When I first bought my Vitamix I had no clue I could make ice cream in it!!!  I read the Vitamix instruction book, but with that I only learned to make sorbets.  I stopped by the Farmers market one weekend had had the absolutely most incredible shake from Beverly Hills Juice vendor. I noticed they were also selling banana ice cream. That’s how I found out the secret ingredient is frozen bananas and at that very moment I learned how to make homemade ice cream.  Don’t worry it doesn’t taste like bananas at all!  But the trick is that the newer the banana is frozen the more the banana “ice cream” will taste like vanilla.  The older the banana is the stronger it will taste like bananas.

Homemade vanilla ice cream take about 5 minutes to make. I sometimes add a bag of frozen fruit or honey or carob chips or coconut shreds or flax seed. Anything really.  It’s delicious.  No liquid whatsoever.  And no ice either.  Just frozen fruits. This can only be done in the Vitamix as it’s powerful enough to chop through the frozen fruits yet perfectly delicate to create the right consistency.  I do have to use the tamper to push the fruit into the blade.  Then when it’s finished I use a wooden ladle to scoop it all out. Pretty simple and amazing. Tastes better than real ice cream and the best part is I don’t feel guilty after.

Another little extra hint is microwaving the frozen banana for 15 seconds or less. I don’t know why but it makes the texture of the “ice cream” just right.

Hope this helps!!!

Feel free to share your recipes with me in the comments below.  Would love some new ideas.

Vita Mix 5200 Demonstration

Vitamix 5200 vs Blendtec for Green Smoothies