Well, I’m just all over the place. First extolling my love for raw milk and now I’m doing a recipe for a dairy free ice cream. Don’t get me wrong I’m still in love with my raw milk. That’s never going to change. I’m even going to share some of my raw milk with the nice folks who created the granilla bar because they’re out of raw milk. No one needs that kind of pain in their life so I’m willing to share some since I have 3 gallons in the fridge right now. I just imagine myself in their place and shudder merely at the thought. One thing to note though is that if I share my raw milk or bacon with you then you are one very lucky person.
I try to eat as balanced as possible in accordance to my lifestyle. In other words I try to keep treating myself in line, as to have maximum performance at Cross Fit, etc. The problem is that my girlfriend has been out of town and still won’t be back for a couple of days and she’s been gone for about a week now. With that said, that ideal that I try to hold on to, yeah it momentarily flew out the window. That way I could make ice cream to soothe my aching soul that longs for her return. To soothe it with ice cold sweet creamy goodness. I swear I wasn’t cry-eating it.
If you’ve never caramelized bananas before then you’re in for a love at first scent. It has an alluring sweet smell that always draws me near to stick my face as close to it as possible and take in a creepy wheeze sounding breath of banana-y goodness. Clearly I care about sanitary cooking. I should probably work on that.
The interesting thing about caramelization (and please excuse me here but I must nerd out) is that it’s actually a very chemical reaction involving heat that converts the more complex carbohydrates into more simple carbohydrates, thus making the caramelized product significantly sweeter. This results in a minimally sweetened ice cream, in fact it’s reduced down to only 1/3 of a cup of coconut sugar. So thank you Kelly Brozyna for being an amazing friend and sweet treat genius so I could maintain my manly composure whilst totally not cry-eating ice cream until my girlfriend comes back.
- 2 ripe bananas at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons of butter, ghee, or coconut oil (best with butter or ghee but can be made dairy-free with coconut oil
- ⅓ cup coconut sugar finely ground in a spice grinder or food processor
- 1 can full fat coconut milk
- 2 tablespoons of water
- 1 cup almond milk, cashew milk, or hazelnut milk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- ½ cup of hazelnuts
- pinch of sea salt
- Peel bananas and cut them into ½ inch slices. Heat a medium sized pan with 2 tablespoons of butter, ghee, or coconut oil over medium heat. Once hot add all of the bananas in a single layer in the pan and let cook for 3 minutes undisturbed. Flip them and caramelized for another 3 minutes.
- Carefully remove the caramelized bananas from the pan and transfer them to a blender. Add 2 tablespoons of water to the pan while scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to remove any stuck bits. Pour water with browned bits into the blender.
- In a small skillet toast hazelnuts shaking the pan often to avoid burning over medium heat for 5-8 minutes or until skin is easily peeling off and hazelnuts are lightly browned in some spots and the nuts become fragrant. Transfer the nuts to a dishtowel and vigorously rub off the skins. Place the now skinned and toasted hazelnuts in a food processor and process, scraping on the sides occasionally, until you get a nut butter consistency.
- In the blender add the coconut milk, coconut sugar, and blend until smooth. Then add your choice of milk, vanilla extract, lemon juice, and sea salt, and puree until completely smooth. Transfer the ice cream mixture to a bowl and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.
- Once the mixture is thoroughly chilled churn in your ice cream mixer according to your manufacturers directions and add the toasted hazelnut butter as soon as the ice cream begins to thicken a lot in the ice cream maker.
Oh my gosh this looks amazing Joshua! Gorgeous styling as usual!
This is one amazing ice cream, love the flavors!!
My favorite ice cream is chocolate mint
Looks so awesome! For someone watching their intake how much does this make? I calculated about 1100 calories for the recipes 🙂
Makes 1- 1 1/2 quarts.
i used to love cheesecake ice cream with fresh raspberries but as i got older, i really love the flavor of coconut and i adore a nice salted caramel swirl!
My favorite ice cream is pralines and cream. Have a paleo answer to that??
Looks fabulous. I hear my ice cream maker calling me.
Butter pecan is definitely one of my favorites!
My favorite is Chocolate Almond Butter……
What ice cream maker do you use?
a generous offer and the recipe looks wonderful
Definitely making this tonight!
Chocolate chip cookie dough ice was my favorite before. Really don’t have a current favorite.
Pineapple coconut!
My all time favorite ice cream was always a fudgey/carmel/nutty one (which of course I don’t eat anymore and can’t remember the name or even who makes it anymore!)
Mint chocolate chip! This recipe looks wonderful.
I don’t have any favorites yet but I would love to try this banana receipe!!!
This is a hard question as I really like all flavors of ice cream, but right now I’m into pistachio.
This looks amazing!!
Favorite flavor is olive oil rosemary or Earl grey lavender
I just made banana, al 2mm sons butter choc chip! But this looks even more amazing!
Mint chocolate chip!
Butter pecan
Rum – Raisin Ice Cream
I adore ice cream! Being Paleo makes a little tough to indulge as often as I like, but its always worth the wait. I don’t have a favorite because they are all my favorites!!! But I do tend to lean towards anything with berries!!!
Oh my goodness that looks so good! Making that tonight 🙂
My favourite ice cream flavour would have to be anything with chocolate but this might be my new favourite 🙂
woww this looks amazing!
What other nut would you think would be good instead of hazelnuts? I just don’t like the way they taste. Do you think Macadmia nuts would work?
Thank you!
Well it’s supposed to have a hazelnut flavor you can use any nut you’d like.
Salted caramel is my favorite!
the best ice cream flavor in the galaxy is bruster’s chocolate raspberry truffle. hands up! this one looks pretty good though. i have an ice cream maker and haven’t used it in 8 years!
