One of my most exciting recent discoveries is that it’s possible to make ice cream out of bananas and nothing else. It’s such a fun and healthy way to satisfy your sweet tooth. Trust me, my sweet tooth is ravenous! I’ve experimented with a few different ways to make this ice cream, and I’ve come up with two methods that work well depending on your kitchen equipment, ability to plan ahead, and desire for instant gratification.

If you want instant gratification and are able to plan ahead by keeping peeled, frozen bananas on hand, then you can make the ice cream pictured above. Just put four parts frozen banana and one part fresh banana in a blender and turn it on. Ta da…banana ice cream! You can make this version in a food processor, but it ends up full of air bubbles and takes on a whipped consistency that will make you burp unattractively.

The second method for making banana ice cream involves blending fresh bananas and then freezing them. This technique works well in a food processor (and I’m sure it would work well in a blender too) because the bananas don’t hold any air.

Whatever method you choose, you should experiment by flavoring your ice cream. I’m a big fan of adding cocoa powder because chocolate and bananas are a match made in heaven. Peanut butter would also be delicious. Or peanut butter and chocolate! Drool…

Pour your mixture into a freezer-safe container and put it in the freezer until it solidifies.

This version of banana ice cream turns out more like a frozen water ice. It’s not as pretty, but it’s as equally satisfying. I also bet that if you stir the bananas around every hour as they freeze like you would with a granita, they would take on a really nice, flaky, snow cone-like quality. Keep a stash of this special treat in your freezer for the sweltering summer days that are sure to sneak up on us soon.

I referred to this recipe while perfecting my banana ice cream: Whole Foods