Coconut Banana Nice Cream
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I recently did a post on Chocolate Banana Nice Cream. But the number of bananas that ended up in my shopping basket this week was kind of prolific, and I just couldn’t pass up the chance to experiment with this coconut banana ice cream version too.
It’s a cold and creamy treat with a hint of tropical flavors. Mini Chef gobbled this up and so did the rest of my family! This is one recipe we’ll be making again and again. I hope you will enjoy it as much as we did!
Dietary Adjustments
This recipe is naturally Paleo, dairy-free, processed sugar-free, and gluten-free. It is also a vegan ice cream.
That being said, you can add anything to this which could change the status of any of those. So be aware of the ingredients you purchase and make sure they fit your dietary requirements before using them.
Recipe Variations
There really isn’t too much you can’t change about this. You can blend in other ingredients, add mix-ins like chocolate chips or shredded coconut, or even add a little unsweetened cocoa powder to the blender. The taste and texture will change slightly based on any changes you make, but it will always be delicious. Here are a few more suggestions:
- Toasted coconut
- Frozen Mango
- Dark chocolate
- Pinch of salt – A small pinch will help bring out the sweetness.
- Vanilla extract – Not vanilla flavoring
- Lime peel (or zest)
- Maple syrup
- Honey
- Nut butter
- Frozen berries such as strawberries
- Other sweeteners such as coconut sugar work great here.
About The Bananas
The level of banana flavor in your finished ice cream will depend heavily on how ripe your bananas are.
- For lighter flavor – Opt for just-turned-yellow bananas.
- For heavier flavor – Opt for spotting bananas. Ripe bananas have a stronger flavor.
About The Ingredients
Bananas – Sliced and frozen ahead of time. Freeze them in a single layer on a parchment-lined cookie sheet. The thinner you slice them, the faster they will freeze and the easier they will blend. Never put large chunks of frozen banana into your blender or food processor. You will risk burning out your motor.
Canned coconut milk – Kept in the freezer for 90 minutes before using. You only want this partially frozen. Never freeze this completely. If it happens accidentally, let it thaw at least halfway before using it or you will burn out the motor on your blender or food processor. Also, if you prefer, you can substitute the coconut milk with unsweetened almond milk.
How To Make Coconut Banana Nice Cream
Slice and freeze your bananas the night before. Then, 90 minutes before you plan to make the ice cream, put the coconut milk in the freezer as well. You don’t want it completely frozen, but partially frozen is a big plus here.
Transfer the partially frozen coconut milk into the blender tumbler or food processor.
Add the frozen banana slices on top of that.
Blend until smooth, stopping the blender from time to time to scrape and/or tamper the sides as needed. If you feel the motor straining too much, you can add extra coconut milk in small amounts.
Scoop into serving bowls or into a waffle cone, and enjoy.
About The Consistency
This is roughly the consistency of soft serve ice cream. How firm it is after blending will depend heavily on how frozen your ingredients were and whether you added any extra liquid to avoid burning out your motor. While it’s obviously possible to get scoopable ice cream, any small adjustment can change the consistency to that of soft serve.
Can You Store This Coconut Banana Nice Cream?
I do not recommend it. This is better eaten directly after making it. If you freeze it, it will freeze rock hard. And when it thaws, the texture isn’t the same. That said, if you must freeze it, you could potentially thaw it partway, and then blend in a few more frozen bananas to get the consistency back to where it’s supposed to be.
Recipe Supplies
For this recipe, you’ll need either a food processor or a strong, high speed blender (like a Vitamix). Here are some suggestions. Click the image to be taken to that product on Amazon. (Affiliate links)
More Nice Cream Recipes
Coconut Banana Ice Cream Recipe Card
Coconut Banana Nice Cream
Equipment
- 1 Blender or food processor
Ingredients
- 5 large bananas (sliced and frozen ahead of time)
- â…“ cup canned coconut milk (kept in the freezer for 90 minutes before using)
Instructions
- Slice and freeze your bananas the night before. Then, 90 minutes before you plan to make the ice cream, put the coconut milk in the freezer as well. You don't want it completely frozen, but partially frozen is a big plus here.
- Transfer the partially frozen coconut milk into the blender tumbler or food processor.
- Add the frozen banana slices on top of that.
- Blend until smooth, stopping the blender from time to time to scrape the sides as needed. If you feel the motor straining too much, you can add extra coconut milk in small amounts.
- Scoop into serving bowls and enjoy
Notes
Nutrition
Recipe from the Gracious Pantry® archives, originally posted on 5/11/10.
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Coconut is definitely one of my favorites. I have to give this a try.
Hi Aaron,
Let me know what you think!
Mmmm, I think I’ll try this with a scoop of protein powder. Sounds soo yummy!
Richelle – I thought about it, but chickened out. Let me know how it is and maybe I’ll try it too.
