1-ingredient Ice Cream

 by scoochmaroo
Featured
icecream.jpg
This ice cream recipe is almost too good to be believed - so rich, creamy and luscious, you'd never know it's fat-free, dairy-free, and with no added sugar or preservatives, is even good for you!

It only takes one ingredient to make this dreamy dessert - can you guess what it is?? (without looking at the next step)

You may argue that without dairy, this has no place being called "ice cream." But I challenge you to try this recipe, and tell me it doesn't taste EXACTLY like ice cream! Prepare to be amazed.

Thanks to everyone who pointed out the link to thekitchn's great post on this time-honored recipe!
 
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kitchouha says: Oct 18, 2009. 8:37 AM
Hi! I tried  to add a little bit of cold water in the blender before blending the frozen bananas (To lower the viscosity) and it's a loooooooooot faster to turn the bananas into the creamy thing. Taste and consistency hadn't change.

Hope this will help!
scoochmaroo (author) in reply to kitchouhaNov 9, 2009. 10:45 AM
Good tip!
eulaliaaaa! says: Jan 8, 2010. 12:17 PM
I made some of this and it is AMAZING! It tastes just like ice cream. I made a cup in under two minutes (I already had some frozen bananas.)!  If you add some chocolate syrup it tastes just like chocolate ice cream. It is also good for you!
NOODLE! says: Apr 21, 2013. 5:46 PM
I made this yesterday with still-sorta-greenish bananas, and it was soooooooo good. thanks a million Scoocchmaroo!
boom man56 says: Feb 21, 2013. 9:54 AM
my sister and I made this a long time ago. ITS GOOD
SupraHD says: Jan 12, 2013. 9:34 PM
Well, I'll try this later and add some honey. Let see what it tastes like.
lambsb says: Nov 19, 2012. 3:29 PM
Finally tried this, almost forgot about it. It is good and creamy, and I love banana ice cream anyway. What a nice cheap snack you don't have to feel guilty about. Share with the kids too! They don't have to know its healthy. This could be a replacement for frozen vanilla pudding cups.....Thanks scoochmaroo!
hlfwy.thr says: Nov 12, 2012. 8:28 PM
I added about 1/2 tsp cocoa powder (to one banana) for a no-sugar added chocolate version. The banana was plenty sweet so there was no need for anything else. Yum!
landongaga says: Nov 2, 2012. 8:50 AM
i am soooooo amazed
susanchen2011 says: Sep 25, 2012. 12:23 AM
That is a good idea.
dvivster says: Aug 30, 2012. 10:21 PM
I make this several times a week and it is always fantastic. I used to use my food processor, but now i use my stick blender for easier clean-up. I keep a bag of frozen banana in my freezer at all times.
june9190 says: Aug 31, 2009. 9:41 AM
it sounds different. I like banana's and in my house they do go brown.. ok so has anybody really tried it? and did they like it??? I hate to go and buy a blender and find out it's not very good.. What a dilemma!!!
sugarego in reply to june9190Dec 28, 2009. 11:44 AM
smart thinking june9190.  i *finally* tried this recipe.  in order to facilitate easier blending, i smooshed the bananas up a bit before freezing.  this made it easy to put in small pieces that weren't like giant ice cubes.  and if you think where i'm going with this is that it worked fabulously, i'm afraid that's not so.

the frozen bananas were, of course, darkened, because that's what you do, you use bananas ready for banana bread, right?  well, the color of them when they were frozen and smooshed in the bag simply darkened as they began to melt.  never got white and frothy.  i ran the blender some more, wondering if magic might start to happen a bit later.  worried b/c the bottom of the mixture was getting stirred, but the top was sitting there in a sort-of gelatinous mass.  i tilted the blender to encourage the stuff on top to get mixed in, and even stopped to stir.

what came off of the spoon wasn't even cold: the blades had generated enough heat to completely melt any trace of freeziness.  i ended up with slightly-more-blended, smooshed banana.  basically what i put into the freezer in the first place.

my wife was there with me, b/c we were planning to eat a yummy freezy banana treat, and she just kept laughing and insisting the whole thing was a big elaborate hoax.  that no one could possibly have ended up with something that resembles ice cream, and that everyone else who left comments was in on the hoax.  so, my point is: don't get a blender just for this treat.  you may feel that you, too, have become the brunt of a giant hoax.

