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:
is the banana weight peeled or unpeeled? Thanks
Peeled 🙂
Haha, we must have a psychic connection! I made this just the other night, it was delicious. I also added walnuts=)
That looks so good! I tried to make something like this a while back but my ninja doesn’t do a very good job at the food processing part 🙁 I need to get a real one! lol
Katie, this recipe looks great. I have to try it sometime. I’ve only been following you since May, but I gotta say, this is the BEST food blog I’ve ever visited! Your recipes have been helping me become more healthier and more health conscious.
I was in a rut where I didn’t want to eat healthy or exercise anymore, because I was sad and nervous about personal things in my life. Then I found your blog by accident- which is what saved my life. I now exercise again and eat better thanks to your advice and recipes.
I just wanted to thank you so much for all your time and effort into making these recipes and sharing them with us. Seriously, you’re my hero. <3
By the way, do not let rude commenters get you down. I was reading your last post about how you were apologizing for saying some things that people thought were offensive. They were the ones who needed to be sorry, not you. People like that don't appreciate kindness and respect like you show. They're losers. Just keep on doing what you do, beautiful. 🙂
Aw thank you, J.
🙂
That really meant a lot to me.
You’re most welcome. 🙂
I made something almost exactly like this a few days ago, and it was fantastic!! Not EXACTLY the same as real ice cream, maybe, but delicious nevertheless:) Banana ice cream is so simple to make, and great for those who (like me) do not have an ice cream maker.
I can’t remember when I first heard of banana soft-serve, but it was sometime in the last few months when another person mentioned it in a recipe comment on this blog. My mind was so blown when I tried it at just how close the texture is to ice cream, even just blending bananas by themselves! I’ve added frozen strawberries like others and that’s good, too, but choc PB sounds awesome. Unfortunately I’m low on both bananas and (quality) peanut butter at the moment, but I’ll definitely be trying this! Perfect post for National Ice Cream Day, btw. 🙂
yessss! i love this recipe! banana soft serve is the best:) love the sprinkles too!
I can’t believe I found this amazing site!! So cool….
Where do I click to subscribe?
Aw thanks, Jack.
You can subscribe by writing your email address into the following link:
http://feedburner.google.com/fb/a/mailverify?uri=Chocolate-coveredKatie&loc=en_us
Nevermind, found it
Oh oops lol ;).
I love making homemade softserve. 🙂 I like your simple recipe. I always adds nut butter for sure! have a great day!