Easy Guilt Free Banana Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Recipe

All you have to say is ice cream and I’m there! This dairy free chocolate chip ice cream is made with just two ingredients: frozen bananas and dairy free mini chocolate chips.

The bananas blend into a soft, creamy scoop in the food processor, and the chocolate chips get folded in at the end. It is one of my go to healthy desserts, and it is so yummy!

The Best Dairy Free Chocolate Chip Ice Cream (Just 2 Ingredients)

I love ice cream! These days, I try to find ways to eat healthy but still enjoy my favorite desserts. So when I found a recipe for chocolate chip homemade ice cream made out of bananas, I had to give it a try. I was very skeptical at first, because who would believe bananas could turn into anything with an ice cream consistency?! It quickly won me over, though. I love it, my old roommate loves it, and even my husband enjoys it!

Ice cream always makes me think of summer. When I was a kid, my family would go to Oregon and stay at a little motel on the coast, only a few miles away from my great uncle’s dairy farm. We’d feed baby calves, play with the cats and dogs and get ready for his big Fourth of July fireworks show, which was so grand that the nearby town moved its own show to July 5th. I helped make hundreds of hamburger patties for the potluck, and one year we tied so many firecrackers together that it took 45 minutes for them all to go off!

Every trip included the Tillamook Cheese factory, where I would always get Brown Cow ice cream (now known as Udderly Chocolate) in a waffle cone. I still love going there. This banana version is the simplest ice cream recipe you will ever try, and it is super delicious!

Why You’ll Love This Banana Ice Cream

• Just two ingredients. Frozen bananas and dairy free mini chocolate chips are all you need.
• Naturally sweet. Ripe bananas do all of the sweetening in the creamy base.
• Ready in about 10 minutes. Once the bananas are frozen, the food processor does the work.
• So versatile. Keep it plain, add a few drops of mint extract or try chocolate and peanut butter.

Ingredients You’ll Need

This healthy banana ice cream keeps the list short. Exact amounts are in the recipe card below.

• Ripe bananas: The base of the whole recipe. Peel them, chop them into chunks and freeze them before you start. Use bananas with plenty of brown spots, because riper bananas are sweeter and blend up creamier, with less of a starchy taste. Freezing the chunks in a single layer keeps them from sticking together in one big lump, which makes them easier on your food processor. The bananas need to be frozen solid. Soft or half frozen fruit turns into a smoothie instead of a scoop.
• Dairy free mini chocolate chips: Mini chips spread through every spoonful, and they are small enough that you never bite into a hard chunk of frozen chocolate. Many regular semisweet chips contain milk, so check the label for one marked dairy free or vegan. Regular size chips or a chopped dairy free chocolate bar will also work. Fold them in at the very end, after the bananas are smooth, so the chocolate stays in pieces instead of turning the whole batch brown.
• A food processor: Not an ingredient, but it matters. A food processor with a wide bowl can keep the frozen banana moving without any added liquid. A smaller or less powerful machine may take longer, so plan on a little patience and a spatula for scraping. If the motor starts to feel warm, give it a short rest.
• Optional mix ins: A few drops of mint extract turn this into dairy free mint chocolate chip ice cream. A spoonful of peanut butter with the chocolate chips makes an awesome chocolate peanut butter combo. You can also skip the chips and enjoy plain banana ice cream.

How to Make Dairy Free Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

1. Freeze the bananas. Peel and chop the ripe bananas, then freeze the pieces until they are completely solid. This step is what gives the final scoop its frosty, ice cream texture, so it is worth doing ahead. Keep a bag of chopped frozen bananas ready for whenever a craving hits.
2. Blend. Add the frozen bananas to a food processor and blend until smooth. At first the bananas will look crumbly, then sticky and pasty. Keep going. Suddenly they will turn glossy and swirl like soft serve.
3. Scrape and keep blending. Depending on your food processor, this can take anywhere from 5 to 10 minutes. Stop every so often to scrape down the sides so every piece of banana gets blended and there are no icy chunks left.
4. Fold in the chocolate chips. Once the bananas are completely smooth, fold in the dairy free mini chocolate chips with a spatula. Folding by hand keeps the chips whole instead of chopping them into dust.
5. Serve or firm it up. The ice cream will be somewhat soft, like a frozen yogurt. If you want it firmer, place it in the freezer for a few hours or until it reaches the consistency you like. Then scoop and enjoy!

Ways to Customize Banana Ice Cream

• Mint chocolate chip: Add a few drops of mint extract while blending, then fold in the chocolate chips.
• Chocolate peanut butter: Blend in a spoonful of peanut butter and fold in the chips for an awesome combo.
• Plain banana: Skip the mix ins entirely for the simplest version.
• Cookies and cream: Fold in crushed dairy free sandwich cookies instead of chocolate chips.

Dairy Free Chocolate Chip Ice Cream FAQs

• Is this ice cream really dairy free? Yes. The base is only frozen bananas. Just make sure your chocolate chips are labeled dairy free, since many regular chips contain milk.
• Why won’t my banana ice cream get creamy? Keep blending and scraping. It can take 5 to 10 minutes, and the bananas look crumbly for a while before they turn smooth. Make sure the bananas are frozen solid, too.
• Can I use a blender instead of a food processor? A high powered blender with a tamper can work. A regular blender usually struggles without added liquid, which makes the ice cream softer.
• How do I make it firmer? Place it in the freezer for a few hours, until it reaches the consistency you like.
• How do I store leftovers? Keep them in an airtight container in the freezer. Banana ice cream freezes very hard, so let it sit on the counter for a few minutes before scooping.
• Can I make dairy free cookies and cream ice cream this way? Yes. Fold in crushed dairy free sandwich cookies instead of the chocolate chips.
• How many servings does this make? The recipe card makes 2 servings from 3 bananas, and it is easy to double.

Dairy Free Chocolate Chip Banana Ice Cream

Lisa

Dairy free chocolate chip ice cream made with just frozen bananas and dairy free mini chocolate chips. It blends up creamy and sweet in a food processor in about 10 minutes.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Total Time 10 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Servings 2

Ingredients

  

• 3 ripe bananas peeled, chopped and frozen
• 1/3 cup dairy free mini chocolate chips

Instructions

 

• Add frozen bananas to a food processor and blend until smooth.
• Depending on your food processor this could take anywhere from 5-10 minutes.
• Make sure to scrape down the sides as you blend.
• Once smooth fold in the chocolate chips.
• The “ice cream” will be somewhat soft, like a frozen yogurt consistency. If you want it to be firmer place it in the freezer for a few hours or until it reaches the consistency desired.
• Enjoy!

Made this ice cream? Leave a star rating in the recipe card and tell me which flavor you tried in the comments below. Your feedback helps other readers, and I love hearing about your mix ins.

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• Healthy Breakfast Cookies with Banana and Oats
• Copycat Jamba Juice Aloha Pineapple
• Simple Peach Cobbler with Frozen Peaches

This recipe was shared by Lisa. Visit her blog, A Table Full of Joy, for more recipes.