Healthy Cookie Dough Ice Cream made without sweetener! Banana ice cream is combined with grain-free cookie dough for a vegan, dairy-free and refined sugar-free version of cookie dough ice cream. No ice cream maker needed!
If you’re like me and you’re obsessed with cookie dough ice cream but you try with all your might to minimize refined sugars, you’re in for a life-changing treat!
This healthy cookie dough ice cream recipe is sweetened entirely with bananas. That’s right, there are no added sweeteners and the whole recipe is dairy-free, refined sugar-free, vegan and paleo.
The reason I consider this recipe to be healthy is due to the fact that there is no added sugar and the ice cream itself is made entirely of fruit (ripe bananas).
Yes, there is still plenty of sugar in fruit; however, the fiber and micronutrients in bananas are providing some health benefits in addition to their delicious sweet taste. The all natural ingredients have a lesser impact on blood sugar than store-bought ice cream.
You’ve seen this tactic before in my original Banana Nice Cream Recipe and my 3-Ingredient Chocolate Banana Ice Cream.
Can you taste the bananas? Absolutely. You need to have a strong love for bananas in order to enjoy this healthy ice cream recipe, fair warning.
If you follow a low-carb diet, make my Keto Cookie Dough Ice Cream recipe.
For me, this is the type of treat I’m okay with eating any ol’ day of the week (in volume moderation) because the wholesome ingredients provide a little nutrient boost.
You can even add your favorite protein powder to the ice cream base if you’d like!
To prepare the recipe, you do need a high-powered blender, preferably one that comes with a tamper. A food processor will work too.
The tamper allows you to mash the bananas into the blade of the blender so that they blend thoroughly without the need for added liquid like milk or non-dairy milk.
Let’s discuss the simple ingredients for this vegan cookie dough ice cream recipe!
Ingredients for Healthy Cookie Dough Ice Cream:
Ripe Bananas: For the ice cream base, all you need are large ripe frozen bananas. Be sure to freeze the bananas well in advance so that they are completely frozen by the time you make the ice cream.
Bananas take the place of milk and heavy cream in the recipe, so no dairy or non-dairy milks are needed.
Optional Additions: Full-fat canned coconut milk and vanilla extract. While you shouldn’t need any liquid to get the bananas to blend, you can add a little canned coconut milk to help with the blending process and also to add some rich flavor.
A splash of vanilla gives the ice cream a nice warm vanilla ice cream flavor but it isn’t mandatory.
Almond Flour: To make edible cookie dough balls that are gluten-free and grain-free, we use almond flour!
It takes the place of regular all-purpose flour and contains healthy fats and dietary fiber.
Because consuming raw flour can be upsetting to the GI system, almond flour ensures you don’t have to pre-bake the flour, making the recipe quicker and easier to make.
Coconut Oil: To keep the recipe dairy-free, we mix melted coconut oil into the almond flour to make an egg-free cookie dough.
If you aren’t dairy-free, you can use melted butter, which will give the cookie dough that classic buttery chocolate chip cookie flavor.
Mini Chocolate Chips: Be sure to use mini chocolate chips, because regular sized chocolate chips will be too large for the small cookie dough balls. To keep the recipe vegan, use dairy-free vegan chocolate chips such as Enjoy Life.
Pinch of Salt: A little sea salt enhances the flavors in the cookie dough.
Here are some ways you can customize this paleo cookie dough ice cream recipe based on your dietary preferences.
Recipe Adaptations:
- If you aren’t grain-free and prefer making the cookie dough using a gluten-free flour blend, make this recipe for Gluten-Free Edible Cookie Dough from Mama Knows Gluten Free.
- Use 4 tablespoons of melted coconut oil and one tablespoon of pure maple syrup for sweeter cookie dough balls.
- Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of pure maple syrup or brown sugar to the banana ice cream if you prefer a sweeter flavor.
- If you love peanut butter, cashew butter, or almond butter, add 1/4 cup to 1/3 cup to the banana ice cream base.
- For peanut butter cookie dough ice cream, make my Chickpea Cookie Dough.
- 1/2 cup to 1 cup of coconut cream or full-fat coconut milk will make the ice cream taste richer yet will also add calories. There’s a tradeoff here but if you’re looking for a rich ice cream to quench your sweet tooth, I recommend adding the coconut cream for good measure.
How to Make Healthy Cookie Dough Ice Cream:
Peel four large overripe bananas and transfer them to large freezer bag. I break each banana in half, but some people like to slice the bananas into small pieces to help them blend better.
If you’re using a food processor instead of a blender, I recommend going with small banana slices, because you won’t have the tamper to help you blend the bananas. Freeze the bananas for at least 4 hours, or until they are completely frozen.
Stir together the almond flour, melted coconut oil, sea salt and chocolate chips in a small bowl to make the edible cookie dough balls. If the mixture is very crumbly, add another tablespoon of coconut oil. Don’t worry if the mixture seems greasy – this is normal.
