Healthier Sweet Ice Cream Alternative Using Frozen Bananas & Fruit

by Texas Homesteader ~ 

When it’s hot outside I make a cheap, healthy, gluten-free frozen sweet treat. It’s a healthier version of ice cream using frozen bananas & berries. 

Now that it's hot outside I whip up a frozen sweet treat. It's like healthier ice cream using frozen bananas and berries. Delicious, cheap and healthy. #TexasHomesteader

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Healthier Version Of Ice Cream

It’s hot, hot HOT out there, y’all! Here in NE Texas it seems it went from winter to summer with nary a mild spring day between!

So I’m focusing these days on serving cooler foods and cold desserts. But I wanna keep it healthy too.

RancherMan LOVES ice cream, especially when it’s this hot outside. But it’s just not healthy to indulge in such a high-fat treat too often.

So I started making a cold dessert ‘ice cream’ using frozen bananas for the sweetness and frozen berries for an extra punch of flavor.

Choosing Healthier Cold Sweet Treats

I’ve written before about making a mock fat-free ice cream using frozen bananas and pudding mix.

It’s healthier than actual ice cream. And the pudding makes this ice cream more creamy and less icy. 

Mint chocolate sweet treat using frozen bananas and instant pudding mix. #TexasHomesteader

 

 

But I was looking for something even a little healthier.

Healthier Frozen Treats Using Bananas & Berries

Now I’m using only bananas and berries for an even healthier sweet treat.

And making this healthier sweet frozen treat using frozen bananas and berries literally takes only minutes. I literally just loosely chop the fruit & plunk everything into my Ninja blender at one time. Done & done!

That’s important y’all – I don’t want to spend time in the kitchen.

A cold, sweet treat that’s healthy & cheap plus fast & easy to prepare?  Yes please! 

Eliminating Waste By Buying Fruit CHEAP!

This healthier ice cream is super cheap. When our local grocery store begs customers to buy those over-ripe bananas by offering them for almost nothing, I snatch them up by the bunches. 

Overripe banana ripe bananas black spotted banana #TexasHomesteader

I do the same thing with other various quick-sale fruits & berries. It seems this ripe fruit is even more sweet than its less-ripe counterpart.

Plus I’m helping eliminate food waste by snatching up food that the store may have had to throw away soon. AND I’m doing it for less money! #winning

When I get them home I freeze the fruit & peel the bananas and seal them in freezer bags. Then I toss everything in the freezer.

Making Healthier ‘Ice Cream’ From Bananas & Berries

Here’s how I make my healthy frozen treat: 

Now that it's hot outside I whip up a frozen sweet treat. It's like healthier ice cream using frozen bananas and berries. Delicious, cheap and healthy. #TexasHomesteader

      • Three frozen bananas,

      • 1 cup frozen strawberries,

      • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

      • 2 tablespoons of honey from our own apiary

Then I bring out my trusty *Ninja Blender.  

Have I mentioned lately how much I LOVE that thing??!! This Ninja rocks, y’all! 

I try to share all the items we use & love in our Homesteading Tools tab above – feel free to check out our faves!

How Do You Blend Frozen Fruit To Absolute Smoothness?

Blending frozen fruit has never been easier, y’all!

I chopped the bananas & tossed them into my Ninja blender.

Then I chopped several frozen strawberries – about a heaping cup’s worth. You can add as much as you like though.

I added the chopped strawberries to the Ninja. And I also tossed in 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract and a couple of tablespoons of honey because RancherMan likes his desserts sweet.

Then I give it all a quick whir until it was all blended together smoothly. 

I love to make a healthier sweet treat using frozen bananas and strawberries blended until smooth. #TexasHomesteader

How Soon Can You Eat Your Frozen-Fruit Ice Cream?

This recipe makes a soft-set type of ice cream ready to eat right then, right there.

But if you want your sweet treat firmer you can toss it into the freezer for about an hour.

Flavor Options For Frozen Blended Fruit

If you have flavored liquid creamers it’s super fun to toss in a couple of tablespoons for a little extra sumpin’ but it’s totally not necessary.

In the past I’ve added French Vanilla or Hazelnut and RancherMan really seemed to like it.

But it’s delicious one way or the other. And quick to prepare too. Here’s the recipe:

Did you make this frozen sweet treat? Please rate the recipe in your comment below!

Frozen banana and berry healthier ice cream substitute - NICEcream! #TexasHomesteader
5 from 1 vote
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Healthy Banana & Berry 'Ice Cream'

When it's hot outside it's refreshing to eat ice cream. But it's not healthy to eat it every day. How about this sweet treat - frozen bananas and berries blended into smoothy ice-creaminess. #TexasHomesteader

Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword bananas, dessert, frozen fruit, healthy, ice cream, nice cream, strawberry
Prep Time 3 minutes
Blend time 2 minutes
Servings 3 cups
Author www.TexasHomesteader.com

Ingredients

  • 3 Frozen Bananas, chopped
  • 1 heaping cup Frozen Strawberries, chopped
  • 1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
  • 2 Tablespoons Honey (optional for added sweetness)
  • 2 Tablespoons French Vanilla or Hazelnut Flavored Liquid Creamer (optional)

Instructions

  1. Add all ingredients to blender and blend until smooth. Can be enjoyed immediately as soft-serve consistency, or placed in freezer for 1 hour for a firmer treat.

~TxH~

This post categorized in  

Tagged in Our favorite dessert recipes and posts. #TexasHomesteader Our favorite posts about food for the freezer. #TexasHomesteader Our favorite ice cream posts. #TexasHomesteader All our posts about delicious, sweet fruit. #TexasHomesteader A complete list of all our zero-waste living articles. #TexasHomesteader  

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6 thoughts on “Healthier Sweet Ice Cream Alternative Using Frozen Bananas & Fruit

  1. candace

    I have pureed fruit (in my ancient/non ninja blender) then poured it onto a baking pan to freeze and later just scraped if off with a spatula and it was kind of like sorbet. I have also used it as an addition to an apple or other fruit pie.

    Reply
    1. Texas Homesteader Post author

      I was thinking about using it as an addition to apple or fruit pie too Candace – just wondering what flavor wouldln’t clash with the pie. (I typically enjoy vanilla ice cream with pies or cobblers) Thoughts?? ~TxH~

      Reply
  2. Nancy

    I own a champion juicer and it has, what they call a homogenizer. I freeze fruit and run it through that. It makes the fruit nice and creamy.

    Reply

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