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 Île 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
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, from 1 lemon
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (205°C).
- Slice the bananas into ½-inch (1.3-cm) pieces and toss them with the brown sugar and butter in a 2-quart (2-liter) 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.
Notes
Nutrition Information
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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Comments
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Very excited to try this recipe. I want to use a Cream and Milk mixture. What would the ratio be?
Hi Laura, I’d use half of each. Enjoy!
Any suggestions to make this dairy-free? I saw that someone used almond milk but added “barista blend” and i’m not sure what that is or if I can find it.
Hi Bonnie, I think almond milk will work. You can read about Barista Blend almond milk here.
Almond milk worked very well, thanks, and everyone loved the ice cream. Now I’m curious about coconut milk. I saw that someone else asked about that and wondered if there was any follow-up. Also wondering if/how/when I could add crushed graham crackers to this. Thanks for your guidance.
Glad to hear the almond milk worked well! (And I’ll let others weigh in if they’ve tried this with coconut milk.) If you’d like to incorporate graham crackers into this, I’d recommend going this route. I think they’ll get soggy if you just incorporate them into the ice cream. Hope that helps!
Did you add the cream also along with the Almond milk? I am dairy free.
I tried this over the weekend, and it worked brilliantly. I made double the quantity, and let the mixture chill in the fridge overnight before putting it in the ice cream machine.
I didn’t adulterate the first batch, and it was fabulous. For the second, I added some small pieces of high-cocoa content dark chocolate and a splash of dark rum. It was even better, although the rum did make it difficult to get the ice cream to set, so I did have to put the bowl of the ice cream maker back in the freezer for a while.
I so would love to make this ice cream, but I have no ice cream maker. I have a Vitamix, do you think I can use it ?
Hi Ramya, Unfortunately, you really need an ice cream machine for this one. Sorry!
Can I use a Ninja Creami machine for this? It seems like if I am freezing it in the pint containers that come with the Creami machine, it would work the same way. Thanks.
Hi Sheila, I’m not familiar with the Creami machine so I can’t say for sure, but based on what I read about it online, I think it should work. I’d love to hear how the ice cream comes out if you make it in that!
Since you have a Vitamix, which is a good thing, may want to splurge just and purchase the Cuisinart Ice Creami
I made this recipe for the first time yesterday and it turned out wonderful! I don’t even know if I had ever even had banana ice cream before, but if so, the caramelized bananas made this memorable! By mistake, I received 18 bananas from a grocery delivery service. I expected only 5 or 7. This recipe was a great way of using a lot instead of making the usual banana nut muffins or bread. I doubled this recipe. I wish I had tripled it. I have an old-style bucket type ice cream maker where you use ice and salt. The metal canister could easily have held a tripled recipe. Even my two William’s Sonoma ice cream containers, together, could have handled a triple batch.
I followed this recipe to the “T”. No deviations. No add-ins. The result is a creamy delicious banana perfection! I don’t know why some commenters attempts failed. I would not put that blame on this recipe. The only things I’ll emphasize is that it is important to work quickly at transferring the caramelized bananas into the blender and quickly adding the milk, etc. and blending well. I also think chilling that mix thoroughly (at least 4 hours) before putting in the ice cream maker is important. I found the oven temp and time just right for caramelizing my bananas. Those who say theirs burnt, maybe should consider their oven and/or the pan they caramelized them in as possible culprits. Or the banana slices size? It’s definitely important to stir the mix at least once or twice during the baking, when you can gauge the caramelization status. I used a Pyrex lasagna pan. My oven can sometimes be a bit “slow” so to speak. Perhaps the 400 F was too high for some people’s ovens?
Maybe this made no major difference, but I make my own brown sugar using white granulated and blackstrap molasses. I happen to think it’s more delicious, cheaper, and longer-lasting (doesn’t harden easily) than store-bought brown sugar.
I did also make a homemade wet walnut topping for this ice cream. Delicious!
This was absolutely delicious! Wonderful texture and great-tasting. I’ve had the recipe on hand a couple years and so glad I finally made it. I added some raisins soaked in bit of rum and some toasted walnuts for my 1st batch. I can see taking it in my directions with add-in’s. Many thanks for a great recipe.
AMAZING! I am not one to eat bananas but I can promise I will be buying them more regularly now! I am excited to try this with strawberries, pineapple sauce and chocolate as a banana split. Very good and so easy to make!
I used this recipe in a GCSE investigation into how to add more fibre to the diet. Worked really well. Personally would have put more sugar in to make it more sweet but the recipe used both complex and simple skills. I served it with brownies to make a delicious dessert.
Really recommend.
Disappointing – I followed the directions exactly, and it turned out a lot like whipped frozen bananas. Not at all creamy. Not really delicious either.
Hi Teague, I just added the nutritional information to the recipe. 🙂