I live in a part of the world where it is ice-cream weather almost 24/7 and 365 days of the year. That’s what it is like in a sub-tropical climate and ice-cream is always welcome. We have monsoons a.k.a. rainy season but our rains are not icy cold like in temperate regions of the world. Even when it does cool down, the days are warm enough of for ice-cream. Which is why I’m making this Banana Peanut Butter Ice-cream even though the rains have started.
This past week the Met Dept. announced that though the rains have arrived, it will be mid-July before they set in full force. So now we have cooler days that are overcast, warm and humid. Put this together with over ripe bananas, a craving for a cold and quick dessert and I’m making ice-cream. Well, it’s quick if you have an ice-cream churner but it’s worth waiting for this ice-cream.
I know there are a lot of banana ice-creams out there that are made with one or two ingredients. That’s great but it isn’t banana ice-cream to me without the cream. I don’t eat ice-cream every day or even month so I’m fine with a little cream in mine. You could leave it out. Now bananas and peanut butter make a beautiful pair. It’s however a combination that you either like or you don’t, no half measures here. We like it.
Make sure your bananas are really ripe. If they aren’t your ice-cream will not be the best. Almost over ripe bananas are the sweetest and have depth of flavour. Chilled bananas and cream really helps texture. I like adding lime juice because it keeps the bananas from tarnishing and improves the flavour of the ice-cream. Use the best peanut butter you can find, preferably home-made. Bits of peanut brittle add both crunch and a deeper peanut flavour. I prefer the Indian style peanut brittle called “chikki” or “kadalamitai” that’s made with jaggery.
Blend the frozen/ chilled banana pieces, peanut butter, cream and vanilla till smooth. Add the sugar only if you feel your ice-cream needs it. Pour into the ice-cream churner and drop in the peanut brittle bits. Half an hour of churning and you’ll have delicious soft serve texture ice-cream, ready to serve. I’m not a caramel fan, but if are then lightly drizzle some caramel sauce before serving. Salted caramel sauce would be even better!
Banana Peanut Butter Ice-cream
Ingredients
- 4 ripe bananas
- 1 to 2 tsp lime juice
- 4 tbsp peanut butter
- 2 to 3 tbsp sugar optional
- 1 tsp vanilla extra
- 200 ml cream 25% fat
- 1/3 cup handful peanut brittle pieces
Instructions
- Cut the bananas into small chunks. Toss them in lime juice and freeze until firm, about an hour or so. You can freeze them hard but sometimes you’ll end up with chunks if your blender isn’t powerful enough.
- Blend the banana pieces, peanut butter, cream, sugar (if using and according to taste), and vanilla till smooth and creamy. The mixture will be thick.
- Pour the mixture into an ice-cream churner and add the peanut brittle pieces/ chikki about half way through the cycle. Your ice-cream should be soft serve texture and ready to serve. Top with more peanut brittle pieces and caramel sauce if using. Enjoy!
- You can also use a no-churn method to make this ice-cream.
I'm Aparna and My Diverse Kitchen is my ovo-lacto vegetarian food blog where you'll find recipes, food stories & photography. I've been blogging since 2007 and believe the kitchen, and the dining table (by extension) is really the heart of a home. 
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