How to Make Banana Ice Cream

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With lactose intolerance affecting millions worldwide and consumer awareness of dairy practices rising, the non-dairy product market is expanding. From alternative milks to cheese, consumers today have plenty to choose from to satiate dairy cravings without eating dairy.

However, many of these products cost much more than their dairy counterparts, and often contain unwanted ingredients. This is especially the case with frozen desserts.

Enter, “nice cream”: a banana ice cream recipe made without an ice cream maker.

Vegan banana ice cream in a dessert dish with a spoon on the side.

Believe it or not, we can show you how to make ice cream using bananas and nothing else. This one-ingredient, non-dairy dessert remarkably resembles the original. Below you can find our delicious and easy homemade banana ice cream recipe. To whip a batch up yourself, all you need is a frozen banana to purée in a blender or food processor.

Just follow the six simple steps to learn how to make banana ice cream at home and start on your way to enjoying a bowl of sweet, creamy goodness as soon as possible. When you make homemade banana ice cream without eggs, vegan eaters can indulge as well!

Table of Contents

Step #1. Prepare Ingredients

In this tutorial, we will teach you how to make a vegan banana ice cream aka. ‘nice cream’, with only one ingredient! Make sure you have the following on hand:

Fresh bananas (you can skip to step #4 with pre-frozen banana chunks)
Food processor

Step #2. Cut Bananas into Chunks

Cut the bananas into big chunks.

Step #3. Freeze Bananas

Place the banana pieces into a plastic bag and freeze for 1 day or overnight.

Step #4. Process Frozen Bananas

Process the frozen bananas in a food processor or blender until smooth and very creamy.

Closing lid on processor with banana chunks in it.

Blending frozen banana chunks in a food processor.

Blended banana ice cream in a food processor.

Step #5. Scoop Out Banana Ice Cream

Scooping banana ice cream out of food processor.

Scoop out the banana ice cream into a dessert dish.

Step #6. Serve & Enjoy

Banana ice cream in a glass serving dish.

OPTIONAL: Garnish with shaved vegan chocolate.

Vegan banana ice cream in a dessert dish with chocolate grated on top.

Banana ice cream in a glass serving dish with chocolate on top.

Banana Ice Cream Flavor Ideas

Nice cream is delicious plain, but you can also take it to another level with one of these fun banana ice cream flavor ideas:

Blueberry: This one is easy! Just blend ¼ cup of fresh or frozen blueberries with the banana.
Butter pecan: Blend 2 tablespoons of chopped roasted pecans, ½ of teaspoon vanilla extract, 1-2 tablespoons of maple syrup, and ½ teaspoon of non-dairy butter spread with the bananas.
Chocolate peanut butter: Blend 1-2 tablespoons of peanut butter and 1 tablespoon of cocoa powder with the bananas.
Mint chocolate chip: Blend a couple of drops of peppermint extract with the bananas. Fold in a tablespoon or two of non-dairy chocolate chips.
Strawberry shortcake: Blend the bananas. Once smooth, add ½ tablespoon of vanilla extract and 2 tablespoons of coconut cream. Fold in ¼ cup of strawberries and small handful of vegan biscuits.

If it doesn’t seem that the bananas are blending into a smooth mixture, don’t panic! They’ll look like rough crumbles at first. Just wait a few minutes for the magic to happen. For some flavors, like peanut butter, you might need to add a splash or two of almond or coconut milk to help the blending process.

For soft-serve, enjoy your healthy creation as soon as it finishes blending. If you like harder treats, freeze the mixture in a covered container until firm.

What do you think: How does this easy, moo-free recipe compare to store-bought options?