I see those ripe bananas on your counter, and I raise you a scoop of homemade Banana Ice Cream. Actually, make that two scoops—no way are you going to want to stop at just one serving of this creamy, dreamy summer bliss!
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This classic banana ice cream is the real deal!
What we have today is a real-deal, from-scratch, old-fashioned banana ice cream recipe with milk, cream, eggs, and should you desire, bonus add-in flavors like peanut butter and/or chocolate chips.
I know that one-ingredient banana “nice cream” (the one that caused me to burn out my mini blender) is social media famous, and I do still enjoy it from time to time when I need a healthy dessert fix.
But—and I think we should all be honest about this for a moment—it’s not real ice cream.
Sure, frozen bananas taste like ice cream (a little), but it’s not the same as having a bowl of truly spectacular, real-deal ice cream.
If you want luscious, creamy banana ice cream the way your grandmother would have done it—with real cream, eggs, and a touch of sugar—THIS IS THAT RECIPE.
Real-deal ice cream is one of summer’s greatest joys. It’s actually surprisingly easy and fun to make ice cream from scratch!
5 Star Review
“This is some of the best ice cream I’ve ever had. I don’t love bananas, and even I couldn’t get enough of this. It was so creamy!”
— Sarah —
Key Ingredients
You’ll find the full list of ingredients in the recipe card below, but here are some notes to keep in mind.
- Bananas. The riper, spottier, and uglier, the better. A deeply ripe banana will give you the best natural sweetness, creaminess, and banana flavor. Going bananas for desserts? Check out Banana Bread Brownies.
- Eggs. I like to use cage-free eggs. The shells are sturdier, the yolks are more vibrantly colored, and the flavor is purer.
- Whole Milk + Heavy Cream. This is not the place to count banana ice cream calories. If you try to swap skim (or any other milk), the ice cream will be more icy than soft. Conversely, I don’t think you need entirely heavy cream, as this ice cream is already quite rich. The ratio of 1 cup milk to 2 cups heavy cream is the right one for us.
- Rum. Since homemade ice cream is made without additives, it freezes harder than mass-produced ice cream. Because alcohol doesn’t freeze, a splash of rum keeps the ice cream softer.
- Sugar. Just 2/3 cup makes this ice cream taste like a treat, without stealing the spotlight from the banana’s natural fruity sweetness.
My Favorite Banana Ice Cream Flavors
As written, this recipe makes an outstanding banana ice cream. It is simple and sublime. If you’d like to gussy it up, here are a few ideas to get you started:
- Banana Ice Cream with Chocolate Chips. Chocolate banana ice cream is my go-to! Toward the end of the ice cream maker’s cycle, slowly add 2/3 cup dark chocolate chips or chunks. I like to chop up a good-quality dark chocolate bar. We’re making ice cream from scratch. No skimping!
- Peanut Butter Banana Ice Cream. Toward the end of the ice cream maker’s cycle, slowly add 3 tablespoons creamy peanut butter.
- Chunky Monkey. Combine both of the above! Toward the end of the ice cream maker’s cycle, slowly add 3 tablespoons creamy peanut butter and 1/2 cup chopped dark chocolate or chocolate chips.
- Ultimate Reeses Banana Ice Cream. Another way to peanut butter! Toward the end of the ice cream maker’s cycle, slowly add 1/2 cup chopped peanut butter cup candies.
- Banana Walnut Chocolate Chunk Ice Cream. Toward the end of the ice cream maker’s cycle, slowly add 1/2 cup chopped toasted walnuts (or pecans) and 1/2 cup chopped dark chocolate.
Banana Ice Cream
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Ingredients
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 5 large egg yolks save the whites for another use
- 1 cup whole milk yes, it must be WHOLE milk!
- ⅔ cup sugar
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 large very ripe bananas (or 4 medium) the more brown, the better
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon dark rum or vodka*
- 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate roughly chopped (about ⅔ cup)
Instructions
- Prep your workstation: Create an ice bath by placing a moderate amount of ice and water in a large bowl. Set an empty, medium bowl in the larger one on top of the ice. Pour the heavy cream into the medium bowl and set a strainer on top. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks until well combined.
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, stir together the milk, sugar, and salt until small bubbles form along the edges and the sugar has dissolved. Do not let boil.
- Gradually pour some of the milk into the bowl with the egg yolks, whisking constantly as you pour (I like to use a ladle for this). Once you've poured in some of the milk, return the saucepan to the stove over low heat. Slowly pour the yolks into the saucepan, stirring constantly. This process is called tempering and will keep the eggs from scrambling.
- Continue cooking the egg-milk mixture (also called custard) over low heat, stirring constantly and scraping the bottom of the saucepan with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, until the custard thickens enough to coat the back of the spatula. Strain the custard into the bowl with the heavy cream.
- Place half of the custard into a blender or food processor with the bananas. Puree until smooth, then pour it back into the bowl with the rest of the custard. Stir in the vanilla extract and rum. Cover, pressing a piece of plastic wrap against the surface, then chill thoroughly in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours or, if time allows, overnight.
