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Home » Recipes » Gluten-Free

Published: May 24, 2017 · Modified: Jan 31, 2025 by Amanda McGillicuddy · This post may contain affiliate links.

Vegan Banana Ice Cream

Jump to Recipe

This rich and creamy Vegan Banana Ice Cream is simple to make and delightfully indulgent. Eat it right from the blender or transfer it and freeze for a scoopable treat with real food ingredients and no refined sugar.

Vegan banana ice cream scooped into a bowl.
Jump to:
  • What I Love about this Vegan Banana Ice Cream
  • Ingredient Notes & Possible Substitutions
  • How to Freeze Bananas for Ice Cream
  • What Equipment is Needed
  • How to Make Vegan Banana Ice Cream
  • Flavor Ideas 
  • Storage
  • Making This Recipe AIP-Compliant
  • Dietitian Notes
  • Recipe Tips
  • Try These Other Healthier Treats
  • Did you try this Vegan Banana Ice Cream?
  • 📖 Recipe

What is better than ice cream on a hot summer day? This Vegan Banana Ice Cream is creamy, silky, and free of refined sugar and dairy. It can be frozen and scooped onto cones or in to bowls and topped with all your favorite toppings!

The notes of this ice cream are subtle, but you can taste the bananas and coconut. It pairs well with flavors like caramel, peanut butter, and chocolate.

Looking for other fun vegan recipes? Try this Berry Chia Seed Pudding, this Carrot Cake Chia Pudding, or this Vegan Watermelon Salad.

What I Love about this Vegan Banana Ice Cream

This ultra-creamy real food treat is perfect for a hot summer day. Here is why I love it:

  • Healthy & Refined Sugar-Free — Made with coconut cream, coconut oil, bananas, and real maple syrup, this indulgent recipe is made from real, healthy foods.
  • Quick & Easy — This recipe blends up in just minutes for the perfect feel-good-treat anytime.

Scooping vegan banana ice cream.

Ingredient Notes & Possible Substitutions

Bananas

For this recipe, it is helpful to slice the bananas before freezing so that they will blend easier. I usually do this by freezing the banana slices on a parchment paper lined baking sheet, then transferring the frozen banana slices to a gallon sized resealable freezer bag.

Coconut Cream

You can purchase coconut cream, or harvest the cream from a can of full fat coconut milk. To do the latter, you will want to put a can of coconut milk in the back of the fridge overnight to allow the cream to separate. Then open the can and scoop out ½ cup of the cream, discarding the liquid.

Maple Syrup

Real maple syrup will work best, but you could also use granulated sugar, coconut sugar or coconut nectar.

Agar Agar

This ingredient is a vegan gelatin alternative. It is used to help prevent the ice cream from becoming hard when frozen and aids in a rich, thick texture. The agar can be omitted, but expect the ice cream to freeze a little more solid.

Vanilla Bean Powder

You can use the inside of a vanilla bean, vanilla bean paste, or vanilla extract, if you cannot find vanilla bean powder. For the AIP diet, you will want to omit this ingredient.

Ingredients used for vegan banana ice cream.

How to Freeze Bananas for Ice Cream

Generally, I freeze ripe bananas by peeling, breaking them into chunks and placing them in a resealable freezer bag. For banana ice cream recipes, I prefer to slice them before freezing because they tend to blend easier this way.

To do this, slice ripe bananas and lay them out on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Place the pan in the freezer for about 2 hours. Once frozen, transfer to a gallon-sized freezer bag and store in the freezer overnight or until ready to use.

Sliced frozen bananas on a sheet pan.

What Equipment is Needed

You don't need much to complete this recipe! A good blender is really the most important piece of equipment. I use a Vitamix, but have also had good results with a Ninja blender. Because the Vitamix blade is short and low, you will need to scrape the sides more throughout the blending process.

Apart from a blender, a sheet pan to freeze the bananas, a rubber spatula to scrape the sides as you go, and a glass Tupperware container or bread pan for freezing is all you will need.

How to Make Vegan Banana Ice Cream

  1. Place all ingredients in a large high-powered blender. Blend until smooth, scraping the sides of the pitcher with a rubber spatula as needed. Make sure all the coconut oil gets properly blended!
  2. Serve immediately for soft serve or transfer to a parchment lined bread pan or glass Tupperware container and freeze for at least 3 hours for a scoopable ice cream.
Blending ingredients.

