it's time to get creative with your add-ins. Some of her favorite vegan ice cream flavors include:

• Tahini and dates
• Fresh mint
• Cinnamon and cardamom
• Rocky road with vegan marshmallows, chocolate chips, and nuts
• Peanut butter and chocolate (which she demonstrates in the video)

"The options are endless," she says. Basically, this is your chance to experience the world's best job—food scientist—and do a little research and development into finding epic vegan ice cream flavor combos that are not so 2017. (IMO, fresh fruits—like strawberries or blueberries—are solid ingredient options, too.)

As an added bonus, vegan ice cream is a great way to reduce food waste.  "You always have leftover bananas and are trying to figure out what to do with them, so if you're sick of making banana bread—which I think a lot of us might be—this is a great alternative for something you can do with those frozen bananas," says Rigden.

Sick of banana bread? Never! But in the mood for fancified vegan ice cream? Always.