Did you know you can make a delicious raw vegan ice cream from just one ingredient? Not in a “one ingredient diet” sense of combining multiple whole-ingredient foods, but really, just one ingredient. Can you guess what it is?

Banana!

Healthy, one ingredient banana ice cream! The recipe is as simple as the ingredient list: all you have to do is peel and freeze some ripe bananas, then blend them in a food processor. You’ll end up with a sweet, gooey, creamy, frozen desert that looks something like this…

With just one ingredient and a food processor, you can go from the first picture to the second in about 30 seconds. It’s quite magical, actually.

Step One

Take 4-5 ripe bananas (the more ripe the better – they should have at least a few brown spots), peel them, and add to a plastic freezer bag to freeze overnight until they’re completely solid. They will keep for at least a week.

Actually, I always have bananas in my freezer and you should too! You never know when the inspiration for one ingredient ice cream will strike, and they’re also a necessity for just about any good smoothie. There’s nothing worse than wanting to make a super kale shake and realizing you have no frozen bananas!

Step Two

Cut the bananas into 1/2 inch chunks and add them to a food processor. See the banana pieces in the picture above? They’re way too big and they simply caught in the blades and spun around until I got smart and cut them smaller. Save yourself the trouble: use small banana chunks.

After about 45-60 seconds, the bananas should be fully blended into a smooth, creamy, and light frozen dessert. Be careful not to overprocess or the friction from the processor will begin to melt the ice cream. You can enjoy this dessert right away for best results, but it will also freeze well for a day or two.

Four More Amazing Flavor Ideas

Oh no, we’re not done yet. This one ingredient banana ice cream is great by itself, but why not throw in a few more ingredients for something really incredible? Below are four more flavor inspirations that kick this recipe to a whole new level. To make each, simply add the following ingredients to the food processor as soon as the banana ice cream is the right consistency and pulse for a few seconds to combine.

Mint Chip Ice Cream

Mint chip was the surprise flavor for me. It tasted exactly like an authentic mint chip ice cream with almost no banana taste at all. It worked so much better than I expected. For this one, combine a few drops of peppermint oil with a handful of dairy-free dark chocolate chips and pulse in the food processor for 10-15 seconds.

Cherry Vanilla Ice Cream

This, too, is absolutely delicious and the color is stunning. Add a few frozen cherries (you can use fresh, but frozen works even better) and a few drops of vanilla to the food processor with the ice cream and pulse until the color becomes a consistent pink. Optional: throw in a few chocolate chunks for a “Cherry Garcia” like flavor.

Chocolate Coconut Ice Cream

This flavor reminds me a lot of the filling from my no-bake macaroon pie recipe. That’s not surprising since the filling is banana, coconut, and cocoa powder, which is exactly what we’re using here. Add some unsweetened coconut flakes and a tablespoon or two of cocoa powder to the ice cream and process for a few seconds until combined.

Peanut Butter Raisin Ice Cream

The inspiration for this flavor is “ants on a log” where you take a banana, coat it in peanut butter, and add raisins (ants) in a row on top. This is like ants on a (blended) log and all the authentic flavors come through perfectly. Take one bite and you won’t believe it’s just peanut butter, banana, and raisins. Simply add a tablespoon or two of peanut butter with a handful of raisins and pulse for about 30 seconds until the peanut butter is fully incorporated.

A cool idea… Putting all these flavors together was a blast and it gave me a great idea: have a one ingredient ice cream party and let everyone make their own flavor combinations. First, make enough “plain” banana ice cream for everyone and store in the freezer. When you’re ready for dessert, line up all potential ingredients (chocolate chips, vanilla, coconut, peanut butter, frozen fruit, nuts, etc. etc.) and let each person add a scoop or two of ice cream and their favorite ingredients to the food processor to create their own unique combination.