Flavor Ideas 

This Vegan Banana Ice Cream is delicious on its own but also goes well with so many different mix-in’s and toppings. Here are some other tasty flavor ideas to add to the ice cream before freezing:

  • Banana Walnut - Add ¼ teaspoon of cardamon before blending. Then mix in ¼ cup of crushed walnuts to the ice cream after blending.
  • Banana Peanut Butter Crunch - Add 2 tablespoons of crushed peanuts and swirl in ⅓ cup of salty, unsweetened peanut butter to the ice cream after blending. Do not mix the peanut butter in entirely so there is a ribbon of peanut butter when scooping.
  • Triple Chocolate - Add 1 tablespoon of unsweetened dark cocoa powder to the ice cream before blending. Then mix in your favorite chopped chocolate bar, chocolate chunks or chocolate chips, and a swirl of vegan chocolate syrup. Semi-sweet or dark chocolate works best because the ice cream is fairly sweet already. 

Storage

If I plan to store the ice cream for a longer period, I will use a glass Tupperware container with a lid. I like these Pyrex containers with the snapping lids. When stored in the freezer, the ice cream will save for 1-2 weeks. To enjoy, simple thaw on the counter for about 10 minutes so that it is easier to scoop.

Making This Recipe AIP-Compliant

What is AIP?

AIP (Autoimmune Paleo) is an elimination diet used to help those with autoimmune conditions figure out what potentially immunogenic foods may be triggering an immune response.

Autoimmune illnesses are tricky because symptoms can manifest in many ways. Food triggers are extremely common for people with autoimmune illnesses, but stress, environmental allergens, and other lifestyle triggers may also play a role.

Common allergenic foods are removed on the AIP diet, like eggs, soy, nuts, dairy, and gluten. In addition, other potentially immunogenic foods are also removed. These include things like seeds, all grains, nightshades (peppers, tomatoes, potatoes, etc.), and seed-based oils.

Usually, people will see an improvement in symptoms after initiating an AIP protocol. After the improvements plateau, a gut rebuilding phase is ideal. Thereis a lot of evidence suggesting that autoimmune illnesses are linked to gut permeability.

After supporting gut health, the individual following the AIP protocol should consider reintroducing foods. This needs to be strategic. Only one food type should be introduced at a time. Starting with the least likely to cause a reaction.

Here are some resources for following an AIP elimination diet.

How to Make This Recipe AIP

By omitting the vanilla bean powder in this recipe, you can make this banana ice cream AIP-compliant. Be sure to select coconut cream that is free of gaur gum, and skip any additional mix-ins or toppings that might conflict with the diet.

Toppings like shredded coconut, cinnamon, chopped dates, and whipped maple syrup are all AIP-friendly options!

Vegan banana ice cream in a cone.

Dietitian Notes

  • Each serving contains 4 grams of fiber and is rich in potassium.
  • While being relatively high in carbohydrates, the fiber and healthy fat from the coconut oil and coconut cream will help to stabilize blood sugar.

Recipe Tips

  • For the smoothest ice cream, scrape the sides of the blender with a rubber spatula several times throughout blending. This will help prevent the coconut oil from freezing into chunks.
  • Blend until the ice cream is completely smooth with no visible chunks. This usually takes 1-2 minutes with my Vitamix, and I pause and scrape the sides frequently. Both the coconut oil and coconut cream become solid at cold temps, so blending completely is key to get these ingredients to fully incorporate into the ice cream.

Try These Other Healthier Treats

Looking for other tasty recipes? Here are a few you might like:

  • Pile of banana blackberry oatmeal muffins with oats on top.
    Banana Blackberry Oatmeal Muffins
  • Unwrapped gluten-free chocolate chip banana muffin.
    Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins (Dairy-Free)
  • Slice of gluten-free dairy-free banana bread with a bite out of it.
    Gluten-Free Dairy-Free Banana Bread (Maple Syrup Sweetened!)
  • Berry chia seed pudding in jar layered with dairy-free yogurt and topped with red raspberries.
    Berry Chia Seed Pudding (Vegan)

Did you try this Vegan Banana Ice Cream?

I would love to see how it went! Share a photo and tag me on Instagram or leave a comment on Pinterest.

Love this recipe? Connect with me by leaving a comment below! 😊

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Scoops of vegan banana ice cream.

📖 Recipe

Vegan banana ice cream scooped into a bowl.

