Healthy Banana Ice Cream

I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream!

With summer fast approaching, who doesn’t love a nice bowl of delicious and refreshing ice cream? This simple, one ingredient ice cream is high fiber, dairy-free, and vegan! (depending on what additions you put in). We recommend purchasing a pack of waffle cones from your local grocery store, and creating your own homemade ice cream cones for the whole family!

There are SO many different types of ice creams nowadays. Dairy, soy, coconut, almond, low-calorie... the list goes on. To be honest, I was inspired to make this recipe when I was craving a non-dairy ice cream that actually tasted good and didn't cost $12 a pint (I was going through a lot of ice cream at the time...). Luckily I had some frozen bananas in the freezer, so I thought I would give Banana Ice Cream a try!

There are so many great things about bananas. First of all, they are SO versatile. You can use them in smoothies, baked goods, sliced on top of cereal, yogurt, oatmeal, and toast, or just eat them plain. Bananas are a great source of potassium, vitamin B6, and vitamin C. Potassium is important for helping your muscles and nerves work properly, as well as maintaining your heart rate.

Whether you are vegan, vegetarian or simply want an easy alternative for your favorite ice cream flavor, banana ice cream is the perfect choice. If you like this recipe, we recommend making a large batch by blending five to six bananas plus additions to share with friends and family, or to keep all to yourself! Playing around with different add-ins and finding which combination you love the most for the summer is the best part! I have made a list of suggestions if you want to experiment with new flavors!

Now let’s get into the recipe...

Ingredients:

• 2-4 overripe sliced bananas, frozen

Optional add-ins (no specific measurements, add to taste):

• Peanut butter (or any nut or seed butter)

• Cocoa powder

• Honey or maple syrup

• Walnuts

• Chocolate chips

• Frozen strawberries, blueberries, mango

Directions:

1. Slice up the bananas and place them in a freezer-safe container.

2. Freeze the bananas for at least 2 hours, or overnight (the more frozen your sliced bananas are, the more creamy the ice cream will be)

3. Once frozen, blend the bananas in a food processor until it looks creamy and smooth (see photo to the right).

4. Time to add your flavour! I chose to 1 tablespoon of cocoa powder to one batch, and 2 tablespoons of crunchy peanut butter to the other.

5. Blend again for a few seconds to combine your add-ins.

6. Transfer banana ice cream to a freezer-safe container and chill in the freezer for 20 mins before eating. Store leftover banana ice cream in the freezer.

Recipe Tips:

• In this recipe, I used 2 medium-sized bananas for each flavour I chose to make. However, you can use as many bananas as you would like to make a larger batch. Just be sure to adjust the add-ins accordingly.

• I used a food processor; however, a blender can be used as well. It is important to make sure your blender is strong enough for the frozen banana.

• It is helpful to let your banana ice cream thaw for a few minutes before serving.

We hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do! If you like this recipe, comment down below. And don't forget to tag us in your photos on Instagram @vancouverdietitians