Banana Ice Cream (1 ingredient!)

5 from 4 votes
3 Comments

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Banana ice cream is a healthy frozen treat that is almost too good to be true. Why eat a plain banana when you can make it into ice cream?

banana ice cream with berries
Featured with this recipe
  1. Banana Ice Cream Ingredients
  2. How to Make Banana Ice Cream
  3. Mix-In Ideas
  4. Recipe Tips
  5. More Easy Frozen Summer Treat Ideas
  6. Banana Ice Cream (only 1 ingredient!) Recipe

I have recently discovered banana ice cream and it is my new favorite treat. And the best part? My kids love it too! It is the perfect guilt-free, low-sugar summer snack. My kids could eat this all day and never even know it’s not “real” ice cream. I’m not even a big fan of bananas and I love it. The banana flavor isn’t overpowering at all (especially when you add some mix-ins). The texture is smooth, creamy, and it turns out delicious every time. Just like ice cream, but you don’t need an ice cream maker.

Banana Ice Cream Ingredients

This recipe has just one easy ingredient: bananas. Some like to add a little splash of vanilla or a splash of coconut milk (which is delicious), but honestly just one ingredient is all you need!

Slices of banana on a tray for freezing


How to Make Banana Ice Cream

  1. Peel and slice bananas
  2. Put bananas in freezer until completely frozen (6-8 hours)
  3. Using a food processor, pulse until smooth like ice cream
  4. Serve as soft-serve or freeze until hard enough to scoop
Banana ice cream being scooped from a blender

Mix-In Ideas

There are so many flavor variations to take this easy ice cream up a notch. Stir in one or more of the following ingredients to create an ice cream mixture of your own. You may discover some ice cream recipes that are not only healthier than regular dairy ice cream, but that also taste amazing.

  • Frozen mango and pineapple
  • Nutella
  • Peanut butter or almond butter with cocoa powder
  • Frozen raspberries and cocoa powder
  • Mixed berries or strawberries
  • Peanuts, pecans, or almonds
  • Chocolate chips
  • Pineapple and coconut milk (Pina colada)
  • Vanilla and Oreo cookies (Cookies and cream)
A blender with blended up bananas and berries

Recipe Tips

  • Freeze your bananas sliced. You can use whole frozen bananas but I have found it is hard on my food processor. It is much easier to blend up slices. Find more great tips on our post how to freeze bananas.
  • Use a food processor. I have a Blendtec blender and it works pretty well, but if you have a low-powered blender I wouldn’t recommend it. Even though I have a high-powered blender, I still like the food processor better.
  • If it seems crumbly and isn’t smoothing out, keep blending! It will get smooth eventually, promise.
  • Re-freeze after blending to make “scoop-able” ice cream, or serve immediately for soft serve ice cream.
plain banana ice cream
Is banana ice cream healthier than regular ice cream?

Yes! This is considered a healthy snack because you are literally just eating a banana. It is a vegan, dairy-free, gluten-free, low calorie, high potassium snack. Plus, there are no added sugars!

Is banana ice cream keto?

Although this is a very healthy treat, it is not considered “Keto”. This is because bananas are naturally higher in carbohydrates and has a good amount of natural sugars.

What is banana ice cream made of?

This recipe for banana ice cream has one ingredient – frozen bananas.

More Easy Frozen Summer Treat Ideas

banana ice cream with berries

Banana Ice Cream (only 1 ingredient!)

5 from 4 votes
Banana ice cream is a healthy frozen treat that is almost too good to be true. Why eat a plain banana when you can make it into ice cream?
Prep Time 10 minutes
Freezing time 8 hours
Total Time 8 hours 10 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 2

Equipment

  • Food Processor

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Peel and slice bananas into 1"-2" slices. Place banana slices on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and freeze for 6-8 hours.
    Slices of banana on a tray for freezing
  • You can prepare ice cream immediately or place bananas in a Ziplock freezer bag until ready to use.
    Pieces of frozen banana in a bag
  • When ready to prepare ice cream, place frozen banana slices in a food processor (or high-power blender) and pulse until smooth and creamy. If it seems crumbly and not smoothing out, just keep blending. It will get there!
    Frozen bananas in a blender for a banana smoothie.
  • Serve as soft-serve immediately or place in a freezer safe container and freeze for another 2-3 hours to scoop and serve.
    banana ice cream in a bowl

Notes

Mix-In Ideas

Stir in one or more of the following ingredients to add additional flavors and textures to your ice cream:
  • Frozen mango and pineapple
  • Nutella
  • Peanut butter or almond butter with cocoa powder
  • Frozen raspberries and cocoa powder
  • Mixed berries or strawberries
  • Peanuts, pecans, or almonds
  • Chocolate chips
  • Pineapple and coconut milk (Pina colada)
  • Vanilla and Oreo cookies (Cookies and cream)

Nutrition Information

Calories: 158kcalCarbohydrates: 40gProtein: 2gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 2mgPotassium: 634mgFiber: 5gSugar: 22gVitamin A: 113IUVitamin C: 15mgCalcium: 9mgIron: 1mg

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About the author

Erica Walker

Erica lives in Boise, Idaho with her husband, Jared, an attorney, and her three beautiful girls. Beyond the world of recipes, she loves adventuring with everything from kayaking, to cruising, to snowboarding and taking the family along for the thrill ride.

More about Erica Walker

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