Hmmmm will definitely give it a trial
Fatimah – I hope you enjoy it! 🙂
This is a long-time favorite in my family. (Well, since about 1990!) It’s even better when you make it “Pina Colada” by adding some pineapple, or frozen pineapple juice.
Cinder – Oh yum! Thanks!
Yummy! Yummy! Yummy!!! I just tried this yesterday, and was TOTALLY SATISFIED!!! 🙂 My almost-3-year old wanted to try it, but he didn’t like the smell! He tasted it — said he liked it, but he just couldn’t get over the smell. Goofy boy …. he’s missing out! 😉
Wendy – How funny! I don’t think I’ve ever taken the time to smell it! LOL. Glad you enjoyed it though 😉
Absolutely sensational!!! I can’t get enough! Last night I raced home from dancing to make some so my husband could try it!….I like the pina colada comment, I have thought about using frozen pineapple…as well as every other combination running through my head that I can’t wait to make….haha…bummer that it is getting cold here and not really ice cream weather. Looking forward to summer and making the mango, banana pecan one. Tiffany this is seriously the best dessert recipe EVER – a perfect substitute…I don’t even want ice cream anymore! 🙂
Natasha – Fabulous!!! I love it too. It’s tough to top!
You say not to freeze it. But if you do have leftovers and freeze it just add a milk of your choice and blend. It makes a great shake!
Carebear – Yes!! That’s always a yummy option, thanks!
Just found this on Pinterest, well technically another blog on there that mentioned this recipe – looks very yummy though!!! Your blog looks much deeper though, excited to do some digging! 🙂
Lucy – Welcome! I hope you’ll enjoy my recipes. 🙂
This ice cream is absolutely amazing. I’m doing the no sugar challenge and this is just what I needed to sweeten up my day. I’m surprised at how much this really tastes (and reminds me of) ice cream! I look forward to making this every day and using it as my last serving of fruit for the day. Thanks for the fantastic recipe!!!
My pleasure! Enjoy!
I have made this recipe many of time with bananas and milk or coconut milk delicious I’ve added chocolate chips delicious give it a try
Chef Dave – Thanks for the input! 🙂
The other night I took frozen strawberries and coconut milk and blended them in my food processor to make an “ice cream” (I didn’t have any bananas and wanted that creaminess). After it was smooth, I threw in some mini semisweet chocolate chips and pulsed a few times. It was delicious!! The kids even loved it and wanted seconds!! =)
Sounds wonderful! 🙂
I have never been so frustrated with fruit! Did you mean blender? A food processor is not getting the job done for me. I’ve been trying to make this for maybe 40 minutes now and all I get is pink … I don’t know goo? I like strawberry banana so I added some strawberries and the bananas will not mix! Banana and strawberry pieces just keep spinning around and making me so mad! . It’s definitely not ice cream.
Rachel – Oh dear. Maybe let the fruit sit for about 10-15 minutes and soften slightly. Or perhaps your processor isn’t strong enough for this particular recipe? Not sure. Add some milk to it to get things going. You can try the blender, but you’ll have to start it and stop it a lot to get it mixed and you may end up with more of a smoothie than anything else.
This would be really yum topped with some toasted coconut also! Just found your site via pinterest and am really excited. Every recipe I click on comes back to you!
Lois – Welcome! Happy to have you hear! Enjoy the ice cream. 🙂
For those of us who love to cook Thai dishes, coconut milk is a staple, whether in soups, sauces (red and green curry sauces for vegetables), and to use in Thai iced coffee (also used in Vietnamese iced coffee and even Indian iced coffee–blended with cardomom). Never thought of it as a base for various fruit ice creams but it is certainly both logical and tasty. Have you experimented with other fruits such as strawberries, blueberries, clementines, cherries, pineapple????
Michael – Yes! I have many banana based ice creams here in my ice cream section. You can find it here: https://www.thegraciouspantry.com/category/recipes/dessert/ice-cream-recipes/
Shelly – I no longer supply those. But apps like My Fitness Pal make it super easy to import the recipe.
Would love to try and make this, but first I need to know the calorie count per serving. Could someone please sent me the calorie content. Thank you.
Marsha – You would have to enter the recipe into an online recipe calculator. There are lots of them. I often use the at MyFitnessPal.com. It’s easy to use.
This looks good, as all the other “clean eating” ones do. I will definitely give some of these a try for Thanksgiving. I’ve been using frozen fruit + fat-free greek yogurt to make a soft ice cream, tho the yogurt makes it a little tart. I find I can use really any fruit, including citrus, tho raspberries or bananas are my favorite.
Laura – Yes! Any fruit works. But the focus on bananas is simply because bananas provide that creamier consistency that most people want in ice cream. But if you don’t mind more of a sorbet, then any fruit will do the job! 🙂