A four-ingredient banana ice cream, blended and frozen. No churning, no ice cream machine, and no dairy unless you add it.
Seven bananas makes a decent tub. About 331 calories a serve.
Key points
- Four ingredients. Bananas do most of the work.
- No churning. Blend, freeze, done.
- Dairy free. Coconut milk, not cream.
- Freeze the bananas first. The recipe depends on it.
- Rest it 30 minutes before scooping.
Ingredients
- 7 large bananas
- 1 cup unsweetened coconut milk
- 3 serves Adrenal Switch in Choc Mint
- 1/3 cup dark chocolate chips or cacao nibs
Method
- Blend all the ingredients in a food processor or blender until thick and creamy.
- Pour into a square or rectangular dish and freeze until set.
- Take it out of the freezer about 30 minutes before eating.
It works with Adrenal Switch in Chocolate or Mango Nectar too.
Macros
- Calories 331
- Protein 5 g
- Carbs 65 g
- Fat 8 g
Should the bananas be frozen?
Yes, and the recipe assumes it even though it does not say so.
Frozen banana is what makes this ice cream rather than a smoothie you put in the freezer. Blended from frozen, banana goes creamy and holds air. Blended fresh and then frozen, it sets into a solid block you cannot get a spoon into.
Peel and slice them before freezing. Whole frozen bananas are close to impossible to peel and will damage a blender.
Why is it rock hard out of the freezer?
Because there is no dairy fat, sugar syrup or churning to keep it soft, which is the trade-off with every banana ice cream.
The 30-minute rest in the recipe is not optional. If you want it softer straight from the freezer:
- Use tinned coconut milk rather than carton. The extra fat makes a real difference.
- Add a tablespoon of vodka. Alcohol does not freeze, so it keeps the texture soft. You cannot taste it.
- Store it shallow. A wide, flat container thaws far faster than a deep tub.
- Stir it once at the halfway point, about an hour in. A poor man's churn, and it works.
What does choc mint ice cream taste like?
Cool and sweet with a chocolate base, and the mint reads as freshness rather than flavour, because menthol triggers the same cold receptors that actual cold does. That is why mint ice cream tastes colder than other flavours at the same temperature.
This version tastes more of banana than a shop-bought one would. That is unavoidable when banana is the base, and most people find it works with the mint.
Is this a lactose free ice cream?
Yes, as written. Coconut milk replaces the dairy, banana provides the creaminess, and there is no cream or milk solid in it at all.
Two things to check: your chocolate chips, since most dark chocolate is dairy free but not all, and your Adrenal Switch flavour. If you need it fully vegan, dark chocolate above 70% is usually a safe bet, but read the label.
Shop-bought lactose-free options exist too, but a banana base is the cheapest way to get there.
How many calories are in a scoop?
This recipe works out at around 331 calories per serve, most of it from the bananas.
For comparison, a typical scoop of commercial mint choc chip is roughly 140 to 200 calories, so a serve here is closer to two shop scoops. It is also considerably higher in carbohydrate and lower in fat, because the sugar is coming from fruit rather than added sugar and cream.
Whether that makes it better depends what you are after. It is more filling and brings fibre and potassium with it. It is not a low-calorie dessert.
What is the unhealthiest ice cream flavour?
Less about the flavour than what is stirred into it.
The heaviest options are generally the ones carrying inclusions: cookie dough, brownie, fudge swirls, anything with a caramel ribbon. Those add sugar and fat on top of the base. Plain flavours such as vanilla, mint or fruit sorbet tend to be lighter.
But the difference between flavours is usually smaller than the difference between portion sizes, and no ice cream is a health food. Worth keeping in proportion.
How long does it keep?
Up to two months in an airtight container, though it is best in the first two weeks. After that ice crystals form and the texture goes grainy.
Pressing baking paper directly onto the surface before sealing the lid slows that down considerably.
For more like this, browse the full recipe collection.
