Name: No-Fuss Banana Ice Cream (Reduced Sugar)
Total time: 8 h 30 min
Ingredients: 6 very ripe bananas; ½ cup heavy cream; 1 tablespoon vanilla extract; 1 teaspoon lemon juice; ¼ teaspoon salt; ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Why This Recipe Works

Bananas were a perfect choice for our “ice cream” base: Their high pectin content allows them to remain creamy when frozen and their natural sweetness meant that we didn’t need to add any sugar. We started by simply freezing whole peeled bananas and then sliced them and processed them into a smooth puree. Letting the bananas come to room temperature for 15 minutes before slicing made them easier to cut through and kept the processing time at only 5 minutes. We added a little heavy cream to help achieve our desired silky-smooth consistency. A teaspoon of lemon juice and a bit of cinnamon gave our ice cream more dimension, while a tablespoon of vanilla rounded out the other flavors.

Before You Begin

Be sure to use very ripe, heavily speckled (or even black) bananas in this recipe. You can skip the freezing in step 3 and serve the ice cream immediately, but the texture will be softer.

Instructions

Peel bananas, place in large zipper-lock bag, and press out excess air. Freeze bananas until solid, at least 8 hours.

Let bananas sit at room temperature to soften slightly, about 15 minutes. Slice into ½-inch-thick rounds and place in food processor. Add cream, vanilla, lemon juice, salt, and cinnamon and process until smooth, about 5 minutes, scraping down sides of bowl as needed.

Transfer mixture to airtight container and freeze until firm, at least 2 hours or up to 5 days. Serve.