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Home » Recipes

Banana Ice Cream


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I’ve mentioned banana ice cream in a post before, but just in case someone missed it I thought it was important enough to dedicate an entire post to it today. This recipe somehow magically turns regular old bananas into delicious, creamy, cold, banana flavored ice cream without using any cream or an ice cream maker.

Overripe bananas on a wooden table
Use overripe bananas for the sweetest, most delicious ice cream!

I love it because it is good, good for you, incredibly simple to make, and (my new favorite reason) cheap!! I would venture to say that bananas are the cheapest fruit available in any grocery store…so bring it on!

There are also many different variations to this recipe. Feel free to play around and try adding in peanut butter, homemade chocolate sauce, a shot of chilled espresso, or even another type of frozen fruit.

You can also top the ice cream with some granola sprinkles from the same yummy granola recipe that I made on the Charlotte Today Show this morning! No matter what extras you add in though, if you like bananas I guarantee you will be happy with the outcome of this recipe. So have fun with it and enjoy!

Try this Banana Bark for another frozen banana treat!

You May Also Enjoy

  • Ice Cream Cake
  • Maple Pecan Ice Cream
  • Cottage Cheese Ice Cream
  • Chocolate Peppermint Cookies
  • Sugar Cookies

If you enjoyed this banana ice cream recipe, please leave a rating and comment! In addition, check out my Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest. For 5 free weekly meal plans and more free resources, sign up to receive my free newsletter! For more ideas, check out these Dessert Recipes!

Banana Ice Cream from 100 Days of Real Food

Banana Ice Cream

This recipe somehow magically turns regular old bananas into delicious, creamy, cold, banana flavored ice cream without using any cream or an ice cream maker.
6 Reviews / 4.5 Average
Prep Time: 5 minutes mins
Total Time: 5 minutes mins
Course: Treats
Cuisine: American
Method: Freezer Friendly, Too Easy
Diet: Egg Free, Gluten Free, Peanut/Tree Nut-Free, Vegetarian
Print Recipe
Servings: 4 cups
Save Recipe Saved!

Ingredients
  

  • 4 bananas (frozen)
  • ½ cup milk ((or less))

Variations:

  • peanut butter
  • chocolate sauce
  • espresso (chilled)
  • frozen fruit

Instructions
 

  • Peel the bananas, break them into thirds, enclose them into a Tupperware container, and stick them in the freezer overnight (or longer). I usually throw bananas in the freezer whenever they are about to go bad, and I’ve left them in there for weeks before so there is no rush.
  • When you are ready for the ice cream just put the bananas in a blender with ¼ cup or ⅓ cup milk. I don’t have a fancy, expensive VitaMix so I have to shake my little cheapo Target blender around a bit to get it all to blend properly. Just keep adding small amounts of milk until the consistency resembles ice cream. 
    It is that easy!

Notes

We recommend organic ingredients when feasible.
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition Facts
Banana Ice Cream
Amount Per Serving
Calories 124 Calories from Fat 9
% Daily Value*
Fat 1g2%
Saturated Fat 1g6%
Cholesterol 3mg1%
Sodium 14mg1%
Potassium 463mg13%
Carbohydrates 28g9%
Fiber 3g13%
Sugar 16g18%
Protein 2g4%
Vitamin A 125IU3%
Vitamin C 10.2mg12%
Calcium 40mg4%
Iron 0.3mg2%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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13.3K shares

About Lisa Leake

Lisa is a wife, mother, foodie, blogger, and #1 New York Times Best-selling author who is on a mission to cut out processed food.

Comments

  1. Nikki says

    June 09, 2013 at 9:18 pm

    Any suggestions for making vanilla ice cream?

    Reply
    • Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says

      July 05, 2013 at 7:56 am

      Hi Nikki. We don't have a vanilla ice cream recipe to share. Here are a couple other ice cream recipes that we do have: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2010/06/16/recipe-homemade-maple-pecan-ice-cream/ and https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2012/04/26/recipe-strawberry-ice-cream/. Enjoy. ~Amy

      Reply
  2. JMSH says

    March 24, 2013 at 11:25 am

    I am still amazed that this turned out exactly like ice cream! We made some last night along with the chocolate sauce. It rocked and completely satisfied my ice cream craving.FYI we made ours in the food processor and it turned out fabulously.

