Chocolate Protein Ice Cream

4.63 from 16 votes
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This chocolate protein ice cream recipe is dairy-free and made with frozen bananas, cocoa powder, chocolate protein powder, and almond milk! It has 15 grams of protein per serving, making it one epic dessert.

Chocolate ice cream in a white bowl with sprinkles.
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We’ve been making protein ice cream for as long as I can remember. We first published this post in 2013 and it’s since been a favorite among readers and the team. This protein ice cream recipe is made with a base of frozen bananas, cocoa powder, vanilla extract, a splash of almond milk, and the star – your favorite chocolate protein powder.

After you blend it all up in a high-speed blender, the consistency will be like a thick Wendy’s Frosty. You can eat it immediately or freeze it for an hour or so to get scoopable ice cream consistency.

Why make this chocolate protein ice cream?

Not only is this protein ice cream thick and creamy but it can either be served straight out of the blender or frozen and scooped like traditional ice cream. Here are other reasons it’s the best!

  • Dairy-free
  • 6-ingredients
  • Easy to prepare
  • 15g protein/serving
All the ingredients for protein ice cream in small bowls.

What You Need for Protein Ice Cream

  • Bananas– the base of this protein ice cream is frozen bananas! Frozen bananas are easy to freeze, become creamy when frozen and blended, and add natural sweetness. Learn how to freeze bananas here!
  • Cocoa powder– it wouldn’t be chocolate ice cream without chocolate. We use unsweetened cocoa powder.
  • Chocolate protein powder – you make this chocolate protein ice cream extra chocolate-y by using chocolate protein powder. Feel free to use whey or plant based protein powder. Our personal favorite protein powder is Teras Whey.
  • Vanilla extract– a little extract adds delicious depth to ice cream.
  • Unsweetened almond milk– you only need a little bit of almond milk to think out the ice cream when you blend everything together.
  • Rainbow sprinkles– ice cream deserves a delicious topping. We chose rainbow sprinkles, but use whatever ice cream toppings you would like.

Best Protein Powders

Check out our top protein powder recommendations for baking, smoothies, and everything in between.

Blending chocolate protein ice cream in a blender.

How to Serve Chocolate Protein Ice Cream

No matter how you serve this chocolate ice cream, it will be delicious. Luck you, you get to decide how you want to serve it.

  1. Soft Serve: If you like to enjoy your ice cream as a soft serve, go ahead and eat the protein ice cream right away with your favorite ice cream topping.
  2. Ice Cream: If ice cream is more of your jam, line a loaf pan with parchment paper and pour the chocolate protein ice cream in the pan. Evenly spread the ice cream out and cover with plastic wrap. Place it in the freezer for at least 2 hours.

More Protein Ice Cream Recipes

Chocolate ice cream in a box with sprinkles.

Get Perfect Protein Ice Cream with These Tips & Tricks

Consistency is Key

The last thing you want is to end up with drippy chocolate protein ice cream. To avoid this you have to be sure to do a few things.

  • Make sure your bananas are frozen up until you blend it in the food processor.
  • Only add a little almond milk at a time to avoid a chocolate protein smoothie.
  • If you do decide to freeze the chocolate protein ice cream be sure to cover the ice cream so there isn’t freezer burn.

Choose your toppings + Mix-Ins

We chose a simple and classic ice cream topping, SPRINKLES! You can use any of the ingredients below as toppings or mix-ins.

  • chocolate chips
  • yogurt chips
  • peanut butter cups
  • fresh berries
  • coconut flakes
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sprinkling sprinkles on ice cream.

Variations

  • Add a frozen berry: ditch the cocoa powder and add frozen blueberries or strawberries.
  • Use a different flavor protein powder: don’t love chocolate? Swap your protein powder for vanilla or another yummy flavor such as banana or strawberry.
  • Go all out banana: use a banana-flavored protein powder and ditch the cocoa powder for a banana protein ice cream treat.

Storage

Store leftover protein ice cream in the freezer, covered, for up to 3 months. We recommend storing in a glass container with a lid.

