Cherry swirl ice cream is a no-churn ‘nice-cream’ that is prepped in under 10 minutes and is the perfect cool summer treat. Enjoy this naturally sweetened treat on a hot summer day.
I love dark sweet cherries. Maybe because they’re only available fresh here in the Midwest during the summer. The idea of exclusive fruit that is at the peak of its sweet juicy flavor makes me so joyous.
But, I hate trying to bake with cherries. Pitting them, plucking the stems off, dicing what little flesh is left. That makes my heart sad.
I understand there are contraptions out there to pit cherries. And while this sounds great in theory, pitting one cherry at a time still sounds time consuming. Please tell me if these cherry pitters are actually worth it, and I will totally invest in this one-use gizmo.
Instead, I decide to let someone else do all the work for me and pit those sweet-tart cherry morsels and flash freeze them for easy use. Bonus that no one is adding sugar to their frozen fruit.
Frozen pitted dark sweet cherries are like the holy grail of frozen produce. Inexpensive, pits removed {because pits are the pits 😂😂} and still nice and sweet. Plus, frozen cherries are a delicious wholesome, cold snack.
Speaking of delicious sweet cold snacks, this dark cherry swirl ice cream. I could eat this non-stop. Summer-time or not, this ‘nice-cream’ will always be on my list of frozen treats to quickly whip up.
Cherry swirl ice cream: One blender and five ingredients
Summer-time should be all about enjoying the outdoors and cool, palate pleasing treats. The last thing you likely want to be doing is spending a lot of time in the kitchen.
That’s why this cherry swirl ice cream will become your best friend. It only uses one blender and five ingredients to create this simple treat.
Frozen cherries are a must, and they’re blended with molasses. I love the dark sweet, and slightly smokey, flavor molasses has. It pairs perfectly with the dark sweet cherries.
Clean out the blender and add frozen bananas {for natural sweetness and thickener}, coconut milk {it really won’t taste coconut-y}, a tiny bit of natural sugar and vanilla. Blend until it’s a thick smoothie consistency.
Time to swirl
Pour the banana mixture into a freezer safe bowl and then pour in the cherry mixture.
Swirling is the fun part. Use a spoon or knife to swirl the cherry puree throughout the banana nice-cream. And that’s it. All that’s left is to let the freezer do its job.
When it’s ready to eat, let it sit out for about 5-10 minutes to soften before serving. Scoop up this frozen goodness and top with either fresh cherries, strawberries, blackberries, a drizzle of molasses or honey.
Maybe some crushed walnuts if you’re a fan of nuts in your sundae? Either way, I think you’re going to love this new cherry swirl ice cream for summer.
Looking for more easy summer treats? Check out these recipes below:
Strawberry basil rosé frozen yogurt
Red, white and blue cookie dough bites
- 1 ½ cups frozen pitted dark sweet cherries
- 2 Tbsp. mild molasses
- 1 {13.5 oz} can lite coconut milk, shaken
- 2 Tbsp. raw cane sugar
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 1 ½ cups frozen banana slices
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In the jar of a blender, add the cherries and molasses. Blend on low speed until smooth. Pour into a small bowl and set aside. Rinse out the blender.
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In the jar of the blender, add all of the ice cream ingredients. Blend on medium speed until thick and smooth.
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Pour the banana ice cream mixture into a freezer safe container. Pour the cherry puree into the center and swirl until the cherry puree is incorporated.
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Cover and place in the freezer overnight.
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Let the ice cream sit on the counter for about 5-10 minutes to soften before eating. You can also place the container in the microwave to soften, microwaving 10-15 seconds at a time.*
*Note: microwave for 5-10 seconds if you’re about halfway through the ice cream.