    Reply
  3. Virginia Kahn says

    January 30, 2013 at 9:01 pm

    you are lucky with your budget i have a $200 budget MONTHLY for 3 people - here is a tip; I buy the speckled bananas in the local market they are cheaper - I use them in smoothies- Orange Juice frozen fruit or OJ and banana - :-) I found whole wheat flour that was discontinued in my local store I got 4 bags - I have been making my own bread. I live in NC discovered that cantaloupe and butternut squash and zucchini, Roma lettuce grow well in my back yard tip: warm fresh cut from the garden is better than chilled cantaloupe :-)

    Reply
  4. Selah says

    July 17, 2012 at 4:36 pm

    I have read about this banana magic before and I have always been skeptical. So I saw this post a couple days ago and I had one browning banana so I decided to give it a try. One thing to note-- don't throw in the freezer before peeling. Maybe this is obvious to other people, but not to me! I could not peel it when I went to use it!
    Anyway, last night I cut the peel off and made one small bowl-- and it was amazing. I can't wait to freeze more bananas and try it with peanut butter. It's so darned good! Thanks!

    Reply
  5. Cindy says

    June 27, 2012 at 6:11 am

    We just eat the bananas straight. I slice them up, bag them up, and eat a few here and there. The dogs love them too! If I know I'm going to make banana bread, I squish them up in the bag before freezing, but we buy bananas like crazy and always have some in the freezer.

    Reply
  6. Melissa says

    May 24, 2012 at 10:19 pm

    Haha!! I totally LOL'd. I love how "down to earth" you are! Can't wait to try this recipe!!

    Reply
  7. Stephanie says

    May 03, 2012 at 11:51 pm

    This was amazing.... me and my boyfriend loved it. And we haven't even started the 100 days yet, But we are trying some recipes already. Thank you

    Reply
  8. Aimee says

    April 26, 2012 at 12:02 pm

    Hi Lisa,
    This recipe reminds me of what I make in my Yonanas machine. Have you seen them? They are the ultimate whole foods "ice cream" maker. You just put frozen bananas in with whatever other fruit you would like and it churns out really creamy "ice cream". I gave some to a friend who isn't into whole foods at all, and he couldn't believe there was nothing in it except for fruit. I put your chocolate sauce on it which put it over the top. Thank you for all of your awesome recipes!!

    Reply
  9. Sherry says

    April 22, 2012 at 1:12 pm

    Hey- I just discovered your site a few weeks ago and have tried about 5 or 6 recipes and have absolutely LOVED every single one! I just bought an ice cream maker yesterday since I love ice cream but would love to make a more healthy version at home. I was wondering if you know of any good recipes for chocolate ice cream or frozen yogurt?

    Reply
    • 100 Days of Real Food says

      April 22, 2012 at 10:15 pm

      Here is my basic ice cream recipe...you could add unsweetened cocoa or strawberries or whatever you'd like to it! https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2010/06/16/recipe-homemade-maple-pecan-ice-cream/

      Reply
      • Sherry says

        April 23, 2012 at 7:50 am

        how much cocoa would you recommend?

      • 100 Days of Real Food says

        April 25, 2012 at 6:26 pm

        I would start with a tablespoon and taste test before you add more. Good luck!

  10. Janice says

    April 12, 2012 at 5:33 pm

    Ben and Jerry's make an ice cream called chunky monkey. I copy it with banana ice cream and peanuts and chocolate chips. I have kept it in the freezer for a few days. It does the same thing as an open container of ice cream would, ice crystals, etc.
    We've done banana milkshakes forever as well- just add more milk, and a dash of cinnamon. Really good after yard work or football practice on a 100 degree Alabama day!

    PS If you can't have chocolate, a book called Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon has an awesome carob chip recipe.

    Reply
  11. Jaci says

    March 26, 2012 at 4:14 pm

    ok so my question is can I blend then freeze?? My blender has had a very hard life and I would hate for it to die, even though it sounds like this banana ice cream would be a worthy cause. Also if I add the PB and cocoa powder do I need honey or some sweetener? We use the made in store PB so its not really sweet, and I remember as a kid getting cocoa powder from the cabinet and nestle chocolate milk mix confused...it didn't end well.

    Reply
    • 100 Days of Real Food says

      April 01, 2012 at 3:36 pm

      You can add extras like cocoa and PB, but freezing it after you blend will change the consistency quite a bit (in a bad way).

