Banana Ice Cream
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Learn how to make homemade banana ice cream that’s rich, creamy, and packed with the caramelized sweetness of roasted bananas—all without the fuss of a traditional custard base!
The first time I tried real banana ice cream, made from actual bananas, was at Berthillon, the renowned ice cream shop on ÃŽle St-Louis in Paris. This banana ice cream recipe, adapted from David Lebovitz’s The Perfect Scoop, is the closest I’ve come to recreating that taste memory—in fact, it’s even better!
What I love about homemade banana ice cream is that it’s naturally lower in fat than most ice cream flavors. The puréed bananas give it a thick, creamy texture without the need for eggs or heavy cream—it’s lighter but still totally indulgent. So if you’ve got a few extra-ripe bananas on the counter, and you’ve already done the banana bread thing, this recipe is a delicious change of pace.
“The perfect summer dessert—so much creaminess without all the fat. We sometimes sprinkle chocolate chips on top for fun. (My kids call it nice cream!) 😆”
What You’ll Need To Make Homemade Banana Ice Cream
- OVERRIPE BANANAS – The base of the ice cream mixture; use brown, spotty bananas for the most intense, sweet banana flavor.
- BUTTER & LIGHT BROWN SUGAR – Melt together to create a rich caramel sauce that enhances the roasted bananas and gives the ice cream deeper flavor.
- WHOLE MILK – Makes the ice cream creamy and smooth. If needed, sub with 1 cup low-fat or skim milk plus ½ cup heavy cream.
- GRANULATED SUGAR, VANILLA EXTRACT & LEMON JUICE – Granulated sugar sweetens the base, vanilla adds warmth, and lemon juice brightens everything up.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Slice and coat the bananas. Slice the bananas into ½-inch pieces and toss them with the brown sugar and butter in a 2-quart baking dish. Stir until the sugar melts into a caramel-like coating.
Step 2: Bake. Bake for about 40 minutes, stirring once, until the bananas are soft and deeply golden.
Step 3: Blend while warm. Immediately transfer the hot caramelized bananas to a blender or food processor—don’t wait too long or the caramelized sugar will harden.
Step 4: Add the remaining ingredients. Add the milk, sugar, vanilla, lemon juice, and salt, then process until the mixture is completely smooth.
Step 5: Chill, then churn. Refrigerate the mixture until cold (starting with a cold base helps it freeze faster and ensures a smooth, creamy texture), then churn in an ice cream machine according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
Step 6: Freeze until scoopable. The ice cream will be soft straight from the machine; for a firmer texture, transfer it to a container and freeze for a few hours. Let sit at room temp for a few minutes to soften before scooping. The ice cream keeps well in the freezer for up to 1 week.
Want to take it up a notch? Try stirring in one (or more) of these extras toward the end of the ice cream maker’s cycle for a fun twist:
- A handful of semisweet chocolate chips or chunks
- A spoonful or two of creamy peanut butter or Nutella
- A ¼ teaspoon of ground cinnamon
- A handful toasted chopped nuts (my faves are pecans or walnuts)
Other Frozen Treats You May Like
Banana Ice Cream
This homemade banana ice cream is naturally low in fat but big on flavor.
Ingredients
- 3 medium-sized overripe bananas, peeled
- ⅓ cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon butter, cut into small pieces
- 1½ cups whole milk
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1½ teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Slice the bananas into ½-inch pieces and toss them with the brown sugar and butter in a 2-quart baking dish until the sugar dissolves into a wet caramel-colored coating. Bake for about 40 minutes, stirring once during baking, until the bananas are soft and golden brown.
- Immediately transfer the bananas and caramel syrup into a blender or food processor (if you wait too long, the caramel will begin to harden). Add the milk, granulated sugar, vanilla, lemon juice and salt, and purée until smooth. Chill the mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator.
- Give the mixture a quick whisk, then freeze in ice cream machine according to manufacturer's instructions. Transfer soft ice cream to plastic container and chill for a few hours until firm. Scoop and serve.
- Note: My only issue with this recipe is that it makes a rather small quantity of ice cream. If you double it, it makes 6 cups of ice cream base, which is too much for most standard ice cream machines. I have two bowls for my ice cream maker so I typically double the recipe and freeze it in two batches. If you only have one bowl and want to double the recipe, you can save half the base in the refrigerator overnight, then re-freeze your bowl for the second batch.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (6 servings)
- Serving size: 1/2 cup
- Calories: 169
- Fat: 4 g
- Saturated fat: 2 g
- Carbohydrates: 32 g
- Sugar: 26 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Sodium: 79 mg
- Cholesterol: 11 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Gluten-Free Adaptable Note
To the best of my knowledge, all of the ingredients used in this recipe are gluten-free or widely available in gluten-free versions. There is hidden gluten in many foods; if you're following a gluten-free diet or cooking for someone with gluten allergies, always read the labels of your ingredients to verify that they are gluten-free.
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Fantastic recipe, I made this last night everyone absolutely loved it! Definitely using this recipe many more times, thanks
Oh my word!!! I thought it would be good but I didn’t think it was going to be utterly divine!! I didn’t have whole milk so I improvised with 1cup 1% milk and 1/2 cup of half & half. I used frozen bananas because I always have them on hand now. I’ll never throw away bananas again. I split the batch into 2 servings and I was ‘almost’ not able to finish eating it. Rest assured I managed. Totally rich and scrumptious!!! And it truely did have that deep baked banana bread flavor. Many thanks Jen!!
All I can say is you have to try this it’s awesome.
You have the best banana recipes!
Wow – love this ice cream! What a great way to use ripe bananas. This was my first time on your site and I had to try this – it was easy and delicious – thanks so much!!
I made this ice cream for a group of friends after a delicious dinner (that I got from this site). I may have cooked the banana’s too long because they took on almost a burnt caramel taste. Everyone like it but they felt almost too done for me. I think I would just cook a little shorter on time. (That is strictly a problem on my side, definitely not the recipe.)
Very rich flavor. I made a single batch, and it made about 8 large scoops. At first I thought it didn’t make enough, but it’s so rich, one scoop is very satisfying. Yummmmm.
I had several recipes that did not turn out, they were “icy”. I think because I used 18% instead of 35% in the other recipes. Needless to say I was almost ready to throw in the ice cream scooper BUT this recipe worked out amazing, in texture and taste!!! Everyone loved it. I have to double the recipe next time!!
Glad you enjoyed it, Tarbo. This is one of my favorites 🙂
I cannot WAIT to make this variation of banana icecream using my new Cuisinart icecream maker. Yay!
This was my first try at ice cream and we loved it! This is an amazing recipe and was so easy. Thanks for sharing it!
I’ve heard great thinks about the “Scoop”. I just ordered Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams at Home, which also has gotten great reviews. Thanks for posting this recipe, plan to make this weekend.
Jay