This Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Ice Cream is one of my favourite ways to enjoy a rich, chocolatey, healthy frozen dessert at home with just a few ingredients and minimal prep time. And the best part is you don't need an ice cream maker!
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
Banana ice cream (also known as "nice cream") is so simple, easy to make, and incredibly delicious. Mix it with chocolate and peanut butter, and you've got an indulgent frozen treat that you can feel good about eating. What else makes this such a fan-favourite?
- No ice cream maker needed - all you need is a blender or food processor!
- Natural and nutritious - made with whole foods, and without the high calories, refined sugars, trans-fats, and artificial additives that traditional ice cream has.
- Dairy-free, gluten-free, vegan - unlike traditional ice cream, this recipe accommodates many common dietary restrictions so it can be enjoyed by many.
- Easily customizable - this chocolate PB flavour is just one example of the unique flavours you can make by experimenting with different ingredients.
- Satisfies sweet-tooth cravings - I've got a big sweet tooth, and this saves me from reaching for less healthy desserts like brownies, cakes, pies, sundaes, etc.
The Magic of Frozen Bananas
Frozen bananas are the perfect base for making "nice cream". When frozen and fully ripened, they're naturally sweet, thick, and luxuriously creamy, making them incredibly similar in texture to traditional ice cream or gelato. The benefit is a lower-calorie option made with real fruits, without all of the heavy refined sugars, trans fats, and artificial additives of store-bought ice cream. Combine them with your favourite ingredients (like chocolate peanut butter) to create fun and delicious flavours - be as creative as you like!
Ingredients
Please see recipe card below for exact measurements.
- Frozen bananas - the base of this recipe. Make sure to use frozen, ripened bananas for their natural sweetness and thick, creamy consistency when blended.
- Unsweetened almond milk - I prefer this because it's light and creamy while low in calories and sugar, but you can use any kind of milk you like. This will help make our frozen bananas easier to blend.
- Vanilla extract - to help give this a pop of vanilla flavour.
- Unsweetened cocoa powder - will give us a rich, chocolatey flavour. Cacao powder works great as well.
- Natural peanut butter - to add thick and creamy nuttiness; you can use any kind of nut butter (almond, cashew, etc.) or seed butter if you're allergic to nuts.
- Maple syrup - I'm using a splash of maple syrup but any kind of sweetener will work, such as honey or agave nectar.
- Pinch of salt - to help bring out all of our flavours.
Instructions
STEP 1: Prepare the frozen ripened bananas by peeling and slicing them so they're easier to blend.
STEP 2: Throw banana slices in an air-tight container or freezer bag and freeze until they harden, for 3+ hours or overnight for best results.
STEP 3: Add all of the ingredients into a high-speed blender or food processor.
STEP 4: Blend the ingredients into a smooth consistency. Periodically stop to stir and scrape down the sides to keep things moving.
STEP 5: Once it's thoroughly blended, scoop it out and enjoy it right away as a smooth and creamy soft-serve, or freeze it for later as a scoopable hard-serve ice cream!
Equipment
I recommend using a high-powered blender or food processor for best results with this recipe. A high-powered blender will have the strength and speed needed to crush through frozen fruits with ease. I personally love my Vitamix blender (which I use everyday) - it comes with a handy tamper that I stir the ice cream with while it's blending and gets stuck. A good food processor can also work well, but you may just need to stir and scrape it a bit more frequently during blending.
Enjoy as Soft-Serve or Hard-Serve
This ice cream is great because you can enjoy it as either a soft-serve or hard-serve. For a soft-serve, just eat it as soon as it finishes blending! For a scoopable hard-serve, just freeze it for a few hours to let the ice cream harden; when you take it out, let it rest on the counter for 15-20 minutes to soften and scoop, and then enjoy! (or leave it out for longer to turn it into a soft-serve again)
Soft-serve
Hard-serve
Storage
You can store this in the freezer for a month or two. Just make sure to use a sealable container to prevent freezer burn. Then, simply thaw it for 15-20 minutes when you're ready to eat!
For storage, I love using 16-ounce (473 ml) wide-mouth mason jars. They're a perfect size for storing one pint of ice cream (which is what this recipe makes), with a sealable lid and a wide-mouth opening that makes it easy to clean and scoop out of.
Toasty's Tips
- If using a blender, start at a slow speed and then slowly move up to higher speeds once the frozen bananas have started breaking down. If using a food processor, give it a few pulses first before blending.
- Instead of peanut butter, feel free to use your favourite nut or seed butter instead.
- Keep frozen bananas in the freezer handy - this makes it easy to whip up a fresh batch of banana ice cream whenever you like! They're also great for thickening smoothies.
- To prevent the banana slices from sticking together, you can freeze them on a parchment paper-lined baking tray.
- Instead of slicing and freezing bananas myself, I often like the convenience of pre-packaged frozen banana slices. They're already ripened and ready to use!
FAQ
Why is my blender struggling to blend the bananas smoothly?
If your blender is struggling to blend the ingredients, there are a few things you can try. Add a splash of milk to help things move. Periodically pause blending to stir and scrape the banana, then blend again to keep things moving. And skip those slower, older blenders which often struggle with blending frozen bananas due to lack of power. Instead, use a high-powered blender or food processor for best results.
Do I have to use milk?
If you have a strong enough blender or food processor, you can try blending without using any milk, although you may need to use a bit more elbow grease to scrape and stir the banana. A small amount of milk helps it blend more easily, but you can try blending without it to start, and then slowly adding it only as needed.
Is this banana ice cream healthy?
Yes! Bananas are packed with essential nutrients, fibre, and are naturally sweet. You won't find the high amounts of added sugar, trans fats, and other additives of traditional ice cream - plus it's much lower in calories! Plus, cocoa powder contains anti-inflammatory properties. You can even add in your favourite superfoods to make it even more nutritious!
Try These Other Ice Cream Flavours
📖 Recipe
Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Ice Cream
Suggested Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 small/medium bananas (or 3 large bananas) - frozen and ripened
- 2 tablespoon unsweetened almond milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 3 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tablespoon natural peanut butter
- salt - pinch
Instructions
- Prepare the frozen ripened bananas by peeling and slicing them so they're easier to blend.
- Throw banana slices in an air-tight container or freezer bag and freeze until they harden, for 3+ hours or overnight for best results.
- Add all of the ingredients into a high-speed blender or food processor.
- Blend the ingredients into a smooth consistency. Periodically stop to stir and scrape down the sides to keep things moving.
- Once it's thoroughly blended, scoop it out and enjoy it right away as a smooth and creamy soft-serve, or freeze it for later as a scoopable hard-serve ice cream!
Notes
- Video: Watch the step-by-step video tutorial here.
- If using a blender, start at a slow speed and then slowly move up to higher speeds once the frozen bananas have started breaking down.
- If using a food processor, give it a few pulses first before blending.
- Instead of peanut butter, feel free to use your favourite nut or seed butter instead.
- If your blender is struggling to blend the ingredients, try adding a splash of milk. Stop the blender or food processor periodically to stir and scrape the bananas, and then continue blending. And use either a high-speed blender or food processor - lower-powered blenders often struggle with crushing and blending frozen bananas into a smooth puree.
- Use a parchment paper-lined baking tray to freeze the banana slices on in order to prevent them from sticking together.
- Instead of slicing and freezing bananas myself, I often like the convenience of pre-packaged frozen banana slices. They're already ripened and ready to use!
STEP-BY-STEP VIDEO
You can find step-by-step video tutorials for all of my recipes on my YouTube Channel. There you'll find many more tips and tricks to help you along!
Nutrition
Note: Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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