Raise your hand if you love ice cream. (*raises both hands*) Now, raise your hand if you are vegan, lactose-intolerant, or just trying to eat healthier. (*raises both hands*) What if I told you that you can have vegan, healthy ice cream any time you want, guilt free? Well, you can!
Have you tried banana ice cream yet? I’m not talking about banana-flavoured ice cream; I am talking about ice cream made from the actual fruit! And you can make it super easily and quickly in your very own kitchen.
All you need is a blender (or food processor) and some frozen bananas. Next time you go to the store, pick up double or triple the amount of bananas than you normally get. When the bananas start to turn brown (I like to wait until mine turn really brown – past the point of eating them at room temperature), peel them, cut them in half or in thirds, put the banana chunks in a plastic freezer bag, and place in the freezer. After they freeze completely, you’re all set to make banana ice cream! All you need to do is blend some frozen banana with a little bit of liquid (I use almond milk), and enjoy!
This treat is so delicious to enjoy on it’s own without adding any additional flavours, but it’s also so much fun to experiment and try new combinations. To get you started, I’ve shared three of my favorite banana ice cream recipes below.
3 Vegan Ice Cream Recipes:
Avocado-Spinach
1 1/2 frozen bananas
1/2 avocado (you can freeze this for about 30 minutes prior to blending, or use as is)
1 handful baby spinach
1/2 cup almond milk, unsweetened vanilla (You can also use coconut milk.)
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon maple syrup
Pumpkin Pie
1 1/2 frozen bananas
3/4 cup pumpkin (I used canned pumpkin.)
1/2 cup almond milk, unsweetened vanilla (You can also use coconut milk.)
1 Tablespoon almond butter
1 Tablespoon coconut oil
1 teaspoon maple syrup
1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
Snickerdoodle
2 frozen bananas
1/2 cup almond milk
1 Tablespoon almond butter
1 teaspoon maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
For all three of these recipes:
Place all ingredients in your blender or food processor, and blend until it reaches a desired consistency. I usually blend mine until it resembles soft-serve ice cream. If your blender is having a tough time processing the frozen fruit, add little bits of almond milk until it begins to smooth out. Just be careful not too add too much extra milk, or your ice cream will start to have the consistency of a smoothie (but will still taste great). Serve in a bowl and top with anything you desire. Some ideas: fruit, nuts, seeds, coconut flakes, cacao nibs, granola, etc. (As you can see from the pictures included, I like to get creative with my toppings. Who says adults can’t play with their food, too?)
And that’s it. Easy, right? Enjoy this treat as your breakfast, lunch, snack, dinner (it’s totally fine to have ice cream for dinner!), or dessert. Be creative with the variation and amounts of things you choose, and have fun creating different combinations and toppings (try adding other frozen fruits or cocoa powder). Eating healthy doesn’t have to be so square and boring. Take control of your kitchen and your health! But make sure to enjoy yourself along the way.
