Last Updated on October 16, 2023
Have you tried banana ice cream? It’s not only incredibly easy, it’s also vegan, dairy-free, and gluten-free! No ice cream machine required, either. You will absolutely love these delicious banana ice cream recipes.
If you haven’t gotten on the banana “ice cream” train yet, you need to get out your blender and give this amazing stuff a try. When frozen bananas are blended, they develop a smooth,creamytexture a lot like ice cream (some call it “nice cream”). You can add all sorts of delicious flavors to make healthy frozen treats.
Ice cream with no guilt? It’s true.
Even if youaren’t that crazy about the flavor of bananas, you should try some of these unbelievably easy banana ice cream recipes that mask it pretty well and reapsome ofbananas’ excellent health benefits.(Magnesium, B-6, and potassium for bettersleep, anyone?)
Though I don’t particularly like bananas, I think these inexpensive, nutrient-filled fruits are worth workinginto your diet, especially as a replacement for sugar-laden artificially-flavored candies and ice cream. (You may be surprised at how little sugar you’re supposed to eat in a day!)
Here’s how to make an incredible 1-ingredient “candy” by dehydrating bananas.
I keepthem around for my kids to eat when they’re on the go, but often they only want half. (Do your kids do this? It’s amazinghow often I wind up with leftover banana halves!) I slice up the leftovers for frozen smoothies, and now that we know about banana ice cream, we’re using quite a number for that as well. A great way to waste less food!
I think banana-based ice creams lend themselves best to fruity flavors like mango and peach, but chocolate can work as well. Making these treats is as easy as tossing some banana slices in the freezer and pulsing them in your blender or food processor.
What’s amazing is that before your eyes they transformfrom little chunks of banana to smooth, creamy deliciousness, and you don’t even need an ice cream maker.
You can certainly make banana ice cream with a food processor or blender, but if you want to make blending anything as easy as possible, I highly recommend investing in a quality blender. I recently acquired a Vitamix, and its incredibly powerful motor has made blending everything so much easier.
Most important, it’s SO easy to clean! I’ll be honest, cleaning the blender was one thing that always made me think twice about bothering with smoothies or banana ice cream. Taking everything apart and washing each piece by hand was too much nuisance, so the blender mostly stayed in the cabinet. Now I just add soap and water, and the blender cleans itself, no disassembly needed!
Learn more about how Vitamix can make healthy smoothies and meals a breeze here.
If you’re aiming to transition your kitchen to zero waste, banana ice cream is great for eliminating unnecessary packaging.
Banana Ice Cream Recipes in 12 Flavors!
Use only bananas and you have a one-ingredient ice cream, if you like banana flavor. I don’t really, so Ithink it’s worth the extra trouble to add an additional ingredient or two. Using some kind of milk or milk replacement helps it blend up more readily and can add additional nutrition.
We tried a bunch of combinations, including one with raw cacao powder (thumbs-down — too powerful, and somehow also not chocolatey enough) and another with carob (better near bedtime or if you’re sensitive to the caffeine in cocoa).
Blueberry was also quite tasty. Peach banana ice creamwas the winner of the options we tried, but the possibilities are endless, and we will certainly be trying more of the tempting banana ice cream recipes below!
Related: Healthy Treats for Real Food Lovers
3-Ingredient Peach Banana Ice Cream Recipe
Prep time: 5 minutes
3 Ingredient Peach Banana Ice Cream Recipe
Yield: 4 servings
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes
Ingredients
- 2 ripe bananas, sliced and frozen
- 1 ripe peach, cubed and frozen
- Splash of coconut, flax, or dairy milk (optional, but it makes blending easier)
Instructions
- Chopped peaches and bananas should be frozen for severalhours or overnight.
- Place banana and peach pieces in a food processor or blender with milk of choice and pulse. You’ll see the fruitstart to break up.
- Keep blending. Pieces will get smaller, and eventually start to become creamy ice cream. Push chunksdown and keep blending.
- Presto change-o! Suddenly it will turn into soft-serve ice cream! (This took about 2 minutes in my aging mini food processor.)
- Eat immediately or transfer to a container and freeze to harden (if you do freeze it, allow to sit out a few minutesto soften before scooping).
- Enjoy!
Notes
It’s easier to remove your fruit ifyou freeze them on a tray lined with a silicone mat before placing them in a freezer bag or container. But if your freezer’s as crowded as mine, you can place them carefully in a single-ish layer right in the bag. As long as they’re not piled up, the little coins break apart pretty readily.
(Note: these little coins are also pretty delicious on their own, so you can pop a few in your mouth while you’re making ice cream.)
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4Serving Size: ~ 1/2 cup
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 120Total Fat: 3gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 5mgSodium: 34mgCarbohydrates: 22gFiber: 3gSugar: 15gProtein: 4g
Hereare a bunch moreyummy-lookingbanana ice cream recipes to try!
A Virtual Vegan has a luscious-lookingMango Banana Ice Cream that she points out “is healthy enough to eat for breakfast!” So true!
Courtney at Courtney’s Cookbook adds golden milk to the banana-mango combo to get a hit of turmeric and ginger.
This recipe for avocado bananasoft serve ice cream with pistachiosfrom Divine Healthy Food looks amazing.
Chocolate more your thing? Check out this chocolate-banana soft serve from The Herbal Spoon.
If you like peanut butter ice cream, you might want to check out this peanut butterchocolate banana ice creamrecipe from The Healthy Maven.
Kara Carrero has a beautiful Dairy-Free Red Velvet Ice Cream recipe that’s colored with beets!
Want even more flavorful banana ice cream recipes? Check these out:
Pumpkin Spice Banana Ice Cream from Butterlust
Spiced Banana Walnut Ice Cream from Tales of a Kitchen
Lemon Blueberry Banana Ice Creamfrom Worth Cooking
Banana Strawberry Ice Creamby Sweet and Savory
You can also jazz things up a bit by mixing in or topping with nuts, chocolate chips, or diced fruit. Yum!
Wait, don’t throw all those peels in the trash!
Did you know that banana peels are edible? You can use them to make banana tea for sleep or cook them in a number of ways. Check out this collection of root to stem recipes for more details.
Banana peels can also be used in the garden. They help deter aphids and add beneficial nutrients to your soil. Here’s what to know about banana peel fertilizer.
You can also use them as an easy home remedy for insect bites. (Apparently you can also whiten your teeth and polish your silver with them, but you’ll have to investigate those uses for yourself 🙂 )
Making delicious use of inexpensive or surplus food is just one strategy for eating healthy on a budget. Find lots more in “The Savvy Guide to Eating Healthy on a Budget.”
Have you tried banana ice cream yet? What’s your favorite flavor?
Pin to save these banana ice cream recipes for later!
I’m always adding healthy treat ideas to my healthy treats Pinterest Board. Be sure to follow for more delicious and healthy recipes.
Susannah
Susannah is a proud garden geek and energy nerd who loves healthy food and natural remedies. Her work has appeared in Mother Earth Living, Ensia, Northern Gardener, Sierra, and on numerous websites. Her first book, Everything Elderberry, released in September 2020 and has been a #1 new release in holistic medicine, naturopathy, herb gardening, and other categories. Find out more and grab your copy here.
