Dairy Free Ice-cream

If you know me, I LOVE ice-cream.  I love the cold, creamy texture of ice-cream as well as the chunks of toppings (chocolate specifically).  I could eat ice-cream for every meal, but lets face it, even a non-dietitian knows that is probably not the best idea. The downfall of consuming ice-cream is the added fat and calories that easily add up in a small portion as well as lactose issues for some people. I had to find a healthier alternative to satisfy my cold cravings. With some trial and error, I created a delicious, simple and affordable ice-cream recipe that is dairy-free and low in fat and calories!

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Not only can you use ripe bananas for simple banana cookies, you can also use them to make homemade ice cream! If you have bananas that are about to go bad, peel them and put them in a freezer safe container and freeze.  What do I consider as “bad” bananas? Bananas that are starting to get squishy with brown or dark spots on the outside (as pictured below). Frozen bananas are the main ingredient of this non-dairy ice-cream.  When blended, frozen bananas create a homemade ice-cream consistency.

For this recipe, you only need frozen bananas and whatever mix-ins you like!  Since I am a chocolate fanatic, I like to add dark chocolate chips.  For added protein, I add all natural peanut butter (no added sugars or oils).  Other ideas include nuts, fresh fruit, cereal etc. If you are not a fan of banana flavor, the banana flavor can be masked depending on the ingredients you add to the frozen bananas. Peanut butter is my favorite to add to give great flavor as well as add protein to the ice cream.

To turn the frozen bananas into ice-cream, you will need a blender.  My all time favorite blender is the Ninja blender.  I received this blender as a wedding gift many years ago and it still works great! It is well worth the investment to get a Ninja blender. Not only can you use the blender to make ice-cream, you can blend smoothies, soups, puree/chop/grind ingredients, etc. It doubles as a powerful blender and a food processor. I like to use the single cups with lids to make it easier for use and clean up.

How to Make

Add the frozen bananas to your blender (or food processor). Pulse the bananas until it resembles a creamy, ice-cream texture. If your blender is not blending the frozen bananas smoothly, add a small amount (1-2 Tbsp.) of milk (or water if you do not have milk on hand). You can use any kind of milk you desire.

Pulse in any desired ingredients such as peanut butter, chocolate chips, cocoa powder, nuts, cereal, etc. If you do not like banana flavor, it is suggested to add in flavor like peanut butter, cocoa powder, and/or pure vanilla extract to mask the banana flavor. For a fall treat, add 1-2 tbsp pumpkin puree with a dash of pumpkin pie spice. If you don’t want any chunks blended in, you can add desired ingredients as a topping on the ice-cream.

This ice-cream is best served fresh to maintain a creamy texture. The ice-cream can also be made and froze to eat later, just note it may not be as creamy as first blended. ENJOY!