(this photo:banana & sunbutter (or peanut butter) ice cream)
By now most of you have probably seen the banana ice cream craze somewhere; Pinterest, Facebook, Dr. Oz. It's everywhere these days, and with good reason. It's FABULOUS! Not only is it super simple to prepare, but it's also delicious, healthy, AND dairy free! Easy homemade dairy free ice cream, AND it's good for you?!?!? Who knew!
How to make Dairy Free Banana Ice Cream
The base of any dairy free banana ice cream is quite simply just bananas.
Cut your bananas into ½ inch slices and freeze on a parchment lined cookie sheet until frozen. Pop the slices into the food processor and blend until creamy. Keep an eye on it, because if you blend it too much it will pass that creamy/still cold phase and become more like pudding. If this does happen, you can always pop it back in the freezer and have at it later.
Next, you can stir in some flavor and toppings...
What goes better with bananas than Sunbutter? (peanut butter is amazing if you don't have a peanut allergy to worry about.) Drop a tablespoon in with your bananas, give it a whirl, and boy are you in for a treat! Top with some freshly sliced bananas and dairy free chocolate sauce or chips for a serious party in your mouth.
Looking for something on the fruity side? Try mixing in a handful of blueberries (shown above) or strawberries (shown below).
The texture is so creamy, unsuspecting tasters will never guess that it's just a banana that's been frozen and blended. It's a fantastic ice cream alternative that you can feel good about feeding to your family. Got a little one starting solids? This is a great treat to let them try on those hot summer days. Just be sure to let it warm up a bit so you don't give him a brain freeze!
And now my favorite flavor...
Dairy Free Maple Walnut Ice Cream
Mix in a tablespoon or so of REAL maple syrup (not that fake junk made out of brown rice syrup), and a handful of chopped walnuts. Top with a drizzle of syrup and a few more nuts, and you have a seriously delicious bowl of goodness.
The possibilities are really endless with this recipe. Try a few crushed Newman-O's for a cookies 'n cream flavor. Maybe a bit of coffee extract, or a shot of amaretto for the grown-ups. The list goes on.
Something to note: I've had great luck freezing this in a freezer safe, airtight container. Just be sure to leave it out on the counter for a few minutes to give it a chance to soften and get back to that creamy texture.
Have you experimented with banana ice cream? What are your favorite flavors?
Dee says
This ice-cream is indeed most delicious. It is so easy to make. I regularly freeze some sliced bananas and whenever I feel like having an ice cream, I just run the frozen bananas in the processor and add my favourite flavours. All ice cream lovers should try it.
Margaret says
YES, I am a total ice cream addict...This is more def. a great alternative. I generally add in cocoa powder and vanilla...Usually a bit of some sweetener like stevia, dates or whatever...I feel so much better about the indulgence when I eat this over the ice cream...
Erica says
I make this for my son who has a milk allergy all the time. He loves it and so do I. I use peanut butter and I use a bit of honey to sweeten it. We have also tried the strawberry topped with bananas and choc. syrup he loved it.
Julie says
I am totally trying this asap! My son has milk allergy and loves bananas. We have tried alternative frozen desserts but this sounds so easy!!! I think I might go slice some bananas up now to start that process!!! So excited and thankful that I found this!!