I’m sure by now you’ve tried the 1-ingredient magic that is banana “soft serve” ice cream?
If not, you must. It’s just frozen, ripe bananas whirled into creamy soft serve. In other words, it’s what a healthy foodie’s dessert dreams are made of.
Flavor options are endless! But, for this particular recipe, I went with a recent favorite: Chocolate tahini!
It’s no secret that I have a thing for tahini and chocolate. But, when I combined the two in my Tahini Stuffed Dates (aka Tahini Bombs), I lost my mind over the flavor combination. Think savory, sweet, chocolaty, and nutty. It’s a real-life flavor love affair.
Not only is this recipe delicious, it’s also SO easy to make, requiring just 5-10 minutes, 1 bowl, and 4 ingredients to make!
I think you’re going to LOVE this soft serve. It’s:
Creamy
Chocolaty
Nutty
Perfectly sweet
Wildly delicious
& SO easy to make
Enjoy this recipe as a healthier dessert or snack! Add some cacao nibs or magic shell for a crunchy topping. If you aren’t into tahini, try another nut/seed butter like almond butter or sunbutter! And, for a drinkable version, add non-dairy milk to make a shake like this Peanut Butter Banana Chocolate Shake!
For even more healthy desserts, check out our V/GF Black Bean Brownies, 5-Minute Espresso Walnut Brownies, Chocolate Chocolate Chip Muffins, 5 Ingredient V/GF Cookies, and Tahini Stuffed Dates!
If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and tag a photo @minimalistbaker on Instagram. We’d love to see what you come up with. Cheers, friends!
Tahini Chocolate Banana Soft Serve
Ingredients
SOFT SERVE
- 2 cups ripe sliced frozen bananas
- 2 Tbsp tahini (sesame seed paste // or sub other nut/seed butter // plus more for serving)
- 3 Tbsp cacao (or unsweetened cocoa) powder
- 1-2 Tbsp maple syrup (or sub dates or other sweetener (i.e. stevia) to taste)
- 1-2 ripe pitted dates (optional)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract (optional)
- 1 pinch sea salt (optional)
FOR TOPPING optional
- 1-2 Tbsp Magic Shell*
Instructions
- Add ripe, sliced, frozen bananas to a food processor or a high-speed blender and mix / blend until a creamy "soft serve" is formed, scraping down sides as needed – about 3-5 minutes.
- Add tahini (or other nut/seed butter), cacao powder, and maple syrup and blend to combine. Then taste and adjust flavors as needed, adding more tahini for nuttiness, cacao for intense chocolate flavor, or maple syrup (or pitted dates) for sweetness. At this time, you can also add vanilla extract or a pinch of sea salt for more flavor. Mix as needed to combine.
- Serve immediately or transfer to serving bowls and put in the freezer to thicken up. Serve as is or top with additional tahini or magic shell!
- Best when fresh. Leftovers will keep in the freezer up to 1 week. Let come back to soft serve consistency at room temperature before enjoying.
Video
Notes
*Prep time does not include freezing bananas.
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated with lesser amount of maple syrup and no additional toppings (tahini or magic shell).
Steph says
Our fam loves this recipe! Thank you!
Oh yay! We’re so happy to hear it, Steph. Thank you for sharing! xo
prashanthi atluri says
Did yall make a video for this?
Yes, you can find it here.
Olivia says
How many dates would substitute the maple syrup?
1-2 dates. Hope you love it!
CMT says
just an additional recipe for anyone who loved this https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/tahini-walnut-magic-shell-tara-obrady
Woah, that sounds delicious!
Fig says
This is absolutely heavenly!!!
I added cinnamon, used maple syrup, substituted carob powder for the cocoa powder and used almond butter. If you don’t have to, don’t skip the salt or vanilla! The homemade magic shell is delightful. Thank you for another beautiful recipe, friend. 🥰
Aw, YAY! Thank you for another lovely review, Fig! xoxo
Salena says
This is now my go to during the hot summer months when I get a craving for ice cream! I find that I don’t need to add the dates or maple syrup because the bananas are sweet enough. I like to top it with coconut flakes and cocoa nibs! Thank you MB!
Amazing! Love your additions, Salena. Thank you for sharing! xo
Sherri says
Like seriously wow, the only thing I did different was add some finely ground coffee (idea from your coffee nice cream) and use the dates instead of maple syrup. It kind of has a carmelly decadent chocolate flavor. Dana once again thank you.
Love that addition, Sherri! Thank you so much for your kind review! xo
Caroline says
Omg, this was heavenly! So easy to make, full of flavor, and quite filling, too. I used 1 tbsp of maple syrup (no dates or vanilla extract) and found my ice cream to be sweet enough. Also, for anyone else who freezes bananas whole, I used 3 whole bananas (medium-sized) and my blender handled them just fine. Thank you MB for another 5 star recipe!
Woohoo! We love to hear this. Thanks so much for the lovely review and for sharing your experience, Caroline!
