RECIPE: Fat-Free Ice Cream Using Frozen Bananas & Instant Pudding Mix

by Texas Homesteader ~ 
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I like to make a healthier ‘ice cream’ substitute using frozen bananas, instant no-cook pudding, a little milk and a splash of vanilla.

No, REALLY! You’re not gonna believe how easy this is…

A healthier version of homemade ice cream using frozen bananas, milk, pudding mix & vanilla. There are tons of additional flavor options! #TexasHomesteader

(Note: Some links in this post are for further information from earlier posts I’ve written. But links preceded with * are affiliate links. If you click them and buy something (almost anything, not just the item noted) I could receive a tiny commission. But the price you pay will NOT change. It’s an easy way to support this blog without anything coming out of your pocket. So click often! Thank you!) 

It’s turning hot, hot, HOT in Texas! I’ve been trying to keep the family cool at mealtime. Guess what? I’m making my own fat-free ice cream for dessert these days! 

Easy Ice Cream Ingredients

Making my own ice cream means the only trash I make is the banana peel. And it goes in the composter. You that makes my crunchy-green heart sing. 

I make my own instant no-cook pudding but you can use the boxed stuff if you like. More on that later.

And this ice cream is made with healthy ingredients that I know & recognize. So I feel pretty good about that. I’ll bet you do too. 

Can you imagine this scene where you’re saying to the kids:

 “Yes kids, of COURSE you can have more ice cream!” 

If I’m not mistaken that qualifies you for nomination into the Parent’s Hall of Fame.

Making The Ice Cream

Here’s how I make it: I take those bananas that are starting to spot since they always seem to be sweetest. Then I peel them and place them in the freezer until they’re frozen. 

When it’s time to make ice cream I pull out three frozen bananas & chop them into about 1/2″ rounds. They’re plopped into the blender with 1/2 cup of milk and about a 1/2 teaspoon splash of vanilla.

If  I’m making chocolate ice cream, I also add about a tablespoon of cold coffee to intensify the chocolate flavor.

Then I plop it into my *Ninja Blender – man that thing ROCKS! It takes only a minute to blend it all until it’s silky smooth. 

Finally I add a small box of instant no-cook pudding mix. I make my own Instant Pudding Mix, but again you can add a box of purchased no-cook pudding mix here – whatever flavor you like.

Now I just blend it all together until it’s smooth with no lumps remaining. When it’s smooth I pour the mixture into a freezer-safe container and pop it in the freezer for a few hours until it’s frozen good and solid. I’ve found if you stir it after about an hour or so it makes the ice cream a little easier to scoop. But that’s optional.

Enjoying Your Healthier Ice Cream

After your mixture freezes – VOILA! Cool fat-free refreshment during those hot days of summer. 

The pudding gives this homemade ‘nice cream’ a creamier consistency. Although It’s not quite as creamy as the high-fat stuff, it’s close enough to pacify my ice cream-loving RancherMan.

Flavor Options

Of course there are a bazillion options to personalize your ice cream flavor if you like.  You can change up the flavors of your pudding mix to easily make a different flavor.

Maybe make a sugar-free version by using a sugar-free pudding mix. You can stir in chocolate chips if you want more chocolate bang for your buck (and I DO!) Or you can stir in chopped pecans and miniature marshmallows for a rocky-road version.

How about swirling a little chocolate sauce through? And with vanilla-flavored mock ice cream there’s my favorite option: Chop up that chocolate bunny you bought for 90% off after Easter & kept in the freezer for just such occasion.

(You DO that, don’ t you??) LOL

Then stir it into the ice cream along with just a couple of drops of peppermint extract for delicious mint chocolate chip flavor. Ummmm…  Yes please!

Mock ‘Ice Cream’ Recipe

So there ya go, a homemade dessert that’s a healthier version of the commercial high-fat stuff.  Hey, any time you can remove some of the guilt of eating ice cream on a hot summers’ day it’s a winner, yes?

Now you hush up and eat your ice cream!

Here’s the recipe:

Fat Free Mock Ice Cream

I use frozen bananas, a little fat-free milk and some instant pudding mix to make a healthier mock 'ice cream' cold dessert for those hot summer days. #TexasHomesteader

Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword bananas, dessert, ice cream, pudding, sorbet
Prep Time 5 minutes
Freeze time 8 hours
Servings 3 people
Author www.TexasHomesteader.com

Ingredients

Ingredients:

  • ½ cup fat-free milk
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3 peeled, frozen bananas, chopped
  • 1 3.9-oz pkg instant no-cook pudding mix (or use 1/2 cup homemade instant no-cook pudding mix)

Instructions

Instructions:

  1. In a blender, put ½ cup of cold fat-free milk, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla and 3 frozen & chopped bananas. Blend until smooth.

  2. Add the pudding mix and blend again until no lumps remain.

  3. Pour into freezer-safe container and stir in additional flavor options such as chopped nuts or chocolate chips if desired. Freeze for several hours until firm. Enjoy!

Recipe Notes

There are lots of flavor options.

Change the flavor of the instant pudding to change your mock ice cream.

Use vanilla pudding mix & add grated chocolate and a drop or two of mint extract to make mint chocolate chip.

Use chocolate pudding mix, add grated chocolate and miniature marshmallows to make rocky road flavor.

NOTE:  I also make a delicious Mint Chocolate Chip version!

Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream. A healthier version of homemade ice cream using frozen bananas, milk, pudding mix & vanilla. There are tons of additional flavor options! #TexasHomesteader

Update:  Here is one of our new faves!  It’s made with bananas, chocolate pudding mix, 3 Tablespoons chopped white chocolate & about 2 Tablespoons chopped pecans, adding 1 Tablespoon each cold black coffee, vanilla, and Kahlua.  Rich & DELICIOUS!