4.63 from 16 votes

Chocolate Protein Ice Cream Recipe

This chocolate protein ice cream uses chocolate protein powder and frozen bananas to create a wonderfully thick and creamy ice cream that's actually nutritious!
Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 0 minutes
Total: 20 minutes
Servings: 2
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Ingredients 

  • 2 cups frozen sliced bananas
  • 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
  • ¼ cup chocolate protein powder, we used Garden of Life Chocolate Whey Protein
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2-4 tablespoon unsweetened almond milk*, You can also use a protein drink such as Corepower
  • Rainbow sprinkles, for topping

Instructions 

  • Place all ingredients into a high-speed blender or food processor.
    A blender filled with bananas and other ingredients.
  • Process on high until a smooth, thick consistency has been formed. Option to add more milk by the tablespoon as needed.
    blended protein ice cream.
  • Soft-serve: serve immediately, straight out of the blender. 
  • Ice cream: line a bread loaf with parchment paper. Then, transfer the protein ice cream into the loaf and use a spatula to spread it out evenly. Place the ice cream into the freezer for 1 to 2 hours to firm up. Use an ice cream scoop to serve. If your ice cream ends up freezing solid, let it sit on the counter for a few minutes before scooping and serving.
    A box of chocolate ice cream with sprinkles and a spoon.
  • Top with sprinkles and enjoy!

Tips & Notes

Watch It

[adthrive-in-post-video-player video-id=”9xpM8RLS” upload-date=”2024-01-04T20:43:19.000Z” name=”Chocolate Protein Ice Cream” description=”This chocolate protein ice cream recipe is dairy-free and made with frozen bananas, cocoa powder, chocolate protein powder, and almond milk! With 15 grams of protein per serving, it is a healthy treat too!” player-type=”default” override-embed=”default”]

Nutrition

Calories: 232 kcal, Carbohydrates: 41 g, Protein: 15 g, Fat: 3 g, Fiber: 6 g, Sugar: 20 g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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About Lee Funke

Lee is the founder of Fit Foodie Finds and based in Minneapolis, MN. She started this website in 2010 as a way to share her love for real food and wellness. The internet has changed so much since then and so has Fit Foodie Finds. Today we're a female-run recipe website publishing hundreds of tried and true recipes developed and tested by our team.

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Morgan Whitecotton
Morgan Whitecotton
January 30, 2024 8:02 pm

4 stars
Had more banana flavor than I was expecting! Preferred it fresh out of the blender but it kept well in the freezer too!

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Vanessa
Vanessa
January 30, 2024 5:13 pm

4 stars
Good chocolate flavor. Put a little to much milk but it kind of turned into a milkshake.

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Max Holcomb
Max Holcomb
January 29, 2024 2:58 pm

5 stars
We enjoyed this quite a bit. Spot on with the frosty description. We may try it with dark chocolate cocoa powder next time with peanut butter protein powder!

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Courtney
Courtney
January 27, 2024 9:22 pm

5 stars
This is the richest โ€œhealthyโ€ ice cream Iโ€™ve had! Itโ€™s almost too rich for me – I think Iโ€™ll cut down to 1 Tbsp cocoa powder next time. Overall, delicious. Impatiently waiting for it to firm up on the freezer, but the โ€œsoft serveโ€ was amazing!

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Amy
Amy
January 26, 2024 8:38 pm

4 stars
This is the only way that I will eat a banana! Easy dessert after a pizza party with the family.

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Kari
Kari
January 24, 2024 7:27 pm

5 stars
This was delicious! I added a little more milk before freezing and then put it in my Ninja Creami. It was so smooth and creamy!

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Kari
Kari
January 24, 2024 6:15 pm

5 stars
This was delicious! I added a little more almond milk, froze it and then spun in my ninja creami. Canโ€™t wait to make it again!

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Cari
Cari
January 23, 2024 10:23 am

5 stars
Delicious dessert and I love the extra protein added in. I canโ€™t wait to try it with different flavor combinations ๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿป

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