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+ servings
Two white bowls of cookie dough ice cream.
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5 from 2 votes

Healthy Cookie Dough Ice Cream

A healthier version of cookie dough ice cream, this simple recipe is vegan, grain-free, and refined sugar-free! Made mostly with fruit, I love that this homemade ice cream recipe comes with some hidden health benefits.
Prep Time15 minutes
Additional Time2 hours
Total Time2 hours 15 minutes
Course: Ice Cream & Popsicles
Cuisine: American
Servings: 6 Servings
Calories: 269kcal
Author: Julia

Ingredients

  • 4 large ripe bananas frozen
  • ¼ cup full-fat canned coconut milk optional
  • ¼ tsp pure vanilla extract optional

Almond Flour Cookie Dough:

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

You will only need to add coconut milk to the ice cream if the bananas aren't blending. To blend the bananas, be sure to use your blender's tamper to help mush the frozen bananas into the blade. This takes a little muscle but it does work!
*Start with 4 tablespoons, then increase to 5 if the mixture is too crumbly to press together

Nutrition

Serving: 1Serving (of 6) | Calories: 269kcal | Carbohydrates: 22g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Sodium: 98mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 11g