My favorite ice cream flavor is vanilla. However, I love specialty ice cream flavors, lately salted caramel has been at the top.
Would love to win this!!
Wow this may be my new fav, but currently it’s a light vanilla ginger .
My favorite ice cream is black cherry!
Sounds delicious but wondering if it would still taste as good if I omit the nuts completely?
And I would have to say my favorite is mint chocolate chip.
Thank you for the recipe!
I bet it would!
holy cow that looks illegally good…
Any ice cream with chocolate & caramel. Definitely need to get an ice cream maker.
Mint chocolate chip! And this lovely recipe will be this year’s 4th of July handmade ice cream for fireworks over the lake! Delicious. Thank you.
vanilla is my favorite because I can add anything to it when I’m eating it. or not!
This looks fantastic. I can’t wait to try it!
So excited to make this! My favorite ice cream is chocolate chip cookie dough.
My fav is choc chocolate chip but this sounds amazing
Cinnamon ice cream is a favorite, but this looks AMAZING!!!!!
Great recipe!! Would love to win this amazing cookbook!
My all-time favorite ice cream is Bhakti Chai Chip ice cream. I’m excited to try recreating it with a coconut and almond milk base!
Strawberry!
lemon sorbet 🙂
I scream, you scream we all scream for ice-cream!
lemon sorbet is the best! 🙂
My favorite is Hazelnut…Can’t wait to try this recipe..
My favorite flavor is butter pecan.
Salted caramel vanilla. Oh yum!!!
I have never tasted a flavor of ice cream that I did not like, but I may be partial to Mint Chocolate Chip.
Question: I have not been able to find coconut sugar in any of my local stores. Is it stocked with the regular sugar? Or is there a substitute that can be used?
Any granulated sugar can be subbed for this. So organic cane sugar, sucanat, maple sugar, etc.
This looks so delicious!
My favorite ice cream flavor is definitely strawberry 🙂
My favorite ice cream is sweet dark cherry! I wish I had a recipe like this as a kid, I was lactose intolerant and grew up without ice cream. What a tragedy!
OMG…………… I need to make this. STAT. Any suggestions on making the hazelnut butter without the use of a food processor?? I have a little Bamix stick blender…? Am thinking I might just have to do without. But those caramelised bananas… pretty sure they will make up for it. Nom.
Oh btw, so many fave flavs but I can’t go past anything peanut buttery. Deeeeelish!
Yeah you can skip on the hazelnuts if you like, it’s still very good without it, I just really prefer it with a light hazelnut note.
I think this one will become my new fav because I have always loved bananas foster and i think this will bring on that taste memory. Can you suggest some hazelnut substitutes pretty please?
You can eliminate the hazelnut if you like.
This looks amazing. I love ice cream, but dairy and me are not friends.
I love coffee Ice cream.. but this could very well take the lead. I have to make this asap. Making your own dairy free ice cream is the way to go!
i like this one now!!!
This looks AMAZING and is definitely going to be made soon…but my favorite is and will always be Strawberry Cheesecake flavored ice cream…
Yummy! Looks really delicious in your photos too.
I would have to go with chocolate. I love a good, dark, intense chocolate ice cream. Additions like toasted coconut or pecans is optional. Though I will definitely give this hazelnut ice cream a whirl…
My fave is Coffee with any nuts :0)!
chocolate, or dulce la leche, or an ice cream by Mr. Green Tea called Ginger ice cream – yummy! However, your recipe for the Caramelized Banana Hazelnut might just be added to my favorites list.
Mint chocolate chip
This looks wonderful! I love caramelized bananas. Meanwhile, my favorite ice cream flavor is butter pecan. 🙂
I’m a sucker for anything with Toffee in it!
Just wondering if you can replace the coconut sugar with raw honey?
I’m sure you could but it would effect the flavor.
Ice cream is the only treat I have left on my restricted diet– any flavour!! 🙂
5 stars! oh yes!!! looks amazing! thx for sharing!
Rum and Raisin Ice Cream is my absolute favorite.
My favorite is Coffee Toffee.
I’m kinda sorta drooling here 🙂 Would it be possible to make this without an ice cream maker?
I don’t think it would be a good idea. If you didn’t use one I have a feeling you’d get a block of ice rather than smooth ice cream if you did it without one.
I have discovered a way around it that works quite well. Freeze in ice cube the base and then pop the fully frozen cubes in the vita mix/high speed blender. A food processor will probably work as well. This is the time to add any mixins. Refreeze the blended mixture and within a few hours you should have scoop able ice cream.
Chocolate
Sounds heavenly!! Can’t wait to make this! Thank you
My favorite ice cream flavor I have ever made is white chocolate & wasabi 🙂
Ohmygosh thank you… Dairy ice cream normally makes me feel like I’m going to die, and most dairy-free ice creams end up icy and gross. This looks so good. 🙂
Hi Joshua,
Would you recommend adding a teaspoon of potato vodka to keep it soft in this recipe, or is it unnecessary? Thanks!
I personally don’t think it’s totally necessary but I might do it the next time I make this. There’s no downside to a little extra smoothness.
Ice cream has to be one of my favorite desserts, and choosing a favorite flavor is near impossible. I really love Ben & Jerry’s half baked flavor and any other icecreams that have chocolate and chunks of cookies, brownies, etc.
You can definitely see your expertise in the article you write.
The arena hopes for more passionate writers like you who are not afraid to mention how
they believe. Always follow your heart.
You had me at ice scream 😉
yum i love this, been looking for a recipe for this. Thank sfor sharing.
Simon