Form small balls out of the cookie dough mixture and place them on a plate. The cookie dough pieces don’t need to be perfectly round. Freeze the cookie dough balls in the freezer for at least 30 minutes.
You can also store them in an airtight container in the freezer for weeks ahead of time.
When you’re ready to make the ice cream, transfer the frozen bananas to a high-speed blender and secure the lid. Insert the tamper through the hole in the lid, then start your blender on low speed.
Allow the bananas to blend on low speed for a few seconds before gradually increasing the speed to a high power.
Use the tamper to stir and mash the bananas into the blade of the blender until they are completely blended and have a thick, creamy consistency.
This does take a little time and effort so don’t get discouraged if it seems difficult to blend the bananas at first. It will become easier as they become softer.
If your blender is having a difficult time blending the bananas, you can add some full-fat coconut milk to help it blend. You shouldn’t need more than ¼ to ⅓ cup.
You can either serve the banana ice cream with cookie dough chunks mixed in immediately for a soft serve consistency, or you can freeze it for a regular ice cream consistency.
To do so, transfer the banana ice cream base to a freezer safe container (many people use a loaf pan) and stir in the cookie dough bites until they are well distributed throughout the ice cream.
Cover the container with a lid or plastic wrap and freeze for at least 2 hours or until frozen solid.
When you’re ready to serve the ice cream, thaw it for a few minutes at room temperature, then use an ice cream scoop to serve.
You can doll up your ice cream with Dairy-Free Chocolate Ganache or Paleo Salted Caramel for a decadent treat.
Store ice cream in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Recipe Tips:
Freeze the bananas well in advance of making the homemade cookie dough ice cream for the best result. When the bananas are completely frozen through, they blend into a soft and fluffy texture, reminiscent of soft serve.
Prepare the edible cookie dough balls ahead of time. You can perform this step weeks in advance as long as the dough balls are stored in the freezer.
And that’s it! A homemade ice cream for cookie dough lovers that contains healthy fats and no refined sweeteners. The best part is no ice cream machine is needed. Only healthy ingredients and a blender make this perfect healthy dessert.
If you love healthier dairy-free ice cream recipes like this, also try these delicious gems.
More Dairy-Free Ice Creams:
- Dairy-Free Chocolate Ice Cream
- Vegan Key Lime Ice Cream
- Paleo Coffee Ice Cream
- Roasted Strawberry Coconut Milk Ice Cream
- Paleo Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream
- 2-Ingredient Orange Creamsicles
- Dairy-Free Fudgesicles
Enjoy this creamy, delicious cookie dough nice cream!
Ingredients
- 4 large ripe bananas, frozen
- ¼ cup full-fat canned coconut milk, optional
- ¼ tsp pure vanilla extract, optional
Almond Flour Cookie Dough:
- 1 cup finely ground almond flour
- 4 to 5 Tbsp melted coconut oil*
- ¼ tsp sea salt
- ⅓ cup mini chocolate chips
Instructions
- Peel four large overripe bananas and transfer them to large freezer bag. I break each banana in half, but some people like to slice the bananas into small pieces to help them blend better. If you're using a food processor instead of a blender, I recommend going with small banana slices, because you won't have the tamper to help you blend the bananas. Freeze the bananas for at least 4 hours, or until they are completely frozen.
- Stir together the almond flour, melted coconut oil, sea salt and chocolate chips in a small bowl to make the edible cookie dough balls. If the mixture is very crumbly, add another tablespoon of coconut oil. Don’t worry if the mixture seems greasy – this is normal.
- Form small balls out of the cookie dough mixture and place them on a plate. Freeze the cookie dough balls in the freezer for at least 30 minutes. You can also store them in an airtight container in the freezer for weeks ahead of time.
- When you’re ready to make the ice cream, transfer the frozen bananas to a high-speed blender and secure the lid. Insert the tamper through the hole in the lid, then start your blender on low speed. Allow the bananas to blend on low speed for a few seconds before gradually increasing the speed to a high power. Use the tamper to stir and mash the bananas into the blade of the blender until they are completely blended and have a thick, creamy consistency. This does take a little time and effort so don’t get discouraged if it seems difficult to blend the bananas at first. It will become easier as they become softer.
- If your blender is having a difficult time blending the bananas, you can add some full-fat coconut milk to help it blend. You shouldn’t need more than ¼ to ⅓ cup.
- You can either serve the banana ice cream with cookie dough chunks mixed in immediately for a soft serve consistency, or you can freeze it for a regular ice cream consistency.
- To do so, transfer the banana ice cream base to a freezer safe container (many people use a loaf pan) and stir in the cookie dough bites until they are well distributed throughout the ice cream. Cover the container with a lid or plastic wrap and freeze for at least 2 hours or until frozen solid.
- When you’re ready to serve the ice cream, thaw it for a few minutes at room temperature, then use an ice cream scoop to serve.
- Store ice cream in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Notes
Nutrition
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