How to make homemade banana ice cream, my favorite frozen dessert recipe ever. Easy to make, it’s chock full of creamy fresh banana flavor!
Homemade banana ice cream was always a special treat growing up in my family. We made ice cream for any type of get together in the summertime, and church ice cream socials in our little country church were a big event back then.
I remember my dad and my grandpa making ice cream at the same time, competing to see whose ice cream was better. Grandpa had the old hand crank ice cream maker, and somehow I always got stuck turning that crank. “Goofball, get to work!” Grandpa would say.
While I love every flavor of our homemade ice cream recipes, including strawberry ice cream and old fashioned vanilla ice cream, there is something special about my dad’s banana homemade ice cream.
While my recipe may differ just a bit from Dad’s, it’s pretty similar if not the same. I’d written this recipe down after talking with my mom, and it tastes just like Dad’s old fashioned banana ice cream. My boys give it a thumbs up too; that’s when I really know it’s good.
Ingredients You’ll Need:
To make this banana ice cream recipe, you’ll need a few ingredients on hand…
- Large Eggs – You’ll need the whole egg, yolks and all. If you choose to use raw eggs to make old fashioned banana ice cream, do keep in mind that consuming raw or undercooked meats, poultry, seafood, shellfish, or eggs may increase your risk of food borne illness, especially if you have certain medical conditions. But we have personally always used raw eggs and have never had any problem. That said, some people prefer to temper and heat the eggs up to at least 160ºF in order to prevent any possible food poisoning. This is a great guide on how and why to temper eggs for custard-based ice creams. You can temper the eggs with the condensed milk, evaporated milk, and whole milk in this recipe, following the instructions in the post that I linked to above. Then just whisk everything else in as I explain in the recipe card below. If you’d rather make an egg-free version, my vanilla ice cream no eggs can easily be converted to banana ice cream.
- Cane Sugar – You can also use granulated sugar.
- Vanilla Extract – Use a really good dark vanilla extract, real vanilla if possible.
- Sweetened Condensed Milk and Evaporated Milk – Now here’s one instance when my mom and dad have always used a brand name product, or they used to anyway. Mom (and Grandma) always insisted on Eagle Brand and Milnot. In fact, when I wrote this recipe down, I was told that if you’re using Milnot evaporated milk, only use 2 cans; if you’re using a generic brand, use 3 cans. Dan and I always just use 2 cans of whatever type of sweetened condensed milk and evaporated milk we have on hand, usually Aldi’s brand. And it works just fine. So I recommend just using 2 cans of whatever brand you have on hand, unless you want to try Mom and Grandma’s tried and true method with Eagle Brand and Milnot.
- Sea Salt – I prefer to use Redmond Real Salt.
- Bananas
- Whole Milk – Although you can use 2% milk or 1% milk in a pinch, I highly recommend that you use whole milk, because it will make your ice cream much more creamy. You can even use Half-and-Half to get a creamier texture.
- Crushed Ice and Rock Salt – You can find rock salt at the grocery store and online. But I recommend looking for the bigger bulk bag at your local hardware store or feed store, because it will be much more affordable.
Kitchen Tools and Equipment You’ll Need:
- Mixer or Blender – A mixer or blender will ensure you mix everything together really well. A blender is less messy and possibly quicker.
- Ice Cream Freezer with Motor or Ice Cream Maker with Hand Crank – This is an ice cream maker recipe, so you’ll need a maker/freezer.
- Food Storage Containers – We use dishes similar to these to store our ice cream in the freezer, especially when we have a big batch.
- Ice Cream Scoop – Can’t have ice cream without a scooper.
Be sure to check out our complete guide to ice cream accessories and tools for making the best homemade ice cream and/or hosting your own ice cream social. It’s the ultimate list for every ice cream lover’s kitchen. My friend Linda also has a beautiful post dedicated to ice cream social ideas.
How to Make Homemade Banana Ice Cream
Homemade banana ice cream with milk is a pretty simple mixture. Most of the ingredients you probably already have on hand.
How to Mix up Old-Fashioned Banana Ice Cream
- The first step is to cream the eggs and the sugar together.
- Next add in the vanilla extract.
- Then mix in your sweetened condensed milk.
- Then mix in the evaporated milk.
- Next you’ll add in a good-sized dash of sea salt.
- Lastly, peel and mash the bananas; then mix them into the liquid ice cream mixture.
- Pour the mixture into the metal canister of your ice cream freezer.
- Then finish topping it off with whole milk, making sure to fill it about 3/4 of the way full, leaving room for expansion as it freezes.
How to Freeze Ice Cream in an Ice Cream Maker
Now that your ice cream maker’s canister is full of liquid ice cream mixture, you’re ready to start the freezing process.
- Put the lid on, and place the canister down into the bucket of your ice cream maker. Then attach the motor, clamp it on, and plug the ice cream maker in to get the motor running.
- Gradually pour crushed ice around the canister. Tip: You can add up to a gallon of water if needed, as well. We sometimes do this because our motor will seize up. Adding a bit of water will help it keep turning.
- Alternately with the ice, add 2-3 cups of rock salt, making sure to top it off with rock salt.
- Let the motor run until it stops, which signals that the ice cream is completely frozen. Once the ice cream is frozen, the motor on your ice cream maker will stop churning; and you need to unplug it immediately.
