OK y’all. Hold on to your horses and to your hats. This DELICIOUS ice cream is vegan, 100% healthy, and has only TWO ingredients. I’m serious.
Bananas + Cocoa Powder. Boom. Ice cream. Or, “nice cream,” as the kids are calling it these days.
If you haven’t already heard of the banana “nice cream” trend, it’s time to hop on the bandwagon. It is seriously delicious and a completely valid alternative to traditional ice cream.
It’s creamy and even melts like ice cream! The banana tastes surprisingly neutral as well (must be because it’s cold), making it a great base for other flavors (yet it still adds natural sweetness without refined sugar).
I’ve tried a few healthy alternatives for decadent treats.
Once, I tried making those banana “cookies.” You’ve probably heard of them: those “cookies” that have only bananas and oats and are somehow supposed to taste like cookies? False. They do not. (I made energy bars instead using the same idea.)
This ice cream, on the other hand, is a worthy substitute. I’m not going to sit here and tell you that it tastes exactly like real ice cream with cream and sugar, but it will certainly satisfy your craving for ice cream if you get one.
The steps for this are simple. The basic gist is this: blend frozen bananas and cocoa powder in a food processor (a blender can also be used) until it looks like soft serve ice cream.
…that’s it.
Tips and tricks for making banana ice cream
Here are some tips for the perfect chocolate banana ice cream every time, plus some ideas for other flavor combinations.
Slice and freeze the bananas.
First, slice the bananas, and place on a parchment covered baking sheet.
You want to freeze the bananas sliced so it doesn’t break your food processor or blender when you make this by trying to break up an entire frozen solid banana.
Place the sliced bananas in the freezer for at least 25 minutes on the baking sheet. At this point, you can transfer the bananas to a bag or container to keep in the freezer until you want to make the ice cream, or make the ice cream immediately.
By flash freezing the bananas individually, they won’t freeze together in one solid chunk, and you can keep a bunch ready to go in your freezer for when you have an emergency ice cream craving!
Use a food processor
You can make banana ice cream in either a food processor or a blender, but having used both, I HIGHLY recommend using a food processor.
Similarly to making peanut butter from scratch, the frozen bananas will turn to a crumbly texture and all of a sudden, magically, turn to the most beautiful, soft, and fluffy soft-serve ice cream texture.
The blender version comes out a bit more dense and chunky, but still delicious.
And if you’re in the market for a great food processor, I recommend this one (more professional) or this one (cheaper) by Cuisinart.
Play around with flavor combinations.
- Make it sweeter: Is the ice cream not sweet enough with just the banana? Add some honey or maple syrup to it, to keep it refined sugar free.
- Use only bananas! Do you ONLY have bananas and nothing else? You can make this a one-ingredient ice cream just as easily.
- Add extra ingredients. Add some peanut butter for flavor and protein. Add some fresh strawberries or raspberries to the mix. Add some vanilla extract! Or canned pumpkin with pumpkin pie spices! Or what about some coffee beans and/or some Kahlua for a grown-up treat? I’m getting so excited here.
The possibilities are endless. When you are done blending the ice cream, you can even stir in some nuts, chocolate chips, coconut flakes, or other typical ice cream toppings for a chunkier texture.
So there you have it! A completely guilt free way to satisfy your ice cream cravings. If any of you try a great flavor combination, leave it in the comments below!
Enjoy :-)
Two-Ingredient Vegan Chocolate Banana Ice Cream
Instructions
- To prepare for this, slice the bananas and freeze on a parchment covered baking sheet for at least 25 minutes.
- Put the frozen sliced bananas and cocoa powder in a food processor (a blender can also be used) and turn on.
- Blend together until the mixture looks like soft serve ice cream (1-2 minutes).
Notes
- The provided nutrition information does not include any added sodium from seasoning to taste, any optional ingredients, and it does not take brands into account. Feel free to calculate it yourself using this calculator or by adding the recipe to Yummly.
Recommended Equipment
- Food Processor
Nutrition
Garima Tomar
can i add cinnamon powder along with cocoa ?
Elizabeth Lindemann
Absolutely! This recipe is super versatile- you can definitely add cinnamon. I’d probably recommend about 1/2 teaspoon :-)
Lisa
Wow, this was a revelation! I’ve been seeing banana-based ice cream for a few years and thought it sounded kind of weird and not that appealing, but I gave it a go this evening and it is delicious! Who knew bananas would turn such a luscious, creamy texture?? I added a pinch of salt and a dash of vanilla along with the cocoa – so, so delicious! I’m eager to try adding a splash of bailey’s or a spoonful of almond butter or try other flavors than chocolate altogether. No need to buy ice cream any more :) Thanks!
Elizabeth Lindemann
I’m so happy you liked it! And wow- a splash of Bailey’s? GREAT idea.
Gracie
I am making this for my mom for mothers day. I used non caffeinated chocolate.
Elizabeth Lindemann
Hope you and your mom liked it!