The magic of frozen bananas: one ingredient ice cream

By Jill Fleming, Registered Dietician at VMH

We just celebrated National Nutrition Month in March, but here’s another great article I would like to share. If you are looking for another way to use your ripe bananas, instead of just making banana bread again, you are going to love this suggestion. Turn your frozen bananas into ice cream by simply blending them either in a blender or food processor. It is that easy.

If you are following a diabetic, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free or sugar-free style of eating, this healthy treat will fit into all of your nutrition plans. When you freeze a banana until it is solid, then whiz it up in a blender or food processor, it gets creamy and a little gooey, just like custard ice cream.

It’s an easy way to stay cool and use up overripe bananas at the same time. In case you’re new to this delicious treat, here are step-by-step instructions to make Healthy Banana Ice Cream

Healthy Banana Ice Cream
Makes 2 servings, about 1 cup

Ingredients:
1 large ripe banana

Optional “Mix-in” Ideas:
· Splash of almond or other milk
· Tablespoon of peanut butter
· Drizzle of honey
· Handful of fresh or frozen berries
· A few almonds, walnuts or pecans
· Tablespoon of cocoa powder
· Half a teaspoon of cinnamon

Instructions:
1. Start with ripe bananas: Should be sweet and soft.
2. Peel the bananas and cut them into coins: It doesn’t matter what shape or size the pieces are in, as long as they are chopped up into evenly sized and somewhat small pieces.
3. Put the bananas in an airtight container: A freezer-safe container or freezer bag will work.
4. Freeze the banana pieces for at least two hours: Freeze overnight for best results.
5. Blend the frozen banana pieces in a small food processor or powerful blender: Pulse the frozen banana pieces. We’ve found that a small food processor or chopper works best.
6. Keep blending - the banana will look crumbly: At first the banana pieces will look crumbled or smashed. Scrape down the food processor.
7. Keep blending - the banana will look gooey: Then it will look gooey, like banana mush. Scrape down the food processor.
8. Keep blending - the banana will look like oatmeal: It will get smoother but still have chunks of banana in it. Scrape down the food processor.
9. Watch the magic happen! Suddenly, as the last bits of banana smooth out, you’ll see the mixture shift from blended banana to creamy, soft-serve ice cream texture. Blend for a few more seconds to add air to the ice cream. (If adding any mix-ins, like peanut butter or berries, this is the time to do it.)
10. Transfer to an airtight container and freeze until solid: You can eat the ice cream immediately, but it will be quite soft. You can also transfer it back into the airtight container and freeze it until solid, like traditional ice cream.