Just 4 simple ingredients to make this:
Swirly chocolate soft-serve.
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve probably seen the idea of whipping frozen banana in a vitamix or food processor until it resembles the exact texture of soft-serve ice cream. (If you add a fat source, like peanut butter, it tastes pretty similar to ice cream as well. Or leave the fat out for a refreshing sherbet-like taste.)
I first blogged about the idea back in 2009, and then again in the Vitamix ice cream post, and I’m sure others were making it even earlier than that. The best thing about the concept is its versatility; everyone gets to put his or her own spin on the basic recipe. One of my favorite variations: chocolate soft serve!
With sprinkles on top.
(Just in case you forgot whose blog you were reading.)
Chocolate Banana Soft Serve
(Serves 2-3)
Category: 50+ Healthy Banana Recipes
- 3 medium bananas, the riper the better (for substitutions, see nutrition link below)
- 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/16 tsp salt
- 3 tbsp cocoa or cacao powder (15g)
- optional: sweetener of choice, depending on your tastebuds and ripeness of the bananas
- optional: 3-5 tbsp peanut butter or another nut butter of choice
Ahead of time: peel and slice the over-ripe bananas into chunks. Freeze in a Ziploc-type bag, then combine all ingredients in a Vita-Mix, food processor, or blender. (If not using a Vita-Mix, add 2-3 tsp milk of choice so it’ll blend more smoothly. You might also have to thaw the frozen bananas if your freezer is super-powerful.) If you want the look of ice cream, use an ice-cream scoop to serve! (If you scoop it all into a container and freeze about 10-15 minutes, the texture will also become a bit firmer like ice cream, as opposed to soft serve.) Don’t try to halve the recipe unless you have a tiny food processor, as it won’t blend as smoothly.
View Chocolate Banana Soft Serve Nutrition Facts
Have you ever tried banana “ice cream”?
Any favorite ways to eat it? I almost always add a ridiculous amount of peanut butter, even to this chocolate version. Peanut butter and banana belong together, and the added fat makes it taste more like ice cream than sherbet.
LINK OF THE DAY:
I discovered this recipe on your blog last spring and it has been a stand-by for me ever since. Countless snacks have been this delicious, healthy, and satisfying delight! Thanks, Katie!
Hi Katie,
I do happen to have a teeny tiny food processor and only had one banana. So I made it up on just the one and adjusted the amounts accordingly. The results AMAZING! So yummy. I am going to the shops in the morning to buy more bananas! I mixed some of your home made choc chips through it as well. Yumm! Absolutely love your recipies. Thankyou for making healthy eating fun!!
Love doing the banana soft-serve, but if people don’t like the banana flavour, use lots of frozen mango, a un-frozen small banana and some yogurt and you have mango ice-cream! Can’t even taste the banana!
Thank you so much for this recipe. We recently found out that our twin daughters have multiple food allergies, which is changing our diet considerably. I loved this and we could have it (with no pb!).
Made this tonight for me, my husband and our toddler. Haven’t had ice cream for more than 9 months since we ‘went healthy’ and this was amazing! Can’t wait to experiment with other flavours – has anyone tried a mint version?
I might like it even better than the chocolate one 🙂
https://lett-trim.today/2011/03/13/spinach-ice-cream/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
Just made this and I am so excited! I had to put it back in the freezer to harden a bit more, which was hard to do because it tasted like a milkshake, not a protein shake, a milkshake. I can’t wait to try all the desserts on this blog!
How long does this last? No, not 3 days in the freezer… I just made this and it never made it to the freezer!! It is so yummy. What could be bad when you have p.b, chocolate, bananas AND it’s cold! Thanks so much for this recipe and all the others. I am so glad that my friend told me about your site. Keep ’em coming (and continue to help us get skinny!).
🙂
Hey Katy, I have a Vitamix question. I just recently got mine and most of what I’ve read says to start it on ‘variable’ and then turn it up to ‘high’. Is this necessary for making banana ice cream or can I just run it on low for longer? I feel like whenever I put it up to high it gets stuck and stops.
i’ve recently tried to make banana icecream which was disasterous :p plz tell me how to make a delicious banana icecream..
I would love to try this but I have a 13 month old who is not allowed to have nuts yet. I was wondering if I could use something in the nut butter’s place
You can just omit it.