By now, you may have heard about banana ice cream. It’s the newest low-fat, no added-sugar, vegan, all-natural, quick and convenient dessert craze. To top it all off, you don’t even need an ice cream maker! Frozen bananas do a great job imitating the creaminess, consistency and overall amazingness of ice cream that we have grown up loving. Seriously, I’m not just saying that.
To make a simple, one-ingredient banana ice cream, cut a banana into somewhat small pieces and put them in the freezer for a few hours, ideally overnight. You can use a plastic container, plastic bag or even tinfoil. When you’re ready for your delicious dessert, blend the banana pieces in a food processor or blender. You can add in milk or chocolate milk (or soy or almond milk to keep it vegan) for extra flavor, which will also make the bananas easier to blend. The blending will take longer than making a smoothie would since the banana is frozen and because you want to get to that creamy, smooth texture. If you absolutely can’t wait to try your amazing creation, you can eat it immediately, though it may be soft or a little runny. For the best results, freeze the mixture to let it set or to store for enjoyment at another time.
Photo by Katherine Carroll
A food processor is the best tool for optimal creaminess, but in a college dorm or apartment, a regular blender works just fine.
Photo by Nick Schmidt
I’m a big fan of making common snacks from scratch, so you can add your own flavors and decide how much sugar–preferably natural–you want to add. Are you ready for the best part? You can turn your one-ingredient ice cream into a few-ingredient ice cream by adding some of these popular mix-ins:
- Peanut butter
- Almonds, pecans or any other nuts
- Chocolate chips or sprinkles
- Honey
- Nutella
- Cookie butter
- Cocoa powder or chocolate protein powder
- Cinnamon, cardamom or ginger
- Vanilla extract
- A handful of berries
- Coconut cream or shredded coconut
- Cookie bits (because why not?)
Photo by Katherine Carroll
If you want to recreate your favorite classic ice cream flavors, check out these simple recipes:
- Raw Chocolate Banana Ice Cream
- Banana Nut Chip Ice Cream (for banana bread lovers)
- Peanut Butter Banana Ice Cream
- Banana Cookies & Cream Ice Cream
- Pecan Banana Ice Cream
- Vanilla Bean Banana Ice Cream
- And most excitingly, these 14 recipe ideas.
I want them all. Please.