Yep, back with more pecans -- I just can't help it! And ice cream when it's cold out... ahem, the pecans made me do it... Oh well, I'm sure something like this is much welcome for those in the warmer hemisphere. And there's really no wrong time to ice cream anyways, right?
Somehow though, pecans make this ice cream rather seasonally appropriate. Yes, the ice cream is cold...but those pecans are fragrant (the smell of toasted pecans is just so good!) nutty, and comforting. The toasty crunch of the little pecan bits makes this quite a cozy treat, plus I love how simple it is to throw together too -- really a no-fuss recipe.
And anyhow, you needed some ice cream to go with that pie or crumble, right?
Turns out bananas and pecan butter + a few simple ingredients make for a very lovely, creamy, dairy-free, refined sugar-free, and no churn ice cream. Add a hint of chocolate to that, and you're in business! ?✨
You could make this with raw pecans, but toasted pecans make this simple recipe about a million times better.
To toast the pecans, just lay them out on a tray lined with parchment and toast in a preheated oven (350F) for 10-15 mins, watching them carefully. They go from zero --> burnt pretty fast sometimes. Once they begin to smell toasty and darken a bit around the edges, take them out of the oven and cool back to room temp on a rack.
For the chocolate drizzle I just made a small batch of this magic shell recipe, but a bit of melted chocolate of your choice will do too.
Banana Pecan Ice Cream
Simple vegan banana ice cream recipe made with the rich flavor of toasted pecans. Top it with homemade magic chocolate shell and it's a party! No churning.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: approx 2 - 3 cups ice cream
- Category: Ice Cream
- Method: No-Churn
- Cuisine: Dessert
Ingredients
Ice Cream:
- 6 ripe bananas
- 6 tbsp cashew butter
- 6 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tsp tapioca flour
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¾ cup toasted pecans
Optional Toppings:
- additional toasted pecans
- a bit of melted chocolate or some simple diy magic shell
Instructions
- Blend all ice cream ingredients apart from the toasted pecans into a smooth creamy consistency in a high speed blender. Fold in toasted pecans and pulse the blender once or twice to blend them in ever so slightly.
- Transfer the mixture into a freezer-safe container and freeze 6 hours or overnight. Serve garnished with some additional pecan pieces and drizzled chocolate -- enjoy!
L says
This recipe has been on my to make list for a while, and I made it for Christmas. It turned out to be a huge disappointment :( I am a huge banana nice cream lover. Mostly I use just a few ingredients so I figured this would taste even better with the cashew butter and all. I was suprised that the recipe says to blend the bananas first and then freeze instead of the other way around. I was inclined to listen to my feeling to freeze the bananas first and then blend, but I thought it is probably for a reason that it is different than usual nice cream recipes so I figured I’d best stick to the recipe.
It was nothing like the usual banana ice cream, it just tasted en looked like brown mashed frozen bananas..Even the structure was terrible. What a waste of ingredients.
Luckily I had some store bought ice cream for backup, otherwise I would not been able to serve my guests any dessert. I made your caramel sauce (from the pear cake recipe) to pour over, which was great!
Sorry I am negative about this nice cream recipe, did I do something wrong or should it be edited? Thanks!
The Real Person!
Hi L, sorry it didn't work out for you. But don't worry about negative feedback -- it's always helpful to hear the good, but also the bad, and the ugly from people who make the recipes.
It's strange the texture was so different for you. What kind of blender did you use? And do you recall the consistency of the cashew butter you used?
P.S. I'm glad the pear sauce was a keeper at least :)
Dana Lehmer says
Audrey, Thank You for sharing your gift. My life is so much richer for it!
I love your banana bread so when I made this ice cream I also added the same amount of lemon, molasses, cinnamon, and a 1/3 of a full can of coconut milk. It has almost the same flavor of the bread. I really enjoy the flavor. I think I should have added more cashews. Is this correct?
The Real Person!
Hi Dana. So glad you're enjoying this. Those flavors sound wonderful :P
Was the coconut milk added for flavor / more richness? If so, how did the texture turn out (wondering why you think you might have needed more cashews -- is it because it came out a bit runny or icy?).
Dana Lehmer says
I added the coconut for flavor. And the need for more cashews was for consistency to balance addition ingredients (not are I need it). I noticed in your other recipe raw strawberry cake from the comments, the banana was for consistancy. I made this for my sister in law and brother to serve last evening and they LOVED it. My siser in law is vety particular too. Any way I will stick to your original recipe for banana pecan ice cream with my added ingredients. The added ingredients came from your amazing banana blueberry bread. What a God Given Gift you have! I am so very blessed. Thank You!!
Dana Lehmer says
YES made it again. Perfect! I just deleted 2 tablespoons of the maple syrup...all the flavors can be tasted! Own it its Really your recipe! Thank You it's Yummy! Grateful. :)
The Real Person!
That's awesome. Happy the ice cream is getting so much love :)
Olivia says
Is it possible to substitute arrowroot starch for the tapioca starch? Thank you!
The Real Person!
Yes, absolutely. Enjoy :)
Olivia says
Wonderful, thank you! Trying to use up what I already have on hand. Incidentally, I made your recipe for blueberry jam last week - simply lovely!
The Real Person!
Awesome! So happy you liked it :)
Natalia says
Mmmm, banana nice cream with nut butter and maple syrup? This mis sounds divine, Audrey! Have to save this recipe for summer, thank you!
The Real Person!
Yes, a bit of nut butter makes banana ice cream a lot more like real ice cream -- so so good. But I don't wait till summer -- ice cream sort of happens year round :)
Casey the College Celiac says
YUM! You can never go wrong with nana ice cream. Love the pecan twist!
The Real Person!
The bit of pecan butter makes this so creamy and satisfying. Not as light as a typical nice cream, but a good treat when you feel like something more real ice cream-like :)
Ashley says
This recipe is perfect! I love adding cashew butter to banana ice cream! And pecans and maple make everything more magical and indulgent. I often have nice cream for dinner on Saturday nights, and this version will definitely make an epic Saturday night, if I can wait that long ;)
The Real Person!
Hehe, why wait when there's ice cream to be had ;) I know what you mean -- I love, love a hint of cashew butter in nice cream too, but had some pecan butter on hand at one point and gave it a try and it was so delicious. A more pronounced "flavor" than just the creaminess of cashew butter, but so lovely with banana. Like a lazy banana pecan bread ?
Natalie | Feasting on Fruit says
I have it all backwards and have been eating more ice cream lately sinc it got cold for some reason, so I am all for is delicious bowl right about now! Plus bananas❤️ Plus I love how simple and no cooking required your no churn ice cream recipes are. Pecans really do pair well with so many things!
The Real Person!
I know -- I'm the same. The colder it gets, the more I find myself making nice cream and ice cream -- it's a paradox ?