It’s summertime and the temperatures are still astronomically high in the Valley of the Sun. I’m not joking… we are supposed to hit 113° this weekend. That’s why I decided to do a healthy take on a classic summertime treat: Ice cream. This vegan and gluten-free recipe is super simple to make, and you don’t need to have an ice cream maker, heavy cream, sugar and all that jazz – all you need are 2 ripe bananas and a food processor or blender. I topped my ice cream with cacao nibs, but I will leave it up to you whether you want to have your ice cream dressed to the nines or not.
Banana Ice Cream (GF)(V)
ingredients:
2 ripe bananas (they should be sweet and soft)
Optional garnishes: cacao nibs, Nutella, nuts, granola (the list goes on!)
the method:
- Start by peeling the bananas and cutting them into even coins. (When bananas are ripe, the peel may stick to the fruit, so make sure you remove leftover peel to prevent any bitterness in your ice cream.)
- Place the coins in a glass bowl, cover with plastic wrap and place them in the freezer overnight.
- Place the frozen banana slices in the bowl of a food processor or blender and blend until smooth. This process will take a while and you’ll have to scrape down the side of your food processor multiple times with a spatula.
- The bananas will first become very crumbly, then they will look like oatmeal, but you’ll eventually end up with a very soft and creamy mixture.
- At this point, place back in the glass bowl and in the freezer for just about an hour. You can of course always enjoy it right away if you like very soft ice cream. I wanted to eat mine immediately, so it was pretty soft…
- Garnish with your favorite toppings and serve.
