When Nyla Hart gave up dairy, she didn’t think much about dessert—until summer hit. “That first hot day in June, all I could think about was ice cream,” she says. “And not the coconut milk kind that tasted like sunscreen.” But instead of feeling deprived, Nyla turned her craving into a creative challenge.
She wasn’t always confident in the kitchen. “I used to buy everything pre-made,” she admits. But after learning she was lactose intolerant, she began experimenting with recipes that could satisfy her sweet tooth without upsetting her stomach.
Nyla’s breakthrough came with a frozen banana. “I blended it with almond butter and a splash of vanilla, and it was magic,” she recalls. The texture reminded her of soft-serve, and the taste was rich enough to make her forget dairy entirely. From there, she began testing other combinations—frozen mango with lime juice, cashew milk with cocoa powder, and even avocado blended with maple syrup for a creamy chocolate base.
What started as trial and error quickly became a weekend ritual. Her freezer turned into a test kitchen, and her friends didn’t mind being taste-testers. “They’d come over just to see what ‘Nyla’s scoop’ of the week was,” she laughs.
The secret, she found, wasn’t just in finding substitutes—it was in understanding what made ice cream feel indulgent: the creaminess, the chill, and the little pops of flavor. “When you get that right, no one misses the milk,” she says.
Nyla now shares her dairy-free recipes online, with tips for those new to the world of homemade frozen desserts. She focuses on whole-food ingredients and avoids refined sugars when possible. “I want people to feel good after dessert, not regret it,” she explains.
For her, these recipes are more than just a treat—they’re part of her self-care. “Making ice cream from scratch became this calming, creative outlet,” she says. “And it’s something I can actually enjoy without worry.”
