Banana Ice Cream (3 Ways!)

Learn how to make banana ice cream in a blender or food processor with this easy recipe! Whether you make banana, strawberry, or chocolate peanut butter-flavored ice cream, it’s an ultra-creamy vegan dessert that’s perfect for summer or year-round.

Easy and Customizable Homemade Banana Ice Cream

There’s nothing like a nice cold treat on a hot summer day! Whether it’s a bowl of mixed berry ice cream, creamy lemon ice pops, or this homemade banana ice cream, we can’t get enough.

Homemade ice cream from frozen bananas is one of our favorite refreshing desserts because it couldn’t be easier to make. All you need are simple ingredients and a blender or food processor. No ice cream maker needed!

What we love most about this vegan banana ice cream recipe is how fun it is to customize. While we included banana, strawberry, and chocolate peanut butter variations in this recipe, you can put your own spin on it using any of the flavor ideas listed below. Whip up a batch of your favorite ice cream flavor, freeze it, and then enjoy it throughout the summer or year-round!

Looking for more frozen vegan desserts to try? Check out our healthy watermelon popsicles, healthy banana popsicles, peanut butter and chocolate covered bananas, and strawberry sorbet with mint.

The Ingredients and Substitutes

Banana Ice Cream

• Bananas: Slice up a bunch of ripe bananas and freeze them before making all 3 recipes for the best results.
• Plant-based milk: Any dairy-free milk works great in vegan ice cream. You can also use water or coconut water as a substitute.
• Agave syrup: This natural sweetener balances the flavors in the vegan ice cream and transforms it into a sweet dessert. Maple syrup also works, but the flavor of the plant-based ice cream will be slightly different.
• Vanilla extract: For a little extra sweetness and balance.

Strawberry Banana Ice Cream

In addition to the bananas, plant milk, agave, and vanilla, you’ll also need:

• Strawberries: Use frozen strawberries to give the vegan ice cream a smooth and frosty consistency and gorgeous pink color.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Ice Cream

In addition to the bananas, plant milk, agave, and vanilla, you’ll also need:

• Cocoa powder: This gives the vegan ice cream a distinctly chocolatey flavor.
• Peanut butter: Use crunchy or smooth all-natural peanut butter, or swap it for almond butter! If you’re only craving vegan chocolate ice cream, omit the peanut butter.

Flavor Variations

Customize your vegan banana nice cream with any of these flavor boosters or mix-ins:

• Other fruits: In addition to the bananas, add frozen mango, pineapple, kiwi, peaches, or cherries for a fruity twist.
• Nuts: For a nice crunch and added nutty flavor, mix in some crushed peanuts, walnuts, cashews, hazelnuts, or pecans by hand.
• Vegan chocolate chips: Stir in about ½ cup of vegan chocolate chips for a crunchy, double chocolatey flavor.
• Extracts: Blend in 1 to 2 teaspoons of mint, peppermint, almond, or banana extract to play with the flavors.
• Sauces: Use a spatula to swirl in caramel sauce, vegan chocolate sauce, peanut butter, or almond butter after blending.
• Jam: Stir in a generous scoop of your favorite fruit jam for some added fruitiness.
• Vegan cookies: Break up your favorite vegan cookies, like vegan peanut butter cookies or edible peanut butter cookie dough, and fold in the pieces at the end.
• Vegan brownies: Chop up a few leftover vegan brownies and stir them into the plant-based ice cream for a chewy, decadent texture.
• Protein powder: Make vegan protein ice cream by blending in up to 3 tablespoons of your favorite plant-based protein powder. Plain, chocolate, vanilla, peanut butter, or toffee-flavored protein powder would all be delicious!

How to Make Frozen Banana Ice Cream

Strawberry Banana Ice Cream

• Add the frozen bananas, frozen strawberries, agave, vanilla, and your choice of plant-based milk.

• Blend or pulse until you have a smooth vegan ice cream.
• Scoop into a bowl and enjoy!

Banana Ice Cream

• Add the frozen bananas, agave, vanilla, and your choice of plant milk into a food processor or high-powered blender.

• Blend or pulse until you have a smooth vegan ice cream.
• Scoop into a bowl and enjoy!

Chocolate Banana Ice Cream

• Add the frozen bananas, cocoa powder, peanut butter, agave, vanilla, and your choice of plant milk into a food processor or high-powered blender.

• Blend or pulse until you have a smooth vegan ice cream.
• Scoop into a bowl and enjoy!

If you like a little texture in your vegan ice cream, stir in leftover chopped banana slices, chopped strawberries, a drizzle of peanut butter, chopped peanuts, or any other mix-ins into the blended ice cream before freezing.

FAQs

Pro Recipe Tips

• Slice the bananas: Frozen bananas are easier to blend when they’re chopped into slices rather than kept whole. Slice the bananas before you freeze them—they will be difficult to cut through once frozen. The same is true for the strawberries!
• If you’re using a Vitamix or another high-powered blender, you won’t need to use any plant-based milk. Otherwise, add the vegan milk little by little until you reach your desired consistency.
• For a firmer, thicker vegan ice cream, scoop the vegan ice cream into a loaf pan or another storage container and freeze it for up to 1 hour before serving.

Serving Suggestions

Treat yourself to a vegan ice cream cone for a quick treat on hot days or a bowl of banana ice cream for dessert. Want to go all out? Use the nice cream for a vegan sundae topped with any of these delicious toppings:

• Chopped nuts
• Banana slices
• Vegan chocolate syrup
• Dairy-free whipped cream
• Sprinkles
• Vegan custard
• Vegan chocolate chips
• Pumpkin spice glaze
• Vegan caramel sauce

Storage Instructions

Store homemade banana ice cream in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months. To prevent freezer burn, press a layer of plastic wrap on top of the vegan ice cream before sealing the lid on top.

More Vegan Dessert Recipes

• Healthy Coffee Milkshake
• Vegan Cinnamon Rolls
• Lemon Poppyseed Cake
• Vegan Key Lime Pie
• 3-Ingredient Chocolate Coconut Balls

Photos by Alfonso Revilla

Photos by Alfonso Revilla