Smooth and velvety peanut butter banana nice cream, made with just 2-ingredients and a food processor! So good you’d never know it’s healthy.
I don’t know why it’s taken me this long to put up this recipe for banana nice cream, because this is something I’ve been making regularly for the last decade at least, if not longer!
If you’re not familiar with nice cream, then let me tell you about it. It’s basically an ‘ice cream’ made entirely from frozen bananas. Sometimes other things are added. I really like adding in some nut butter, in this case peanut butter for a delicious creamy peanut butter nice cream that tastes like a decadent dessert treat.
It’s super quick and easy, healthy (really!) and just 2 ingredients.
What Goes Into This Nice Cream
All you need to make this banana nice cream is a food processor, some frozen bananas and peanut butter (or another nut butter, as you like) on hand and you’re ready to go.
Ingredient Notes
- Frozen Bananas: Usually when I’m putting bananas in the freezer to freeze for smoothies, I just peel them and break them up into quarters, so the pieces are quite big. But when you’re going to be using them for banana nice cream, it can be helpful to chop them up a little bit smaller. This is because it will process up a bit easier.
- Peanut butter: You can use any peanut butter in this recipe, but I usually use a smooth, creamy peanut butter. Natural peanut butter will also be fine, but just make sure it’s mixed well before you add it in. You can switch peanut butter for any other nut butter that you have on hand.
How To Make Banana Nice Cream
You will find full instructions and measurements in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. This is a summary of the process to go along with the process photos.
- Add frozen bananas to the food processor.
- Start processing. The bananas will break up into pieces and it will all be very noisy, and your machine will likely want to bounce along the counter if you’re not careful. But this is all part of the fun!
- When the bananas are broken up into small pieces, add in the peanut butter and process.
- Keep processing, stopping regularly to scrape down the sides and break up any clumps that are forming and then suddenly, it will turn into the most velvety dreamy soft serve ice cream texture.
- Decorate with melted drizzled peanut butter and crushed peanuts and you’ll be in banana nice cream heaven.
Nice Cream Recipe Variations
This is a method you can use for any flavor nice cream you want. Basically, using the bananas as the base ingredient, you can create any flavor you like.
- Chocolate peanut butter. If you want to make it a chocolate peanut butter version, add in some cocoa powder.
- Strawberry banana. If you want it to be a strawberry banana nice cream, add in some fresh or frozen strawberries (and omit the peanut butter). If your strawberries are frozen, then add in a couple tablespoons of non-dairy milk.
- Mint chocolate chip. Add peppermint extract and stir in some chocolate chips.
- Plain banana. Want a plain banana flavor? Use just the bananas and a tablespoon or two of non-dairy milk (at the same time you would put in the peanut butter).
Tastes Like Ice Cream
It really is delicious, and yes it does taste like ice cream. It tastes like a delicious dessert, not a ‘healthy’ dessert.
I have a friend who used to make up a batch of this vegan banana ice cream (with cocoa powder added) and put it in an old ice cream container and serve it to her hubby and kids when they wanted chocolate ice cream. Seriously, no one suspected it wasn’t regular ice cream, they had no idea it was made from bananas.
Storing Tips
I do recommend you eat it right away for the best taste and texture. You can freeze it for later, and scoop it straight from the freezer, but the texture is not quite as velvety and lovely as when you serve it right away as ‘soft serve’.
More Delicious Vegan Ice Cream Recipes
These vegan ice cream recipes are (a little) less healthy but ultimately delicious:
- The Best Vegan Ice Cream
- Cashew Ice Cream
- Vegan Coffee Ice Cream
- Vegan Pistachio Ice Cream
- Vegan Avocado Ice Cream
- Vegan Strawberry Ice Cream
Did you make this recipe? Be sure to leave a comment and rating below!
Peanut Butter Banana Nice Cream
Ingredients
Nice Cream:
- 3 Medium Frozen Bananas (300g) Previously peeled, sliced and frozen
- ¼ cup Smooth Creamy Peanut Butter (63g)
For Serving (Optional):
- Melted Peanut Butter
- Crushed Peanuts
Instructions
- Add the frozen banana pieces to the food processor and process. It will make a lot of noise as the bananas break up into small pieces. When everything is broken down into small pieces, add the peanut butter and continue to process, stopping regularly to scrape down the sides and break up any clumps that form. It will gradually smooth out and form a soft serve ice cream consistency.
- Scoop out into bowls and top with drizzled melted peanut butter and crushed peanuts and serve immediately.
Notes
- You can place this into the freezer to serve later, but you do lose some of the lovely velvet texture of this ice cream, so it’s the most delicious when served right away when the texture is like soft serve.
- Nutritional information is for peanut butter banana ice cream only and doesn’t include added toppings.
Love this recipe thank you so much! How much cocoa powder do you think is enough for the chocolate version?
So glad you like it! I would add 2 Tbsp cocoa powder and up to 1/4 cup depending on how chocolatey you want it to be.
No words to describe how fantastic this is!!!!
This is by far the easiest and tastiest icecream I have had in a long time, i served it to the hubby and he never even suspected it was made from bananas! thank you so much for this wonderful recipe!
Yay! That is awesome to hear, thanks so much for the amazing review! 🙂
Made this tonight and it was a hit. when you have an ice cream craving and no ice cream this will definitely hit the spot.
Awesome Valerie, so happy you enjoyed it. Thanks for the wonderful review. 🙂
Thanks again Alison for a delicious ice cream very talented and clever cook thankyou for sharing
Gonna try it out. I have made ice cream with frozen bananas, peanut butter and cocoa before but not only with bananas and peanut butter. Definitely going to do it with peanut sprinkles and peanut butter drizzle. Num num!!
Wonderful
What a simple yet effective and delicious ice cream!