Make Incredible Ice Cream with Frozen Bananas and a Food Processor

I eat so much of it that last year I decided to start making my own. At that point, I was under the misconception that making irresistibly smooth ice cream was a time-consuming process that required not only a fancy machine but also a generous amount of dairy. It’s so good I figured it must be a labor of love.

Those misconceptions went out the window when I discovered the Banana Ice Cream recipe in The Complete Plant Based Cookbook. All I needed was a food processor, a freezer, and a little more than a bunch of bananas.

And like the best ice cream recipes, this one was customizable: I could use coconut milk or cream, and I could incorporate my favorite mix-ins. 

It sounded too good to be true. I needed to try it.

So I froze some bananas and blended them, coconut milk, and a few flavorings in the food processor. Within five minutes (plus two hours freezing time), I had silky-smooth, scoopable ice cream. It only took one bite for this to be my new favorite recipe for fast, flavorful ice cream I can enjoy anytime.

Here’s how this recipe makes deliciously creamy ice cream—minus the cream and hard work: 

• It’s all about the base. Overripe bananas are the perfect ice-cream base because they’re high in pectin and thus remain creamy while frozen, no machine-churning required.
• If you’re keeping it vegan, coconut milk is a great non-dairy alternative to heavy cream. It’s higher in fat than plant-based creamers. That fat adds richness and helps the ice cream stay super creamy.
• It has multi-dimensional flavor. Lemon juice, cinnamon, and vanilla extract enhance the banana and coconut for a more satisfying taste.
• You can eat it immediately if you want! Because the bananas start frozen, the immediate result is lusciously smooth, like the consistency of soft-serve ice cream.