Easy Ice Cream with Bananas (4 Ingredients)
This easy ice cream recipe is made with frozen bananas but its not banana ice cream! It gets its flavor from coffee creamer, while Greek yogurt and almond butter make it rich and creamy. It’s a simple dessert to make for summer gatherings or luncheons.
I recently heard about how you can make homemade ice cream using frozen bananas. I already use frozen bananas in my smoothies so it makes total sense.
I did some research and created my own recipe using just 4 ingredients and a blender. The result is this surprisingly rich and creamy frozen dessert, without an ice cream maker!
Why You’ll Love It
Let’s talk about the flavor of this ice cream. Even though it’s made with frozen bananas, the banana flavor is subtle in the end. It’s lightly sweetened and takes on a hint of the creamer flavor.
- Versatile. This recipe is easily adapted to other tastes simply by using different flavors of creamer.
- Easy. It takes very little effort. Simply mix everything together and freeze. No churning and no special equipment.
- Make-Ahead. This is the ultimate make ahead dessert since it has to be frozen for several hours. Make it the day before you need it, for easy hosting.
4 Ingredients & Substitutions
The 4 ingredients combined provide a depth of flavor that is rich and delicious, and the texture is surprisingly creamy!
- Flavored non-dairy coffee creamer. I used vanilla flavored here but some other favorites are chocolate caramel, salted caramel mocha, and amaretto.
- Bananas. Freeze them the night before. This helps give this ice cream recipe its texture and some sweetness.
- Greek yogurt. It gives the ice cream some body and is a nutritious base to start with.
- Almond butter. This adds flavor and helps to thicken the mixture before freezing. You can substitute with peanut butter or cookie butter.
How To Make It
- Make sure you freeze the bananas overnight (see quick tip below). Add them to a blender and puree.
- Add the other ingredients one by one, pulsing after each addition.
- Pour into a bowl or rectangle dish, cover and freeze for at least 4 hours before serving.
Quick Tip
Peel the banana before freezing or it will be difficult to do. To make the pureeing easier, slice the bananas or mash them before wrapping in plastic wrap and freezing.
An interesting thing I noticed about this ice cream is that it’s filling. There are so many nutritious ingredients, with fiber from the bananas, and protein from the yogurt and almond butter, it’s a satisfying indulgent treat.
More Ice Cream Ideas
There’s so much you can do with ice cream. Serve it at backyard barbecues, or turn it into a relaxed dessert at a dinner party. Use these ideas to get inspired.
- If this easy ice cream recipe idea intrigues you (which it should!) then check out my pumpkin ice cream recipe. It uses Pumpkin Spice creamer for a seasonal treat.
- This cookie butter ice cream pie does NOT disappoint! If you like Biscoff cookies, you’ll love the pie!
- This frozen hot chocolate is luscious and indulgent. Make sure you prep the base hot chocolate at least a day ahead.
- Set up an easy DIY ice cream sandwich bar for summer parties.
- Ice cream is not just for summer entertaining. Set up an ice cream soda bar for birthday party fun.
- Set up a simple game day ice cream bar that everyone will cheer for.
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Easy Ice Cream Recipe
This easy no-churn ice cream is so rich and creamy you won't believe how simple it is to make. A few key ingredients like coffee creamer and almond butter make this a winner for summer dessert.
Ingredients
- 3 very ripe bananas, cut into 1 inch chunks & frozen
- 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1/4 cup almond butter
- 1/3 cup flavored coffee creamer of your choice
Instructions
- Make sure to freeze bananas over night.
- Put bananas in a blender and puree. You will probably need to stop the blender and work the bananas in order to get them all pureed.
- Add yogurt and blend. Add almond butter and blend until smooth.
- Transfer mixture to a bowl and stir in creamer until well combined.
- Cover and freeze for at least 3 hours, or overnight. Scoop into bowls when ready to serve.
Notes
You can substitute peanut butter for the almond butter if you like.
When I was a kid growing up in farmland, my dad used to make homemade ice cream on summer weekends as we gathered with family and friends. I remember taking turns turning that old hand-cranked ice cream maker before we finally bought an electric one. And his favorite flavor to make was banana. Once it was all ready, we would serve it up and eat it from Styrofoam cups.
Now that I’m grown I haven’t had homemade ice cream like that in decades! I’ve never bought an ice cream maker because it’s just something else I’d have to store most of the time.
