If you’re looking for something summery and fresh, these Tropicana Bars are a winner. Juicy mango, banana, coconut, you’ll almost feel like you’re in Bali.
Here are three reasons you’ll love this recipe:
- Quick to make (15 mins to prep, set overnight)
- Six simple ingredients
- Taste just like a mango Weiss bar (if you’re a kiwi/ozzie you’ll know what I mean)
As a nutritionist, I love creating easy dessert recipes that contain very minimal added sweeteners. These ice cream bars totally fit the bill, and are naturally dairy-free, gluten-free, nut-free, and vegan friendly.
How to make these Tropicana Bars
Ingredients for these Tropicana Bars
To make these healthy Tropicana bars, you’ll need:
- Banana – choose ripe brown spotty bananas for the creamiest, sweetest, most ice cream like flavour and texture. Slice and pop on a silicon sheet, or in a container, and freeze overnight. Using a silicon sheets means they freeze separately and won’t all stick together.
- Mango – if they’re in season and cheap, buy them fresh, peel and cube, and place the cubes in the freezer (again on a silicon sheet, or in a container). Otherwise pre-purchased frozen mango also works great.
- Coconut cream – from a can. If it has separated just scoop equal amounts of the thick cream and water into your blender.
- Dates – regular dried dates will be fine rather than fresh medjouls. If they’re particularly dry you can cover them with a little boiling water to soften and make things easier on your blender, but I don’t bother.
- Vanilla extract – choose extract which is made from real vanilla beans, rather than vanilla essence which is synthetic.
- Guar gum – this is a gel-forming fibre made from the seed of the guar legume or bean. It’s great for emulsifying and thickening your homemade ice creams, as it helps to bind the water particles to the fat particles, making them set creamy rather than forming so many icicles. Almost all store-bought ice creams use a thickener like guar gum too.
Recipe tips
- Line your tin with paper – but don’t just scrunch a big piece in. For perfectly square ice cream bar edges, cut a rectangle of baking paper the exact width of your tin (flip it upside down to measure the paper on top of the base). Now drizzle a little water in the base of the tin, and press the paper inside – the water will make it stick so it doesn’t roll around while you’re pouring your mix in.
- Choose over-ripe fruit – this is where those spotty brown bananas in the specials bin will come in handy. Whenever you see them, I recommend buying a bunch, slicing and freezing, ready for this type of recipe. Same goes if you spot over-ripe mangoes on special.
Substitution ideas for these tropical bars
These bars really do thrive on the banana, mango, and coconut cream components. But here are some substitution ideas for the rest.
- Mango – try papaya or pineapple. Or, add something extra by stirring through a few tablespoons of passionfruit pulp to the mango layer before freezing.
- Dates – you can swap the ¼ cup of dates for 2 tablespoons of brown rice syrup, coconut nectar, agave syrup, yacon syrup, or maple syrup in each layer.
- Vanilla extract – you can swap 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract for ½ a teaspoon of vanilla powder, 1 teaspoon of vanilla paste, or 1cm of a vanilla pod (just throw the whole thing in).
- Guar gum – you can use ½ a teaspoon of sunflower or soy lecithin in each layer instead – both of these also have an emulsifying and thickening effect in ice creams (so good to have at least one on hand).
Isn’t too much fruit unhealthy?
No. Natural whole fresh fruit is an amazing source of fibre, is high in water content, low in calories, contains no saturated fat, is satiating (keeps you full), and contains abundant amounts of vitamins, minerals, and anti-oxidants.
One study of over 108,000 people showed that an intake of 5 servings per day of fruit and vegetables was associated with the lowest mortality rates, from cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease, and cancer (1).
If you’re trying to reduce sugar, instead reduce your extracted sugar intake (powdered and liquid sweeteners). All the dessert and sweet treat recipes I create do that for you already.
Serving & storage for these tropicana bars
As you need to freeze these ice creams overnight, you’ll want to make them at least one day in advance. To serve, bring them out 5-10 minutes before serving so they soften slightly (they freezer quite hard due to the high fruit and water content). Keep any leftovers in a sealed container in the freezer, and ideally consume within two weeks as otherwise they tend to go a bit icey
Love homemade ice cream? Try these next:
If you make these Tropicana bars, let me know! Leave a comment and rating below, or post yours on Instagram, TikTok or Facebook, and tag me @begoodorganics. I can’t wait to hear how you go.
Ingredients
Cream Layer
- 2 c banana sliced & frozen
- 1 c coconut cream
- ¼ c dates
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp guar gum (optional)
Mango Layer
- 2 c mango cubed & frozen
- 1 c coconut cream
- ¼ c dates
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp guar gum (optional)
- pinch sea salt
Topping
- shredded coconut
Instructions
Cream Layer
- Blend cream ingredients in a blender on high until super smooth, pour into a lined square tin, and place in the freezer to set while making the mango layer.
Mango Layer
- Add mango ingredients to the blender and blend until super smooth, then pour carefully onto the cream layer and spread out flat.
- Sprinkle with shredded coconut, freeze overnight, then slice into bars. Bring out 5-10 minutes before serving so they soften slightly.
Equipment
- 20cm square baking tin
Did You Make This?
Tag @begoodorganics
I can’t wait to see your creations!
