Skip to main content

No-Machine Chocolate-Banana Ice Cream

This is the world’s easiest ice cream. It takes literally a minute to put together, and doesn’t require an ice cream maker. You just toss everything in a blender, then pour the mixture into a container and freeze it, so there’s no excuse for even the machineless not to enjoy homemade ice cream. The one caveat is that the generous amount of alcohol is necessary to prevent the ice cream from freezing too hard. The good news is that all that booze means you don’t have to share your ice cream with the kids.

Recipe information

  • Yield

    makes about 3 cups (750 ml)

Ingredients

6 ounces (170 g) bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (280 ml) whole or low-fat milk
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (280 ml) Irish cream liqueur, such as Bailey’s Irish Cream
3 very ripe medium bananas, peeled and cut into chunks
3 tablespoons (45 ml) dark rum

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    In a small heatproof bowl, combine the chocolate and milk. Set the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and stir occasionally until the chocolate is melted and smooth. Remove the bowl from the heat.

    Step 2

    Pour the liqueur into a blender or food processor fitted with the metal blade. Add the bananas, rum, and the melted chocolate mixture and purée until smooth.

    Step 3

    Pour the mixture into a shallow plastic container, cover, and freeze until solid enough to scoop, at least 8 hours, preferably overnight.

Cover of David Lebovitz's Ready for Dessert featuring plates of cookies and a glass of milk.
Reprinted with permission from Ready for Dessert: My Best Recipes, copyright 2010 by David Lebovitz. Published by Ten Speed Press. All Rights Reserved. Buy the full book at Amazon or Bookshop.
Read More
Like fattoush salad and strawberry shortcake roll.
We’ve got baked cheddar and leek pasta, maple-mustard sheet-pan salmon, and a strawberry shortcake roll.
Thinly sliced and cooked hot and fast, pork tenderloin is the juicy, cook-quicking weeknight champion of this vegetable-heavy stir-fry.
Keep this easy frittata recipe on hand for quick breakfasts, impressive brunches, and fridge clean-out meals.
Turn humble onions into this thrifty yet luxe pasta dinner.
A flurry of fresh tarragon makes this speedy weeknight dish of seared cod and luscious, sun-colored pan sauce feel restaurant worthy.
A birthday favorite in the Bon Appétit Test Kitchen.
This comforting savory porridge is nearly impossible to overcook.