Chocolate Ice Cream. A healthier version of homemade ice cream using frozen bananas, milk, pudding mix & vanilla. There are tons of additional flavor options! #TexasHomesteader

 

~TxH~

Other Easy Desserts

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28 thoughts on “RECIPE: Fat-Free Ice Cream Using Frozen Bananas & Instant Pudding Mix

  1. BreyhanaAriel

    Does the order affect the texture? Can I make ahead the vanilla pudding mix with the milk and freeze it in an ice cube tray then blend it with the vanilla extract and bananas?

    Reply
    1. Texas Homesteader Post author

      That’s a good question BreyhanaAriel, I’ve never frozen the pudding before so I couldn’t say. If you try it, come back & let us know how it worked for you! ~TxH~

      Reply
  2. Brenda Bridges

    Am in the middle of making the ice cream using frozen bananas and pudding. Question: recipie calls for one box instant pudding mix– Is that the large size (2.1 oz) or the small box (1 oz) size????

    Reply
    1. Texas Homesteader Post author

      The recipe as I use it calls for 3.9 ounce box of instant no-cook pudding, Brenda. You’re gonna LOVE this ‘ice cream’! ~TxH~

      Reply
  3. Beth

    Love banana based ‘ice creams’. Thanks for sharing with Simply Natural Saturdays.

    Reply
  4. Karen Grosz

    Never thought to add pudding. I typically will make strawberry ice cream, just frozen strawberries and greek yogurt. Yum. Thanks for sharing.

    Reply
    1. Texas Homesteader Post author

      I’m thinking of trying that with a bag of frozen cherries I have in the freezer. Hummmm… ~TxH~

      Reply
  5. Dori M

    to make chocolate ice cream, would I just change the vanilla pudding mix for chocolate pudding mix, or would I add cocoa powder to the vanilla pudding mix? this is something I am really looking forward to trying. Thank you so much.

    Reply
    1. Texas Homesteader Post author

      Yessum, I use chocolate pudding mix for chocolate-based ‘ice cream’. There are many pudding varieties out there, just remember if you don’t make the pudding mix yourself with clear jel just make sure it’s INSTANT pudding so no heat would be required for it to thicken. Enjoy! ~TxH~

      Reply
  6. Mallory L Welch

    I’ve heard of making ice cream with bananas but I bet the pudding mix makes it way tastier. I love all your ideas for how to change up the flavor too. Thank you for sharing.

    Reply
    1. Texas Homesteader Post author

      We love it Mallory, and the pudding seems to make it a bit smoother & creamier than just frozen bananas & flavors. Give it a try! ~TxH~

      Reply
  7. Jamie Marie

    Awesome! I use to do this in my vitamix, but forgot about it! Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
    1. Texas Homesteader Post author

      I hear the vitamix is a powerful machine too Jamie. I know my Ninja does the trick for us and it’s good to have a refreshing cold treat on such hot & humid days of our NE Texas summers. ~TxH~

      Reply
  8. Karen Goodman

    This looks so good…even though it is the middle of winter. I’m so glad you pinned it and your other recipes to the Future Expat Required Ingredient link party.

    Reply
  9. deborah

    I’m going to try this today. I may substitute almond milk. My coworker, who is doing WW with me, and I were talking about how much we miss [real] ice cream on our programs. We can have anything on WW, of course, but neither of us can be trusted with the real thing. I can eat it until it comes out my ears. This sounds really good.

    Reply
    1. Texas Homesteader Post author

      Like I said Deborah, the texture is not as creamy as ice cream but it’s delicious. I’ve made the sugar-free version using splenda and I’ve made all kinds of flavor variations – so much fun! Give it a try. ~TxH~

      Reply
  10. debra@ HOMESPUN

    This sounds great…doing it with the pudding mix! I thought that you had to have an ice cream maker for home made ice cream but if not I’ll give it a whirl soon! 🙂

    Reply
    1. Texas Homesteader Post author

      Me too Debra, one of the main reasons I don’t make homemade ice cream. Although I love it, I don’t want yet another single-purpose appliance (ice-cream maker) to store. This was so easy. Like I said, the texture wasn’t quite as creamy as ice cream since it didn’t have, well CREAM in it, but it was certainly delicious, healthier, and so easy to make. And we’ve had so much fun playing with the flavors! ~TxH~

      Reply
  11. Gena @ I Choose Joy!

    Wow–that’s amazing! I never would have thought. 🙂
    –Gena

    Reply
  12. Sue from theT2women

    yum! I know I’m going to want to try some!! Wow! Thank you so much for linking up with us this weekend at One Sharendipity Place!!
    Sue @TheT2women.com

    Reply
  13. Ashley

    I noticed that you used refreshing 2% Braums milk. I unfortunately don’t have that brand here in NC (although if I did it would be the ONLY brand of milk I would buy). Is the recipe as good with a skim milk or does it only reach the right texture and flavor with a 2% milk?

    P.s. I miss Braums.

    Reply
    1. Texas Homesteader Post author

      Oops Ashley, good catch – the wrong milk container made it to my picture! (I make my homemade yogurt using 2% milk, but I made this ice cream using fat-free milk.) I can’t speak for other brands, but Braum’s skim milk is certainly flavorful enough to be absolutely delicious in this recipe! So sorry you don’t have a Braum’s where you live but perhaps you have a favorite brand to suffice? ~TxH~

      Reply
  14. gina

    I sure will try this. Sounds refreshing.

    Reply
    1. Texas Homesteader Post author

      Gina, it’s been fun experimenting with the different flavor combinations. Love it! ~TxH~

      Reply

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