Crunchy Almond Butter Banana Ice Cream

I don’t think there’s any dessert I enjoy more than ice cream. Since I’ve discovered how to make delicious ice cream sundaes with frozen bananas, I’ve been experimenting with tons of flavors and toppings! This Crunchy Almond Butter Banana Ice Cream is super simple to make but so addictive, especially when you top it with raw chocolate sauce and toasted coconut.

Crunchy Almond Butter Banana Ice Cream

SERVES: 2 people (or 1 lucky person)

EQUIPMENT: food processor, rubber spatula

INGREDIENTS:

4 ripe bananas, peeled + frozen & roughly chopped
2 tablespoons almond milk (or other non-dairy milk)
1 tablespoon almond butter (or other nut butter)
1 teaspoon maple syrup or a few drops of pure liquid Stevia (optional)
2 large pinches of vanilla powder
1 large pinch of Himalayan crystal salt or sea salt (optional)

2 large tablespoons sprouted almonds, roughly chopped (optional, to add a crunchy texture)

Toppings: chopped almonds, cacao nibs, toasted coconut chips, raw chocolate sauce…

DIRECTIONS:

1. Place your frozen banana chunks in the food processor fitted with an S-blade and pulse to mix until they look crumbled. If you don’t have a powerful food processor at home, allow your frozen bananas to slightly thaw (5 minutes or so) before you turn it into ice cream.
2. Scrape down the sides of your food processor with a rubber spatula in between mixing. Add your other ingredients, except for the sprouted almonds. Process until the frozen bananas turn into ice cream.
3. Finally, add the sprouted almonds and pulse to mix for a few seconds at a time. You want these to stay crunchy.
4. Take two serving bowls and use an ice cream scoop or spoon to scoop out your ice cream.
5. Add your favorite toppings. I used extra almonds, cacao nibs, toasted coconut chips and raw chocolate sauce.

JULIE’S TIPS & TRICKS:

• Enjoy your ice cream as a soft serve sundae, or place it in the freezer for 20 minutes or longer if you want it to be really firm.
• Always use ripe bananas. You will know bananas are ripe when they have a deep yellow color and start getting little brown spots. They will also have a thin brown line just underneath their ‘head’, which indicates that the banana would normally be ready to be hand picked from its tree.
• To freeze the bananas: peel them first, slice them in large chunks and freeze them in zip lock bags or Tupperware containers.
• Bananas are a great source of healthy carbohydrates & potassium. They will give you lots of energy and lower your risk of high blood pressure.

Now I would love to hear from you! Have you ever made banana ice cream? What do you like to add to it: peanut butter, chocolate chips, berries, granola… Let me know by leaving a comment down below.