My homemade peanut butter chocolate chip banana ice cream recipe uses just one main ingredient and you don’t need an ice cream maker – just a food processor or a blender!
When you have too many overripe bananas, you can make fun things like caramelized banana bread or banana bread muffins or banana nut muffins with crumb topping.
Yet when it’s HOT outside, you don’t want to turn on the oven bake. You want to make COLD things like 3-ingredient yogurt popsicles, homemade vanilla ice cream, and homemade ice pops.
So what do you do when it’s hot outside AND you have too many overripe bananas? Make banana ice cream!
You don’t make just ANY banana ice cream though…you make chocolate chip peanut butter banana ice cream…
And you don’t feel an ounce of guilt when you eat it because it’s super healthy!
Banana Ice Cream Recipe (Healthy Ice Cream)
You only need ONE ingredient to make this healthy banana ice cream recipe: bananas!
I was a skeptic before, thinking there was no way you could make a delicious ice cream using just bananas, but I’m a convert. You can definitely make ice cream using bananas!
And because bananas are a fruit, this healthy ice cream is naturally:
- Dairy-free
- Gluten-free
- Vegan
- Super Affordable
- Easy to Make
- Creamy Soft Serve
- Kid-friendly
- Parent-friendly
- Always in Season
And just to really get my point across at how EASY and SIMPLE this banana ice cream is compared to traditional ice cream, you DON’T need almond milk, vanilla extract, almond butter, heavy cream, coconut milk or an ice cream maker!
Wait – isn’t banana ice cream NICE cream?
For a long time I thought that when you made ice cream using frozen bananas, you were making nice cream. But as it turns out, Nice Cream is actually an ice cream shop in Virginia!
You can still call this nice cream if you want, but it’s also known as banana ice cream, vegan ice cream, dairy-free ice cream, banana nice cream, and frozen banana ice cream.
Anytime you hear any of these phrases, just know they’re talking about the infamous, one-ingredient banana ice cream.
How to Make Banana Ice Cream (Dairy-free Ice Cream)
I mentioned that you only need bananas to make banana ice cream, so let’s talk about this.
- You want RIPE bananas. Bananas get sweeter as they ripen, so you want to use bananas that have least started to go brown.
- Use FROZEN bananas. That’s the key to this banana ice cream recipe. Starting with frozen bananas means having banana ice cream faster.
- You want SLICED frozen bananas. I’ve made this with halved bananas and sliced bananas and the ice cream was much easier to make with sliced bananas.
Once you have your frozen bananas, you simply place them in a food processor and turn it on high, scraping down the sides as necessary until you have smooth, creamy banana ice cream!
Can you make banana ice cream in a blender?
I’m showing you how to make banana ice cream WITHOUT a blender because I’m using a food processor, but you can likely use a blender too.
I haven’t personally tried it, but I’ve made all sorts of things in my Blendtec blender, including cookie dough hummus (edible cookie dough) and chocolate avocado mousse, so I’m sure banana ice cream wouldn’t be a problem.
It takes a few minutes in a food processor, so it will likely take a few minutes in a blender as well. You will also likely have to scrape down the sides as you go, just a heads up.
Can you refreeze banana ice cream?
Yes! Once you’re done making the banana ice cream, you can put it back in the freezer to enjoy later.
When you serve it right away or within 30 minutes of freezing, the banana ice cream will have a texture of soft serve. Keep this in mind if it’s really hot outside!
The longer the banana ice cream sits in the freezer, the harder it will become.
Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream
Starting with bananas is like starting with a blank slate – the flavors are endless!
I’m currently crushing on peanut butter chocolate chip.
- For every one banana, add 1 tablespoon of peanut butter to the food processor.
- Fold in 1 ½ tablespoons of chocolate chips or chocolate chunks at the end.
My kids DEMOLISHED the first batch I made, literally licking the bowl clean.
They loved it so much, they invited their friends over the next day and I made peanut butter chocolate chip banana ice cream for everyone. All four kids gave it two thumbs up and asked for more!
The flavors truly are endless though, and you can make up whatever flavor you want based on what you’re in the mood for and what you have in the pantry.
- Want peanut butter banana ice cream? Just skip the chocolate chips!
- Prefer chocolate banana ice cream? Add a couple pinches of cocoa powder or dark chocolate when you blend the bananas.
- Want a fruit flavor? Either add it with the bananas or fold it in at the end!
The only thing you MUST have on hand is frozen bananas, so keep a stash in the freeze and you’re good to go!
Healthy Dessert Recipes
Here are a few more COLD healthy dessert recipes to enjoy in the summer:
- 3-ingredient Yogurt Popsicles
- 100% Fruit Ice Pops
- Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream
- Apple Crumble Ice Cream
- Cherry Limeade Popsicles
- Coconut Cream Popsicles
- 2 bananas, sliced and frozen
- 2 Tbsp peanut butter
- 3 Tbsp chocolate chips
- pinch of salt (optional, if not in peanut butter)
- Place sliced frozen bananas, peanut butter, and optional salt in a food processor.
- Process on high until the bananas are super smooth, about 5 minutes, scraping down the sides as necessary.
- Stir in the chocolate chips.
- Serve immediately, or place in the freezer to serve later.
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