I eat ice cream for breakfast every morning. No, really. Hear me out. 

It’s non-dairy, gluten free, vegan, made with one single ingredient, and it feels like a splurge when really, it’s not. IT’S ICE CREAM YOU CAN EAT FOR BREAKFAST.

That one ingredient? Bananas. Ok banana-haters, don’t give up on me yet. I, too, am a banana-hater. I was born that way. They smell weird, they have those little stringy things, they’re kind of slimy… ugh. So when a whole bunch of my more health-food-inclined friends started making ice cream from bananas my internal reaction was somewhere along the lines of “NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE.”

Then one day I was feeling adventurous and tired of what I was eating every morning (and, ok, bananas were on sale at Whole Foods) and I decided to go for it. AND IT WAS AMAZING.

Yes, I, Kallie, the girl who hates bananas, will admit to banana ice cream being the best thing I’ve ever eaten. It doesn’t have any of that weird gooey texture of bananas, nor does it blend up like any other frozen fruit. It has a soft, creamy consistency that is insanely reminiscent of soft serve ice cream.

Now that I’ve been telling everyone how incredible it is, I figured I’d share the recipe:

Banana Ice Cream
(serves 2)

Ingredients:
– 4 ripe bananas
– 4 medjool dates
– Your choice of toppings/mix-ins

Directions:
1. Cut four ripe bananas into small medallions

(they should be riper than this. Do as I say, not as I do.)

2. Freeze (at least overnight) until solid. If you don’t, the consistency of your ice cream will be much more like a smoothie. Not as fun.

3. Once your bananas are frozen, add them to a heavy duty blender (like a Vitamix) or food processor. Begin processing.

4. The bananas will go from crumbly and oatmeal-like to soft, at which point you should scrape down the sides before blending again.

5. You’ll quickly see the mixture turning into the consistency of soft-serve ice cream. Stop blending! Now is the time to add the dates and your choice of mix-ins.

Topping/Mix-in ideas:
– cacao nibs
– peanut butter
– carob chips
– mint
– dried figs
– honey
– cinnamon
– vanilla
– ginger

My personal favorite is cacao nibs and peanut butter. SO GOOD.

6. Add your ingredients, and give it one more quick blend until everything is combined.

7. Now, all your toppings should be mixed in and the ice cream should have a stiff soft-serve-like consistency. If not, just pop it back in the freezer for 20 minutes.

Congratulations! You’re done! Spoon (or pour) the ice cream into a cup, top with whatever you like (I LOVE cacao nibs) and enjoy.

Best summer breakfast ever!