One-Ingredient Banana Ice Cream Recipe (2024)

By The New York Times

One-Ingredient Banana Ice Cream Recipe (1)

Total Time
6 hours 10 minutes
Rating
4(4,150)
Notes
Read community notes

This outrageously easy "ice cream" is just the sort of dessert to please everyone at the table – the vegans, the lactose-intolerant, the paleo enthusiasts, the picky children. Just toss four frozen bananas into a blender and give it a good whirl. If you like soft-serve consistency, eat it right away (and adding a few tablespoons of milk to the blender wouldn't hurt, but it's not necessary). For more traditional scoops, freeze it in an airtight container, and dole out as you would the Ben & Jerry's. Consider adding a spoonful of peanut butter, Nutella or honey; a handful of chocolate chips or almonds; or a ½ teaspoon of powdered ginger, cardamom or cinnamon.

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Learn: How to Make Ice Cream

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Ingredients

Yield:Four servings

  • 4ripe bananas

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

103 calories; 0 grams fat; 0 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 0 grams monounsaturated fat; 0 grams polyunsaturated fat; 26 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 14 grams sugars; 1 gram protein; 1 milligram sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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One-Ingredient Banana Ice Cream Recipe (2)

Preparation

  1. Peel the bananas, cut them in 2- to 3-inch chunks and place them in a freezer bag in the freezer for at least 6 hours. Remove and blend in a blender until smooth. Serve immediately, or freeze in an airtight container for at least 2 hours. Scoop and serve.

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Cooking Notes

Richard Scher

Along the same lines - buy a bag of frozen mango (or pineapple) and a bag of frozen raspberries. dump into food processor, add about 1/4 cup honey, about the same amount of water. process until smooth. eat right away, or freeze. best sorbet you ever had! and the color is gorgeous!

Bread

I broke my parents blender trying to make this and now they are mad at me

Alice

You can also take the puree'd and frozen banana, make a uniform round ball with an ice cream scoop, dip into melted chocolate and roll in chopped walnuts before serving.

Lauren

I agree that its easiest to just put the ripe banana(s) straight into the freezer in their peel (they can be frozen for weeks/months - they will turn black but are still fine to eat). When you're ready to use, run warm to hot water over the banana for several seconds and the peel should slide off of the banana pretty easily. The whole banana can be placed in the blender with a little milk and a couple of ice cubes for a refreshing shake also.

Heather

This is really good with a bit of rum or brown sugar bourbon.

Jonathan

Like others, I've been making this recipe for decades. But these directions are too hard on most blenders. Do this instead: Keep peeled bananas bagged in the freezer for weeks or months (because we save old bananas!). Then when you want a creamy desert, take out one large banana per person and leave it to PARTIALLY defrost on a plate for TWENTY minutes (no more!). Then even the weakest blender or food processor will make superbly creamy soft-serve, with or without added flavors.

Anna Worthwood

I usually add some coconutmilk while blending for extra smoothness :) Beats store bought ice cream anyday!

Emliza

Next time, use your own blender.

CORI ROTH

The addition of tahini and cardamom did it for me!

Jane

It also works great with frozen strawberries.

Laura

This is our new favorite dessert. I make it with 4 ingredients : 4 bananas + 1/4 cup chocolate chips + 2 tablespoons peanut butter + 1/2 - 1 cup milk. The texture is better if the bananas are frozen longer, at least overnight, though our blender doesn't handle the job very well when they are frozen so solid so I have to use the food processor. My diabetic father said this did not raise his blood sugar.

jk

Used a food processor with metal blade, and added a little bit of vanilla and a tablespoon or two of almond milk. Added chopped chocolate chips once smooth. Delicious!

Geoff

Substitute walnuts for the peanut butter and you have B&J's Chunky Monkey Ice Cream, the world's best treat. This is the only reason you need to buy a Vitamix.

