FIVE SIMPLE RECIPES FOR RICH, CREAMY, BANANA SOFT SERVE

Ice cream lovers unite, because 5-minute, make-at-home, reasonably healthy, vegan ice-cream is real. All you need to get setup are bananas.

You’ve probably seen at least one of the dozen click bait-y articles out there that promised that you could make creamy, rich, ice-cream at home using just one ingredient. Well, I’m sure I wasn’t the first to skeptically think that ice-cream can’t be made that simply, even if it’s a plant-based recipe. Liars.

But on a whim last week, I decided to order a case of bananas to peel and freeze from Spud’s imperfect produce section—a hefty stock to use in smoothies and baking. I was surfing the net when again, I was bombarded by some website trying to lure me in with the promise of their one ingredient banana recipe. With a fridge full of frozen bananas ready to go, it was a now-or-never type of moment.

If you can’t already tell, to say that I was surprised would be an understatement. Now that I know the truth about banana ice cream I’ve entered a new realm. It really is rich, creamy, and perfectly sweet without any sugar added. If you make it using frozen bananas, you get a luscious dessert that resembles soft serve. But if you make it, then refreeze it, and allow it to thaw for a few minutes so that it’s not rock solid—you’ve got full-on, scoopable ice cream.

The one thing that they’re lying about is that you’re really restricting yourself if you use only bananas. What ever flavour of ice cream you’re making, it’s in your best interest to add a pinch of sea salt and a dash of vanilla. This is what truly elevates your concoction from a bowl of frozen bananas, to a bowl of rich and creamy ice cream. From there, add whatever add-ins you please!

How to make banana ice cream:

1. Add all ingredients to the blender. If you’re using a high-quality blender or food processor, you should be able to get all ingredients to mix until smooth. If not, add a little milk (I used cashew milk), until everything is able to be combined.
2. If you find that you had to add so much milk that your ice cream is too soft-servy for your liking, stick it back in the freezer for 30 minutes. Or, freeze it for a few hours, then allow it to thaw for 10 minutes before eating. The consistency should be perfect post-freezing.

Vanilla

• 2 frozen bananas
• Pinch of sea salt
• Dash of vanilla
• Splash of cashew or almond milk

So simple and great. A perfect base for adding chocolate chips, coconut flakes, nuts, fruit, or anything else!

Matcha

• 2 frozen bananas
• 1 tsp green tea powder
• Pinch of sea salt
• Dash of vanilla
• Splash of cashew or almond milk
• Optional: drizzle of honey to cut bitterness

The matcha was excellent, but I would be weary of adding too much green tea powder. If you find it to be too bitter, try adding a little honey and more milk. I did this, and it perfectly resembled a lighter/icier matcha ice cream when I tried it post-freezing.

Straight Up Chocolate

• 2 frozen bananas
• 2 tbsp cocoa powder
• Pinch of sea salt
• Dash of vanilla
• Splash of chocolate soy milk 
• Optional: chocolate chips

The cocoa used here thickens up the recipe quite a lot, making for an even richer, creamier final product, especially when refrozen and thawed for a few minutes. Straight Up Chocolate was my favourite flavour until I took it one step flavour with the following recipe.. The ultimate takeaway at this point however, was that adding cocoa works as a fantastic base for all sorts of recipes to expand on.

Peanut Butter Chocolate

• 2 frozen bananas
• 2 tbsp cocoa powder
• 2 tbsp all-natural peanut butter
• Pinch of sea salt
• Dash of vanilla
• Splash of chocolate soy milk 
• Sprinkle with roasted peanuts

This was definitely the most successful flavour. I swirled the peanut butter in once the chocolate base had been blended, then sprinkled roasted peanuts on top before refreezing.

Cherry and Dark Chocolate Swirl

• 2 frozen bananas
• ¼ cup cherries, pitted and frozen
• Pinch of sea salt
• Dash of vanilla
• Splash of chocolate soy milk 
• ¼ cup chopped dark chocolate

The cherry  was delicious, but came almost too close to resembling a smoothie to really feel like I was tricking myself with banana ice-cream. I would also recommend not adding the chopped chocolate and cherries to the blender until everything is smooth, then just stirring them in. That way, you’ll still have some good chunks in the batch.

I cannot stress enough how convenient (and cheap) it is to have so many frozen bananas on hand. Our imperfect bananas are the perfect order for someone with a (banana) ice cream habit, as they’re just at the peak of ripeness, and ready to be frozen.

Have you given banana ice cream a whirl before? Let us know what you favourite combinations are in the comments!