Dairy-Free & Lactose-Free Frozen Dessert Recipes

Find healthy, delicious dairy-free and lactose-free frozen dessert recipes, from the food and nutrition experts at EatingWell.

Staff Picks

Pineapple Nice Cream

Rating: Unrated
3
All-fruit, dairy-free and with no added sugar--these are the hallmarks of nice cream, a healthy alternative to ice cream. This pineapple nice cream has tropical flavors, thanks to a hit of mango and lime. It takes just minutes to make this naturally sweet frozen dessert in the food processor or a blender. Enjoy it alone, or top with fresh fruit and toasted coconut.
By Carolyn Casner

2-Ingredient Peanut Butter Banana Ice Cream

Rating: Unrated
5
Whir up frozen bananas into an “ice cream” without the cream! Peanut butter adds a natural swirl of flavor for a sweet and satisfying dessert with no added sugar.
By Carolyn Casner

Strawberry Nice Cream

This luscious strawberry nice cream is a wonderful healthy ice cream alternative. It's all fruit, dairy-free, vegan and contains no added sugar, but is bursting with sweet berry flavor. And it takes just minutes to whip up this easy healthy dessert in a food processor if you freeze the fruit ahead. While you'll get the best flavor from fresh berries, if you don't have them on hand, feel free to use store-bought frozen fruit in this recipe. Serve the nice cream on its own or top it with more fresh berries for a refreshing summer treat.
By Karen Rankin

Pink Lemonade Nice Cream

Rating: Unrated
1
Sweet, tangy and so refreshing, this is a treat you could enjoy on repeat all summer long. The bananas make it ultra creamy, so it tastes like a cross between sorbet and ice cream. It's perfect for dessert or a midafternoon snack on a hot day.
By Carolyn Casner

Creamy Chocolate Gelato

Rating: Unrated
7
This ultra-chocolaty, dairy-free Sicilian-style gelato--made without eggs or cream--is relatively lean but still creamy-smooth and flavorful. The coconut milk used for the base gives it a silky, rich mouthfeel and a subtle coconut flavor.
By Alice Medrich

Mint Chocolate Chip Nice Cream

Rating: Unrated
2
This green-as-a-shamrock "nice cream"--made with almond milk, coconut cream and bananas--is loosely inspired by the Shamrock McFlurry. Whip up this dairy-free dessert for St. Patrick's Day or anytime you're craving a minty treat. (To keep this recipe vegan, be sure to choose vegan chocolate chips.)
By Jasmine Smith

Strawberry-Mango Nice Cream

This creamy strawberry-mango nice cream is a delicious healthy ice cream alternative. It's all fruit, dairy-free, vegan and contains no added sugar. And this three-ingredient dessert is super-fast and easy to prep. Serve it as a snack or light dessert on the hottest days of the summer--or any time you want a refreshing treat.
By Carolyn Casner

Piña Colada Nice Cream

Rating: Unrated
1
Get all the tropical flavors you love in a piña colada in this creamy dairy-free dessert. This ice cream alternative gets its sweetness from pineapple and coconut and is just as delicious with or without the optional rum. Either way, it's sure to put you in a beachy state of mind--not bad for a treat that takes just 10 minutes to whip up in your food processor.
By Carolyn Casner

Cherry Sorbet

Try this cherry sorbet recipe with a dollop of lightly sweetened whipped cream or some more chopped cherries on top.
By Carolyn Malcoun

Frosted Grapes

Rating: Unrated
1
The perfect summertime dessert, these frozen grapes are healthy mini-popsicles. Try freezing other fresh fruit, like raspberries, peach wedges or cubes of watermelon.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Pumpkin Pie Nice Cream

Can't get enough pumpkin spice and pumpkin? Get those fall flavors you love in this dairy-free and vegan ice cream alternative made with bananas and pumpkin puree. This easy and healthy dessert contains no added sugar, unless you use the optional maple syrup--which is a delicious touch. Add some chopped pecans to make it really special.
By Carolyn Casner

Chocolate-Covered Banana Ice Cream Bars

Chocolate-covered vanilla ice cream pops get a vegan upgrade with this healthy copycat recipe. Vegan chocolate forms a shell around creamy peanut butter and banana nice cream garnished with your favorite toppings, like chopped peanuts or shredded coconut.
By Hilary Meyer

Inspiration and Ideas

Avocado Ice Cream

Avocado Ice Cream

Rating: Unrated
3
This is a creamy, refreshing dairy-free dessert Rick Bayless has served in his restaurant Frontera Grill for years.
Watermelon Sorbet

Watermelon Sorbet

Rating: Unrated
1
This incredibly refreshing icy dessert is made without using an ice cream maker.
Frozen Chocolate-Coconut Milk with Strawberries

Frozen Chocolate-Coconut Milk with Strawberries

Rating: Unrated
1
Lime-Mango Sorbet

Lime-Mango Sorbet

Virgin Banana Piña Colada Pops

Virgin Banana Piña Colada Pops

Rating: Unrated
1
Papaya-Lime Sorbet

Papaya-Lime Sorbet

Rating: Unrated
1

Raspberry-Chocolate Almond Ice Cream

Owning an ice cream maker means you can create specialty ice cream flavors at home, for a fraction of what you'd pay at your local ice cream shop. This almond ice cream is a real treat, bursting with chunks of raspberries, slivered almonds, and dark chocolate pieces.

