When you think about the summer, what’s the first thing that comes to mind? Odds are, it’s ice cream! From kids flagging down the ice cream truck after school to grabbing an ice cream cone at the beach, ice cream and summer have had a long, beautiful relationship with one another. So the next time you’re in the mood for some vanilla bean, skip the supermarket and make your favorite ice cream flavors right in the comfort of your own kitchen.
Vegan Ice Cream
Even among non-vegans, vegan ice cream has become incredibly popular. It’s not only healthy and tasty, but it’s also incredibly easy to make.
What you’ll need:
- 6 ripe bananas
- Food processor/ blender
Instructions:
Step 1: Cut ripened bananas into inch-and-a-half long pieces and place them in a large sandwich bag. Then, leave them in the freezer over night.
Step 2: Once your bananas are frozen, throw them into a food processor and blend them until they begin to resemble soft serve ice cream.
Step 3: You’re done! (We told you it was easy!)
Whole Milk Ice Cream
If you’re looking for a more traditional ice cream taste, this recipe might be better for you.
What you’ll need:
- 1 cup of whole milk
- ¼ cup of rock salt
- 2 tbsp of sugar (if you’re using milk that is sweetened, use less sugar)
- ½ tbsp of vanilla
- 2 cups of ice
- 1 gallon sandwich bag
- 1 quart sandwich bag
Instructions:
Step 1: Pour your milk, sugar, and vanilla into the smaller (quart) sandwich bag and shake it well.
Step 2: Pour the ice and rock salt into the larger (gallon) sandwich bag and shake it for about 45 seconds.
Step 3: Pour the contents of your smaller bag into the larger one and shake it until your ice cream begins to form. If it’s warm in the kitchen, you may have to throw it in the freezer in between shakes so that it doesn’t melt.
The best part about this recipe is that all you need to do to make it low-calorie, or adhere to a special diet, is swap out the whole milk for skim, almond, or lactose-free milk.
Adding Flavor
Now that you know how to make plain ice cream, there are tons of things you can add to it for more flavor and texture.
- Fruity Surprise: Cut up a few strawberries, blueberries, and pineapples and mix them in with your ice cream. You can even throw them in the blender with your bananas if you’re making vegan ice cream.
- Chocolate: Add a teaspoon or two of cocoa powder and a drop of vanilla extract to either recipe for chocolate ice cream.
- Peanut Butter Sundae: Add a few scoops of cocoa powder and two tablespoons of peanut butter to the mixture before you blend (for the vegan ice cream) or shake (for the whole milk ice cream) your ice cream.
- Cookies n’ Cream: Throw a few OREOs® (which, fun fact, are vegan) into a sandwich bag and use a rolling pin to crumple them up to your desired size. Then, add your cookie pieces and two drops of vanilla extract to your ice cream and mix or blend it together again.
Whether you’re making ice cream for a special occasion or just because, these homemade recipes will leave everyone smiling!
