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Make this incredibly easy banana chocolate ice cream with only four simple ingredients! It’s a nice cream recipe featuring bananas and cocoa. No need for an ice cream maker!
Ever since I found out I was pregnant with our first, I’ve been eating ice cream like no one’s business. All that sounds good at night is some cold chocolate ice cream. To help keep my refined sugar down I decided to make this vegan chocolate banana ice cream and stock it in our fridge.
Why You’ll Love this Chocolate Banana Ice Cream
- Rich and fudgy chocolate flavor.
- Creamy texture that melts in your mouth.
- You only need 4 ingredients!
- It’s completely dairy-free.
- Made with REAL ingredients and natural sweeteners.
- No ice cream maker necessary.
- Easy to add other flavors (mint!)
- Stores well in the freezer for ice cream anytime.
I love to eat it like soft serve straight out of the blender, but you can also keep it in the freezer for a while and scoop it out like traditional ice cream.
Ingredients Needed
Here are the simple ingredients for this banana and chocolate ice cream. Jump to the recipe card for exact measurements.
- Frozen bananas
- Cocoa powder
- Almond milk
- Nut butter (like peanut or almond butter!)
- Optional: Dairy free chocolate chips or chocolate chunks (I use Enjoy Life chocolate chips and chocolate bars)
Freezing Bananas
This is the main ingredient so you should start with ripe bananas (the riper the sweeter). Aim to freeze the bananas when they have some brown spots on them. You can’t skip freezing the bananas. Regular bananas won’t yield the same creamy texture.
Peel and slice the bananas in half. I like to keep mine in halves because I freeze a lot of bananas at once, for this ice cream and smoothies, so this helps me know how much banana goes in each recipe.
Place them on a baking sheet in a single layer then freeze until solid. Transfer the frozen bananas to and airtight container or freezer bag for up to 3 months. This is called flash freezing.
How to Make Banana Chocolate Ice Cream
Here are the simple steps to make this healthier dessert. Skip to the recipe card for printable instructions.
- Add everything to a food processor: Place frozen banana, nut butter, cocoa powder and almond milk a food processor or high-speed blender.
- Blend: Blend on high until it reaches a smooth consistency, 1-2 minutes. It may take more time if your food processor isn’t as strong. Add any mix-ins or extra flavors here!
- Serve or store: You can eat it immediately for a soft-serve ice cream or transfer to a bread pan to freeze for a more ice cream consistency, at least 1 hour. Thaw for a few minutes prior to eating.
Recipe Variations
This banana ice cream recipe is delicious on its own, but here are some flavors or ingredients to mix in:
- Mint chocolate ice cream: add 2 drops of peppermint extract and stir in some chocolate chips or even Ande’s mints.
- Cookies and cream: Crush up Oreos or another sandwich cookies (I like Simple Mills chocolate sandwich cookies).
- Fruit: mix in fresh or frozen berries to add a tart and sweet flavor.
- Ice cream sandwich: put a scoop of it in between flourless peanut butter cookies!
- Ice cream sundae with toppings: cover a bowl of ice cream with sprinkles, chopped nuts, fruit puree, whipped cream or chocolate sauce.
- Salted peanut butter: swirl in peanut butter for freezing and sprinkle with sea salt.
Tips and FAQs
This a healthier twist on traditional ice cream because it uses natural ingredients without added sugars. Bananas have fiber and other nutrients and almond butter provides healthy fats. However, there is still a good amount of natural sugars from the banana, so keep that in mind.
Try a seed butter or an oat butter if you are serving someone who can’t eat nuts. I’ve made this with tahini and it was delicious!
More Frozen Desserts
Banana Chocolate Ice Cream Recipe
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Ingredients
- 4 frozen bananas
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1/3 cup milk any kind
- 2 tablespoons nut butter almond, peanut or cashew
- 11 ounces chopped dairy free dark chocolate (optional)
Instructions
- Place frozen banana, nut butter, cocoa powder and almond milk into a food processor or high-speed blender. Blend on high until it reaches a smooth consistency, 1-2 minutes.
- If using, add chopped dark chocolate and pulse quickly to combine.
- You can eat the ice cream immediately for a soft-serve consistency or transfer to a bread pan to freeze for a more ice cream consistency, at least 1 hour. Thaw for a few minutes prior to eating.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
