The creamiest homemade roasted banana cinnamon ice cream that feels just like the perfect soft serve. Just 3 ingredients, no ice cream maker required, no-churn, and super healthy with zero added sugar. It's the perfect dessert for your sweet tooth on a hot summer day. Naturally gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegan.
If you love banana flavor, you will positively fall in love with this banana coconut ice cream. It's easy to make and hard to resist, with big flavors from caramelized banana, creamy coconut milk, and ground cinnamon.
I'm not kidding when I say it gets devoured as soon as it comes out of the freezer every time!
This is by far the easiest ice cream I've made. It's not custard-based, so there's no whisking and cooking egg yolks with milk and cream on the stove. Similar to my salted caramel nice cream.
You simply slice up a few ripe bananas and roast them, and toss them in a high-speed blender or food processor with coconut milk and cinnamon. No ice cream machine needed!
The thick texture of the puréed bananas makes the perfect ice cream base that's incredibly rich and creamy without the addition of eggs or heavy cream. All the more reason to try it!
Over-ripe bananas are all the sweetness you need for this vegan nice cream, and there's no need to add brown sugar, maple syrup or any other sweetener to this sweet treat.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Easy: there are only 3 simple ingredients!
- Rich and creamy: it’s rich and creamy and full of flavor, despite being dairy free and egg free, like this salted caramel nice cream, and this creamy vegan pumpkin pie ice cream.
- Vegan: this vegan ice cream recipe is the perfect base of bananas and coconut milk, and you won't miss regular ice cream.
This is a great way to use up those brown bananas, if you're not already making healthy blueberry banana muffins, buckwheat chocolate chunk banana bread, or a delicious coconut banana bread with walnut crumble.
No bananas, no problem! Try this vegan pumpkin pie ice cream that's just as easy to make!
Recipe Ingredients
You'll need the following ingredients to make roasted banana cinnamon nice cream:
Ingredient Notes:
- Bananas: adds an incredible amount of natural sweetness and creamy texture when roasted.
- Coconut milk: makes a rich, creamy base for the dairy-free ice cream. You can also use coconut cream for extra creaminess, or almond milk for a lighter consistency.
- Ground cinnamon: goes perfectly with bananas, and enhances the flavor with a warm, spicy note.
See recipe card below for all ingredients and quantities.
Substitutions and Variations
- Coconut milk: you can also use coconut cream for extra creaminess, or almond milk for a lighter consistency.
- Spices: add a dash of ground nutmeg, allspice or pumpkin pie spice for fall and festive flavors.
- Coconut sugar: a sprinkle of coconut sugar over the bananas before baking will enhance the caramelization and add extra sweetness to the soft serve banana ice cream.
I have not tested this recipe with other substitutions or variations. If you replace or add any ingredients, please share how it turned out in the comments below!
How to Make Roasted Banana and Cinnamon Ice Cream
- Step 1: slice the bananas and place on a large baking pan lined with parchment paper. Keep the slices from overlapping.
- Step 2: place pan in preheated oven and roast at 350°F for 20-25 minutes, until bananas are gooey and not dry.
- Step 3: allow bananas to cool and place in a high-speed blender with the coconut milk and cinnamon.
- Step 4: blend until very smooth, about 1 minute, without allowing the blender to heat up the banana mixture.
- Step 5: pour ice cream mixture into parchment lined loaf pan and gently cover with plastic wrap so that the wrap is just touching the surface of the ice cream. Freeze for about 4 hours for soft serve consistency.
Expert Tips
- Over-ripe banana: use ripe bananas with lots of brown spots for the best flavor and sweetness. I find frozen bananas will not caramelize as well as fresh bananas.
- Blending: take care to ensure the mixture is thoroughly blended for a smooth texture. The creamy ice cream should be almost fluffy, like a mousse.
- Add-ins: banana pairs well with so many other flavors. Stir in some vanilla extract, cacao nibs, dark chocolate chunks, chocolate chips, chopped nuts or peanut butter.
Common Questions
Yes, this roasted banana cinnamon nice cream can be made in an ice cream maker. Once you finish blending the ingredients, pour the mixture into a bowl and refrigerate for at least 2 hours to chill thoroughly. Transfer the chilled mixture to an ice cream maker and churn according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Once churned, transfer the ice cream to an airtight container, and freeze for at least 4 hours, or until firm.
Roasting bananas enhances their natural sweetness and flavor, transforming them into a rich, caramelized gourmet dessert. The heat from roasting breaks down the sugars in the bananas, creating a deeper, more intense sweetness compared to raw bananas. Roasting also softens the bananas, making them easier to blend into a creamy, smooth texture for the ice cream.
Storage Tips
- Freezer: cover the surface of the ice cream with a film of plastic wrap or parchment paper to prevent ice crystals from forming, and freeze for 4 hours for soft serve ice cream. If storing longer than 4 hours, store the homemade ice cream in an airtight container to prevent freezer burn and maintain freshness for up to 2 weeks. The ice cream will harden and become less scoopable the longer it remains in the freezer.
- Serving: if serving within 4 hours, the ice cream should be easy to scoop. If longer than 4 hours, let the ice cream sit at room temperature for up to 20 minutes before scooping for easier serving.
More Ice Cream and Banana Recipes You'll Love
Recipe
Roasted Banana Cinnamon Ice Cream
Equipment
- 1 high-speed blender or food processor
- 1 baking sheet lined with parchment paper
- 1 4x8-inch loaf pan or airtight container
Ingredients
- 2 pounds (907 grams) ripe bananas, about 7-8 medium bananas
- 2 cups (480 grams) full-fat coconut milk (refrigerated), or coconut cream
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper for the bananas, and a 4x8-inch or 5x9-inch loaf pan for the homemade ice cream, or use a freezer-safe airtight container.
- Peel and slice the bananas into 1 inch pieces, then place them on the prepared baking sheet.
- Roast for 20-25 minutes, or until the bananas are caramelized and soft. Your kitchen will smell amazing!
- Let the bananas cool, then place the roasted bananas in the blender or food processor with the coconut milk solids (save coconut water for your smoothies) and cinnamon. Make sure to scrape all the gooey caramelized goodness into the blender too!
- Blend until smooth, creamy and airy.
- Pour the ice cream mixture into the prepared loaf pan and cover with plastic wrap. The wrap should gently touch the entire surface of the ice cream to prevent ice crystals from forming.
- Freeze for 4 hours, then grab your ice cream scoop and enjoy!
Notes
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- Freezer: cover the surface of the ice cream with a film of plastic wrap or parchment to prevent ice crystals from forming, and freeze for 4 hours for soft serve ice cream. If storing longer than 4 hours, store the homemade ice cream in an airtight container to prevent freezer burn and maintain freshness for up to 2 weeks. The ice cream will harden and become less scoopable the longer it remains in the freezer.
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- Serving: if serving within 4 hours, the ice cream should be easy to scoop. If longer than 4 hours, let the ice cream sit at room temperature for up to 20 minutes before scooping for easier serving.
Jake
You had me at roasted bananas! Made this ice cream last night for the family and it was so delicious. What a great recipe (-:
Jacqui Wilson
Ha! I'm so happy you enjoyed the ice cream!! We love it too!