Sarah

Been doing this with bananas for years, minus the blender action. Bananas can be peeled or unpeeled before going into the freezer (or refrigerator, for that matter). Obviously unpeel for eating, and yes, it is a little easier to peel before freezing BUT as easy to toss in the freezer in their natural state and no freezer bag is needed. Somewhere along the line I was told freezing a banana in its peel was taboo. Naaaah.

Kevin King

Yes, strawberries work well, too, but we like mixing the strawberries with the bananas; adds some tartness to the sweet bananas. A real crowd pleaser, especially among those who want to avoid added sugar.

Rene S

I thought this was horrible. It was slimy. The only difference between ripe bananas and this "ice cream" is that it's very, very cold. No thanks!

Rene Smith

The color wasn't as advertised and the texture was slimy. Can't recommend. I like Richard's idea: use some other fruit with some honey and water for texture.

GiddyUp

Peel and cut bananas before freezing. Add cream of coconut, splash of vodka and cardamom before refreezing. Now a 5 star recipe.

Matt C.

This just tastes like frozen ripe bananas, which shouldn't have surprised me. But, it did. You need to add the other ingredients to make it worth while.

LOLA

5 very ripe bananas, 1/4c of heavy cream, pinch of salt, 1/2tsp of cinnamon, 1TBS honey. My 3yr old loved it! I let the pieces freeze 5hrs then put them in the food processor. The texture was like soft serve, but I hope it freezes well too!

Josh G.

We just made this tonight and it turned to goop in the freezer. Definitely not the firmness it had right after blending. We still ate it (with a little chocolate drizzle), it was just bananas after all…

the deeva

Awesome ice cream, tho it was tough on the blender. Oh well, we needed a new one!

Carrie

Gamechanger! Made this with my food processor, super easy. Added a splash of vanilla almond milk and a tablespoon of natural peanut butter. Topped with toasted almonds. This will be my new go-to dessert and I’n looking forward to trying many options. I can’t believe I never knew about this!

Nancy B

Fabulously easy to prepare - and healthy. Yay!

smaller bits of banana

This would be made a lot easier, if you have a classic old blender, by breaking the bananas into smaller chunks (than the 2-3 inches recommended) before freezing. It takes no time to do then, and makes a difference in getting the banana chunks down to the blender blades. May also help to just put them in the blender and wait five minutes before starting.I added milk and almond butter and it’s delicious.

RSB

Broke my blender. How does this work successfully for others? Blenders need liquid to pull the ingredients down into the blades!

Slip Mahoney

Thought it too runny straight out of the blender and two hours freezing wasn't enough to harden it to a custard. I think 4-6 hours will do it. And it will be custard-like, not even gelato. But still delicious. Don't forget the whipped cream.

Mr. McTiddles

Put serving bowls in freezer. Use food processor.

Christa

This was indeed easy and flavorful, but next time, I'm going to use my food processor rather than even my Vitamix, which is supposed to be able to puree even a gym shoe, as I grew concerned about the motor, just as I have with hummus, and I shorted out my KitchenAid blender making white-bean hummus. The bananas were too frozen to be able to distribute peanut butter effectively so I didn't even try chocolate chips. But very tasty and a great summertime treat and effective natural body cooler.

Janet

Since cherries are in season now, we just made a pretty good Garcia-like combo with dark chocolate chips. Would have preferred a chocolate flake rather than chip, but I really am quibbling.

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One-Ingredient Banana Ice Cream Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Can you mash bananas and freeze them for ice cream? ›

Peel the bananas, cut them in 2- to 3-inch chunks and place them in a freezer bag in the freezer for at least 6 hours. Remove and blend in a blender until smooth. Serve immediately, or freeze in an airtight container for at least 2 hours.

Why is my banana ice cream bitter? ›

Bananas – Bananas can tend to get a bitter taste to them after freezing and it's intensified if they're under-ripe So definitely use very ripe bananas for this.

Is ice cream made from bananas healthy? ›

Frozen banana ice cream (or banana nice cream) is a healthy take on traditional ice cream. With just 3 simple ingredients – frozen banana, almond milk, and maple syrup (or monk fruit) – this healthy vegan ice cream takes just 5 minutes to whip up in a food processor or high-powered blender.

Do frozen bananas taste like ice cream? ›

Sure, frozen bananas taste like ice cream (a little), but it's not the same as having a bowl of truly spectacular, real-deal ice cream. If you want luscious, creamy banana ice cream the way your grandmother would have done it—with real cream, eggs, and a touch of sugar—THIS IS THAT RECIPE.

How do you freeze mashed bananas without turning brown? ›

To prevent the bananas from turning brown in the freezer, make sure to use an airtight container, or freezer-safe plastic bag. Exposure to air is what causes bananas to brown, so as long as they're sealed tightly, you won't have any issues with browning.

Should I mash bananas before freezing? ›

Mashing a banana is a great way to freeze the fruit for banana bread and other baked goods while cutting a banana into chunks is the ideal way to freeze bananas for smoothies. They'll keep in the freezer for a few months, so don't feel rushed to use them.

What kind of bananas taste like ice cream? ›

They're called Blue Java bananas, and they taste like vanilla ice cream. Yes, that's right, a fruit that tastes like a dessert. The Blue Java is known for being sweet and aromatic and having the consistency and taste close to that of ice cream, specifically vanilla ice cream.

Why does my banana taste like chalk? ›

GREEN: Green bananas are very unripe, feeling firm to the touch and are lacking their beautiful signature fragrance. They are chalky to eat and there is no hint of sweetness.

Why does my homemade ice cream taste weird? ›

If your ice cream tastes greasy and leaves an unpleasantly cloying film in your mouth, then the butterfat content is probably too high. Try using less cream and more milk. And check the butterfat content using my ice cream calculator.

Does Blue Bell make a banana split ice cream? ›

This Blue Bell Banana Split Sundae is the ultimate frozen dessert for any banana lover!

Can dogs eat bananas? ›

Bananas are safe for dogs, but moderation is key. Bananas are high in sugar, so too much of it can put your dog at risk of developing medical conditions. You should give your dog only a few thin slices of banana once in a while. At least 90% of your dog's food should be regular dog food.

How to freeze bananas for ice cream? ›

Place in a freezer-safe glass bowl or freezer bag. Freeze the banana pieces for at least 2 hours. Freeze until solid, at least 2 hours but ideally overnight. Pulse the frozen banana pieces in a small food processor or powerful blender.

When should you not use frozen bananas? ›

Freeze Up to 3–6 Months

Freeze bananas for up to 3–6 months. Freezing bananas beyond 6 months may be fine, but the peeled bananas do begin to darken over time, and then they thaw into an overly mushy mess.

How long should you freeze bananas for ice cream? ›

Chocolate Dipped Banana Ice Cream Pops

Freeze banana slices in an airtight container or bag for 8-10 hours. Place frozen banana slices, non-dairy milk, and vanilla into the bowl of a food processor fitted with the S blade. Pulse a few times to chop the bananas.

Can you eat frozen bananas straight from the freezer? ›

When frozen correctly, bananas can be used straight away. Always use bananas that are fresh. Bananas in the freezer will be at their best within six months.

Can I blend banana and freeze it? ›

Place the bananas in a mixing bowl and mash away using the back of a fork. The bananas should be soft and creamy by the end. Freeze the mashed bananas. Instead of freezing the mashed bananas as a whole, divide it into equal portions (I recommend ¼ cup or ½ cup) in a silicone tray or muffin pan.

Will mashed bananas turn brown in the freezer? ›

Whichever method of preparation is used, frozen bananas are best used within six months. If bananas are frozen for longer, they may become brown and release more liquid once defrosted.

Do bananas get mushy after freezing? ›

You can freeze unpeeled bananas, if you want—you'll just need to thaw them and peel them when they're ready. But keep in mind that bananas frozen that way get mushy when they're thawed, so you'll need to use them only for recipes that require mashed bananas.

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