10 Summer Dessert Alternatives To Ice Cream

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The moment the weather heats up, everyone wants frozen treats. You’re looking for every way to cool down, from outside to inside. You use the thermostat. You take cold showers. You wear lighter clothes. And ultimately, you eat cool foods to cool down from the inside. Interestingly enough, while the frozen treat ice cream seems to lower your body temperature, its high-fat content actually warms you up. So if you need another reason to look for alternatives to this food besides the calories, climate comfort may be one. But it just wouldn’t be summer without frozen treats, right? There’s something nostalgic about eating something sweet and icy on hot days. Everyone deserves that, regardless of dietary requirements.

Fortunately, there are tons of ways to satisfy your need for a sweet, frozen treat without turning to traditional dairy ice cream. If you get creative, you can enjoy sweet, icy foods that add almost nothing to your calorie count, and even provide some nutrition. Some of these items can be made from things you already have at home, and others are store-bought goodies we wanted to feature. Here are some refreshing ice cream alternatives for your summer frozen treats.

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Blended frozen bananas

Sometimes it feels like you bring a bundle of bananas home, turn around, look back, and they’ve gone from green to brown. Very few people like to eat overripe bananas, raw. They can be good to add to baked goods, so that’s one way to put them to use, but when it’s hot, you don’t really want baked banana bread or banana muffins. Instead of tossing out your brown bananas, freeze them. Once they’re frozen, toss them in the blender and blend them up. That’s it. The naturally creamy consistency of this fruit yields a tasty treat with a texture similar to sorbet, and it contains potassium and other vitamins and minerals.

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Cherimoya pulp

If you haven’t yet picked up this somewhat spiky green fruit at the market, it’s time to try it. Don’t let its hard outside fool you: inside is a sweet, creamy, delicious pulp that’s dessert-worthy. If you’re venturing into trying tropical fruits, this is an excellent starting point. Also known as Custard Apple, this fruit is loaded with potassium and magnesium and can improve digestion and reduce inflammation. But we’re talking treats here, so, like with bananas, freeze this fruit and once it’s hard, blend it up. Or, you can add some sugar and non-dairy creamer of your choosing to make this a bit more decadent.

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Frozen grapes

Want something sweet, fruity, and icy, but hate all of the artificial coloring, preservatives, and sugar found in store-bought popsicles? It’s too bad those treats must be loaded with so much bad stuff. The good news is, you can just freeze your grapes and have the icy treat you need. Here’s another trick: use frozen grapes instead of ice cubes in your cold beverages. They won’t water down your drink the way melted ice does, and can just be popped in your mouth for a snack while you’re sipping.

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Homemade avocado ice cream

Avocado season is upon us. If you’re lucky, you have a friend with a tree who is giving the stuff away and can avoid the price gouging that happens in the stores on this fruit. If you have your own tree, you may be looking for ways to use this fruit. Its naturally creamy consistency is perfect for homemade ice cream, and it offers healthy fats and vitamins. Plus, it makes your ice cream a beautiful green color. We like this recipe for a vegan option, that uses coconut milk. You can easily play with this recipe and add things like mint, strawberries, dark chocolate bits, and other favorite ingredients to make it special.

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Greek yogurt froyo

If you want something as close as possible to ice cream, without all of the sugar and empty calories, make your own Greek yogurt frozen yogurt. Low in sugar and high in protein, Greek yogurt is actually a very nutritious snack. Thanks to its semi-savory profile, it also pairs well with sweet or savory toppings. It’s easy to get creative with this one. All you really need is the Greek yogurt of your choosing, plus the frozen fruit of your choosing (try frozen strawberries, blueberries, mango, or raspberries—or all of them together!) and some maple syrup. Blend this combo up in your food processor, and you’ll have a thick and satisfying treat. You can play with the ratios to get the texture you prefer.

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Blended frozen Acai

The acai berry has an extremely impressive nutrition profile and is loaded with antioxidants. That’s why Acai bowl places have popped up on every corner of every metropolitan area. But you don’t need to pay $12.25 plus tip for your fix of this deep blue fruit. You can purchase either frozen Acai whole berries, or berry puree packets, at your grocery store. And then use recipes like these to blend those up with other frozen fruits, and top that off with treats like granola, coconut shreds, flaxseed, and pumpkin seeds. Simple frozen, blended Acai will already get you that signature, creamy consistency you find in Acai bowls from your favorite vendors.

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Halo Top Dairy-Free Ice Cream

The company that was already making a name for itself in the low-calorie ice cream space now has dairy-free options, so there’s no reason not to try them. Their pints come in several varieties, including Chocolate Almond Crunch, Peanut Butter Cup, and Sea Salt Caramel. Each pint has between 280 and 380 calories, so if you’re feeling indulgent and just want to curl up with a pint to yourself one night, it’s a pretty low-guilt experience. These are also loaded with protein, so you can use a small serving in place of a snack when you need to fill up.

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Sambazon Superfruit Acai Bites

Think of what you’d get if a chocolate-covered strawberry and an Acai bowl somehow had a baby and that baby was vegan…that’s this treat. It’s definitely worth putting on a platter for guests because it looks so fancy, but is really quite affordable. Each box contains nine individually wrapped bites, each of which contain just 50 calories and four grams of sugar. They’re also made with a good deal of Fair Trade ingredients, and the ingredients list itself is refreshingly short – you should be able to recognize and pronounce everything on it.

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Dole Crafted Smoothie Blends

If you just don’t have it in you to do all of the prep work that goes into smoothies, Dole Crafted Smoothie Blends should be on your shopping list. You pretty much just dump one of these packets into your blender along with your preferred milk or yogurt of choice – dairy or dairy-free will do – add ice, and blend, for a creamy, fruity concoction. Frozen bananas, mangos, kiwi, strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, and a little acid is all you’ll find in this ingredient list. You can even just eat the contents as a snack, on their own.