My family requests this blender ice cream recipe nearly every night. It’s fast and easy to make, and the results are thick, creamy ice cream. No ice cream maker needed!
At my house, we end every night with a sweet treat, and ice cream is always preferred. On the off chance I don’t have a Ninja creami pint in the freezer, we make blended nice cream!
This is my favorite hack for making ice cream on the fly because it’s quick and easy to make, and you don’t need any notice, special ingredients, or fancy kitchen gadgets. So long as you have frozen bananas, you’re ready to roll! Or, blend…
Why I love this recipe
- 3 ingredients. All you need are bananas, cocoa powder, and a nut or seed butter.
- Super healthy. It’s basically a smoothie but, like, in ice cream form.
- Wholesome. It’s dairy-free and easy to make nut-free!
- It’s so quick to make. As fast as you can blend a banana, THAT’S how fast you can make this ice cream.
- Hard scoop option. When I have an extra hour to spare, I like to make this blended ice cream a bit thicker and scoopable. More on that down below!
If you love homemade ice cream recipes like us, Try my coconut cream ice cream, protein ice cream, or matcha ice cream next!
Key ingredients
- Frozen bananas. You HAVE to use frozen banana for this recipe, as they’re the bulk of the ice cream base. I recommend chopping the frozen bananas to cut down on the blending time.
- Cocoa powder. Use a good quality cocoa powder to bring out the chocolate flavor. When I want to avoid any chocolate flavor, I use dark cocoa powder.
- Peanut butter. Aim to use smooth, drippy peanut butter with no added sugar or salt.
How to make ice cream in the blender
I’ve included step-by-step photos below to make this recipe easy to follow at home. For the full printable recipe instructions and ingredient quantities, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Step 1- Blend. Add the bananas to a high-powered blender and blend until broken up. Add the remaining ingredients and continue blending until smooth.
Step 2- Serve. Serve the ice cream in large bowls with desired toppings, and enjoy!
Arman’s recipe tips
- Nut-free. Use sunflower seed butter or tahini.
- Scrape the blender often. I try to stop every 10 seconds or so to scrape down the sides of the blender.
- Add sweetness. I rely on the bananas for the sweetness in this recipe, but if I want it a little sweeter, I’ll add 1-2 tablespoons of keto maple syrup (though any sweetener works).
- Taste and adjust. The beauty of this recipe is that you can taste it as you go and add anything you want!
- Add extracts. Add 1-2 teaspoons of vanilla extract, almond extract, or peppermint extract to transform the flavor.
- Mix-ins. Gently fold in crushed cookies, jam, or candy buttons for extra flavor.
Frequently asked questions
Slice up your bananas into bite sized pieces and place them on a plate or lined baking sheet. Freeze until they’re firm, then store them in a ziplock bag in the freezer for up to 6 months.
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In a high-speed blender or food processor, add your frozen bananas and blend for 10 seconds to lightly break apart. Add your peanut butter and cocoa powder and blend until just blended.
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Transfer to a bowl and enjoy soft serve style.
For hard scoop ice cream:
- Place a small loaf pan in the freezer. This can be done 1 hour beforehand or overnight.
- Add the ingredients and blend as directed.
- Transfer the mixture to the loaf pan and cover with plastic wrap.
- To ensure it doesn’t become too icy, lightly mix your ice cream every 20-30 minutes for the first hour.
TO RE-FREEZE: This style of ice cream is best enjoyed fresh, but you can store the leftovers to re-blend later. Pour the leftover ice cream into an ice cube tray, freeze it, and store the cubes in a freezer-safe container.
TO RE-BLEND: Add the ice cream cubes to a blender with a (tiny) splash of milk and blend until smooth.
Flavor variations
- Strawberry banana. Omit the cocoa powder and add 1/2 cup of frozen strawberries.
- Mint chocolate chip. Omit the cocoa powder; add peppermint extract, chocolate chips, and optional green food coloring.
- Coffee. Add 1/2 teaspoon espresso powder.
- Mango. Omit the cocoa powder and add 1/2 cup of frozen mango cubes.
- Pineapple. Omit the cocoa powder and peanut butter, and add 1 cup of frozen pineapple.
- Blueberry lemon. Omit the cocoa powder and add ½ cup of frozen blueberries and the zest of 1 lemon.
Serving: 1servingCalories: 148kcalCarbohydrates: 28gProtein: 4gFat: 5gSodium: 39mgPotassium: 557mgFiber: 5gSugar: 12gVitamin A: 76IUVitamin C: 10mgCalcium: 13mgIron: 1mgNET CARBS: 23g