All Dairy-Free & Lactose-Free Frozen Dessert Recipes

Chunky Peach Popsicles

Rating: Unrated
5
Make sure to reserve a portion of the peaches as you puree the mixture so the pops will be packed with icy cold, chunky bits of fruit. For a grown-up twist, try adding 1 to 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh mint, lemon verbena or basil.
By Virginia Willis

Tropical Fruit Ice

This super-simple recipe makes an exotic ice with intense flavor. To turn it into a showstopper dessert, garnish with sliced fresh tropical fruit and toasted coconut. Welch's frozen passion fruit concentrate can be found in supermarkets. Substitute the same size can of other frozen juice concentrates for endless variations.
By Susanne A. Davis

Watermelon-Strawberry Popsicles

Hydrating with popsicles? Our 5-year-old selves approve. These quick vegan ice pops are blended with fresh summer fruit for a grown-up version of the season's ice cream truck classics.
By Julia Clancy

Fruity Applesauce Pops

This refreshing frozen dessert--made with a mixture of fresh berries and applesauce--is a perfect treat on a warm day.
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Raspberry-Prosecco Pops

These pops are like a frozen Bellini, except the peach puree is swapped for raspberry in this frozen dessert recipe. Feel free to use leftover Prosecco here--the bubbles don't make it through the freezing process, but the flavor is delicious.
By Nancy Baggett

Moscow Mule Ice Pops

Popsicles take a boozy turn with these ginger, lime and vodka ice pops inspired by a classic Moscow Mule cocktail. These simple ice pops have only 47 calories per pop and take just 5 minutes to prep--just remember to stick them in the freezer at least 8 hours before you're ready to serve them.
By Carolyn Casner

Iced Lychees

In China, the creamy lychee fruit is considered good luck. Freezing turns them into a sorbet-like treat.
By Mariana Velasquez

Peach & Honey Sorbet

Though it doesn't have any fat, this sorbet tastes rich and intensely peachy. It is simple to make and will keep for weeks in the freezer.
By Martha Rose Shulman

Frozen Pineapple Dessert

If you've got canned pineapple chunks on hand, this is an easy dessert. The pineapple is frozen and then blended with sugar and a bit of lime juice.
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Peach Sorbet

Rating: Unrated
1
This simple peach sorbet recipe is a quick way to use up ripe fruit to make a delectable dessert. For a prettier sorbet, leave the peels on the fresh peaches.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Tropical Fruit Pops

For kids--and for those who feel like kids--this easy, diabetic-friendly dessert and snack recipe has fruits to please: mango, pineapple and banana, blended together with orange juice to create a frozen summery treat.
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Ginger-Blueberry Sorbet

Deep purple blueberries combined with fresh ginger make this blueberry sorbet recipe beautiful and zingy. And, as a bonus, the blueberries deliver a punch of antioxidants and are a great source of Vitamin K.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Banana-Coconut Dairy-Free Ice Cream

Rating: Unrated
1
When blended with frozen ripe bananas, coconut meat (a.k.a. coconut manna or coconut butter) is transformed into the base for this creamy banana-coconut dairy-free ice cream. This dairy-free banana-coconut ice cream recipe uses coconut butter, which is made from finely ground whole coconut meat and has the texture of natural peanut butter. Coconut butter can be found in jars near other nut butters, baking oils and sometimes even in the supplement department of natural-foods stores and well-stocked supermarkets.
By Katie Webster

Pineapple-Coconut Sorbet

Rating: Unrated
1
A touch of coconut milk--infused with fresh ginger for a subtle kick--complements sweet pineapple and creates a luxurious consistency in this sorbet.
By Susanne A. Davis

Orange-Blackberry Sorbet

Rating: Unrated
1
This orange-blackberry sorbet recipe is a beautiful purple treat perfect for any hot day. While it may seem tedious, be sure to strain the blackberries and use a low pulp or pulp-free orange juice to make the smoothest sorbet.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Watermelon-Blueberry Ice Pops

Rating: Unrated
3
These were a staff favorite during the development process. The whole blueberries in these pops have the look of watermelon seeds.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Coffee Granita

This easy dessert recipe is Cuba's answer to sno-cones. Use freshly brewed strong coffee if possible, but morning leftovers work too--just heat 4 cups of coffee with the sugar until the sugar dissolves. If you prefer your coffee with a little cream, try the granita with a splash of evaporated milk on top.
By Darra Goldstein

Pineapple, Kiwi, and Honeydew Ice Pops

These tropical popsicles will keep you feeling refreshed on a hot summer day.
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Mixed Berry Compote with Lemon Sorbet

Turn your favorite fresh summer berries into a quick fruit sauce for lemon sorbet.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Red, White & Blue Popsicles

These red-white-and-blue popsicles are great to make when fresh blueberries and raspberries are in season. But other fruit, such as chopped strawberries or cherries, could work in this healthy popsicle.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Champagne & Peach Sorbet

This spritzy peach sorbet recipe is a quick way to use up ripe fruit to make a delectable dessert. For a prettier sorbet, leave the peels on the fresh peaches. If Champagne is out of the budget, try Spanish Cava or Italian Prosecco.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Plum Sorbet

This ruby-red plum sorbet recipe is perfect for kids and adults alike looking for a sweet cool treat. Make sure to pick plums that are ripe but not bruised.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Golden Pineapple Sorbet

The low acid and high sugar content make the golden variety of pineapple perfect for freezing. This extraordinarily refreshing 97-calorie dessert is perfect for serving guests as a dessert or light snack.
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Chile-Lime-Honeydew Pops

Chile pepper gives this frozen pop recipe an irresistible (but optional) blast of heat. Jalapeño intensifies the green of the honeydew, but a pinch of ground Aleppo chile can let you feel the burn in a more sophisticated-tasting way.
By Nancy Baggett
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