Super-easy Banana Ice Cream – Any flavour! A recipe for Blender Ice Cream with 3 ingredients which is utterly delicious and totally ‘free from’.
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DON’T LOSE THIS RECIPE… PIN IT FOR LATER…
For the love of Banana Ice Cream or is that ‘Banana Nice Cream’?
Oh my! I’m obsessed with this super-simple Banana Ice Cream recipe. It’s incredibly delicious, fantastically healthy and uses just 3 ingredients… Or less. As long as you have a good high-powered blender, you can whip up a batch in minutes… And if you’re anything like us, it will become a new favourite recipe whatever the weather.
But is it Banana Ice Cream or ‘banana nice cream’? According to the Urban Dictionary, ‘nice cream’ is the term used to describe a soft-serve dairy free ice cream, primarily made from frozen banana. And while I have no idea where the term actually originated, the definition seems to fit.
But here’s the thing… I actually don’t like the term ‘nice cream’ I think it’s a bit naff. In my book all nice cream is ice cream and all ice cream is nice. So, forgive me if I let the change in terminology pass me by…
What makes this Banana Ice Cream different to other recipes?
Yes… There are lots of recipes for Banana Ice Cream on the internet. Some are just banana… Others add additional fruit… Some even include various extra flavourings and suggest a dash of milk to help the blend. So, what makes this Banana Ice Cream different?
Well. I tried straight blended banana and yes… it works as a base… A good base. Because it has a custardy consistency once blended. But… It was, at the end of the day, just blended banana. And as much as I like banana, that was as far as it went.
I even tried adding some fruit to blend with the banana. Nice. But still just a frozen smoothie.
And with that, this blended ice cream got taken to another stage… An altogether creamier stage. Not just an add-on to help the blend. But a deliberate addition of thick, chilled coconut cream (full fat). Why? Because the coconut cream has a texture and enough fat to make the ‘nice cream’ more like ice cream.
But let’s be clear. Adding coconut cream doesn’t make it coconut ice cream. The ratios are carefully balanced so that the flavours of the fruit and any additions still shine. Although I confess that with the pineapple version, there was a delicious hint of Pina Colada.
How to freeze bananas for blender ice cream
If you are making Banana Ice Cream, then you need frozen bananas. The best way to get these ready is to freeze well ahead of time and store in an airtight container in the freezer ready for when you need them. But what’s the best way to freeze banana?
My banana-freezing tips and tricks:
- For the best sweetness and ‘blendability’, use bananas which are nice and ripe, but have not started to go brown on the inside flesh. Brown bananas make for ugly and ‘pappy’ ice cream.
- Freeze in bulk, so that it saves time when next making banana ice cream.
- Peel and cut the bananas into smallish chunks and spread out on clean baking trays as individual (non-touching) pieces. This way they won’t stick together and will blend more easily.
- Freeze immediately at low fast freezer temperature if possible. And when fully frozen, transfer to an airtight container that is freezer-safe until ready to use.
Many recipes tell you to use ‘X’ number of bananas for blender ice cream. This is quite annoying when you have a large box of frozen banana pieces and no idea how much equals 1 banana. For this recipe, I have made it as easy as possible by weighing the frozen banana. Consistent and straight forward!
Is Banana Ice Cream easy to make?
Yes. Banana Blender Ice Cream is really easy to make (once your bananas and fruit are frozen). Essentially, all you need is a freezer, a sharp knife (for fruit preparation), a can opener (for the coconut cream), a high-powered blender and something to put the ice cream in.
The blender is obviously the critical bit. Frozen banana and other fruit can be super-hard and tricky to blend. It is important therefore, that the blender you use is up to the job. That means it MUST be high-powered, high-speed and robust.
I developed this recipe using a (gifted) PROMiXX MiiXR X7. The MiiXR X7 is currently the world’s only performance nutrition blender. And yes, it does seem to be powerful enough to blend pretty much anything. However, for this ice cream, it did struggle a little with the absence of a means of ‘tamping’ the fruit down to blend consistently. Nonetheless, the final ice cream was smooth and delicious, despite the need for a number of shakes of the sealed cup to get an even result.
The alternative? A good food processor with a sharp blade should also work. Or, a hard-core larger blender such as a Vitamix. The disadvantage on the larger blender front, is the need to increase the quantity of ingredients to ensure the machine works effectively. The answer? Eat more ice cream!