      Reply
  12. Heidi says

    March 23, 2012 at 5:02 pm

    I make this all time using only sliced frozen bananas and pineapple juice blended in my magic bullet. The magic bullet does a great job pulvertizing it into a thick, creamy treat! Super yummy and great for someone who can't/doesn't eat dairy :)

    Reply
  13. Veronica B. says

    March 20, 2012 at 4:15 pm

    Amazing!!! Too easy and only two ingredients! I am amazed with the consistency and texture! I would have liked PB or cocoa, but, to my amazement, my 4-year-old loved it just like that, so I am going to leave it as is! It made so much from four bananas that I put the leftovers in the Ice Cream Cool Cones and refroze them for later... they are almost better like that! Both my 4-year-old and I had some in the Cool Cones just now... to die for! A treat I really, really feel good about giving my girl and I can also enjoy while losing the weight from Baby #2! Thanks for yet another wonderful recipe, this will be another to add to our rapidly growing list of favorites-to-make-again-soon! (So far our faves are Whole Wheat Honey Sandwich Bread, Banana Pancakes, Whole Wheat Biscuits, Pumpkin Bread, Banana Bread, Whole Wheat Brownies... and my ultimate favorite GRANOLA!!!!)

    Reply
  14. Tina says

    February 28, 2012 at 1:06 pm

    Here's my favorite version: for each serving blend one frozen banana, 4 or 5 frozen strawberries and about 3/4 cup of orange juice. Fabulous!

    Reply
  15. Cheryl says

    February 23, 2012 at 8:38 pm

    Thank you again for yet another great recipe! My kids loved it. We used bananas with a little bit of almond milk and vanilla. YUM!

    Reply
  16. Casey says

    February 21, 2012 at 6:57 pm

    Okay - I'm off to put some bananas into the freezer. Cherio...

    Reply
  17. Sarah says

    February 17, 2012 at 7:53 pm

    I got a Ninja master prep blender for $35 at Walmart. IT IS SO WORTH IT!!! You will have absolutely NO trouble blending frozen bananas in seconds. I promise. No shaking required!! I make smoothies every morning with this blender with only frozen fruit, juice, and peanut butter and it's so quick and easy!

    Reply
    • Joy says

      November 12, 2012 at 11:39 am

      we have one too! cant wait to try all these awesome recipies!!

      Reply
  18. Sheralee says

    February 12, 2012 at 2:23 am

    Love banana ice cream! But you should try it in the food processor instead. Cut the bananas into slices, freeze for at least an hour, then put them in the food processor. Let it do its magic. That's it! No milk needed. However, I do love to add raw, organic peanut butter and a little cocoa powder. Delicious! I feel like I'm cheating!

    Reply
  19. becca says

    February 08, 2012 at 11:13 am

    I have a cheapie version of the "ninja blender"- it was maybe forty bucks, but I used it every single day and it was so worth it- with a few pulses, you can make salsa, or guacamole, or sometimes I just frozen raspberries and a tiny bit of soy milk to make a delicious sorbet, and it does a PHENOMINAL job making this banana ice cream! so yum!

    Reply
    • Sarah says

      February 17, 2012 at 7:54 pm

      Guess I should have read before posting my comment... but I second this post!! :)

      Reply
  20. Mallory says

    January 16, 2012 at 11:40 am

    I made this this weekend and I couldn't believe the consistency of it! I used my food processor and added just a teensy bit of milk to two bananas--so good! I put the leftover back on the freezer and it tasted just as good later! Thank you for this.

    Reply
  21. Amanda says

    January 08, 2012 at 11:33 am

    I just pureed 5 bananas in the blender (not frozen) and dumped the banana liquid into the ice cream maker. Same effect but this seemed easier than trying to get frozen bananas to move through the blender. YUM! We're hooked! Thanks for the idea, I love your blog!

    Reply
  22. Erin says

    October 11, 2011 at 3:29 am

    Um, hello?! Are you kidding me here? I just made this stuff, and I can not get over how unbelievably good, creamy, mouth-feely fantastic this stuff is. Totally worth all the frustration of getting my blender to do it. Holy wow. My husband and I eat real ice cream probably 3-4 nights a week after the kids go to bed (one of our few remaining totally not real indulgences), and I am totally willing to let most of that go. Frozen bananas + wee bit of milk = MAGIC.

    Reply
    • 100 Days of Real Food says

      October 13, 2011 at 1:26 am

      You made me laugh...so glad you liked it!! I was totally shocked the first time too :)

      Reply
  23. Jennifer says

    September 30, 2011 at 8:50 pm

    I'm going to try this. Bananas work awesome in smoothies and this looks easy. Just wish I could find a way to make plain old vanilla in my Vitamix without using powdered milk (ugh!).

