One of the challenges I enjoy most–both as a coach and with friends–is persuading newcomers to raw foods that there is a divine-tasting natural equivalent for for every man made concoction on earth. For every bottle of Gatorade there is a cup of young coconut water; for every dab of cream cheese there is a smear of avocado and salt; for every glass of chocolate milk there is a cup of carrot-romaine juice; for every muffin or cookie there is a soft, satisfying bite of baked kabocha squash (HEAB, I know you’re grinning right now).
To me, nothing embodies this truth more than the following recipe. I hesitate to call it a recipe, even, because it’s so damn simple.
Back in my pre-vegan days, I, like so many girls, was obsessed with “healthy” soft-serve ice creams – Tasti-D-Lite, Crema Lita, etc. (I’m sure that if I would have loooved Pinkberry, too, but it appeared on the scene long after I went vegan!) If my friends and clients are any indication, the stuff is like crack for many NYC ladies! And that’s OK: it’s definitely a healthy upgrade from, say, Haagen-Daaz. But it’s still not necessarily the best or most natural snack option out there—especially since lots of women tend to eat it as a meal in and of itself! (Note to my sistas everywhere: a cup of froyo is not nourishing enough for a meal!)
Well, if you’re into the pinkberry or Red Mango, boy, do I have a treat for you. It’s the best soft serve ice cream you’ll ever taste, but it’s 100% raw, 100% vegan, 100% unprocessed, and 100% delicious. It’s also kid-friendly and ridiculously simple to make.
Friends, behold banana soft serve.
That’s right. Who knew that frozen bananas could, if given a spin in the food processor, rival the best fro-yo in town? Well believe me, they do. Once you try this recipe, I guarantee you’ll crave it instead of your usual ice cream—at least some of the time.
It couldn’t be more simple. Take 2-3 frozen bananas (you can freeze them in ziplock bags or in tupperware), like so (this was about 2 and a half):
And throw them in your food processor (I’ve tried this in a Vitamix, but the results weren’t great — you could also use certain juicers). Then turn the processor on and let it run for about five minutes, stopping every now and then to scrape it down. The bananas should get increasingly light, fluffy, and smooth. By the time you’re done, they’ll resemble a creamy bowl of soft serve, like so:
Scoop them into a bowl and prepare to marvel!
If you’re really feeling decadent, make some raw chocolate “syrup” by combining 2 tablespoons of agave nectar with 1 tablespoon raw or dark cocoa powder:
Drizzle it on top of the frozen bananas, and voila:
It’s a dessert or afternoon treat to rival the best sundaes and scoops out there. Really, I can’t begin to do justice to how delicious this is! Even if you don’t eat a lot of fruit, it’s worth treating yourself to this one every now and then. Trust me. It’s also a sweet treat you can feel great feeding your kids. Dairy and soy and preservative free ice cream? Yes please!!
So what are you waiting for? Stop reading, and start freezing those bananas you’ve got sitting on the counter.
You guys can thank me later 
Have a beautiful, sunny Saturday.
xo
[...] you can simply whip out the food processors and a giant bag of frozen ‘naners, and make some banana soft serve. Show your family how great raw, vegan ice cream can [...]
[...] soft serve. I saw it on a few blogs and explored it further. I guess it was introduced by Choosing Raw. The post was entitled “This Post will Change Your Life”. And, it did! The recipe [...]
[...] I like to use frozen bananas because they really make it creamy. Also if you like bananas try this recipe for dessert, you might just like it better than ice cream it’s that good! Just make [...]
[...] I’m hoping against hope that it’ll taste surprisingly delightful tomorrow, just as Gena’s banana soft serve did when I first tried it (and still is to this day when I pull out those ripe n ready to go [...]
[...] This recipe was submitted by Gena Hamshaw is a nutritional counselor with an emphasis on raw foods, digestive health, and detoxification. Based in Manhattan, she works with men and women around the country to find lasting means towards better health. She is also the author of the popular blog, Choosing Raw, where she shares recipes, tips, and musings on the raw lifestyle. Among her favorite recipes is the uber-simple raw banana soft-serve, which can be found here: http://www.choosingraw.com/this-post-will-change-your-life/. [...]