All the flavours for Banana Blender Ice Cream – mix and match your additions
Although the base of the Banana Ice Cream recipe remains the same (frozen banana and coconut cream), the flavour options are in fact, endless. The flavours featured in this post are Blueberry, Pineapple, Strawberry and Chocolate. However, we’ve added everything from cherries, berries and mango to peanut butter and pistachio nuts.
Extra spicing and flavours are a creativity dream… From vanilla to almond extract… Cinnamon to ginger or cardamom… Cacao, coffee, maca and matcha… Even a hint of fresh basil and thyme.
And the beauty is, that if making in small quantities, any flavour disasters can be written off to experience at minimal cost.
Most fruits will work well. Although I would avoid those with a very high liquid content plus a tendency to oxidise and go brown quickly (such as apples and pears).
Is this Vegan Ice Cream and ‘free from’?
Yes. Banana is cream is incredibly ‘free from’… Unless of course you are allergic to banana. And if you follow the recipe it is also Vegan ice cream.
Although I have added coconut cream to give a creamier texture, it can easily be left out if you cannot eat it. Or alternatively, replaced with a cream that you can eat (whether dairy or non-dairy). Just ensure it is a cream that is suitable for whipping or naturally thicker if possible.
- Gluten Free ✔️
- Dairy Free ✔️
- Egg Free ✔️
- Nut Free (leave out the coconut cream if you cannot eat it)
- Vegan ✔️
- Sulphites (check the ingredients of the coconut milk to stay safe or leave it out altogether)
- Soya Free ✔️
My blender ice cream is too runny or too hard… What should I do?
When you make Banana Ice Cream, the likelihood is that it will be very soft immediately after blending. And that’s fine if you don’t want to scoop it and you like it a little runny. For a firmer, more scoopable soft-serve however, you have two options.
- If you want to eat it imminently, simply pop in a tub in the freezer straight away… Leave for about an hour to firm up a bit… Then give a quick stir and mush with a fork to re-mix, before serving.
- If making ahead of time or you have blender ice cream that is left over, the freezing process will result in a solid block. This however, is fine. When ready to eat, remove from the freezer and leave at room temperature for 10 to 20 minutes (depending on the warmth of the room or climate)… Then, mush with a fork to re-mix before serving.
Should it taste ‘icy’?
The degree of ‘iciness’ in the Banana Ice Cream you eat will depend on how well it has been both blended and frozen and later, re-mushed. Many fruits will have a greater propensity to form ice crystals because of the higher liquid content. The way to limit this is:
- Ensure the initial mix has been thoroughly blended.
- If possible, ‘fast freeze’ – Set the freezer at the lowest temperature possible ahead of time to ensure the batter freezes into smaller ice crystals.
- When ‘defrosting’ and re-mushing, do this as thoroughly as possible to break down any larger ice crystals that remain.
Have you made this Banana Ice Cream?
If you make my Blender Banana Ice Cream, do let me know. I absolutely love it when I hear my recipes are making people happy. Leave a comment or tag me on social media. You’ll find me over at Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest or Twitter. And don’t forget to use the hashtag #glutenfreealchemist on social media so that I can find you.
Other easy 10 minute Ice Cream recipes on Gluten Free Alchemist
Easy Blended Banana Ice Cream (with added fruit)
Key equipment
- freezer
- sharp knife
- tin/can-opener
- high-powered high-speed blender
- small spatula
- airtight container(s)
Ingredients
- 200 g frozen banana pieces See main blog post for guidance on banana freezing.
- 55 g frozen fruit (blueberries/pineapple/strawberries/etc) See Notes
- 1 tsp vanilla extract optional – Or use alternative flavourings of choice (See main blog post for ideas)
- 80 g coconut cream thick cream from the can of coconut milk only – See NOTES – chilled or frozen.
Instructions
Ahead of time
- Pre-freeze very ripe banana in peeled chunks (freeze on a baking tray as separated pieces) – see main Blog Post for guidance on banana freezing.
- Pre-chill the coconut milk to separate the coconut cream from the coconut water (see NOTES at the bottom of the recipe).
- Use already frozen or pre-frozen fruit.