- Freeze the ice cream in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions, adding the chocolate during the last 5 minutes of churning. Transfer the ice cream to an airtight container and freeze 3 hours or overnight. Let stand at room temperature 10 minutes before serving.
Video
Notes
- *The addition of hard alcohol helps keep the ice cream softer and creamier. If you like the flavor of rum, it’s delicious in this recipe. If not, vodka is a flavorless addition that will still keep the ice cream creamy. If you prefer not to use alcohol, it can be omitted completely, though the ice cream will freezer slightly harder.
- TO STORE: Freeze ice cream in an airtight freezer-safe storage container for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
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There’s alcohol in the vanilla, no?
Hi Darryn, I believe so, yes.
I had trouble getting the custard to thicken. I read a few other custard recipes, then added another egg yoke, which didn’t help, then I mixed one heaping tablespoon of cornstarch with an added 1/4 cup of milk that did the trick. It’s in the refrigerator now but I plan to make it into ice cream tomorrow. Should be delicious.
Hope you enjoyed it Sylvia!
In general, custard thickens once it has cooled. Initially, it will never be very thick when you finish cooking it. For this recipe, it does not need to be too thick; it is the flavour that you want.
Thanks for the tip!
Made this with my 5 year old grandson, we went full chunky monkey style, no rum, big hit with everyone. Thank you so much for the recipe.
Hi Ellen! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
I added some banana liquor it is lovely flavour I can’t stop eating it.
Hi Vaughan! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
This was the first custard ice cream I’ve made in my ice cream maker & it came out delicious!! Followed everything single step & it was perfect. Everyone loved it & I will be making again. Thanks Erin :)
Hi Emily! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Very nice!
Thank you Allen!
Just wanted to check if it’s possible to make this ice cream without sugar and alcohol, please?
Thank you
Hi Diana! I’ve only tested the recipe as is, if you decide to experiment, I’d love to know how it goes!
The banana ice cream base is delicious, but the chocolate chunks were too large IMO. Since chocolate is solid at room temp, it gets very hard and flavorless when mixed in ice cream. I’m going to try this recipe again with a chocolate ripple that is liquid at room temp and meant for mixing into ice cream.
Thanks for the feedback Maddie, you could also shave the chocolate to make it less chunky.
I made this the other day and let it sit overnight and when I got it out to put in my ice cream maker it was pretty thick, and I felt confident. Let it spin for a couple of hours and it got thinner. No thickening happened so I put it in a container and popped it in the freezer. Check back on it tonight but it definitely bummed me out that it didn’t thicken up. Flavor seems good.
I’m sorry to hear you had trouble with the recipe, Michelle. I’m unsure as to why it wouldn’t thicken for you other than there may have been an issue during the cooking of the custard.
Can I eliminate the granulated sugar from this recipe? Should I add an extra banana for sweetness?
Hi Cheryl! Unfortunately the sugar is really essential to this recipe, not only for flavor but for texture in the custard. If you don’t mind your desserts on the less sweet side, you could experiment by using 3/4 the amount called for in the recipe. I hope you love it!
OMG, this banana ice cream recipe is amazing and delicious. I didn’t put the chocolate in it as I’m not fond of chocolate, but it’s the best banana ice cream I’ve ever tasted. My second attempt at making ice cream and this recipe is fool proof. Thank you so much.
Yay! So glad you enjoyed it, Helen!
Erin, thank you! This has become my go-to ice cream recipe for everything from bananas to blueberries to butterfingers and more! Anything you like WORKS!
This was the best ice cream I’ve ever had! I used your recipe then put it in the Ninja Creami after an overnight freeze! Hands down better than any store bought recipe!
Yay! So glad to hear, Michelle! Thank you!
This ice cream was amazing. For his birthday, my husband requested I make strawberry, chocolate, and banana ice cream and I was the least excited to make the banana but this one was the surprise star of the show. It was super creamy with a great banana flavor.
Yay! Love to hear that, Jessica! Thank you!
When it says that it makes 1 quart, that’s before churning. I tripled the recipe as my ice cream maker makes 1 gallon. It was way too much! Once it’s churned and air is introduced, this recipe makes 2 quarts. Other than that, this recipe makes some excellent frozen custard. Highly recommend!
So glad you enjoyed it, Doug!
I made this with my daughter and we had a lot of fun. It takes some patience, especially waiting for it to chill, but the end result is creamy, flavorful, and just the right amount of sweet. We might skip the chocolate next time or try adding crushed nuts instead.
So glad to hear, Hannah! Thank you!
I made this last weekend, and I’ve got to say, it tasted like banana bread in ice cream form. The bittersweet chocolate chunks added a nice texture and balanced the sweetness. I didn’t have dark rum so I used vodka instead, and it still worked great for me. Definitely a bit of work with the custard base, but worth it.
Thanks for the feedback, Samantha!
If you like bananas, you’ll love this ice cream. The banana flavor came through nicely. I used overripe bananas and they gave such a good flavor. The steps were clear and easy to follow, though you do need to babysit the custard a little. Also, the chocolate adds a nice bite. Might try peanut butter swirls next time!
Great to hear! Thank you Martha!