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Banana Buttermilk Ice Cream

I have a feeling that I am going to be making a lot of ice cream/sorbet/frozen yogurt this summer. For the past five weeks or so, it has regularly been over 100F in my neighborhood. Granted – that’s not completely unusual for the summers out here, but it’s still pretty hot. I don’t mind the heat, though, and I certainly don’t mind more opportunities to have some frozen treats.
For some reason, there are some people who are put off by the idea of “sorbet” but not by ice cream. It is for this reason that I have decided to call this creamy frozen dessert “ice cream” even though it is very similar to the Buttermilk Sorbet I made a little while ago. Basically, I added more buttermilk and a whole bunch of pureed bananas. Easy, right?
It turned out great. The bananas definitely made it more ice cream-like than the sorbet in terms of texture and I’m glad that I didn’t add any extra sugar because not only were the bananas sweet, but the buttermilk flavor wasn’t convered up. The resulting ice cream was very creamy, with an addictive, refreshing tang from the buttermilk and a good banana flavor.
Since this is a frozen treat, the bananas should not cause the ice cream to discolor at all, so don’t worry about having to add anything to prevent that.

Banana Buttermilk Ice Cream
3 medium/2 large, ripe bananas (enough to make 1 cup puree)

1/2 cup sugar
2 1/2 cups buttermilk

2 tsp vanilla extract

In a food processor, combine bananas and sugar and process until very smooth. As the motor runs, add in buttermilk and vanilla.
Pour mixture (which will taste great even at this point) into your ice cream maker and freeze as directed. Mine took about 15 minutes.
Transfer to a freezer-friendly container with a lid and freeze until firm (at least 30 minutes) before serving.

Serves 6.

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14 Comments
  • Mad William Flint
    July 12, 2006

    Color me inspired. Do you have any recommendations on what to look for/be sure of when buying an ice cream maker? As a bread baker, they seem like such arcane devices that I’ve no idea how to evaluate them.

  • La Vida Dulce
    July 12, 2006

    Thanks so very much! Since your first post about the buttermilk sorbet, I’ve been experimenting with adding fresh frozen berries & re-hydrated dried fruits like mango, with delicious results. Now I’ve got to try this recipe. Muy sabroso!
    PS — tell Mad W.F. that cooking.com offers a special on a Cuisinart ice cream maker.

  • Nic
    July 12, 2006

    Mad William – I use a Cusinart Ice Cream Maker that I just love. I don’t have any definitive tips because I’ve only had a few machines, but I say go for something small that you’re likely to use. Fancier generally means that you might not take it out all that often. And skip any manual machines, too.

    La vida dulce – I’m glad it’s working out! It’s a great base recipe, I think.

  • Cathy
    July 12, 2006

    Hi Nic – Just stopped by Rowena’s blog and saw some yummy gelato and now this frozen confection – it’s time for me to break out my ice cream maker! It’s been on holiday for too long. 🙂

  • Kate
    July 12, 2006

    what an interesting combination of flavors! looks great.

  • Mad William Flint
    July 13, 2006

    Excellent. Thanks very much. The cuisinart doesn’t seem prohibitive, so perhaps I’ll go that route.

    I’ve a bias to low-tech as far as baking, so I may look at manual machines as well.

  • Fanny
    July 13, 2006

    Lovely icecream. Looks so good.
    It’s funny because i’ve been making a roasted banana icecream this afternoon.
    And your icecream maker sounds so effective: 15 minutes: Mine took almost half an hour…

  • the baker
    July 13, 2006

    yum! buttermilk in ice-cream? sounds awesome. damn, i so have to get an ice-cream maker soon! it won’t really work if I don’t have one ya?

  • Rainey
    July 13, 2006

    ROASTED banana ice cream? Will you share the recipe? Please, oh pretty please!

  • Acme Instant Food
    July 14, 2006

    The challenge comes in getting it into the freezer to set without eating it all! Sounds amazing.

  • hannah
    July 19, 2006

    I just made this (as it is soooo hot in the Bay Area today) and it is rocking my world. Yum, yum, double yum!
    You have the best food blog ever! I’ve tried 4 of your recipes in the past few months, and they have made their way to the top of my favorites list. Keep up the inspiring work!

  • Tanna
    July 21, 2006

    Wow, I’ve finally found somebody who does it like I do!
    Really enjoy your site.

  • Heather
    September 11, 2006

    I made this over the weekend and loved it! Thank you for sharing this recipe.
    I think I might have even used too many bananas as my ice cream started to grow out of my maker as the churning went on. I decided it must me time to put it in the freezer. Oh boy is this good!!

  • Lexi
    August 20, 2009

    Hmmm..I rarely have buttermilk in the house, but I know in baking you can sub milk mixed with a little lemon juice or vinegar. Is the same true in making any buttermilk sorbet? Or is real buttermilk a must?

    Thanks,
    Lexi 🙂

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