Blending the ice cream
- Put the banana and fruit into the blender and blend using a sharp cutting/grinding blade until thick and smooth. This may take a while and will appear to break down in stages before it blends into a paste.
- Add the coconut cream and vanilla extract (if using) and re-blend until even.
To Serve
- If firm enough, serve immediately…. OR
- Transfer to an airtight container and place in the freezer for up to an hour to firm slightly. Remove and mush with the back of a fork to re-blend before serving… OR
- If making ahead of time, the freezing process will result in a solid block. When ready to eat, remove from the freezer ahead of time and leave at room temperature for 10 to 20 minutes (depending on the warmth of the room or climate). Then break up and mush with a fork to re-mix before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
© 2019-2023 Kate Dowse All Rights Reserved – Do not copy or re-publish this recipe or any part of this recipe on any other blog, on social media or in a publication without the express permission of Gluten Free Alchemist
Easy Blended Chocolate Banana Ice Cream
Key equipment
- freezer
- sharp knife
- tin/can-opener
- high-powered high-speed blender
- small spatula
- airtight container(s)
Ingredients
- 250 g frozen banana pieces See main blog post for guidance on banana freezing.
- 100 g coconut cream thick cream from the can of coconut milk only – See NOTES – chilled or frozen.
- 20 g cacao powder or cocoa powder
- 1 tsp vanilla extract optional – Or use alternative flavourings of choice (See main blog post for ideas)
Instructions
Ahead of time
- Pre-freeze very ripe banana in peeled chunks (freeze on a baking tray as separated pieces) – see main Blog Post for guidance on banana freezing.
- Pre-chill the coconut milk to separate the coconut cream from the coconut water (see NOTES at the bottom of the recipe).
Blending the ice cream
- Put the banana into the blender and blend using a sharp cutting/grinding blade until thick and smooth. This may take a while and will appear to break down in stages before it blends into a paste.
- Add the coconut cream, cacao (or cocoa) and vanilla extract (if using) and re-blend until even.
To Serve
- If firm enough, serve immediately…. OR
- Transfer to an airtight container and place in the freezer for up to an hour to firm slightly. Remove and mush with the back of a fork to re-blend before serving… OR
- If making ahead of time, the freezing process will result in a solid block. When ready to eat, remove from the freezer ahead of time and leave at room temperature for 10 to 20 minutes (depending on the warmth of the room or climate). Then break up and mush with a fork to re-mix before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
© 2019-2023 Kate Dowse All Rights Reserved – Do not copy or re-publish this recipe or any part of this recipe on any other blog, on social media or in a publication without the express permission of Gluten Free Alchemist
Banana Blender Ice Cream shared with
- Cook Blog Share 2021 Week 7 with Sew White
- Blogger’s Pit Stop #258
- Fiesta Friday #365 with Angie and Food Daydreaming
- Full Plate Thursday #536 with Miz Helen’s Country Cottage
- What’s For Dinner #303 with The Lazy Gastronome
- Cook Well Eat Well Live Well with Confessions of a Mother Runner and A Whisk & Two Wands
I’ve made banana ice cream by just running a frozen banana in a food processor. I’ve never added cream or other ingredients. I pinned this – I’m going to try this. It sounds so good! Thanks for sharing at the What’s for Dinner party. Hope you’ve had a good week and we see you at tomorrow’s party.
Thanks Helen.
Definitely give it a try… It adds a little something ‘extra’ xx
I love this recipe. It’s so easy and absolutely delicious too. Thank you for a great recipe and for joining up to #CookBlogShare.
Thank you Sisley. It was super-fun testing so many different flavours too xx
Hello my husband is allergic to nuts, eggs gluten, soya, dairy and latex. Can this ice cream be made without banana as it contains latex?
Hi Heather
Sorry your husband has so many allergies to contend with.
Unfortunately, this particular ice cream is rather reliant on the banana for the texture that it provides. So I’m not sure that it would work with an alternative, although you could try.
Can your husband eat coconut? If so, I do have a Vegan no churn ice cream that may help you
https://www.glutenfreealchemist.com/vegan-no-churn-rich-chocolate-ice-cream/
Best wishes
Kate
love these healthier ice cream options. The chocolate banana looks just great thanks for sharing and for linking up today
Thanks Deborah. You’re welcome. They certainly produce less guilt on eating!
Thanks for hosting x