Easy Banana Ice Cream – A Couple of Cooks

This Banana Ice Cream is one ingredient and tastes like a dream! Here’s how it’s done: no ice cream maker required.

You’ve probably heard of one-ingredient banana ice cream – and we’re here to tell you it’s worth it! Imagine: creamy, tropical-scented ice cream that requires no ice cream maker or ingredients other than the fruit that blackens on your counter. When you have ripe bananas, this is one of the best ways to use them! It’s a fun kid-friendly recipe that doubles as a treat for adults (especially with add-ins). Here’s how to make this easy and healthy banana ice cream recipe!

How to make easy banana ice cream

The traditional way of making homemade ice cream is to heat heavy cream and sugar on the stove to make a flan, then cool the flan and churn it in an ice cream maker. But this banana ice cream hack has been internet famous for a while: It’s “ice cream” made by blending together frozen bananas (also called “nice cream”).

Can it really be that good? We thought we’d put it to the test. As it turns out, it actually comes out sweet, icy and creamy – the best one-ingredient hack we know of! Here’s how to make banana ice cream:

• Start with very ripe plantains. That’s right, the ones that are turning brown at the counter. The more brown, the better! Avoid perfectly yellow bananas – the ice cream won’t be sweet enough.
• Cut the plantains into 1/2-inch slices, then freeze for 2 hours. Place them on a baking sheet so they don’t freeze into a solid block. The 1/2-inch size makes them easier to mix than the larger pieces.
• Use a food processor to blend until smooth or a high speed blender. We prefer the food processor because it’s easier to blend and it comes together quickly – it takes about 1 minute. A high-speed blender works, but it takes longer, with more times to stop and scrape down the bowl. You may have to use the tamper, which can be tricky if you’re not used to using it.
• For a hard ice cream texture, freeze for 2 hours. This makes it easy to pick up! You can eat it right away for a soft serve texture, but we prefer it after freezing (this is called “ripening” with standard ice cream).

tips and tricks

This banana ice cream recipe is not like a standard ice cream made with dairy – there are some downsides and things to know about this recipe hack! Here are the most important things to keep in mind:

• Mixing can take a while – be patient. It will take several minutes for the frozen bananas to reach an ice cream-like texture. It helps to add 1 tablespoon of milk of your choice, which makes it easier to mix.
• Taste and adjust flavors as needed. If you want, you can add a little sugar or honey to make it a little sweeter.
• Freezing overnight causes it to become very hard and icy. The texture becomes like a block of ice. It is best served the day it is made.
• If it is too hard, let it sit at room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes before serving. This applies when you have stored it for a few hours in the freezer.

Mixes and Variations for Banana Ice Cream

This banana ice cream recipe is so easy it’s fun to try different variations! Here are some ideas for ways to change up the base recipe and some combinations to make it thick:

• Chocolate Banana: Add 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder and additional honey, maple syrup, or sugar to taste if needed
• Banana with peanut butter: Add 2 tablespoons of peanut butter to the base, or shake it
• Chocolate chips or chunks: Add 1 handful of chocolate chips, mini chocolate chips, or chocolate chunks
• chocolate ribbon: Add half of the chocolate recipe for this Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream.
• Nutella: Shake in a tablespoon of Nutella
• Cookie dough: Add balls of this edible cookie dough

What else would you add to this banana ice cream recipe? Let us know in the comments below!

More ice cream recipes

This banana ice cream recipe is by far the simplest ice cream recipe we know of! Here are some more classic ice creams you’ll love: