Instant Beetroot Banana Ice Cream

Since this beet & chocolate raw cheesecake happened, I've decided the whole blog will be chocolate and beets from now on. It was just that good... Just kidding! It is a lovely combo to be sure, but I wanted to share another beet-themed dessert (or my breakfast in this case, actually... ) because:

a) if you're going to splurge on beetroot powder (for the aforementioned cheesecake) you probably want to know what else you can do with it, b) I thought to take the opportunity to share a few tips on this veggie powder and it's wonderful potential, and c) because this is a dang delicious quick breakfast or treat, so if you're not in the mood for a whole cake, this might do the trick.

So... why beetroot powder over fresh whole or cooked beets? I think I got asked that question more times than I can number since I shared that chocolate beet cake recipe yesterday. And it is definitely a fair question to ask. To be clear, I have nothing against beets. In fact I love them. Especially pickled or in hummus (beets + hummus are known as "bummus" around here ❤️). I also love them in dessert -- especially in brownies or chocolate cake, etc.  If you're looking for something to use those fresh farmer's market beets many of you mentioned in comments, those two recipes are a good start...

But one day I picked up some beetroot powder at the store. I planned to use a hint of it as a natural pink / red color in a recipe where I didn't want to taste any beets... and where blending whole beets wasn't an option anyhow. So I had it on hand, used it in that recipe, but then sort of got a little hooked on the convenience factor. I know whole fresh (or freshly cooked foods) are amazing of course. But sometimes you just want to add a little something extra, a bit of a boost to your breakfast, smoothie, or cake, and don't necessarily have cooked beets ready... raw beetroot powder from the pantry to the rescue.

In truth, raw beet powder is actually quite nutritious and will give whatever you add it to a good boost with nearly most of the benefits of whole beets. It's just dehydrated beets and nothing else. 1 tablespoon (or 3 teaspoon powder) = 1 whole beet. That's quite a lot of veg you can cram in an instant into something, a lot of nutrients in a tiny pink mound of dust.

One of the nice things I noticed about the powder is that the taste isn't as strong (unless you add a lot) as compared to a whole beet or a cooked beet. So it disguises itself far better in desserts like that cake or this ice cream. Adds a lot of value, but doesn't make your dessert taste like a salad... By the way, we're discussing beets here, but you can use other sweet veg powders as well (carrot powder, for instance, is another lovely option. etc.).

I also like that the beet powder doesn't add any more moisture to the recipe, so in the case of frozen desserts (like raw cakes, ice cream, etc.) it doesn't add any "iciness" which whole beets (or whole fruit / veg) can sometimes add due to its natural water content.

So in a nutshell, it's a nice add in to a recipe where you want to increase nutrients. It's a wonderful natural food color. And it feels good to sneak veggies into things. Strangely, quite satisfying, actually.

In this ice cream, the pairing of the mild accent of the beet + chocolate + a smooth creamy nice cream base makes a delicious raw treat that takes minutes to assemble. Nice cream in general is my daily #dessertforbreakfast obsession, and while I like to keep it simple (read: easy), I vary it a lot. So this is a nice combo to have in the repertoire.

A few people were concerned with finding beet powder... While of course I don't know what's available in which country, in North America you can find beet powder online (like on Amazon or iherb, etc.) -- there's quite a variety of options. I found places like Bulk Barn (Canada) or supplement stores will sometimes carry it in the vitamins and supplement sections. Same for big chain grocery stores in the natural aisle or the supplements aisle. It's quite a common natural supplement so typically not too hard to find (I've gotten it as capsules sometimes and just emptied the capsule contents to use the powder as needed).

Also, on that note, I know fruit and veg powders can sometimes seem to cost a lot, keep in mind these powders are incredibly concentrated. For example, as I mentioned above 3 teaspoon of the powder = 1 whole beet. So the small bag / package isn't always as expensive as it seems.

P.S. If you felt like a real veg bowl dessert breakfast, you might like this creamy cauliflower breakfast bowl from the archive.

Instant Beetroot Banana Ice Cream

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5 from 1 review

Mild, delicious beetroot banana ice cream made with dried beet powder. Gorgeous pink color, boost nutrients, add sneaky veggies to your nice cream. Dairy-free.

• Author: Audrey @ Unconventional Baker
• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Cook Time: 2 minutes
• Total Time: 7 minutes
• Yield: 1 serving
• Category: Ice Cream
• Method: Raw
• Cuisine: Dessert

Ingredients

Nice Cream:

• 3 frozen bananas (peeled before freezing)
• 2 -3 teaspoon raw or regular beetroot powder
• ¼ tsp cinnamon
• ¼ tsp raw ground vanilla bean or a small splash pure vanilla extract
• Splash of non dairy milk (optional for creaminess / easier blending)
• optional: maple syrup to taste (I didn't use any here)

Toppings:

• assorted chocolate toppings of your choice (chocolate chunks, cacao nibs, shavings, etc.), and dried edible rose petals

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Instructions

1. Blend all nice cream ingredients in a power blender (or alternatively process in a food processor) into ice cream consistency (add more dairy-free milk for a creamier bowl consistency, or omit for firmer ice cream-like texture).
2. Top with chocolate toppings of your choice and enjoy straight away!