If you love peanut butter, bananas, and ice cream, as well as effortless desserts, you’ll love this tasty two-ingredient frozen treat. While not technically ice cream — since no milk or cream is involved — the creamy, smooth texture of this chilled dessert might just have you fooled. The best part about making this ice cream (besides getting to eat it) is that it can be made without an ice cream maker. You simply need ripe or overripe bananas, peanut butter, and a blender or food processor. It’s also the perfect vegan-friendly ice cream for dairy-free diets and lactose intolerant individuals.
While any ripe bananas will work for this faux ice cream, it’s a great opportunity to make use of your brown bananas instead of tossing them. Overripe bananas also tend to be sweeter and softer, making it easy to blend them into a creamy sorbet. To achieve an ice cream-like consistency, cut up the bananas and freeze them for a couple of hours before blending them until smooth. Add any type of peanut butter (or other nut butter like almond butter) that you prefer and blend. Enjoy immediately or freeze for a firmer texture.
If you’re having trouble blending the bananas, try cutting them into smaller pieces or letting them sit for a few minutes to soften slightly before pureeing. You can also try adding a splash of water or almond milk. Follow some more simple tips to make your peanut butter and banana sorbet extra yummy.
Tasty variations and toppings
Peanut butter and banana vegan-friendly ice cream is tasty as is, but to make it extra special, try adding some tasty toppings and mix-ins. For instance, to incorporate a chocolatey, hazelnut flavor, add a scoop of Nutella when mixing in the peanut butter. Nutella will add creamy richness to the sorbet that won’t disappoint. Honey is another yummy add-in that’ll add a touch of sweetness. Or, try a product that combines both tasty flavors like Jif’s Chocolate Peanut Butter or Jif’s Natural Peanut Butter and Honey. Other variations include mixing in cocoa powder, chocolate shavings, cinnamon, or other fruit like strawberries or blueberries.
Once you’ve perfected your “nice cream,” why not kick it up a notch with some sundae-style toppings? For a special treat, sprinkle on some chocolate chips, almonds, or coconut shavings, or add a dollop of peanut butter and fresh bananas to the bowl. As with any ice cream sundae, caramel and chocolate sauce are also great flavor-boosting additions to drizzle over your dessert.
Another fun way to enjoy your faux ice cream is to plop it into a mug of root beer for a tasty banana and peanut butter root beer float. For an adults-only concoction, get creative and incorporate beer into your ice cream for a boozy beer sorbet that could be the best dessert of your life this summer. Whether you enjoy it plain or jazz it up with extra ingredients, this dairy-free ice cream will delight kids and adults alike.