Vegan Banana Ice Cream

Amanda McGillicuddy
This rich and creamy Vegan Banana Ice Cream is simple to make and delightfully indulgent. Eat it right from the blender or transfer it and freeze for a scoopable treat with real food ingredients and no refined sugar.
5 from 1 vote
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes mins
Total Time 5 minutes mins
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 4 servings
Calories 353 kcal

Equipment

  • Sheet pan
  • Parchment paper
  • High-powered blender
  • Rubber Spatula
  • Bread pan

Ingredients
  

  • 4 Large ripe bananas sliced and frozen
  • ½ cup Coconut cream without guar gum
  • 2 tablespoon Maple syrup
  • 2 tablespoon Coconut oil melted but cooled
  • 1 teaspoon Agar agar
  • ½ teaspoon Vanilla bean powder or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or ½ tablespoon vanilla bean paste (use pure vanilla bean powder for AIP)
  • ⅛ teaspoon Sea salt
  • See notes for optional flavors

Instructions
 

  • Slice ripe bananas and lay them out on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper and place in the freezer for about 2 hours. Once frozen, transfer to a gallon-sized freezer bag until ready to use.
  • Place all ingredients in a large high-powered blender. Blend until smooth, scraping the sides of the pitcher with a rubber spatula as needed.
  • Serve immediately for soft serve or transfer to a parchment lined bread pan and freeze for at least 3 hours for a scoopable ice cream.

Notes

  • Optional flavor ideas:
    • Banana Walnut - Add ¼ teaspoon of cardamon before blending. Then mix in ¼ cup of crushed walnuts to the ice cream after blending.
    • Banana Peanut Butter Crunch - Add 2 tablespoons of crushed peanuts and swirl in ⅓ cup of salty, unsweetened peanut butter to the ice cream after blending. Do not mix the peanut butter in entirely so there is a ribbon of peanut butter when scooping.
    • Triple Chocolate - Add 1 tablespoon of unsweetened dark cocoa powder to the ice cream before blending. Then mix in your favorite chopped chocolate bar, chocolate chunks or chocolate chips, and a swirl of vegan chocolate syrup. Semi-sweet or dark chocolate works best because the ice cream is fairly sweet already. 
Note: These flavor options are not AIP-friendly. See post for info on AIP modifications and AIP-friendly toppings.

Nutrition

Calories: 353kcalCarbohydrates: 60gProtein: 1gFat: 13gSaturated Fat: 11gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.2gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.5gSodium: 93mgPotassium: 445mgFiber: 4gSugar: 45gVitamin A: 76IUVitamin C: 10mgCalcium: 17mgIron: 0.3mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Marie says

    January 31, 2025 at 9:52 am

    I like and appreciate your recipes, but...they are misleading for those of us learning the AIP ropes. Maybe some of these ingredients can come back into the autoimmune diet, but I really think you need to either eliminate obvious autoimmune triggers, or put some really big caveats into your AIP recipes. Seeds/nuts: cardamon, peanuts, walnut don't belong in AIP unless they are included with caveats. I'm trying really hard to learn AIP and am finding so many recipe blogs by so called experts who just throw classifications at things and they obviously don't know what they are talking about...like tossing AIP into Whole 30 and Paleo as those latter two are really their specialty. Hope you aren't one of them. In the meantime...your AIP recipes are confusing and harmful to those of us really suffering from autoimmune issues.

    Reply
    • foodbornewellness.com says

      January 31, 2025 at 10:46 am

      Hi Mary, I am sorry that you are finding this confusing when trying to figure out AIP. I write recipes for a variety of people and as someone who has done AIP and other diets to manage my own autoimmune disease, I try to offer substitutions or instructions to make some recipes AIP if possible (in an effort to help make more recipes AIP appropriate). This specific recipe is listed as a vegan recipe, however, I include modifications in the recipe card to make it AIP-friendly (omitting the vanilla bean powder). Because it is not a strictly AIP, all the information in the blog post may not be related to the AIP. I do have some recipe that are AIP specific. In my non-AIP recipes that I have modifications listed to make the recipe AIP, do you think I should remove the modifications and the info in the recipe card relating to making the recipe AIP-friendly or should I add a blurb in the post about AIP and the recipe for clarification? Im genuinely curious what you think would be helpful. I am registered dietitian and both me and my husband have autoimmune illnesses, so I understand AIP better than most; however, I am not infallible and am looking for ways to better serve my readers.

      Reply
    • foodbornewellness.com says

      January 31, 2025 at 11:21 am

      Assuming you're not just trolling me, I made some updates to this post and want to know if it is more clear now. Like I said before, this is not an AIP post so I can't make all the content cater to the AIP diet; however, hopefully it is more clear how to modify this recipe to be AIP-friendly. Thanks and hope that helps!

      Reply
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