Lemon Cheesecake Nice Cream
Published 1/13/2024 • Updated 8/6/2024
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This lemon cheesecake nice cream is made with frozen bananas, cottage cheese, lemon zest and vanilla extract, and then topped with crumbled graham crackers and more lemon zest! It has 9 grams of protein per serving, making it one amazing dessert.
If you’ve been making Fit Foodie Finds recipes for a while, you know we love a good frozen dessert recipe, and we especially love ice cream. Whether it’s a cottage cheese base or a frozen banana base, we love the creamy texture and amazing flavor nice cream has to offer.
Best part about this recipe? It brings together a cottage cheese base with a frozen banana base for the most amazingly creamy nice cream that tastes just like lemon cheesecake. And you can eat it right out of the food processor 😀
What You Need for Cheesecake Nice Cream
- Bananas: Large, ripe bananas are the base of this recipe, providing natural sweetness and a creamy texture when frozen. Learn how to freeze bananas here!
- Cottage Cheese: 2% cottage cheese adds a creamy and slightly tangy element, boosting the protein content of the nice cream.
- Lemon Zest: The zest from one lemon, about 3-4 teaspoons, infuses the nice cream with a bright and zesty citrus flavor.
- Vanilla Extract: Two teaspoons of vanilla extract enhance the overall flavor profile, imparting a subtle, sweet taste that’s perfect for cheesecake.
- Graham Cracker Sheet: Don’t skip this! A crumbled graham cracker sheet serves as a delicious and crunchy topping for the nice cream, which gives the texture of a graham cracker crust.
- Agave Syrup or Honey (Optional): If desired, 1-2 tablespoons of agave syrup or honey can be added to sweeten the nice cream to your liking.
How to Serve Lemon Cheesecake Nice Cream
No matter how you serve this cheesecake nice cream, it will be delicious. Here are our favorite options:
- Soft Serve: If you like to enjoy your nice cream as a soft serve, go ahead and serve it right away topped with lemon zest and graham cracker crumbs.
- Ice Cream: If ice cream is more of your jam, line a loaf pan with parchment paper and pour the lemon cheesecake nice cream in the pan. Evenly spread the nice cream out, top with lemon zest and graham cracker crumbs and cover with plastic wrap. Place it in the freezer for at least 2 hours before scooping and serving.
More Protein Ice Cream Recipes
- Blackberry Cheesecake Cottage Cheese Ice Cream
- Cookies and Cream Protein Ice Cream
- Strawberry Banana Protein Ice Cream
- Strawberry Shortcake Ice Cream Bars
- Chocolate Protein Ice Cream
Pro Tips for Cheesecake Nice Cream
- Use frozen bananas: Make sure your bananas are completely frozen before you blend it in the food processor.
- Do not over process: Be careful not to blend the nice cream in the food processor for too long or it will be too melted / thin in consistency to scoop.
- Cover before freezing: If you do decide to freeze the cheesecake nice cream be sure to cover the container tightly to avoid freezer burn.
Variations & Substitutions
Add a berry: Berries pair so deliciously with cheesecake. A few raspberries or sliced strawberries would be delicious!
Amp up the protein: Add a scoop of vanilla protein powder right into the food processor to increase the protein content of this nice cream even more.
Jazz up the toppings: Add a sprinkle of coconut shreds, chopped nuts or good old fashioned rainbow sprinkles when serving this cheesecake nice cream.
Storage
Store leftover nice cream in the freezer, covered, for up to 3 months. We recommend storing in a glass container with a lid to avoid freezer burn.
Lemon Cheesecake Nice Cream
Ingredients
- 4 large ripe bananas, sliced and completely frozen
- ½ cup 2% cottage cheese
- Zest from 1 lemon, (~3-4 teaspoons)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Optional: 1-2 tablespoons agave syrup or honey
- 1 graham cracker sheet, crumbled
Instructions
- Add the bananas, cottage cheese, lemon zest, and vanilla extract to a high-speed food processor.
- Process the ingredients on high for 5-7 minutes, stirring the ingredients every few minutes. Process until thick and smooth.* Give it a taste. If you’d like the nice cream sweeter, add 1 tablespoon of agave syrup or honey at a time. Pulse to combine.
- If serving immediately, use an ice cream scoop to scoop the nice cream into a bowl. Top with crumbled graham crackers and fresh lemon zest.
- If serving later, line a loaf pan with parchment paper. Scoop the nice cream into the pan and cover. Freeze until ready to serve.
Tips & Notes
- Be careful not to over-process the nice cream or it will not be firm enough to scoop. If the mixture is too thin to scoop, skip to step 4 and freeze until firm enough to scoop.
Watch It
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Photography: photos taken in this post are by Ashley McGlaughlin from The Edible Perspective.
The lemon flavor is great with the lemon zest.
This was so yummy! I love the lemon and that the zest makes it just a little bitter (in a good way). I’ll definitely be doing this again!
This is one of my favorite protein desserts so far! Love the light-ness of the lemon and how the cottage cheese truly gives the cheesecake flavor. So good!!
This was my favorite high protein dessert recipe. I love lemon desserts and love that it’s just sweetened by banana. I can’t wait to make this again in the summer
I wasn’t sure about this recipe but I’m so glad I made it! So creamy and delicious! I will definitely make it again.
Enjoying this for dessert tonight! So light and refreshing and I can’t wait to have this in the summer!
I didn’t think I would love this one, but it was great! Would be a perfect summer treat!
All ready to freeze! Can’t wait to taste!!
I’m going to be sad when this challenge is over!!!
AMAZING!!! I’m already freezing more bananas to make it again tomorrow.
Super quick, easy, and delicious treat!!