Caramelized Banana Ice Cream
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From David Lebovitz’s The Perfect Scoop, this banana ice cream is one of the best homemade ice creams I’ve ever made.
The first time I tried true banana ice cream, made from real bananas, was at Berthillon, the renowned ice cream shop on Île St-Louis in Paris. This version, adapted from David Lebovitz’s The Perfect Scoop and made with caramelized roasted bananas, is rich and creamy, and brings back all those delicious taste memories. What’s great about banana ice cream is its naturally low fat content. The pureed bananas give it a thick, creamy texture without any eggs or heavy cream—making it a lighter yet utterly satisfying treat.
What You’ll Need To Make Caramelized Banana Ice Cream
- Overripe Bananas: Provide intense banana flavor and natural sweetness to the ice cream, further enhanced by caramelization during cooking.
- Light Brown Sugar: Adds a rich caramel-like sweetness to the ice cream, complementing the flavor of the bananas.
- Butter: Combined with the brown sugar, it forms a rich caramel sauce that coats the bananas, infusing them with deep flavor and adding complexity to the ice cream.
- Whole Milk: Contributes to the creamy texture of the ice cream, ensuring a smooth, indulgent consistency. If you have them on hand, you can substitute 1 cup of low-fat or skim milk plus 1/2 cup of heavy cream for the milk.
- Granulated Sugar: Sweetens the ice cream base and helps to balance the flavors.
- Vanilla Extract: Adds depth and enhances the overall flavor profile of the ice cream.
- Lemon Juice: Brightens the flavors and provides a subtle tangy contrast to the sweetness of the bananas and caramel.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
Slice the bananas into 1/2-inch pieces and combine them with the brown sugar and butter in a 2-quart baking dish.
Stir until the sugar dissolves into a wet caramel-colored coating.
Bake for about 40 minutes, stirring once during baking, until the bananas are soft and golden brown.
Immediately transfer the caramelized bananas to a blender or food processor (if you wait too long, the caramel will start to harden).
Add the milk, sugar, vanilla, lemon juice, and salt.
Process until the mixture is completely smooth.
Chill the mixture in the refrigerator, then freeze in an ice cream machine according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
As with most homemade ice creams, the mixture will not get completely firm in the machine. It’s best to transfer the creamy ice cream to a container and freeze it for a few hours until firm enough to scoop.
Enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions
To make the most flavorful banana ice cream, it’s important to use very ripe bananas. To ripen bananas quickly, store them in a loosely sealed brown paper bag. If you have other fruit on hand (an apple works well) put it in the bag with the bananas. The ethylene gas the fruit gives off will circulate in the bag and ripen the bananas within 24 to 36 hours. Just check them periodically to see how they’re coming along.
Unfortunately not—to achieve the wonderful creamy texture, an ice cream machine is required. If you don’t have one yet, it’s worth considering, as homemade ice creams, yogurts, and sorbets are a joy to make. That said, if you’re not ready to buy an ice cream machine, you can still enjoy homemade no-churn ice creams, including key lime pie ice cream, Vietnamese coffee ice cream, and Oreo cheesecake ice cream.
Yep, the ice cream will keep, tightly covered, for up to 1 week. Before serving, let it sit out on the countertop for a bit to soften enough to scoop.
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Caramelized Banana Ice Cream
From David Lebovitz’s The Perfect Scoop, this banana ice cream is one of the best homemade ice creams I’ve ever made.
Ingredients
- 3 medium-sized overripe bananas, peeled
- ⅓ cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon butter, cut into small pieces
- 1½ cups whole milk
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1½ teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Slice the bananas into ½-inch pieces and toss them with the brown sugar and butter in a 2-quart baking dish until the sugar dissolves into a wet caramel-colored coating. Bake for about 40 minutes, stirring once during baking, until the bananas are soft and golden brown.
- Immediately transfer the bananas and caramel syrup into a blender or food processor (if you wait too long, the caramel will begin to harden). Add the milk, granulated sugar, vanilla, lemon juice and salt, and purée until smooth. Chill the mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator.
- Give the mixture a quick whisk, then freeze in ice cream machine according to manufacturer's instructions. Transfer soft ice cream to plastic container and chill for a few hours until firm. Scoop and serve.