anyone else have this experience when attempting to make this?
sherrycayheyhey in reply to sugaregoJan 7, 2012. 9:20 PM
Unfortunately I'm leaning towards the hoax side as well. I was excited to try this but ended up with some gloopy mush. I read other comments about it being better with a food processor but I thought my Ninja brand blender could accomplish the task of turning a banana into an ice cream like substance. I'm not completely abandoning this awesome idea but until I get a food processor or can convince someone with one to try this, I'm going to have to remain skeptical.
Popopopper in reply to sherrycayheyheyJul 29, 2012. 12:23 PM
I also used a ninja blender, but mine was perfect!
YellowBlu Co. in reply to sherrycayheyheyJun 24, 2012. 3:52 PM
Mine was delicious, but it wasn't working right away. When I made mine, I was a bit impatient so I just took the bananas I had even though they weren't brown. I froze them, and I stuck them in my magic bullet blender but nothing happened. So I added some milk in it and squished it with a spoon. When it had a creamy texture, I ate it. It tasted like ice cream, but at the same time, it still tasted like bananas. Of course it would taste like bananas, but it really just tasted like a regular banana with an ice creamy texture, which is what it is. Either way, I enjoyed making and eating it.
jediwhiz3 in reply to sherrycayheyheyMar 7, 2012. 1:54 PM
Mine was great. Fun to make. Great because it is dairy-free. And it was DELICIOUS. Need new snacks that are healthy and lactose-free? THIS ONE IS FANTASTIC!
laxap in reply to sherrycayheyheyJan 8, 2012. 6:40 AM
I got fantastic results, largely meeting the expectations.
My tips:
  1. Cut the banana in slices before freezing; the smaller the better
  2. Freeze
  3. Blend using a cutting blade
  4. Progressively add some water (as kitchouha suggested) while blending, if it does not turn creamy
  5. Freeze again
  6. Serve with grilled sliced almonds
vCloud in reply to sugaregoAug 30, 2011. 8:17 AM
well i heard many roumors about this recipe, i am currently trying this today, i heard blenders don't work and you must use a food processor for the best results.
Javin007 in reply to sugaregoJun 9, 2011. 4:15 PM
I'm right there with ya. I tried the brown bananas, cut in half, frozen solid in a sub-zero freezer, and blended with a Vita-Mix (same blender Bobby Flay uses.) What I got was a cold cream with a nice texture that tasted exactly like rotten bananas.

I figured maybe I had let the bananas go too long, so tried a second batch. This time I froze the peeled bananas when the skins were slightly brown, but the bananas were still white. EXACT same result. The banana "cream" tasted just as rotten as the first batch.

My guess is, unless you like the taste of way over-ripened bananas, you'll have to freeze the bananas when they are still fresh. I'm going to try that next. (Though I don't know if the freezing process itself is actually producing that "over-ripe banana" flavor.)

On another note, I find that if you add enough chocolate, caramel, nuts, and fruits to the "ice cream" it's almost edible, but that probably rather defeats the purpose.

I find it interesting that you used the word "hoax" as this is exactly the word my own girlfriend used when we tried it the first time. She refused to even taste it the second time around. Hopefully third time's the charm!
leagle in reply to sugaregoApr 9, 2011. 3:54 AM
I tried it when on vacation with my daughter so needed to buy a food processor when I got home. You need to have the bananas in pieces and really frozen so freeze them not touching if you can. I added a bit of cream to get them started and it is crucial that you don't have too much to process and push down any part processed banana into the mix. That way you can beat it until it changes to a pale colour due to the air you're pumping in. It can be refrozen but is best straight from the mixer. Do put the mixer to soak because dried banana sticks like glue and is a devil to shift :)
_chink_ in reply to sugaregoJan 14, 2010. 6:18 AM
I just made this and am eating it as I'm typing. My boyfriend is also helping me eat it (voluntarily i might add!) so it must taste pretty good.  I used VERY brown bananas, which I think is making it taste extra banana-y, so I think if you want less banana taste, use banana's which haven't gone completely brown like mine were. However, I love banana's, so I don't mind the taste, and the texture is amazing.

I think the point of this recipe is that the banana's need to be frozen whole, or at least in large chunks, and not 'smooshed', because smooshing them before frozen actually speeds up the browning process (oxidation) and releases a lot of the water content. When done as the instructable says, the frozen banana's first blend into an almost bread crumb like consistency, before taking on the smooth and silky texture described.

I do have to mention that I intially had some trouble getting it beyond the crumbly mixture, but that's mainly because I was using my stick blender with the little bowl attachement, and in the end just transferred it to the mixing cup and using the stick attachment, and it worked beautifully.