- Wipe any excess ice or rock salt off the lid and out from around the top of the canister. Then remove the lid and the churning paddle, and serve immediately.
If you’re not ready to serve it just yet, you can always leave the lid on (removing the motor), top it off with ice, and place a towel or two over it to kind of insulate it and keep it cold.
Expert Tips and FAQ’s
No, in fact, I never do. I just mash up room temperature bananas and add them to the mixture. All the freezing will be done using the ice cream maker.
We always have a lot of leftover ice cream when we make it homemade, so we purchased some of these freezer containers to hold all the leftovers. They’re big enough to hold 2-3+ servings of ice cream. Then we just stick them down in the freezer. If you have an upright, I’d place the containers on the shelves, rather than in the door, so the ice cream doesn’t melt or have a higher risk of freezer burn. I also really like this larger ice cream container if I don’t care about freezing it in smaller batches. Homemade ice cream usually keeps for up to about 1 month in the freezer.
Favorite Mix-Ins for Banana Ice Cream
There are so many things you can mix into your ice cream to make it even more fun, especially with kids.
- Fruit or Fruit Jam – We especially love mixing strawberry jam or blackberry jam into our ice cream.
- Chocolate Syrup, Butterscotch Topping, Caramel Topping, etc. – With whipped cream and a cherry on top.
- Oreo Cookies – I especially love crushing up Oreo Minis.
- Chocolate candies – Like M&M’s, Snickers, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, and more.
- Brownies or Cookies
You can actually use leftovers to make the most delicious gf ice cream sandwiches ever.
More Ice Cream Recipes
If you love this old-fashioned homemade banana ice cream recipe as much as we do, you’ll love these recipes too…
- Old-fashioned homemade chocolate ice cream
- Homemade Butterfinger ice cream
- Oreo mint ice cream recipe
- Fruity Pebbles ice cream
If you try this recipe, why not leave a star rating in the recipe card right below and/or a review in the comment section further down the page? I always appreciate your feedback. You can also follow me on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. And subscribe to my email list too!
Homemade Banana Ice Cream
How to make homemade banana ice cream, my favorite frozen dessert recipe ever. Easy to make, it's chock full of creamy fresh banana flavor!
- Stand Mixer
- 4-Quart Electric Ice Cream Maker
- Ice Cream Scoop
- Ice Cream Container with Lid
Ice Cream:
- 6 large eggs
- 3/4 cup cane sugar
- 4 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
- 24 ounces evaporated milk
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 4 bananas
- 6 cups whole milk*
Freezing Supplies:
- 16 cups ice (crushed)
- 3 cups rock salt*
- Cream (or mix) the eggs and the sugar together.
- Add in the vanilla extract.
- Mix in the sweetened condensed milk and evaporated milk.
- Then add in a good-sized dash, or teaspoon, of salt.
Peel and mash the bananas; then mix them into the liquid ice cream mixture.
Pour the mixture into the metal canister of the ice cream maker.
Then finish topping off the canister with whole milk, making sure to fill it about 3/4 of the way full, leaving room for expansion as it freezes.
- Put the lid on, and place the canister down into the bucket of your ice cream maker. Then attach the motor, clamp it on, and plug the ice cream maker in to get the motor running.
Gradually, pour crushed ice around the canister. Tip: You can add up to a gallon of water if needed, as well. We sometimes do this because our motor will seize up. Adding a bit of water will help it keep turning.
- Alternately with the ice, add 2-3 cups of rock salt, making sure to top it off with rock salt.
- Let the motor run until it stops, which signals that the ice cream is completely frozen. Once the ice cream is frozen, the motor on your ice cream maker will stop churning; and you need to unplug it immediately.
Wipe any excess ice or rock salt off the lid and out from around the top of the canister; then remove the lid and the churning paddle, and serve immediately. If you're not ready to serve it just yet, you can always leave the lid on (removing the motor), top it off with ice, and place a towel or two over it to help insulate it and keep it cold.
*Consuming raw or undercooked meats, poultry, seafood, shellfish, or eggs may increase your risk of food borne illness, especially if you have certain medical conditions.
*You can use Half & Half in place of the whole milk if you want an even creamier texture to your ice cream.
*You can find rock salt at the grocery store and online. But I recommend looking for the bigger bulk bag at your local hardware or feed store, because it will be much more affordable.
Does It Matter Which Canned Milk I Use?
Mom and Grandma always insisted on Eagle Brand and Milnot. In fact, when I wrote this recipe down, I was told that if you’re using Milnot evaporated milk, only use 2 cans; if you’re using a generic brand, use 3 cans.
Dan and I always just use 2 cans of whatever type of sweetened condensed milk and evaporated milk we have on hand, usually Aldi’s brand. And it works just fine. So I recommend just using 2 cans of whatever brand you have on hand, unless you want to try Mom and Grandma’s tried and true method with Eagle Brand and Milnot.
How to Store Leftover Banana Ice Cream
We always have a lot of leftover ice cream when we make it homemade, so we purchased some of these freezer containers to hold all the leftovers. They’re big enough to hold 2-3+ servings of ice cream. Then we just stick it down in the freezer. If you have an upright, I’d place it on the shelves, rather than the door, so it doesn’t melt or have a higher risk of freezer burn. Homemade ice cream usually keeps for up to about a month in the freezer.
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