[...] Cream Gena, of choosingraw.com has the most amazing ice cream alternative: freeze peeled bananas and throw them in a food [...]
[...] of bananas in the freezer (from a couple months ago, when my sister and I were addicted to the Banana Soft Serve that was making the blog rounds), as well as some strawberries. I think I’m going to pull out my [...]
[...] 9, 2009 by Misty When I got my bananas out of the freezer this morning to make the Banana Soft Serve (to divvy into ice cube-sized portions and freeze for easily mixing into oats), I immediately knew [...]
[...] bananas. I cut them up and put them in a baggie in the freezer as soon as I got home, so I can make banana soft serve tomorrow. I actually meant to save one of the bananas for a snack tonight, but I forgot and cut it [...]
[...] an unrelated note, I finally got around to making the banana soft serve. It was even better than usual this time, for some reason, even though I didn’t process it as [...]
thank you so much for this recipe, i loved it sooo much, i will definitely be making it again. my mom used to make something like this only she used the champion juicer, but this is easier to get out than the juicer. delicious!!!
You are right- it has changed my life. I totally plan on making this soon. But why doesn’t it work in a blender? I’d love to be able to use my blendtec on it.
[...] 1/2 of a frozen banana and stick it in the mini food processor (Banana Soft Serve-style), add in 1 frozen strawberry (or more), some spinach (hence the little green flecks), 1/2 of an [...]
[...] after working on the puzzle for a few hours Kevin really wanted to try this RAW recipe for banana ice cream. Well that and the fact that he wanted to try out the new food [...]
[...] 1) Banana Soft Serve [...]
[...] I’ve heard about this a million times but have never tried it. I was reading Gena’s blog and she actually had pictures that convinced me to give it a whirl (ah the power of pictures!). All [...]
[...] it. Every night in the last week.) Raw Banana Ice Cream Recipe (makes 1 big serving) Adapted from here.2 1/2 frozen bananas 2 tablespoons water (or almond milk) optional add-ins: a Chunk of dark [...]
Gena,
This recipe was passed on to me by my good friend, Ashley, and it has indeed changed my life!!!!
thanks for the inspiration — yummm!
Lindsay
[...] Recipe via the fabulous Ashley, from Choosing Raw. [...]
[...] look a lot differently than they used to. The first one I had in the last week was a combination of Banana Soft Serve, almond butter, a crumbled Newman-O, and some crumbled [...]
Tried the Banana soft-serve……..outstanding but very strong banana flavor. Need to find something to even it out a bit.(Ripe plantains are good) Mango…. If you use non-fibrous mangoes like Keitt or Kent they are even better than banana….
BUT…if you are addicted (like I am) to the Oriental fruit, “Durian” , (look it up on Google–you won’t like it) It is even better than Mango… “Durian- lovers unite” (at the nearest Vietnamese market)….
[...] heaven in a bowl. I stumbled upon Gena’s recipe for banana soft serve, and she’s right. Her post is life-changing. Just, wow. So freaking easy, good, and [...]
Holy……wow….that’s crazy. I’m so gonna try that with my frozen bananas! Thank you…..I just found your website and the recipes all look great. I subscribed in my reader!
T.
This looks insanely good! I saw a similar recipe on another website and wanted to make it, this is now just the final sign!
I just made that, with the chocolate sauce and all. Absolutely amazing! How do you come up with these things? I’m going to blog about it tomorrow. Looking forward to trying your other recipes
[...] one of my favorite recipes for dessert, snack, or breakfast. It’s good anytime of day. Banana Soft Serve (from Choosing Raw): -1 frozen banana Put into food processor and process until it has the [...]
I just found your blog and I have to say,
it is quite fabulous!
I find your eating style refreshing and I believe that somewhere down the road, you and all those healthy living bloggers out there will have a great impact on my young teenage life- and into the future.
Rock on!
[...] banana walnut pancakes. Weeks ago I tagged a post from Gena over at Choosing Raw for her recipe for Banana Softserve. It looked amazing, but I never got around to trying it. At the beginning of the week a couple of [...]
I just made this banana recipe and it tasted amazing. Gena, you are really talented! Thank you for sharing! I can’t wait to try this with strawberry slices on top of the banana.
