Lemon pulp and zest give this sorbet-like dessert a zing without making the base too watery. For best results, choose bananas that aren’t too ripe so their flavor doesn't compete with the lemony flavor. 

Get the scoop on what makes for great nice cream and find more recipes in our Beginner’s Guide to Nice Cream.

By Mary Margaret Chappell,

Ingredients

  • 1 lemon, zested and halved, plus more lemon juice if needed
  • 3 cups frozen banana pieces (3 large bananas)
  • 1 cup frozen sliced or halved strawberries

Instructions

  • Place 2 tsp. lemon zest in a high-speed blender or food processor. Scoop pulp out of each lemon half (the way you would eat a grapefruit) and add to the zest with banana pieces and strawberries. Pulse on low to medium-low until crumbly, stopping and scraping down sides once or twice. Blend continuously 30 seconds to 1 minute or until smooth and creamy, adding more lemon juice if needed.
  • Serve immediately or transfer to a 1-qt. container and store in the freezer up to 1 week.

Comments (17)

(5 from 10 votes)

Recipe Rating

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Frank

Hey, nice post, thanks, https://leotoystore.com/ Is it possible to get a unique taste by combining many different tastes?

Dawn Wayant

How do you store this in the freezer.....what kind of container?

Courtney Davison

Hi Dawn, Any freezer-safe, airtight container would work. We like these glass Rubbermaid ones: https://www.target.com/p/rubbermaid-6pc-brilliance-glass-food-storage-containers-4-7-cup-food-containers-with-lids/-/A-80632424 Hope this helps! Thank you, Courtney Editor, Forks Over Knives

John

i’m confused when it says scoop pulp out of lemon. do you mean scoop the lemon out? do you mean scoop the lemon out?

Megan Edwards

Hi John, Yes, after zesting the peel you scoop out the inside of the lemon and add it to the blender with the other ingredients. The zest and the pulp go in, but be sure to leave out the thick peel otherwise the nice cream will become bitter. Let us know how it goes for you!

Beth

Could you substitute some avocado to reduce the banana flavor but keep the creamy consistency?

Megan Edwards

Hi Beth, You could do that, but it will raise the fat content of the recipe and likely make it a more brown color instead of a pretty pink color. So as long as you're okay with that, give it a try and let us know how it goes!

SteveO

Made this recipe today, used 3 bananas, some frozen berries, the zest of 1 lemon and the juice of half a lemon. Will make it again

Cat Bib

Can you suggest an alternative to bananas? I really don’t like them, and their flavor is very hard to mask

Janine Barclay

I find if you don't use bananas it tastes like sorbet instead of ice cream. Banana gives it a creamy texture. You can cut the banana down to one and increase the strawberries if like sorbet.

Delite Fontenot

Are your nicecream recipes in ur FOK Cookbook?

Eric Santiago

I'm new at this....pray for me and my wife who is my official food & nice cream #1 taster!

Karin

This was super successful! So delicious. The texture was amazing. we and our dinner guests enjoyed it very much!! Will be repeating this treat again this summer.

Alethea North-Williams & Children

Great

Becki Henderson

This is one of the tastier nice cream recipes available.

Cynthia Holmes

Looking forwar to giving this a try!!

joyce twombly doucette

sometimes when it's hot outside we like to make these icy concoctions and it's not like there is anything tastier than bananas and strawberries anyhow. lemon zest is great

About the Author

Headshot of Mary Margaret Chappell

About the Author

Mary Margaret Chappell

When Mary Margaret Chappell first started out in the plant-based food world as a writer, editor, and recipe developer, she was a bacon-loving former pastry chef who didn’t think she could ever cook without butter. Fourteen years, four cookbooks, dozens of cooking classes, and hundreds of recipes later, her favorite thing in the world is sharing the tips, techniques, and recipes that show just how easy and delicious whole-food, plant-based cooking can be. The former food editor of Vegetarian Times magazine has done away with her dependency on butter and is honing her skills at baking with natural sweeteners. Chappell lives in France, where plant-based eating can often be a challenge, but the fruits, vegetables, grains, and legumes available are simply amazing. Find her on Instagram and Facebook.
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