This No-Churn Vegan Chocolate Banana Ice Cream is naturally sweet, smooth and creamy with the perfect amount of chocolate flavor to satisfy your craving. Simply blend frozen bananas in your blender using a tamper and then flavor with unsweetened cocoa powder (or cacao powder), vanilla extract and a pinch of salt. This instant 4-ingredient dessert is nutritious, kid-friendly, easy to make, perfect for hot weather days and mega delicious.
No-Churn Vegan Chocolate Banana Ice Cream
If you haven't yet tried "nice cream" now is your chance to jump on the bandwagon. It is simply frozen bananas blended into a smooth and creamy texture with no liquid added. No-churn vegan chocolate "nice cream" and no-churn vegan chocolate ice cream are very different, but both are chocolatey and delicious!
Bananas are naturally creamy and smooth when frozen and blended. In this post, I share the easiest way to achieve the best results for your next batch of no-churn vegan chocolate banana ice cream.
I have been meaning to add this recipe to the blog for years! This is my go-to easy summer dessert that I make for the kids when they want something fun and sweet but I want to give them something quick and nutritious.
Whenever I have bananas that are overripe and starting to go bad, I cut them up and freeze them so I always have frozen bananas on hand to make this recipe. In fact, this recipe works best with slightly overripe bananas because they are softer and sweeter.
If my kids ask for a banana and they don't finish it I freeze the other half for this recipe too. Basically, I always have frozen bananas ready to go and nothing goes to waste.
How to Make No-Churn Vegan Chocolate Banana Ice Cream
There are a couple tricks to getting the perfect chocolate "nice cream":
- Slightly overripe bananas work best. Any level of ripeness will work for this recipe, but for the sweetest flavor and creamiest texture a slightly overripe banana is your best bet here. When the banana peel has a good amount of brown/black spots on it then it is perfect!
- Slice up your bananas before you freeze them. If you freeze the banana whole it will be very difficult to blend. I recommend slicing the banana into 1-inch chunks and placing flat on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. This way they won't stick together and become difficult to blend later. Once they are frozen (about 8 hours) you can consolidate them in a silicone bag in your freezer so they don't take up so much space in your freezer.
- Use a high speed blender with a tamper/plunger. I have tried this recipe with a food processor and while it will work, it will take a lot longer and require a lot of stopping and scraping down the sides along the way. The food processor also does not get the banana "nice cream" as creamy as a blender does. I like to make a big batch at a time and can fit 10 sliced bananas in my blender. I start on low speed and use the tamper/plunger to move the bananas into the blades throughout the process. In less than 5 minutes it will be completely smooth and creamy.
- Add flavors after the frozen bananas are completely soft. Once the frozen bananas are completely smooth and creamy I add ingredients to flavor the "nice cream." In this recipe, I add unsweetened cocoa powder, vanilla extract and a pinch of salt. It is much easier to blend these ingredients in evenly once the base of the ice cream is completely smooth.
- Freeze the banana soft serve for perfect scoops. While you can enjoy this dessert immediately like soft serve ice cream (and many times we do), if you want the classic look and feel of firm ice cream scoops you will want to transfer the "nice cream" from the blender into a container (I use my 8 x 4 loaf pan) and freeze for a couple hours. I usually freeze for 3-4 hours in order to get nice scoops. Any longer and it will be difficult to scoop. In this case, you will want to let it thaw out at room temperature for a couple of minutes before scooping.
Those are my main pieces of advice. But really this is a pretty fail-proof recipe and doesn't require anything fancy or difficult. At the end of the day, we are just blending up frozen bananas really.
Looking for more quick and easy summer desserts?
Here a few of my most popular summertime treats:
- Vegan Nutella Fudge Pops
- Mango Sorbet
- Strawberry Sorbet
- Easy Watermelon "Pizza"
- Creamy Chocolate Avocado Fudgesicles
No-Churn Vegan Chocolate Banana Ice Cream
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This No-Churn Vegan Chocolate Banana Ice Cream is naturally sweet, smooth and creamy with the perfect amount of chocolate flavor to satisfy your cravings. Simply blend frozen bananas in your blender using a tamper and then flavor with unsweetened cocoa powder (or cacao powder), vanilla extract and a pinch of salt. This instant 4-ingredient dessert is nutritious, kid-friendly, easy to make, perfect for hot weather days and mega delicious.
Ingredients
- 6 medium bananas (overripe is ideal) - about 7 cups when sliced
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder (or cacao powder)
- 4 pitted soft Medjool dates (or 2 tablespoons maple syrup)
- 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
- pinch of salt
- optional: 1-2 tablespoons raw tahini or raw creamy almond butter
Instructions
- Peel the bananas and slice them into 1 inch chunks. Lay the slices in one even layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet that can fit in your freezer. The banana slices should not be touching. Freeze for 8 hours. After 8 hours you can leave as is or consolidate the banana slices into a sealable silicone container in your freezer (to save space in your freezer).
- Once the banana slices are frozen solid you can make the banana ice cream. Add the frozen banana slices to a high speed blender and place the lid on. Insert the tamper/plunger into the lid and blend on low to medium speed. Use the plunger/tamper to push the banana slices into the blades. You may need to stop and scrape down the sides of the blender if your plunger cannot reach the sides. Once it starts to get creamy you can increase the speed of the blender. Continue with this until the entire batch is smooth and creamy.
- At this point you can add your flavor enhancers. Add cocoa powder, dates, vanilla and salt and blend again until fully incorporated. Taste and blend in more dates if you want a sweeter banana ice cream. If your bananas are underripe the dates are helpful since the bananas themselves will not be as sweet. You can also blend in tahini or almond butter for added flavor. See notes.
- Enjoy immediately as soft serve ice cream. Or, for scoop-able ice cream, transfer the mixture to an 8 x 4 load pan and freeze for four hours. Once frozen you can scoop and serve. Top with vegan refined sugar-free chocolate gems, melted vegan refined sugar-free chocolate, almond butter drizzle, unsweetened coconut flakes, crushed freeze fried berries, fresh berries/cherries, dye-free sprinkles and/or coconut whipped cream.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to two weeks. Thaw at room temperature before scooping.
Notes
*I like to sometimes also add tahini or almond butter for a nutty twist. The flavor pairs well with the chocolate and dates (which have a caramel flavor).
- Prep Time: 5
- Category: Dessert or Snack
- Method: Freezer + Blender
- Cuisine: American
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