Banana Ice Cream

Banana ice cream with only one ingredient

The most common request I get each month from readers is for banana ice cream or friendly cream recipes.

It’s easy to make: Blend peeled and frozen bananas in a food processor until they resemble a soft serve ice-cream texture.

You can add a variety of flavors to the base, including blueberry, dark chocolate, Nutella, coffee, Rocky Road, and butter pecan.

Homemade ice cream ingredients

The only ingredient required is bananas!

You may need to add some liquid to your blender to make it blend better. Depending on the blender’s strength, this could be pineapple juice or milk. Any plant-based milk will work for vegan ice cream.

You can add any optional toppings or ingredients. Below are some of my favorite flavors, but please feel free to experiment.

Inspiration can be found everywhere – on restaurant menus, grocery store displays, and even online.

Don’t be surprised to see a recipe for Peanut Butter Fudge Core Banana Soft Serve Ice Cream on this blog.

Banana Ice Cream Flavors

Chocolate Banana Ice Cream: Use three bananas. Add 1/4 tsp vanilla extract, a pinch of salt, and three tbsp chocolate powder.

Mint Chocolate Chip: Use two bananas with a pinch of salt. After blending, add 1/8 tsp of pure peppermint (or more as desired) and chocolate chips or cacao nubs. Blend in a bit or a small handful of spinach to add color and nutrients.

Nutella ice cream: Mix a generous teaspoon of Homemade Nutella or your favorite chocolate hazelnut butter with the bananas.

Peanut Butter: Add 2-3 tablespoons of peanut butter or any other nut butter that is allergy-friendly or a nut butter alternative to the original recipe. Blend.

Pina Colada – Use 1/4 cup canned coconut as your preferred milk. Add 1/2 cup of frozen pineapple. If desired, add shredded coconut.

Cookies’n Cream: Prepare the original recipe, and add 2 tbsp Coconut butter if you wish. Add a crushed Oreo sandwich after blending.

Very Berry: Add 1 cup of frozen berries and 1/8 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract to the original recipe.

Strawberry: Use two bananas. Add 1/2 cup of frozen strawberries. Add 1/4 tsp vanilla extract or, optionally, a shake of cinnamon.

Vanilla Bean: Use three bananas with a pinch of salt. Add 1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste.

Pistachios: Prepare the original recipe by adding 2 to 3 tablespoons of pistachio oil and 1/8 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract. Sprinkle crushed pistachios if desired.

How to make banana Ice Cream

Peel and cut bananas into pieces when they are ripe. Freeze bananas in a Ziploc bag or other container.

This step can be done weeks or months in advance, so you don’t have to wait until the day that you want to make banana-flavored ice cream.

Start by putting the frozen banana pieces into the food processor or blender. You don’t need to measure precisely, but you can double or triple it to make a bigger serving or feed a whole family.

Add a few teaspoons of milk or other liquid to your blender if you use one that is not high-speed, like the Vitamix, or if frozen bananas have become rock hard.

Blend the mixture until it resembles a thick, smooth, soft serve.

You can either transfer the banana soft serve to a bowl to enjoy immediately or spread it into a container to freeze for about 30 minutes to achieve a firm texture.

I usually eat banana ice cream straight from the blender in a bowl. This way, there is no need to wait. If you want a firmer texture, I suggest scooping out the ice cream with an ice cream scoop after it has been chilled for a more authentic presentation.

Tips and Tricks for Recipes

It is possible to make banana ice cream taste like ice cream by adding some fats to the blender. These include peanut butter, almond milk, or coconut butter.

Let the bananas ripen entirely before peeling them and freezing them. When you buy bananas, if they are still green or yellow without any brown spots, the fruit has not yet reached ripeness and will taste more earthy than sweet.

Let the bananas rest on the counter for a few minutes until their peels turn brown. Brown bananas have a delicious caramelized taste, so I wait until the peels are almost entirely brown. Ripe bananas can be substituted for sugar in many recipes.

This banana soft-serve ice cream is healthy enough for breakfast. It contains no added sugars or heavy cream. This recipe is vegan, gluten-free, raw, dairy-free, and egg-free.

Ingredients

3 overripe frozen bananas

Optional milk of your choice, if necessary

Optional pinch salt

See below for some different flavors

Instructions

Peel the bananas and cut them into small pieces. Freeze in a container or bag. You can do this months in advance, so you don’t have to wait until the ice cream-making day. After the bananas are frozen, throw about three bananas’ worth of pieces in a blender or food processor. If you are not using a high-speed blender (such as Vitamix), add some liquid if the bananas have frozen solid. Blend until smooth. You can eat it immediately or freeze the mixture for 30 minutes to get a firmer texture. Then, scoop with an ice cream scoop.