Don't be scared to try this again =P freeze the banana's whole!
caityjay in reply to june9190Sep 3, 2009. 11:39 AM
Buy a blender. Find one at a thrift store (plug it in first, of course, to test it). Blenders are, like... awesome.
sugarego in reply to caityjaySep 8, 2009. 5:47 PM
blenders are, like, a pain in the arse to clean. i have one, but never want to use it b/c you have to fill the whole dish drain with all its parts laying out to dry. then you have to reassemble and find cabinet space for it a few days later after everything's shifted. maybe i need the blender you've got.
4eversixteen in reply to sugaregoSep 23, 2009. 9:16 AM
Quick, easy Blender cleaning: I add 2-3 drops of dish detergent, fill about 1/4 to 1/3 full with warm water. Blend on high for 30 seconds or so. Then rinse well. Done. Sparkling Clean!
komecake in reply to 4eversixteenDec 28, 2009. 4:34 AM
  Oh, how much I learn just from reading comments. Awsome cleaning instructions. I'm not so afraid to get out of the blender now. :)
devynhogan in reply to sugaregoSep 22, 2009. 4:12 PM
leave put together and fill with water and soap, give it a 30 second spin and presto clean. though you do need to take it apart for some things but for this i think it will do.
sugarego in reply to devynhoganSep 23, 2009. 12:02 PM
i'll have to try this. thanks 4eversixteen & devynhogan, for the suggestion. i'm sure that this would suffice for removing banana goo, or milkshake ingredients. since i'm lazy. :)
vililyia in reply to sugaregoSep 20, 2009. 7:58 PM
Solution: stick blender. I recieved one of these as a baby shower gift and wow! Soooooo easy to clean up and I've used mine for some pretty tough things. I made my own baby food for over a year and this thing never let me down.
sugarego in reply to vililyiaSep 23, 2009. 12:05 PM
you know, it had never occurred to me to get one of these, b/c it just doesn't look like they can do what a blender does. but per your suggestion, i'm going to research it b/c it does seem ultra convenient (and compact!) which would be a welcome change. i would say that i'll have to keep my upright blender for breaking ice to small bits, but my "ice crusher" blender does no such thing. it always leaves behind lots of large bits of ice, so making at-home frozen coffee drinks and the like isn't really feasible anyway. maybe i'll be so happy with the stick blender that i'll take my current blender to a thrift store. it takes up so much room in our small kitchen! :)
vililyia in reply to sugaregoSep 23, 2009. 3:05 PM
It does take some effort to get the stick to do a good job with ice, but it can be done. There's probably some out there that do a better job with ice than mine since I've had mine for almost two years and the specific brand I have has already come out with new ones. Happy researching :)
bobwantzanapple in reply to sugaregoSep 14, 2009. 4:49 PM
my blender only has 2 parts that need cleaning...lid and pitcher
Zem in reply to bobwantzanappleSep 22, 2009. 2:29 PM
Same
PikminRed in reply to ZemJan 7, 2010. 4:45 PM
x2
sugarego in reply to ZemSep 23, 2009. 12:00 PM
well, my lid has two parts (lid, centerpiece) and my pitcher has several parts (glass pitcher, blade assembly, gasket, and bottom plastic piece that these set into, which has a guideline for when you set it on the base, so you know you've twisted it on safely). and honestly, i'm not sure i'd want an upright blender without the ability to get the blades off to make sure they're clean underneath, or without a replaceable gasket for when the rubber gets brittle (i've already replaced it once). but the convenience of just two pieces does sound nice.
PikminRed in reply to sugaregoJan 7, 2010. 4:51 PM
How old is yours? I got mine like, 4 years ago? its a nice stainless steel 'Back to Basics' brand. It works fine and is easy to clean.
bobwantzanapple in reply to sugaregoOct 11, 2009. 1:46 PM
my lid has a centerpiece too, but you don't have to take it out, just put it in the dishwasher and it gets clean.
meejenbea in reply to bobwantzanappleNov 8, 2009. 6:02 PM
I always dont use the center piece and just cover the top hole with my hand then lick off any thing thats gets on. I recomend trying to prep clean as much of the pitcher as you can with your tounge ! yum!
bobwantzanapple in reply to meejenbeaNov 10, 2009. 1:10 PM

the ice cream tasted like rotten bananas

murphypop in reply to bobwantzanappleMar 28, 2010. 8:07 AM
Did you use rotten bananas? You should only use slightly over-ripe bananas for this. I've accidentally done this too with over-over-ripe bananas, and it did NOT turn out well.
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