This easy banana ice cream recipe will satisfy your mint chocolate chip ice cream cravings. All you need are a few ingredients, a food processor or high-powered blender, & 5 minutes to whip up this healthy dessert!
Summertime is officially here, and my household has been all about refreshing desserts in recent weeks. I mean really, is there anything better than ice cream, freezer pops, and watermelon smoothies to quench your thirst during the hot summer months? Nope!
Today’s recipe was born thanks to the COVID-19 quarantine. My husband and I were both craving mint chocolate chip ice cream a few months back, as it’s one of our favorite ice cream flavors. But at the time all ice cream shops near us were closed, and we were seriously limiting our trips to the grocery store.
To satisfy our yen without leaving the house, I whipped up some chocolate mint banana ice cream. I pretty much always have frozen bananas on hand, and nice cream is a great way to use them.
To get that nice minty flavor, peppermint extract gets added into the mix. I also include cocoa powder and some chopped dark chocolate mint bark – but any kind of chocolate works well. Enjoy Life mini chocolate chips & dark chocolate bars, along with Nestle’s Simply Delicious 3 Ingredient Dark Chocolate Morsels are a few of my go-to vegan favorites.
To give the recipe even more chocolatey goodness, I like to swirl in a bit of chocolate hazelnut butter at the end. It gives the dessert a bit more decadence, but it’s totally optional. You can also use a spoonful of your run of the mill Nutella if you want (just keep in mind that Nutella isn’t dairy free).
I hadn’t whipped up any banana ice cream lately, and my husband’s reaction to this recipe was, “Yum! Why don’t you make this more often?!”
I typically eat banana ice cream about 30 seconds after I make it, but if you want your “nice” cream to be a thicker consistency, just place the finished product in the freezer for a bit, then scoop it out into bowls.
Now here we are three months later, and while we are getting a bit more lenient as it seems that we’ve flattened the curve in the NY area (though we are still being very careful with social distancing), I have a feeling that this banana ice cream recipe is going to be a more regular thing around here. In fact, I see lots of mint banana ice cream in our future this summer! This recipe makes the perfect amount for 2 portions – perfect for an at-home date night, or when you’re just in the mood for a big ole bowl of chocolatey goodness for yourself 🙂
Easy Chocolate Mint Banana Ice Cream [vegan]
Ingredients
- 3 ripe bananas broken into chunks and frozen
- 1/2 TSP peppermint extract
- 2 TBSP cocoa powder
- 2 oz {dairy free} chocolate Pictured, I use dark chocolate mint bark
- 1 TBSP dark chocolate hazelnut butter optional
Instructions
- If using chocolate chips, skip to the next step. If using solid chocolate, roughly chop it, then set aside.
- Add the frozen banana pieces, peppermint extract and cocoa powder to your food processor or high-powered blender. Process until it forms a creamy mixture. This will take a few minutes, and you may need to scrape down the sides of the mixture with a spoon once or twice.
- Add in the chocolate. Process again just until the chocolate is blended into the ice cream. I like to leave some chocolate chunks in there!
- Spoon the ice cream into two small bowls and swirl in the chocolate hazelnut butter if using. Enjoy immediately! Alternatively, if you prefer your banana ice cream thicker, swirl the hazelnut butter into the mixture, then stick it in the freezer for 1-2 hours before scooping into bowls and enjoying.
Notes
Nutrition
Tell me… What desserts have you been making lately?
you had me at chocolate bananas. A tasty and easy dessert looks great
Chocolate + banana is a great combo right? Hope you try the recipe out!
I love nice cream! I haven’t made a batch in a while, so this post reminds me that it’s about time. But I also love the fun twist using chocolate + mint here. I can’t tell you how many times in the past couple of weeks I’ve wanted a bowl of ice cream at the end of the night!
It sounds like you need to whip up a big bowl of nice cream ASAP!
I’m with you – it got so hot here that I just want things to cool off with! This sounds delicious – LOVE mint and chocolate together!
Mint + chocolate = one awesome combo!