How You Can Turn A Single Banana Into Soft Serve 'Ice Cream'

If you love soft serve ice cream, you'll be thrilled to know that you can get that delicious taste and texture from ingredients you might already have in your kitchen. There's an easy hack to try that also happens to be a great way to use up ripe bananas if you bought too many. A ripe banana transforms into delectable ice cream with a few simple steps. All you need to do is slice and freeze it to get started. Then blend up the frozen banana slices in your kitchen blender to turn it into a tasty ice cream treat. It is ready to go without any special ingredients, tools, or know-how. Just slice, freeze, blend, and eat.

Of course, if you want to create something special, toppings and mix-ins can go a long way. Add your favorite ice cream toppings, such as sprinkles or chocolate sauce, for a traditional take on soft serve. Fresh fruit, textured toppings, and fun pairings like peanut butter and jelly are new ways to enjoy soft serve with a twist. A cherry on top makes the perfect addition to your new favorite soft serve ice cream.

The first thing to do when turning a banana into ice cream is to slice it. Use a sharp knife to cut the banana, making sure to create slices of roughly the same thickness. Once you have your slices, lay them on a pan in a single layer. You don't need to leave much room between the slices since they don't expand in the freezer. But it is best to leave a little bit of space to make it easier for them to pop off once frozen. Make sure to freeze the bananas in slices, rather than whole, to make blending faster and easier later.

Put them in the freezer for around 8 or 9 hours. To make things easy, let them freeze overnight. Once they are frozen, take the banana slices off the tray and put them right in the blender. You don't need to add anything to get a similar texture and flavor to soft serve ice cream. Just blend continuously until all of the chunks are gone and you reach the texture that you want.

You can eat the basic banana soft serve ice cream base as soon as you finish blending it. But if you want to take your dessert to the next level, you can customize it with toppings or mix in ingredients to really boost the taste.

Consider adding something sweet, like chocolate sauce or sprinkles. Traditional ice cream toppings like nuts or chocolate sauce are sure to be a hit for those wanting to replicate the soft serve experience they love. Fresh fruits like berries work well with banana ice cream because they add a zing of flavor and freshness. Coconut is an unexpected addition that adds both texture and taste to the dish. You could even pair the sweet and creamy banana soft serve ice cream with something unexpected like hot sauce, sriracha, or chili crisp – or add multiple toppings to create a banana sundae. Of course, a tried-and-true sugar cone is another great way to enjoy this easy and delicious banana soft serve ice cream.