This vegan blueberry banana ice cream is bananas and berries blended into a healthy spin on ice cream! Sometimes called “banana nice cream,” it’s oh so good.

Banana Berry Vegan Ice Cream | A Couple Cooks

Simple pleasures really are the best, right? As time passes, the more I’m satisfied by the simplest of things: a really good cup of coffee. Summer ripe tomatoes with sea salt and thin strands of basil. Convincing our bestie he needed an inflatable pool for summer pool parties. A campfire and shrimp boil with dear friends and good conversation. And making vegan blueberry banana ice cream on a hot summer day. Keep reading for the recipe!

Banana Berry Vegan Ice Cream | A Couple Cooks

Making blueberry banana ice cream

While Alex and I have a “foodie” side that’s intrigued by complicated techniques and 5-course meals, in truth a simple, stunning food combination is thousands of times better since it’s practical and approachable. And this blueberry banana ice cream recipe is all of that: painlessly easy but with the perfect ice creamy-y texture and fresh, natural flavor. So many times we find people (including us) just need IDEAS: easy alternatives to the fast and processed foods that have become mainstays in our culture.

So instead of buying ice cream, throw frozen bananas and berries into a blender with coconut milk or yogurt! It’s instant blueberry banana ice cream, perfect for people and kiddos of all diets. This recipe is not truly ice cream, it’s more like “ice cream”: or sometimes called banana nice cream! It’s just bananas, frozen berries and a little almond milk, blended together into frozen goodness. It’s a healthier take on ice cream that’s just as fun to eat: that’s why we just call it ice cream anyway! Because it’s such a hit with the littles, it’s one of our top vegan recipes for kids.

About the book: My Darling Lemon Thyme

This recipe is courtesy of the lovely and talented Emma Galloway, from her cookbook My Darling Lemon Thyme. Emma’s a trained chef and was raised vegetarian, and her food is artfully approachable, which we appreciate so much. When her children were young, she became aware of some allergies and made a diet change to gluten-free and mostly dairy-free. However, you’d never know it looking through the book: it’s completely gorgeous and full of family-friendly real food recipe ideas, like this blueberry banana ice cream. Her photography is fantastic, and makes us want to jump on the next plane to New Zealand to visit. We hope you enjoy this recipe, and the book, as much as we did!

A few notes on the blueberry banana ice cream recipe: it took us double the amount of yogurt listed to get this to blend, and even so it involved quite a bit of scraping and pureeing. We also added a bit of maple syrup and a hint of lemon juice to bring out the flavor — but depending on the ripeness of the bananas, yours may not need it. Enjoy!

Get the book: My Darling Lemon Thyme: Recipes from My Real Food Kitchen

Looking for healthy desserts? 

While we go to desserts for a splurge, we love finding healthy desserts that are big on flavor. Outside of this vegan blueberry banana ice cream, here are a few of our healthy desserts:

This blueberry banana ice cream recipe is…

Vegetarian, gluten-free, vegan, plant-based, dairy-free, naturally sweet, and refined sugar free.

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Blueberry Banana Ice Cream


  • Author: A Couple Cooks
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 0 minutes
  • Total Time: 15 minutes
  • Yield: 4 1x

Description

This vegan blueberry banana ice cream is bananas and berries blended into a healthy spin on ice cream! Sometimes called “banana nice cream,” it’s oh so good.


Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 ripe bananas, peeled and cut into 1-inch rounds
  • 2 cups frozen blueberries
  • ¼ cup coconut milk or natural plain yogurt, plus extra as needed
  • Maple syrup (optional)
  • Lemon juice (optional)

Instructions

  1. Place banana pieces on a tray in a single layer and freeze overnight.
  2. Just before serving, place the frozen banana slices, frozen berries, and coconut milk or yogurt into a food processor and pulse until starting to break up. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and then blend on high until a smooth, creamy ice cream forms. You can add a touch more milk/yogurt to help it process better, but remember that the more liquid you add, the softer the end result will be.
  3. If desired, add a tablespoon of maple syrup and a squeeze of lemon for flavor brightener. Scoop into bowls and serve immediately. The ice cream doesn’t refreeze well, but it’s fast and easy to put together if you have the fruit pre-frozen, so making it fresh shouldn’t be a problem.

Notes

Reprinted with permission from My Darling Lemon Thyme: Recipes from My Real Food Kitchen by Emma Galloway

  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Frozen
  • Cuisine: American

Keywords: Healthy Dessert, Gluten Free Dessert, Bananas, Berries, Vegan Dessert, Vegan Ice Cream, Berry Ice Cream, Nice Cream, Banana Ice Cream

Looking for more recipes with blueberries?

If you’ve got fresh blueberries on hand, we’ve got lots of blueberry recipes for you to choose from! Here are a few favorites:

About the authors

Sonja & Alex

Meet Sonja and Alex Overhiser: Husband and wife. Expert home cooks. Authors of recipes you'll want to make again and again.

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7 Comments

  1. Yummy !! I like Banana Berry Vegan Ice Cream and it is also in my favourite recipe list. You did a great job by sharing this recipe. Do share more such recipes :)

  2. Oh yes, it’s all about the simple pleasures. :-) I make a green berry coconut smoothie with similar ingredients so I know this would make an amazing ice cream. I can just about taste the flavors now. We’re visiting family in Austin and it’s so hot we could use this ice cream right about now.

  3. Looks fab!! I want to make it on Sunday for brekky! Can it be kept in the fridge in a sealed container for a couple of days or til next morning? Tx in adv!

    1. Hi there! I would make this the morning of if at all possible — that way it keeps the smooth but icy texture. Thanks for asking!