Name: Healthy Ice Cream
Yield: 10

This Healthy Ice Cream Recipe is made with sweet potatoes instead of bananas! You won’t even taste them. This recipe can be dairy-free, vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free.

Top this creamy chocolate ice cream with healthy caramel sauce and chopped dark chocolate. Try other flavors like blueberry or cashew next!

author’s note

The Healthy Ice Cream Recipe That Actually Tastes Good!

I’ve tested a lot of “healthy ice cream” recipes over the years, and honestly, most of them just didn’t do it for me. They either tasted too much like frozen bananas or had that icy, smoothie-like texture instead of real ice cream. I wanted something that actually felt like a treat, not just a healthier substitute that missed the mark.

So I started playing around with different bases and landed on something totally unexpected: sweet potatoes. I know, it sounds strange, and I almost didn’t even try it. But once I blended it with chocolate and churned it, I was genuinely shocked by how it turned out.

It was thick, creamy, and rich, like actual ice cream. Not icy, not overly light, but the kind you actually want to keep scooping. I handed it to my kids without saying a word, and not one of them guessed what was in it. That’s when I knew this one was a keeper.

Process shots of the sweet potatoes being prepped and the chocolate chips being melted

Healthy Ice Cream Recipe Ingredients

Sweet potato. It might sound strange, but no one ever notices it. The chocolate covers the flavor, and the sweet potato makes the ice cream thick and smooth.
Dark chocolate chips. I like Nestle’s® 53% cacao chips but any chocolate chips will work.
Coconut milk. I use lite coconut milk because it tastes more like chocolate and less like coconut.
Coconut sugar. You can leave it out, use brown sugar, or try liquid stevia (start with 1/4 teaspoon). Want it sweeter? Just add more.
Vanilla and sea salt. These two help bring out the flavor.

Quick Tip

Unsure which coconut milk to get? Look for unrefrigerated cans in the international aisle with Latin or Asian foods. I use Lite Thai Kitchen® Coconut Milk for this ice cream.

Process shots of all the ingredients being added to the blender and being blended and added to the ice cream maker

Let’s Talk More About Sweet Potatoes

Red and orange sweet potatoes are sometimes labeled “yams” at the store, but that’s not right. Real yams are starchier, drier, and hard to find in U.S. stores.
Go for orange or red-skinned sweet potatoes (like Red Garnet or Jewel)—they’re sweeter and creamier. Skip tan or purple-skinned ones since they’re drier.
Pick firm sweet potatoes without soft spots or weird spots.
Want to learn more? Try my roasted sweet potatoes, or skip the microwave with this baked sweet potatoes method.

Featured Comment

“This ice cream is sooo satisfying….you would never know it has a sweet potato in it. A great alternative with no compromise.”
– Sarah

Healthy Ice Cream Recipe Tips

Freeze the ice cream insert ahead of time. It needs to be fully frozen or the ice cream won’t set properly.
If your blender warms the mixture, chill it for 30–60 minutes before using the ice cream maker.

Healthy Ice Cream going into the freezer

Ice Cream Maker

For this healthy ice cream recipe, you’ll need an ice cream maker. Here’s the one I use and love.
If you’re determined to try this recipe without an ice cream maker, here’s the method for that. The consistency isn’t quite the same, and it’s a lot of extra work, but you’ll arrive at a similar outcome.

Quick Tip

In my ice cream maker, it takes about 25–30 minutes to churn. If it’s still too soft, move it to an airtight container and freeze for 2–3 more hours.

Up close image of a bowl of the Healthy Ice Cream

Can I Substitute Ingredients In This Recipe?

Of course, you can always experiment and try any substitutions you’d like, but I likely won’t be able to tell you if your specific substitution will work out. I’ve only tested this recipe as written and can’t say how recipe substitutions will work out.

The most common question on this recipe is how to replace the chocolate chips. There is no substitute I know of that will work for chocolate chips. Cocoa powder won’t work the same in this recipe.

Healthy Ice Cream Recipe Dietary Concerns

Gluten-free: While the ingredients in this ice cream are naturally gluten-free, make sure to check all your ingredient labels to verify they weren’t processed in a facility with gluten.
Dairy-free: Use dairy-free dark chocolate chips.
Vegan: Use dairy-free dark chocolate chips.
Vegetarian: As written, this healthy chocolate ice cream is vegetarian.