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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I was looking for another way to use up some ripe bananas that I had on the counter, and this recipe was a perfect alternative to banana bread during these hot, summer days! It was absolutely delicious! I used one can of full-fat coconut milk (Taste of Thai brand) instead of regular milk and it was perfect. Just a hint of coconut in the end result. My bananas were also way past the point of slicing, which ended up not being a problem. However, I did notice that when the bananas were caramelizing, they didn’t get as deep of a caramel color as the pictures, but it didn’t matter. Great recipe – once again!
This recipe is delicious! I was too lazy to freeze my ice cream maker so I put the blended mixture straight into popsicle moulds. They came out perfectly and they’re so creamy!
Hi Jenn,
I was initially going use my bananas to make your coconut/pecan banana bread, but stumbled upon this recipe, so my bananas are really overly ripe. There’s one that cannot hold up to being sliced…LOL. Using the bananas for this ice cream recipe, do I need to reduce the time for the caramelization process?
No, I think you can stick to the timing in the recipe. Hope you enjoy! 🙂
Just made this …wow fabulous- really creamy with great banana flavour …
think it will become one of my husbands (a banana fiend) favourites!
Followed recipe but substituted cup of skimmed milk and 1/2 cup double cream for the whole milk and used dark brown sugar ( as it was all I had) rather than light .
Thank you .. ! another one to add to our list to make 🙂
Wow…absolutely brilliant recipe. Used Elmlea Double and oat milk instead of milk and it was amazing!! Consistency was soooo smooth and it tasted divine. Super impressed!! Thanks for sharing!!
Could I put the bananas in the oven by themselves and blend them with maple syrup in the food processor instead of baking with brown sugar For a healthier alternative?
Sure, Bri, I think that would work. Please LMK how it turns out if you try it!
Is this really much healthier..?
I’ve made this a couple of times now and each time it’s better than I remember from the previous time. Today I made the “Elvis” version by adding chopped chocolate covered peanuts and bacon. The chocolate keeps the peanuts from softening, and the bacon?…do I really need to explain? 😁
Oh yum…
Loved this ice cream. I did use 1 cup skim and 1/2 cup heavy cream. Worked really well and very creamy.
I really want to try this, but I don’t have an ice cream maker. Can I just freeze it?
Unfortunately, that won’t work — you really need an ice cream machine for this one — sorry! I do have a few no-churn ice cream recipes if you want to check those out.
Jenn,
THANK YOU. WOW, this was divine. I will forever let my bananas ripen so that I can whip this FABU recipe up. I was so inspired I actually swapped out some ingredients and tried it with 1 cup Vanilla whey protein shake liquid and 1/2 cup greek yogurt and swerve brown sugar with the bananas and swerve powdered with the liquids and the remaining ingredients from your recipe. The final result out of the ice cream machine, smooth and creamy, next day out of freezer, much harder had to let it sit out a bit to soften up but still delicious. Not true ice cream as in your original recipe but a wonderful alternative. THANK YOU so much for this recipe.
Cheers
D