Banana nice cream
Frozen bananas blended into creamy, sweet soft-serve that’s vegan, with nothing in it but fruit, a splash of vanilla and a pinch of salt.
- 255 min total
- 10 min hands-on
- Anyone can make this
- Serves 2
- About $0.64 a serving
- 210 calories
- Vegan
- Gluten-free
- Dairy-free
Dolly says: Most of the time here is hands-off, so you can sit down while it cooks.
Ingredients
For 2 servings.
- 4 bananas, ripe, with brown spots
- 1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder, for chocolate (optional)
From your pantry
- 3 tbsp water
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 1 pinch salt
Each serving has about 210 calories, 3 g protein, 54 g carbs and 1 g fat, and costs about $0.64 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
the bananas, them into coins, and spread them on a plate with .
Peel. Peeling means removing the skin with a vegetable peeler or a small knife. It takes off tough or bitter skins, though potato and carrot skins are fine to leave on unless the recipe insists.
How you’ll know: The color underneath is even all over, with no patches of skin left behind.
Slice. Slicing means cutting food into flat pieces of about the same thickness. Even slices cook evenly, so none are raw while others burn.
How you’ll know: Lay a few side by side: they’re close to the same thickness from one end to the other.
Line a pan. Lining a pan means covering the bottom, and often the sides, with parchment paper or foil before the food goes in. Leave the paper hanging over two sides, and you can lift bars or brownies out in one piece to cut them neatly.
How you’ll know: The paper lies flat against the bottom, with flaps sticking up on two sides like handles.
Parchment paper. Parchment paper is a nonstick, oven-safe paper for lining pans. Food lifts right off and cleanup is easy, but don’t swap in wax paper or put parchment under the broiler.
How you’ll know: It lies flat in the pan, and the food slides off when you lift it.
Freeze until solid, at least 4 hours.
Timer: 240 min
Dolly’s tip: Freeze a few bananas whenever they get spotty. Then dessert is always five minutes away.Put the frozen banana in a blender or food processor with the water, vanilla, salt and cocoa if you’re using it.
, stopping to scrape down the sides, until it’s smooth and creamy like soft-serve, about 2 to 3 minutes.
Blend. Blending means whirling food in a blender or food processor until it’s smooth, like a sauce, soup or smoothie. Start low, then go higher, and stop to scrape down the sides.
How you’ll know: It looks completely smooth and even in color, with no chunks or flecks unless you wanted them.
Timer: 2 min
Dolly’s tip: It looks crumbly at first, then suddenly turns smooth. Add another spoonful of water only if the blades get stuck.Scoop into bowls and eat right away, or freeze 1 hour more for firmer scoops.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop picks a dessert for treat night, puts what you need on the week’s grocery list, and walks you through each step.
