Healthy ice cream toppings
Everyone loves ice cream, but to keep it healthier, use the Cooking from the heart guideline for portions and ways to serve it.
Use about 1 large or 2 small scoops (about 125 ml in total) of ice cream per person and enjoy with any of the toppings below. When making your choices, consider the amount of sugar in the toppings. For example, if you add chocolate, granadilla pulp and fruit salad, use slightly smaller portions as these all contain more sugar than nuts or poppy seeds.
Ready in
30 minsServing size
Enough for about 6 portionsUse these toppings in combination or on their own
- ¼ cup (60 ml) desiccated coconut, toasted in a dry pan
- 1 x 115 g tin granadilla pulp or 2-3 fresh granadillas, scooped out
- ⅓ cup (80 ml) chopped raw, unsalted nuts
- ¼ cup (60 ml) poppy seeds
- sprinkle of ground cinnamon
- ½ x 120 g slab good quality dark chocolate, chopped
- cocoa powder
- homemade chocolate sauce or malva pudding sauce
Quick fruit salad
Choose your favourite seasonal fresh fruit for a quick fruit salad. Mix 600-800 g fruit with 100 ml fresh orange juice and stir in 5-8 large fresh mint leaves, torn. Marinate for 15 minutes.
Combine apples, bananas, pears, berries, oranges or naartjies, mango, papaya, pineapple or grapes to your preference.
Chocolate bananas
Cut a long, deep slit, lengthwise in 3 bananas in the skin, without cutting all the way through. Keep the stems on, to use as a ‘handle’. Press 4 blocks of dark chocolate into each slit. Heat on a braai grid over medium coals until the chocolate starts to melt. The skins will turn black, but don’t worry. Serve half a chocolate banana per person with ice cream.
Healthy ice cream topping ideas
Ice cream can be enjoyed as a treat once in a while. To keep it healthy, stick to a small portion and eat with healthier toppings, like these – yum!


This recipe is from Cooking from the heart, 4th edition: Braai
Download the recipe book