Frozen Bananas Ice Cream with Cherries and Pecans

This homemade Frozen Bananas Ice Cream is so easy to make and uses just a few simple ingredients. But what makes this recipe extra special is frozen tart red cherries and crunchy pecans are gently folded into the creamy ice cream! And in just 10 minutes you can turn your frozen bananas into a healthy and delicious ice cream the whole family will love!

If you’re always looking for a healthier dessert option for your family, this homemade banana ice cream has got you covered! It reminds me of the Keto Vanilla Ice Cream that is as delicious and fulfilling as it is healthy. It has a wonderful natural sweetness from honey and ripe bananas along with a perfect creamy texture just like traditional ice cream.

Serve this banana ice cream immediately after blending for the perfect soft serve consistency or you can put it in the freezer for a while for a firmer consistency.

Why We Love This Recipe

Ease-One great thing about this recipe is, it does not require an ice cream maker. It’s an easy no churn recipe that’s made right in the blender and could not be any easier to make.

Heathy treat– Regular ice cream has a lot of added sugar, preservatives and other unwanted ingredients. Because you see exactly what goes into the recipe, you know you are serving your family a healthier version of their favorite treat. Plus, check out all the impressive health benefits of bananas in this article!

Delicious- Trust me when I tell you that your taste buds are going to love you after the very first bite of this delicious but healthy ice cream recipe! It’s a wonderful guilt-free treat that is every bit as good as the real thing!

I also love anything that uses fruit or whole foods, just like this yummy Fruit Dip with Yogurt.

What’s Needed to Make this Frozen Bananas Ice Cream:

• 4 large bananas, sliced and frozen
• 1-2 T. honey
• 1 t. pure vanilla extract (or you can use fresh vanilla bean)
• ¼ t. salt
• ½ cup milk- we used whole milk
• 1 c. frozen dark cherries, rinsed briefly under warm water and chopped
• ½ c. pecans, chopped
• Additional chopped pecans, for garnish

How to Make Creamy Banana Ice Cream

1. Place the frozen banana slices, honey, vanilla extract, and salt into a high-powered blender or food processor. Add milk and blend on high until smooth, approximately 2-3 minutes. 
2. Check to see if it has a soft and smooth consistency. If more liquid is necessary, add additional milk or cream, one tablespoon at a time, while blending until smooth. 
3. Pour the blended banana mixture into a large bowl and fold in the chopped cherries and pecans.
4. Spoon into individual serving bowls and serve immediately for a creamy soft serve ice cream. Top with some chopped pecans (or place in the freezer in an airtight container until firm). Enjoy! 

Is this Ice Cream the Same as Nice Cream?

This ice cream is not the same because we use whole milk and honey in the recipe. Nice cream is just frozen bananas that is blended up with some sort of dairy-free milk. To make this a “nice cream,” version, you could use a plant-based milk and leave out the honey.

Tips for Freezing Bananas

If you are anything like me, I used to always buy extra bananas from the grocery store that would end up going bad before I could use them. That was until I figured out the perfect way to freeze them! If you have a ton of ripe bananas on your hands, here’s the prefect way to freeze them to use later:

1. Start with ripe but not overripe bananas. For best results, you’ll want to freeze bananas when the small brown spots on the skin begin to get bigger, almost connecting to one another. If they are completely brown, you can still freeze them, but the texture will be much softer.
2. Next, peel bananas and slice them into about 1-2 inch pieces. Place the banana pieces on a baking sheet that has been lined parchment paper.
3. Put them in the freezer just until frozen, about an hour. The reason we do a quick freeze on a baking sheet first is to prevent them from sticking together.
4. Once they are frozen, place them in an airtight freezer bag, squeezing out as much air as you possibly can.
5. Label the bag with date you froze them. They will freeze well for up to 6 months. Frozen bananas are great to make smoothies or other frozen treats or thaw them out to make banana bread or muffins.

Variations of this Homemade Ice Cream Recipe:

• Favorite Mix-ins: You can mix in any of your favorite ingredients. Coconut flakes and sugar free chocolate chips or dark chocolate chips are great options.

• Banana Strawberry Ice Cream: If you aren’t a fan of cherries, you can fold in diced up fresh strawberries instead.

• Protein Shake: You can take this exact recipe and add in a scoop of your favorite protein powder and a little extra milk to create an awesome shake. Chocolate protein powder pairs great with bananas!

• Peanut Butter Banana Ice Cream: You can leave out the cherries and nuts and make a really tasty banana/peanut butter ice cream. Start with adding about tbsp of peanut butter to the blender. Add more if you want a more intense flavor. You could use almond butter instead of peanut butter.

• Chocolate banana ice cream: Everyone loves chocolate! Just add a little bit of cocoa powder to banana mixture before blending.

• Milk Choices: Whole milk was used in this recipe. However, you can use almond milk or soy milk, coconut milk, instead. For a really rich banana ice-cream, add a splash of heavy cream while blending.