    Reply
    • 100 Days of Real Food says

      October 04, 2011 at 4:30 pm

      We make a wonderful homemade vanilla ice cream in our ice cream maker...the boxed stuff doesn't even taste good to us anymore! Here's a recipe: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2010/06/16/recipe-homemade-maple-pecan-ice-cream/

      Reply
  24. Brittani says

    September 28, 2011 at 8:54 pm

    WHOA! I feel like I'm eating REAL icecream! Even my super-sugar eater (18 years old) says, "So when are you going to make more banana crap?" which, translated, means, "Yeah, I'm not going to admit how good it is because it's healthy, but I want more."

    Then, him and I made a strawberry, banana version, which takes longer because frozen strawberries are harder, and it was also very good!

    Reply
  25. Catherine says

    September 12, 2011 at 6:37 pm

    Try this, this weekend. It ended up being more of a smoothie than ice cream. But I blame the fact that I only have a blender and a weak one at that.

    Reply
  26. Robin says

    August 26, 2011 at 7:04 am

    RE: Almond Milk
    YES! My daughters and I love the Banana Chocolate shake from the vegan book "Raw Food, Real World" (Melngailis, Kenney) which uses raw/homemade Almond Milk frozen bananas, cocoa and agave (i use a little honey instead) and cinnamon. It tastes like a full fat dairy creation but it's dairy free and still delicious (even if we're not dairy free or vegan :-)

    Reply
  27. Felicia says

    August 26, 2011 at 12:06 am

    Could you use almond milk instead of regular milk?

    Reply
  28. Claire Nelson says

    August 25, 2011 at 4:51 am

    I cut the bananas smaller before freezing, add vanilla for liquid and flavor. It's wonderful.

    Reply
  29. Lisa says

    August 13, 2011 at 11:57 pm

    I used heavy cream and it was yummy! Ice cream every night! ;)

    Reply
  30. Maritez says

    July 25, 2011 at 9:42 pm

    Since it makes so much, do you freeze the rest? And does it freeze well?

    Reply
    • 100 Days of Real Food says

      August 04, 2011 at 2:31 am

      I've never tried to refreeze it, but since bananas are so cheap it might not hurt to experiment! Let us know!

      Reply
  31. angie says

    June 25, 2011 at 9:14 pm

    I made this today using coconut milk. My blender didn't cut it though...had to use the food processor. It was a hit!

    Reply
  32. Rana says

    June 19, 2011 at 6:10 am

    I love your description, I have a cheapo Target blender too! That made me LOL. :D I am also surprised it's that easy and I'm happy I don't have to keep making banana bread for those overripe bananas! Thank you for sharing!

    Reply
  33. Merriett Ferris says

    June 19, 2011 at 1:08 am

    I can't drink milk and have made this several times with just water. it is delish that way :-)

    Reply
  34. Rachel says

    June 19, 2011 at 12:04 am

    I found a similar base recipe elsewhere and we've been making this for a couple months now. However, we don't use milk, only bananas. Our personal favorite variation is to use 2 T peanut butter and 1 T cocoa for every 2 bananas. It's wonderful!

    Reply
  35. Marion says

    June 18, 2011 at 11:41 pm

    Sooo, the ice cream didn't go over with the kids too well. I blame it on my blender, though. I had to add a lot more milk than suggested to make the blade turn and of course it turned out too liquidy.
    Anyway, I added Baileys for an adult version and LOVE it. ;)

    Reply
  36. Shawnna says

    June 18, 2011 at 5:17 pm

    I only like bananas that are practically green, so when they are the perfect ripeness, I store them in the fridge. They store there for several weeks and don't ripen more. I have saved so many bananas that way - now I can buy more than one or two at a time. They do turn brown on the outside, but they are still fine inside.

    Reply
    • Cristina @ An Organic Wife says

      June 19, 2011 at 1:34 pm

      I'm with you, I love green bananas!

      Reply
  37. macapamp says

    April 21, 2011 at 5:18 pm

    I add some full fat yogurt and sometimes strawberries and freeze in those popsicle moulds and mi kids love them

    Reply
  38. AMB says

    October 07, 2010 at 6:15 pm

    I've done this as a milkshake, but never as ice cream. Totally going to try it - we, too, end up with too many bananas, and my stomach doesn't always love ice cream.

    Reply
  39. Vicki Garcia says

    October 06, 2010 at 4:14 pm

    Hooray for a use for bananas that are about to go bad! I cannot wait to try this one. Also, I'm happy you're combining the two blogs. Good move. :)

    Reply
  40. Sara says

    October 06, 2010 at 2:03 am

    Yay I love this recipe. It's crazy how easy it is, and how delicious it tastes. Perfect use of those bananas that are just about to go too far into brown territory to eat! I have a bad habit of buying too many bananas because they're so cheap, and then only eating a few. :P

    Reply
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