3-Ingredient Peanut Butter Ice Cream Recipe

Craving some ice cream on a hot summer day but don't have an ice cream maker? We've got you covered with this peanut butter "nice cream." It looks and tastes like ice cream, but instead, it blends together three simple, better-for-you ingredients, including frozen bananas, peanut butter, and peanuts. Chances are, all of these ingredients are sitting on your counter and pantry waiting to be used. Plus, unlike ice cream, this recipe takes a fraction of the time to make.

"Nice cream" is a term used to describe ice cream made from frozen bananas instead of dairy ingredients. Nice cream recipes are typically vegan or offer vegan-friendly substitutions. This peanut butter ice cream is sweet enough to enjoy for dessert but also healthy enough to eat as a refreshing summer snack. It's naturally vegan and gluten-free too, making it the perfect recipe to prepare for different dietary preferences.

Check out other easy recipes by culinary registered dietitian nutritionist Mackenzie Burgess on her blog at Cheerful Choices.

There are just three simple ingredients used in this peanut butter ice cream recipe. You'll need bananas, peanut butter, and roasted peanuts. Burgess points out, "This classic combo is a great source of fiber-rich carbohydrates and satisfying protein."

We recommend using ripe bananas to achieve the sweetest flavor. That means it's a great way to use up those brown bananas going bad on the countertop. The recipe as written makes enough for two small servings. If you want to make more, simply gather more bananas and double or triple the recipe.

The key to this ice cream is frozen bananas. You'll want to make sure the banana slices are frozen solid to provide the best and creamiest consistency. We recommend letting them freeze overnight or for at least four hours. It can be helpful to space out sliced bananas on a sheet pan or plate lined with parchment paper or wax paper. This ensures they don't stick together and makes for an easier time blending everything together.

If you don't feel like freezing your own bananas, you can usually find already-frozen sliced bananas in the store.

Pull out a food processor or blender to blend everything together. We find that it works best to use a larger food processor. If you have a small food processor, you may just have to blend the bananas in batches.

Add your bananas and peanut butter to the food processor, and blend on high speed. It's helpful to blend for about 30 seconds and then scrape down in between to make sure all the banana slices are incorporated. If you're having trouble getting the bananas to break down, you can add a tablespoon of milk or water to speed the process up.

Once everything is smooth and has reached a creamy consistency, pour it out into a bowl or small baking dish. Here, you'll top the ice cream with roasted peanuts and drizzle over more peanut butter. You may need to quickly melt the peanut butter in the microwave to get a pourable consistency.

You're also welcome to add over other toppings, like dark chocolate chips, toasted coconut flakes, or chopped Oreos. Feel free to customize with anything you like best.

For this banana ice cream recipe, you have two options. You can either enjoy it right away for a less hard, soft-serve consistency. Or, if you want a harder, more scoopable consistency, freeze it for two hours, then scoop out and enjoy. We love to serve this three-ingredient peanut butter ice cream with a tall glass of dairy milk or plant-based milk.

You can store any leftovers you don't eat in an airtight container in the freezer for up to three months. It will harden over time, so you may need to let it sit out for about five minutes before scooping.