2-ingredient ice cream (aka nice cream) made with delicious strawberries and bananas. No ice cream machine needed and ready in no time. So easy and healthy! The perfect spring and summer treat.
You know the feeling when you want to eat "something good", a little treat BUT you don't feel like actually cooking or baking, are too lazy to go out and buy something AND, in addition to all these criteria, you also want this treat to be guilt free?
I've been there – so.many.times! And my little finger tells me I'm not the only one 😉
Luckily, I'm humbly presenting you with a solution to our struggle today. In the form of ice cream. Guilt-free, easy, 2-ingredient ice cream. Sounds nice, huh?
Okay, let's see how it's done!
How to make strawberry banana ice-cream – Step by step
First, slice some ripe bananas (so they're sweet and full of flavor) and strawberries (step 1).
Arrange them in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and pop them in the freezer for about 2 hours (step 2).
Once they're frozen, place the fruits in your food processor (step 3) If the fruits are stuck on the sheet, let it sit on the counter for a couple of minutes before lifting the baking paper.
Start the food processor and process until it's nice and smooth. The mixture will go through different stages: "crumbly" (step 4), part crumbly part smooth (step 5) and finally, smooth (step 6).
At the end, it should have a smooth, soft-serve consistency (step 7). It takes a while to reach the perfect texture – don't worry, it's normal. Keep pulsing until you create ice cream magic!
You can eat it straight away as a soft-serve, but if you want a firmer, more ice-cream like texture, transfer the mixture to a metal container – I used a loaf pan – and freeze for about 3 to 4 hours or until firm (step 8).
It will be hard straight out of the freezer so let it sit on the counter for 5 to 10 minutes before scooping and enjoying!
Can you make banana ice cream aka nice cream in a blender?
Well, yes and no. You can make banana ice cream in a high speed blender like a Vitamix or a Blendtec but if you just have a basic blender, the frozen fruits will be too hard to process.
I have this KitchenAid blender, which is pretty strong, and I still need to add a little bit of milk or another liquid to get it going. It's not smooth and easy as using a food processor.
Unless you have a high speed blender, I would recommend using a powerful food processor instead. I have this Magimix one and I LOVE it.
Banana Ice Cream / Nice Cream variations
I love the strawberry/banana combo, but know that you can make hundreds of different flavor combo with the same frozen banana base! Here are a few idea for you to play around:
- Very Berry: bananas + a mix of frozen berries
- Peach: bananas + peach + a pinch a ginger
- Pina Colada: bananas + coconut milk + pineapple
- Chocolate Peanut Butter: bananas + peanut butter + cocoa powder
A few last tips!
- Make sure to use ripe bananas. Not ripe bananas won't be sweet enough and taste funky.
- Next time you have a bunch of ripe bananas sitting on your counter, peel them, cut them and freeze them for a banana ice cream later!
- This recipe is perfect to use strawberries that are past their prime and that you no longer want to eat "as is".
- As mentioned above, make sure to use a powerful food processor that can handle frozen fruits (they are very hard).
If you tried this strawberry banana ice cream, don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how it went in the comments below – I love hearing from you! You can also follow me on Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook for more deliciousness and behind-the-scenes!
Healthy Strawberry Banana Ice Cream
2-ingredient ice cream (aka nice cream) made with delicious strawberries and bananas. No ice cream machine needed and ready in no time. So easy and healthy! The perfect spring and summer treat.
Ingredients
- 4 bananas large and very ripe
- 1 lb / 450 g fresh strawberries ripe
Instructions
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Peel the bananas and cut them into slices. Hulled the strawberries and slice them as well.
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Line a baking sheet with parchment paper (to prevent the fruits for sticking to the baking sheet). Arrange the fruits in a single layer. Place in the freezer and freeze for 2 hours or until fully frozen.
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When the fruits are frozen, place them in the bowl of your food processor. Process until the mixture is creamy and smooth, scraping down the edges of the bowl as needed. It while take a while to reach the right consistency - don't worry, it's normal (see the different steps pictured above).
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Serve immediately for a soft-serve consistency (picture #7 above). If you prefer a harder, more ice-cream like consistency, transfer mixture into a 1.5-litre-capacity metal container (I used a loaf pan) and freeze for 3-4 hours or until firm. It will be hard straight out of the freezer so let it sit on the counter for 5 to 10 minutes before scooping and enjoying!
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If you're not eating everything, keep the leftovers in the freezer, covered with plastic wrap.
More ice cream and popsicle recipes:
Lisa | Garlic & Zest
This sounds like a light, refreshing dessert and I love the frozen fruit trick. My husband and I are trying to eat healthier and this fits right into that lifestyle! Great photos too!
Marie
Thanks so much Lisa - I hope you and your husband will love it 🙂
Shanika
Wow, this ice cream looks so smooth and creamy! I definitely love the strawberry and banana flavors together! The perfect summer sweet treat!
Marie
Right?! Thanks Shanika! 🙂
Claudia Lamascolo
I sure love all the flavors in this and it looks so creamy! I know my whole family will enjoy this ice cream..
Marie
I hope you all love it!
Beth
This looks perfect for me as I can't enjoy "real" ice crream. I'm lactose intolerant so this is a perfect find! Thanks for sharing!
Marie
I'm so glad I could help Beth! 🙂
camila
wow! amazing! Thats the definition of an easy and delicious recipe! Also wholesome because it doesn't involve any added sugar!! Amazing work! love your pics!
Marie
Thanks so much Camila!
Michaela Kenkel
I can't wait to make this this weekend! There is nothing better than the combination of strawberries and bananas -- and this dessert virtually guilt free!
Marie
I know, right?! Such a great combo! I hope you love it Michaela! 🙂
Liz
Hi Marie, this looks so delicious!!! If I were to add some coconut milk to this recipe how much would I add? Thanks for the recipe.
Marie
Hi Liz! Thanks 🙂 It depends! Do you want to add coconut milk to get your food processor/blender going or to add a coconut taste? If it's only for the machine, about 1/4 cup should be enough. If it's for the taste, I would start with 1/4 cup, taste and add more as needed. You could also manually stir in some desiccated coconut at the end. Hope this helps!
Terry C.
HI Marie,
I have made this recipe twice now. Once with strawberries and once with raspberries. Immediately it is ready to eat, but your picture looks more set up rather than soft serve. When I freeze mine it is as hard as a rock and very much icy in texture, where yours looks so creamy. Also both mine have bee named on the tart side. Could I add stevia to sweeten?
What am I doing wrong not to achieve your results? Please advise. Thank you.
Marie
Hi Terry, Try and put it in the freezer for 3 hours, then it should be perfect for scooping. If it has been sitting in the freezer for longer, it does get quite solid. To make it easy to scoop place it in the fridge until it softens or let it sit on the counter for 10 minutes before scooping! Yes, stevia is a great addition if you feel it's not sweet enough or if your bananas were not that sweet. Hope this helps. Cheers
A.H.
It is a nice substitute for ice cream and so easy. Love it! I can't wait to try the variations.
Marie
Thank you, I love it too! Glad you enjoyed this recipe 🙂
Ifeoma
Looks very nice and creamy. I will give it a try. Many thanks!