- Note: My only issue with this recipe is that it makes a rather small quantity of ice cream. If you double it, it makes 6 cups of ice cream base, which is too much for most standard ice cream machines. I have two bowls for my ice cream maker so I typically double the recipe and freeze it in two batches. If you only have one bowl and want to double the recipe, you can save half the base in the refrigerator overnight, then re-freeze your bowl for the second batch.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (6 servings)
- Serving size: 1/2 cup
- Calories: 169
- Fat: 4 g
- Saturated fat: 2 g
- Carbohydrates: 32 g
- Sugar: 26 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Sodium: 79 mg
- Cholesterol: 11 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Gluten-Free Adaptable Note
To the best of my knowledge, all of the ingredients used in this recipe are gluten-free or widely available in gluten-free versions. There is hidden gluten in many foods; if you're following a gluten-free diet or cooking for someone with gluten allergies, always read the labels of your ingredients to verify that they are gluten-free.
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Sorry, this is the first time I was disappointed with one of your recipes. This was not ice “cream” – it was ice milk. It lacked the smooth, creamy texture of ice cream. It had terrific flavor (caramelizing the bananas is a great idea), but the final product was icy and reminded me of store bought ice cream that has been left in the freezer too long and becomes freezer burned. Not a recipe I will try again.
So sorry this recipe didn’t work out for you, Anne. I have always found it to be very smooth and creamy. Did you use an ice cream machine? This recipe definitely requires it.
I will preface this by saying that I haven’t made the recipe yet, but my ice cream maker holds about 4 cups. So, I’m planning to use 4 bananas, 1/2 cup brown sugar, and 2 cups of milk. Most of the other ingredients can stay the same, although why measure out 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract when you can use a whole teaspoon! That should increase the ingredients to about 4 cups. And I’m planning to make one batch oat milk because of my husband’s milk intolerance. But, I’ll make the real milk version for me. I think it will make wonderful ice cream!
This was exquisite! I am following WW (formerly Weight Watchers) and was looking for a dessert to serve for a Jamaican dinner party. The only adaptation I made was to switch the milk to 1% vs. whole, strictly for calorie and fat (i.e.: WW points) purposes. This will be a part of the standard rotation for the ice cream maker this season!
We LOVE your frozen yogurt recipes, and I wonder if this recipe might work using yogurt in place of the milk.
Hi Judy, so glad you like the recipes! I’ve never tried this with yogurt, so I’m not sure, but another reader commented that she replaced the milk with yogurt and was happy with the results. Please report back if you try it!
It was fun to make however I really wasn’t a fan of the taste. I don’t know what it was because I followed the recipe well. Don’t think I will be making again 🙁
My sister likes it though
Can we make it without an ice cream machine
Hi Rehana, Unfortunately, this recipe won’t work without an ice cream machine. Sorry!
Dear Jen, Thank you so much for this amazing recipe. I was looking for a way to use up an excess of bananas and I’m so glad I decided to make this delicious ice cream. The recipe was so simple to follow with spectacular results. This is now my husband’s favorite ice cream!
P.S. As I don’t currently have an ice cream maker I froze the mixture in a shallow Tupperware and then beat it every couple of hours to prevent large ice crystals from forming. Although not as smooth as using an ice cream maker the end result was still great.
Great recipe, simple and light. I executed it with some modifications to reduce the calories, replaced the milk with yogurt, reduced the sugar a little, and skipped the butter. It turned out great, thank you 😀
First off, I am not a fan of Bananas Foster. This ice cream reminded me of it too much. It is a tasty ice cream however its make good smoothies and other desserts using fruits and nuts so the banana played to background flavor. It was really good as a background flavor adding richness and subtleties to the dishes.
This recipe is awesome. I am a very picky person with my desserts… this is one of the best recipes. If you have a KitchenAid stand mixer with the ice cream maker attachment, the double batch will fit no problem. Towards the end when it’s almost finished in the ice cream maker, I’ve added crushed walnuts one time and it was pretty dang good. This ice cream is also good by itself without the nuts
My husband and our friends Loved this. Third time today making it.
Great banana flavor, thanks for another keeper. At this point if someone didn’t rate your recipe with 5 stars, I assume they made it wrong, even if they are a “professional chef.” Everything on your site is amazing!
Very good & very easy. Love that the milk mixture doesn’t need cooking; I get so tired stirring on the stove top with other ice cream recipes. Roast the bananas & you’re nearly done. Stirred in some roasted salted almonds after the machine & before the hard freezing; next time might add a fudge ripple for a sundae-in-a-scoop.