Banana ice cream is a vegan and plant-based staple. It’s one of those things that everyone universally agrees is bomb, like pizza! The best vegan banana ice cream recipe is so simple and delicious, it’s hard to believe.
What is Banana Nice Cream?
“Nice cream” (also referred to as banana ice cream) is a plant-based take on ice cream. It’s usually made with 1 base ingredient: frozen banana. You can also add in other frozen fruits or flavorings of your choice. The best part? It’s incredibly easy to make.
The few ingredients are simply blended together into a creamy and sweet dessert.
Banana nice cream is extremely popular amongst vegans, plant-based enthusiasts, and non-vegans alike – because it’s easy, wholesome, and tasty.
One of the best parts about banana ice cream (or “nice cream”) is that it’s customizable! You can easily flavor it to be chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, or any other flavor. And you can throw your favorite toppings on top to make it nutritionally wholesome and flavorful treat.
Making Banana Ice Cream: Best Vegan Banana Ice Cream Recipe
To make the best vegan banana ice cream recipe, it’s incredibly simple. The trick is to NOT follow a measured recipe but to learn how to “eyeball” it so it turns out perfect every time.
Ingredients:
Bananas
Non-dairy milk (or water)
Optional toppings & add-ins
Directions:
- Freeze peeled bananas (you can use bananas with the peel on, but the peel is SO hard to remove once frozen, so it’s better to peel them before freezing). Make sure the bananas are frozen solid to get a creamy texture.
- Take the bananas out of the freezer and let them thaw for ~10 minutes.
- Throw them into a blender with a dash of non-dairy milk or water (JUST enough to cover the blade, or even a smidge less). If you’re using one banana, use as little liquid as possible to get it to safely blend. If you filled the blender with bananas, then aim to cover the blade.
- Optional: Add in flavors to your taste preference. (see flavor suggestions below).
- Pulse the blender a few times to break down the bananas. Then, turn it on low and use the blender tamp to push the bananas into the blade. Note: If your blender doesn’t have a tamp, then use the pulse option and use a fork to push the banana into the blade in between pulses.
- Once it’s creamy and smooth like ice cream, scoop into dishes and serve with your favorite toppings.
Flavor suggestions:
Chocolate (add ~1 tsp cocoa powder, 1tbsp maple syrup or sweetener).
Vanilla (add ~1 tsp vanilla extra, 1tbsp maple syrup or sweetener).
Peanut Butter Chocolate (add ~1 tsp cocoa powder, 1 tsp PB2 powder, 1 tbsp peanut butter, 1 tbsp maple syrup or sweetener).
Topping suggestions:
Nuts and seeds (pumpkin seeds, hemp hearts, walnuts, pecans, etc.)
Berries
Cacao nibs or chocolate chips
Peanut butter
Maple syrup drizzle
Cinnamon (or other spices)
You can make banana ice cream with a blender or a food processor. In a pinch, we’ve even used a fork and knife. We’ll walk you through each method below:
Using A Blender (Recommended).
Making banana ice cream with a blender is the way to go, especially if you’re making it for 1-3 people. A high-speed blender, like a Vitamix, is recommended. However, you can totally use a cheaper blender or even a $30 blender from Wal-Mart or Target. (Fun fact: I used a $30 Wal-Mart blender in college and made banana ice cream in it pretty much daily – it lasted for around 3 months, which isn’t ideal but I REALLY pushed it to the limits.)
Using A Food Processor
Using a food processor to make banana ice cream is less ideal, but it works! Food processors are harder to clean than blenders and the banana tends to get stuck under the blade. However, if you’re making dessert for a larger group (4+ people), then it’s a great way to make it. Larger food processors tend to hold more than the larger blenders, making them perfect for groups.
Fork And Knife Method (If You’re Desperate).
Desperate times call for desperate measures. If you want to make banana ice cream but you don’t have a blender or food processor, you can still do it! Once the bananas have thawed for around 10 minutes, use a knife a cut them into TINY pieces. Then, put the pieces in a bowl and use a fork to mash them up into a “creamy” texture. It won’t be as smooth as with a blender, but it still “hits the spot” and comes out pretty close to nice cream.
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