Now that the temps are hitting the 90’s here in Massachusetts, we are definitely enjoying the sunny days of summertime (and are especially enjoying our summertime strawberry banana ice cream treat). Each week, we’ve been hitting up the playground, park, swimming pool, beach, local farm…pretty much anything outside and fun that we can think of each week.
Of course, there are a few essentials that you need in the summer no matter what your plans are…
Some sweet shades.
A sick ride.
This should include DJ Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince singin’ “Summertime” on the radio. (Yea, that’s my 2006 Suzuki Reno. Anyone that knows me in real life is probably shocked this car is still running. It’s had its fair share of problems over the last 10 years but fingers crossed I get several more years out of it!)
Good friends.
(This was at the park last week; my son and one of his friends that also has some pretty amazing hair for a toddler.)
And of course, some frozen treats – like this strawberry banana ice cream!
Rather than indulge in regular ice cream too often (notice I said too often, because that is definitely happening sometimes!) I like to whip up this 3 ingredient strawberry banana ice cream.
Here’s the beauty in this – it’s the simplest thing ever to make, and you probably already have the ingredients lying around at home. All you need: bananas, strawberries, and some kind of milk or milk alternative. That’s it.
You pop the bananas and strawberries into the food processor and add just a little of the milk/milk alternative, and keep processing it until it’s a nice smooth consistency – like that of soft serve ice cream. Scoop it out, pop it into bowls or cones, and enjoy!
This is perfect for families, because your little ones are getting fresh fruit in a fun way.
And athletes? Um, hello awesome recovery treat after a hot outdoor run or ride! Eat this alongside a source of protein for a nice replenishing snack.
[Tweet “When the days are heating up, cool down with this strawberry banana soft serve ice cream!”]
Strawberry Banana Ice Cream
Ingredients
- 2 frozen sliced bananas
- 3/4 cup frozen sliced strawberries
- 1/8 to 1/4 cup milk of your choice (almond milk, soy milk, skim milk, etc)
Instructions
- Put frozen bananas and strawberries in a blender or food processor. Add 1/8 cup milk or milk alternative and process until smooth, like the consistency of soft serve ice cream. You may need to pause it a few times and scrape down the sides, then repeat. (Depending on the strength of your blender/processor, you may need to add a little extra milk/milk alternative to help).
Notes
- Skip the strawberries and add cocoa powder for a chocolate version.
- Add frozen peaches instead of strawberries.
- Try adding a little powdered peanut butter.
Nutrition
Share with me: What do you love to do in the summer? Have you ever made strawberry banana ice cream before? What’s your favorite summertime treat?
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I love homemade ice cream! I like being able to control what goes in it!
Exactly – complete control over the ingredients!
Um…heck yea I’m making this!! For me, for my twin toddlers, for my hubby…for us all ESPECIALLY today it is sooo super steamy out!
Haha! That’s the best part – it’s healthy and delicious for everyone.
Your son’s a cutie! I’d love to make “ice cream” like this but not sure my blender would cut it.
Aw, thank you Cassi! He’s pretty adorable, except when he’s throwing tantrums 😉 I used my new blender to make this but when I used my older not-so-good one, it worked fine too. Just took a little more time pureeing and scraping down the sides. Sometimes adding a little extra liquid helped.
Chrissy this looks delicious. Im a big fan of nice-cream. I didn’t have any strawberries so I made this with blueberries. I’ll probably make it again today 🙂
Aw, thank you Jill! The blueberry version sounds amazing too!
It is so hot in my apartment right now… I just want to dive into this!
Hahaha! It has been pretty steamy out lately. I’m thanking my lucky stars we have a good AC unit.
Simple and delicious! Love it!
Thanks Annmarie! 🙂
I need to hurry up and get a nice food processor…this ice cream looks so delicious!
Thanks Janelle! If you have a blender you could try it with that too 🙂
What adorable boys! And yes, I need that nice cream in my life!!!
Thank you! 🙂 I hope you get a chance to make it!
Friggin adore how simple and easy this is!!!! 😀
Thanks Gigi! Simple + easy = my kinda recipes!
This is truly such a healthy ice cream recipe! Looks sooooo good!
Thanks so much! I hope you get a chance to whip some up and enjoy it.
I was just saying last night that I had a craving for ice cream. AND I have all these ingredients right now! perfect!
YAY! I hope you loved it.
Your little boy is so adorable!!
And those ice cream.. yum!! I am going to have to try this. My husband keeps buying me So Delicious Ice cream bars thinking he’s doing something nice (which it is) but now I’m craving sugar at night.. ugh… Will have to try these.
Those ice cream bars really are SO DELICIOUS, hahaha. They are amazing. But I feel ya – not necessarily ideal if you’re trying to cut back on the sweets.
This looks delicious…and super easy to make! The latter is the most important to me, I’m so impatient in the kitchen!
Me too! That’s why I love this; it only takes a few minutes and it’s ready to devour.
i cant wait to try this soft serve a try..only 3 ingredients – bring it on 🙂
Hope you love it! 🙂
I just bought two huge containers of blueberries…I envision of BB version of this soon!!
Yes! Jill also mentioned she made a blueberry version so I’m sure it would be AWESOME with those!
I’ve seen this combo a few times. Yup, it’s delicious! We have a surplus of frozen bananas right now – our local store put about 8 pounds of organic bananas in what I like to call the “get it out of here before the health department shows up” bin – so I had no excuse to not try it.
My Cuisinart stick blender with the food processor attachment was up to the task – quick & easy, and less goes to waste than if I did it in the VitaMix.
With bananas as the base, the treat is only limited by your imagination: unsweetened plain cocoa, coconut milk, coffee – mix away and have fun!
Yes, so many fun combinations that you can make with it!! 🙂
This looks delicious!! I LOVE ice cream but have been looking for other alternatives that are mainly plant based. I will have to give this a try! Thanks for sharing!
You’re so welcome Katie! I’m all about mixing in the healthy alternatives so you can still get a taste for what you’re craving in a more nutritious way 🙂 Let me know how you like it!
CAN You freeze it for
Or does it loose its delicious texture?
Hi Abigael! Sorry for taking a few days to respond – crazy week over here 🙂 You can freeze it after making it – I recommend freezing in single serving bags or containers that you can then pop out and microwave briefly before eating. When you freeze it, it does harden up, but it holds up pretty well otherwise – the quick zap in the microwave makes it softer to scoop and eat again.
This look so good! Can I use different fruit with the same base for other flavors?
The banana helps make it creamier compared to other fruits, but you can definitely swap out the strawberries for others like pineapple, mango, etc. You can also use just pineapple or mango and use a thicker coconut milk to create the same creaminess. Lastly, you can try swapping out the banana for frozen avocado when blending with other fruits to also elicit the creamy texture – but I’d recommend adding a little sweetener in that case.
Thanks for sharing! Does it keep long?
I’d recommend enjoying the day you make it, as it can harden up in the freezer. That said, if you store in the freezer, it will keep for months but you’ll need to soften at room temp for about 15-20 minutes before enjoying.
Came out good. Tasted light and naturally sweet. Will make a bigger batch again.
Glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
Turned out perfect! My boys (4&7) scooped it up just like the real stuff. Thank you!
Awesome! Glad the kiddos enjoyed 🙂