Paleo ice cream (also known as raw vegan ice cream) is a cool, low oxalate treat for the hot days of summer. It’s simple and nutritious. You simply put one frozen banana per serving of paleo ice cream into a food processor or blender, wait about 5-10 minutes for the banana to thaw enough to process, then blend until you’ve got a smooth creamy dessert with the consistency of soft-serve ice cream. I was completely blown away the first time I tried this. It was so delicious, easy and nutritious, plus it really did taste like smooth, creamy, soft-serve banana ice cream! Since then, I’ve experimented a little and come up with a few tips and some favorite recipes.
Low Oxalate Paleo Ice Cream
First, use ripe bananas (fully yellow, starting to get a few brown spots, firm flesh) but not overripe bananas (fully yellow, lots of brown spots, flesh mushy and strong banana smell). Ripe bananas give your ice cream a nice consistency and a pleasant banana taste that won’t overpower other flavors if you choose to use them, while over ripe bananas taste overpowering and give a “gooey” final product. Peel the bananas, break them into 3-4 chunks each, and freeze them in a plastic container with an air-tight lid (they won’t turn brown in the freezer unless you forget about them for a couple of years . . .). Make sure the bananas have plenty of time to freeze before using them (at least 3-4 hours), and freeze or cool any other ingredients you might want to add.
Hope you enjoy this tasty summer treat! Remember, you can always use plain bananas–everything else is optional- but boy, the creamy richness of adding a little coconut milk is divine!
Best Banana Ice Cream
2 frozen bananas (medium to large)
1/4 cup cold coconut milk
6-8 drops liquid stevia or 1 teaspoon honey (optional)
a pinch of nutmeg (1/8 – 1/4 teaspoon)
Put all of the ingredients in the bowl of your food processor (or in your blender). Let sit for about 10 minutes (time will vary depending on how hard the frozen bananas are and how powerful your food processor is.) Process until smooth. If the ice cream processes very easily and seems too “melted,” then the bananas sat for too long. Try only five minutes next time. If your processor can’t process the frozen bananas, even with some pulsing or breaking the bananas apart with a spoon, then you need to let them thaw a little longer. When you reach a creamy, soft-serve ice cream consistency, pour the ice cream into bowls and enjoy!
Makes 3 servings (about a half cup each)
Strawberry Paleo Ice Cream
Low Oxalate Info: Best Banana Ice Cream has about 4.6 mg. oxalate per serving if you use pure coconut milk without guar gum. Natural Value Coconut Milk is a good choice and is my current favorite for this type of recipe. Aroy-D is also pure coconut milk and comes in a package – not a can, so you don’t have to worry about BPA. You also can buy organic creamed coconut and make your own coconut milk buy adding water (you want the coconut milk to be as thick as dairy cream for this recipe). If you do buy creamed coconut, realize that it comes in a block that is mostly oil with solids in it. You warm the coconut cream up and squeeze it out like toothpaste, then add a little water. It won’t have the same pleasant texture as a canned coconut milk, but it tastes fabulous is this ice cream and in soups like my West African Chicken Soup.
Strawberry Paleo Ice Cream
2 frozen bananas (medium to large)
1/2 cup frozen strawberries
1/2 dropper liquid stevia or 1 teaspoon honey (optional)
1/4 cup coconut milk
Put all of the ingredients in the bowl of your food processor (or in your blender). Let sit for about 10 minutes (time will vary depending on how hard the frozen bananas are and how powerful your processor is.) Process until smooth. If the ice cream processes very easily and seems too “melted,” then it sat for too long. Try only five minutes next time. If your processor can’t process the frozen bananas, even with some pulsing or breaking the bananas apart with a spoon, then you need to let them thaw a little longer. When you reach a creamy, soft-serve ice cream consistency, pour the ice cream into bowls and enjoy!
Makes 4 servings (about a half cup each)
Low Oxalate Info: Strawberry Paleo Ice Cream has about 5 mg. oxalate per half cup serving if you use pure coconut milk without guar gum (see Low Oxalate Info under Best Banana Ice Cream for coconut milk suggestions).
Other Diets: Paleo ice cream may also be appropriate for Paleo, gluten-free, dairy-free, GFCF, GAPS, SCD, vegan and vegetarian diets.
Photo credit goes to eggrole for DIY strawberry banana ice cream.
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