Dairy free Banana Ice Cream will satisfy your sweet tooth with no added sugar! This recipe transforms frozen bananas into a luscious frozen dessert. It’s a delicious imposter for soft serve ice cream–without the extra ingredients!
Bananas are the perfect way to add natural sweetness to your favorite foods! Try this Sugar Free Banana Bread Recipe next. Or give our delicious mason jar ice cream recipe next.
One Ingredient Ice Cream
You only need one ingredient to make this Banana Ice Cream: bananas.
Sounds too good to be true, right? I thought so too. When I first heard about this dairy free “soft serve” everyone was making, I couldn’t imagine how something as ordinary as a banana could become ice cream.
Then I tried it myself and became a believer!
- Bananas themselves are high in natural sugars, so you don’t need to add any sweetener at all.
- Their starchiness gives the “ice cream” a thick and creamy consistency that really does remind me of soft serve.
- Make as much or as little “ice cream” at a time as you want!
This banana soft serve is perfect for enjoying on the porch on a warm summer day, or as a healthier alternative to your evening bowl of sugary ice cream. Eat it on its own or try some of my favorite sugar free mix-ins!
Serve a scoop on our sugar free apple crisp!
Tips and Tricks
- Slice bananas before freezing. This speeds up the freezing time and makes them much easier to process.
- Be patient. At first, the frozen bananas will just look like crumbs. It takes about 10 minutes of dedicated processing for the bananas to look creamy and smooth.
- Don’t over blend. Once the banana ice cream is smooth, pulse it for only about 20 additional seconds, just to incorporate some air. Over blending will create a runny ice cream.
- Hard or soft ice cream: After processing the ice cream will be smooth and whipped like soft serve. For a hard scoop version, freeze the mixture for 2 hours. Let hardened ice cream sit at room temperature for 10-15 minutes.
- Storing: I recommend storing banana ice cream in a metal loaf pan covered with foil and plastic wrap. Keep frozen and enjoy within 3 months.
Sugar Free Add Ins
The simplicity of this banana ice cream makes it a perfect vehicle for all kinds of other flavor additions. Here are a few ideas to mix in during the last few seconds of the blending process.
- peanut butter
- almond butter
- vanilla extract
- frozen berries or freeze dried fruit
- cocoa powder
After scooping the banana ice cream into bowls, enhance your dessert with these delicious topping suggestions:
- unsweetened coconut flakes
- sugar free chocolate chips
- chopped nuts– we love pistachios!
- sliced fruit
- sugar free cookies – These Keto Peanut Butter Cookies would be perfect!
Recipe FAQs
1 large banana makes approximately 1 cup of ice cream. I used 4 bananas in this recipe which was enough for 4 satisfying portions of ice cream.
I tested this recipe in both a 4 cup food processor and a large 7 cup food processor. Both worked equally well. The higher powered your processor is, the more easily your bananas will blend. A high powdered blender would work too!
If you are not using a high powered processor you may need to cut your bananas into smaller pieces to help them blend. You can also add a little unsweetened almond milk to the bowl of the food processor to help things along. Start with a tablespoon at a time and add more as needed for the bananas to begin to puree. Be careful not to add too much or you’ll turn your ice cream into a banana smoothie instead!
No, you cannot. Mashing the bananas before freezing results in a mushy, brown mixture that in no way resembles the creamy, frozen treat you want!
Yes, as written this banana ice cream is vegan, dairy free and gluten free.
Yes, bananas are the only ingredient (unless you add the optional mix-ins) so you can definitely taste them! Even with the addition of peanut butter or vanilla extract, banana is the prominent flavor, so if you’re strongly opposed to banana in your desserts this might not be the recipe for you.
More Sugar Free Desserts
- Keto Shortbread Cookies
- Sugar Free Lemon Bars
- Chocolate Pudding Recipe
- Keto Chocolate Cheesecake
- Sugar Free Carrot Cake
Banana Ice Cream
Dairy free Banana Ice Cream will satisfy your sweet tooth with no added sugar! This recipe transforms frozen bananas into a luscious frozen dessert. It's a delicious imposter for soft serve ice cream--without the extra ingredients!
Ingredients
- 4 large bananas, sliced or cut into small pieces
- freezer bag
Instructions
- Place sliced, ripe bananas into a freezer bag and freeze for at least 4 hours until solid, preferably overnight.
- Place frozen bananas into a food processor or heavy-duty blender and begin pulsing. The bananas will resemble crumbs at first, similar to oatmeal. Continue processing, as the mixture begins to get smoother, scrape down the food bowl with a rubber spatula.
- As the consistency begins to smooth out, switch to blending and stop frequently to scrape the mixture down so that it continues to be processed by the blade.
- After about 10 minutes, the mixture will turn into a creamy consistency resembling a soft serve ice cream. Blend for about 30 seconds longer to incorporate air into the ice cream.
- Serve immediately for soft serve ice cream. For a more firm, scoopable ice cream, transfer the mixture to a freezer-safe, airtight container, and freeze for about 2 hours, or until it reaches the desired texture.
Notes
- Storage: Ice cream can be stored in the freezer, in an airtight container, for up to 3 months. Store in a metal loaf pan covered with foil, or a tupperware container.
- More or Less: The beauty of this single ingredient ice cream is that you can make as little or as much as wanted - there’s no figuring out the correct ratio of other ingredients or doubling. Use as many or as little bananas as you like.
- Bananas: When choosing bananas for the ice cream, make sure to use those that have ripened. These bananas have more natural sugars and result in a sweeter ice cream. Cutting the bananas in smaller pieces speeds up the freezing time and makes easier work for the food processor. The bananas must be frozen before processing. Mashing them first and freezing will result in a brown, gooey mess that will not make the creamy frozen treat.
- Tools: This recipe was tested in a smaller 4 cup food processor and a large 7 cup food processor. Both worked well and took about the same amount of time (10 minutes) to achieve the soft serve ice cream consistency. A high powered blender will work too.
- Almond Milk: To help with ease of blending, unsweetened almond milk can be added to the food bowl while blending.
- Be careful not to process the ice cream too long. After the mixture has changed to a soft-serve consistency, only blend an additional 20-30 seconds to aerate it.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1 cupAmount Per Serving: Calories: 121Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 1mgCarbohydrates: 31gFiber: 4gSugar: 17gProtein: 1g
No dairy needed to make this Banana Ice Cream! This one-ingredient ice cream recipe produces an unbelievably creamy frozen treat without any added sugar or cream.
Jasmine L Varmall
Friday 18th of March 2022
Cool recipe! 💛
Diane Delia
Wednesday 23rd of February 2022
My new favorite ice cream! y kids loved it too, thanks!