[...] was really excited to make Raw Banana Soft Serve [...]
Oh my goodness!!!! My roommate and I (who both have lots of food restrictions) tried this last night and it was SOOOOO good! Thank you so much for sharing; I have been missing ice cream
[...] again, I was craving something sweet after my meal, so I whipped up some banana soft serve topped with homemade chocolate sauce (a mixture of cacao powder and raw agave) and cacao nibs. [...]
[...] cream, so I decided to whip up some easy banana soft serve, first made famous on the awesome blog Choosing Raw. It couldn’t be simpler — frozen bananas thrown in the food processor for a few minutes [...]
[...] 1 serving Gena’s Banana Softserve [...]
[...] Belohnung gab es Bananensofteis – die gesündeste Köstlichkeit, die ich kenne, gefolgt von den Super Charge me Cookies. [...]
[...] made a spin-off of Gena’s ever so popular Banana Soft Serve. See this post for the first time I made it in the summer (and a super cute pic of Sketchie!). I [...]
Hmmmmmmm! love it!!!
I enjoy reading your blog!
Just to share from James Reno piece for
Raw-Food-Repair.com called
Raw Food Diet Made Easy! You might be interested on it…Check it out and enjoy!
[...] Click here to see the process in pictures. [...]
[...] Then, I began to use some of them to make banana soft-serve. [...]
[...] Pancakes & fruit Granola & fruit Rice Pudding and Blueberry Sauce Banana soft serve sundaes Not sure what else yet (Mom-Green [...]
LOVE THIS RECIPIE!! My only advice is to add the bananas a few at a time to the food processor, otherwise the weight of the banana on the blade makes it go too slow. I can’t believe how easy (and delicious!) this is. What else can we make into “ice cream”?
[...] the last few weeks – I absolutely LOVE them! Well, last night, I finished my day with some Banana Soft Serve ice cream – compliments of the recipe on Gena’s site. I love this stuff … I always [...]
This is truly the best dessert I ever have. Thank you SO MUCH! I am addicted now!!
this post really changed my life :)) first times i couldn’t blend it well and tried adding water, but then i found out how to make it (I guess my blender is not so powerful and is not always managing with my tasks :)) and it is really perfect!
Thank you, your site is gorgeous, I’m as addicted to trying new stuff ;))
[...] Cookies from the other day. I didn’t have any banana though- well, it was all in the freezer for Banana Soft Serve and Green [...]
I am a college student living on a budget, is there any way I can make something just as delicious with my blender? Suggestions?
[...] Gena at Choosing Raw first posted this “recipe” she titled it “This Post Will Change Your Life” and I am happy to report that she is not lying to us. My life is changed. This is [...]
[...] Warm and soothing. Of course, immediately after I felt like something cold, so I made some of Gena’s Banana Soft Serve, topped with some Cacao [...]
I haven’t tried the syrup you described, but I did this to a lot of bananas when I was a kid- its a nice sometimes substitute for ice cream.
[...] And here’s dessert, too! When I was poking around in the freezer earlier, I saw a couple of frozen bananas. To me, that means…banana soft serve! [...]
[...] was a smooth and fluffy banana whose texture very closely resembled that of soft serve. (Gena from Choosing Raw explains the process in more detail if you’re interested.) Topped with some dark chocolate [...]
[...] Banana Soft Serve Oh yes, it has changed my life. Even my husband liked it! Whats not to like? I did throw in some protein in the mix, and tonight stirred in some almond butter. Died and went to heaven. [...]
[...] pretty yummy and Mark and I have been nibbling on them. We even made little Brownie Sundaes with Banana Soft Serve, which was my favorite way of consuming these little [...]
Hello! My blog is about nutrition…classic style. And I’m doing an experiment where I go raw for one week (simply out of curiosity). Do you have any tips to offer?
[...] This was inspired by Gena’s Banana Soft Serve. [...]
[...] to gena from choosing raw for coming up with this one – it is ridiculous how simple and amazing this recipe is. and all [...]
[...] adapted from Gena’s Banana Soft Serve (at Choosing [...]
[...] top referral site, though, is Gena’s banana soft serve post. As of the time I post this entry, 101 people have clicked to my blog from that entry. The [...]