Here’s the deal, in the heat of the Summer, on those real, super duper hot days, I can sometimes become a bit of a lazy, wanna-do-nothing-monster. I legitimately always try to find the easy way out for meals on days like this. See also: all the salads, crock-pot meals and the throwing of any and all things onto the grill! As someone that likes a little something sweet now and again, this same logic applies. I cannot justify baking and I don’t always have the patience to wait for popsicles to freeze.

I always consider it a small victory when I can create a recipe that not only tastes incredible and is healthy, but is super easy, too! I live for this actually! Eating well should not just be fun and tasty, but it should be simple and something we can all do. If it’s too difficult or challenging, this is when we revert back to the easy options, take out, processed foods, store bought ice cream loaded with god knows what.

So let’s vow right here and now, to keep all the summer foods as simple as possible. Less steps, less ingredients, less equipment and tools, starting with this 3-Ingredient Banana Matcha Ice Cream. I know we’ve all seen the banana ice cream phenom that has swept the internet over the last few years! If you are no stranger to this, than you will know that this ice cream is simply a fancy variation on this classic, easy recipe. It seriously doesn’t get much easier than this. If you are like me, a smoothie addict, you always have a few bananas in the freezer, just waiting for smoothies or banana ice cream.

I am a big fan of matcha! Matcha is green tea in powder form. Literally it is just green tea leaves ground up and nothing else. Rather than brewing a cup of tea and throwing away the tea bag, matcha being the ground up tea leaves means you are actually eating the tea. Getting up to 10 times more of the antioxidant and phytonutrients it is coveted for. As someone that just cannot seem to tolerate coffee much anymore, I rely on green tea for that occasional boost without feeling like my heart is going to explode out of my chest and without the tummy troubles.

This ice cream can be made and served right away as a soft serve ice cream or place it back into the freezer to harden up and then scoop it like a more traditional ice cream. No matter how you serve it, you will love it. Matcha has a unique flavor to it, I find it the littlest hint of an umami taste and it can also taste a bit earthy. Finding the brand of matcha you like best may take some sampling, you also might want to start with less matcha if this is the first time with it. Finally, the more ripe and brown your bananas are when you freeze them, the sweeter your ice cream will be. Feel free to add additional sweetener when blending, if necessary.

Bonus: since this is basically like a frozen smoothie with some good energy boosting goodness, you can totally have ice cream for breakfast now. Come on, you know you wanna.

This recipe was originally shared on the Free People Blog BLDG 25. 

[print_this] 3-Ingredient Banana Matcha Ice Cream
serves 2

• 3 bananas, peeled, sliced and frozen overnight
• 3 tablespoons full fat coconut milk (or other non-dairy milk)
• 1 tablespoon ceremonial grade organic matcha powder (unsweetened)

Optional:

• Maple syrup, honey or other sweetener, as necessary
• Dried nuts or fruit
• Dark or white chocolate chips or raw cacao nibs

DO AHEAD: Start with ripe bananas that are soft and sweet, these make for the best ice cream. Slice the bananas, place into a freezer-safe bowl, container or bag. Freeze for a few hours, but preferably overnight.

Just before making the ice cream, add the coconut milk (or other non-dairy milk) to a small bowl and add the matcha powder. Whisk well to fully combined, it will form a paste.

Remove the bananas from the freezer and place into a food processor or high speed blender. Pulse a few times to break down the bananas into smaller pieces.

Then, add the matcha paste and continue blending the banana. It will be crumbly at first, then will begin to mush up a bit. The longer it blends, it will start to get creamy and the texture will shift into a soft serve-style ice cream.

Add any optional ingredients here, by folding in. Taste the mixture and add sweetener if necessary, the need for this is both personal preference and it will depend on the sweetness of your bananas. I generally don’t add any sweetener.

You can eat the ice cream right away as soft serve or place into an air-tight, freezer-safe container and freeze until solid, then scoop like traditional ice cream.

RECIPE NOTES:

You can opt for less matcha powder if the flavor is too strong for you.
I find the food processor produces the best results for homemade banana ice cream, as it tends to aerate the ice cream, giving it more volume and producing creamier results

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