Linda Wilson says
This was such a delicious nice cream. My husband & I have begun consuming healthy treats after dinner, like this, and it allows us to get our sweet fix in, feel satiated and go to bed feeling good instead of bloated or extremely full. Thank you so much!
Woohoo! We love to hear this. Thanks for the lovely review, Linda! xo
EK says
So yummy and creamy!!
We’re so glad you enjoy it! Thank you for sharing! xoxo
SS says
I love how versatile this recipe is. I added tahini, maple syrup, cocoa and vanilla to the frozen banana, but next time I will add a pinch of cinnamon. i also have visions of adding cardamom powder and perhaps a drop of almond extract and rose water for the next iteration.
Woah, those additions sound AMAZING! Thanks so much for the lovely review! xo
Nicol says
Can this be made in an ice cream maker?
We’ve never tried that, but fear it might be too thick. Let us know if you try it!
Emily says
Tasted wonderful! I used some fresh ground peanut butter instead of tahini, and added an extra tbsp of maple syrup because I love everything extra sweet. Put it back in the fridge for an hour or so after and loved it!
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Emily! Love the modifications too- thanks for sharing!
Vivianne says
I just tried it and absolutely loved it. It is like magic to me. The texture is really good! I adjusted it to my taste, added more cocoa powder and more tahini :)
Thanks for the recipe!
Yay! Thanks so much for the lovely review, Vivianne! xo
NaC says
My husband was craving something sweet so I did a quick search for banana soft serve and this recipe popped up. Just made this and he not only ate his bowl but devoured mine as well. Absolutely delicious!! Thanks for sharing this :-)
Ha! We’re so glad you both enjoyed it! Thanks so much for the lovely review!
Sophie says
Just made this tonight. First so easy and fast to make. It was delicious. I was so surprised. I’m not a fan of bananas but this recipe is so well balanced. Thank you so much!
We’re so glad you enjoy it, Sophie! Thanks so much for the lovely review!
Lucia says
It’s insanely delicious!
Thanks for sharing, Lucia!
Akanksha Ahuja says
It was insanely tasty!!
Yay! Thanks for sharing!
Edye says
Thank you so much for this! A delightful discovery. Given the isolation, it was like a mini-day out. We followed the recipe and really enjoyed the results.
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Edye! Thanks so much for the lovely review!
Rachel says
Used the last of my frozen fair trade bananas to make this. It’s a great treat.
With my open container of tahini I’ve made this, your golden hummus, vegan richas tahini ginger cookies,
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Rachel! Thanks for sharing!
Natalie says
I don’t have a food processor. I made it with oat milk as thickly as I could. Tasted wonderful. We had it for breakfast, but my husband said, “This smoothie tastes like chocolate ice cream.” PS I added more than a cup of oat milk.
Julie Stuller says
Made this a couple months ago from another site, absolutely delicious!
Hi Julie, would you mind letting us know the site where you found the recipe?
Traci says
I can’t wait to try this. I have never tried it with tahini. Have only made it with bananas and cocoa powder. My kids have nut allergies so this is going to be so great to try with the tahini. Its always such a struggle to find nut free treats.
Let us know how it goes!
julia says
delicious! though it did cause my vitamix blender to shut off from overload, should’ve thawed the bananas a bit first
Emily says
Wow. I have been telling myself and others that I hate bananas (except banana bread) for my entire 41 years. This is amazing. Also, I did not add any syrup or sweetener as it is sweet enough on its own and I’m cutting out added sugars. Thanks!!!
Thanks so much for the lovely review, Emily. We are so glad you enjoyed it! Next time, would you mind leaving a rating with your review? It’s super helpful for us and other readers. Thanks so much! Xo
Dominique says
The consistency completely MAKES this dessert! So creamy! I added a tablespoon of coconut cream for an extra richness!
Kavita says
This was delicious – so creamy and chocolatey!!! I was out of tahini so I used SunButter instead. I also left out the maple syrup and I found it sweet enough with just the banana. Can’t wait to make this again!
lulu says
literally my favorite breakfast(it tastes like a dreamy desert, but healthy!) in a long time and i was still thinking about it after. and im actually craving it at the moment. this is a must try for anybody. i added spinach for greens and you couldn’t even taste it and i also added some flaxseed meal for fiber and almond milk because it wouldn’t blend without, it needed some thinner. i also skipped the sweetener because i found it unnecessary. i made a similar magic sheep like the healthier one you recommend but i just did cacao powder and a little coconut oil, personally i think the bitterness of the chocolate goes great with the sweetness of the banana in the base perfectly. i also stirred in some flaxseed meal to the tahini for drizzling for extra fiber and it gives it a dreamy texture, and more volume! i popped it in the freezer after the shell to thicken the soft serve a little and solidify the shell. i recommend all the changes i made highly. i’m surprised if you actually made it this far, i kinda got carried away lmao, but it’s so amazing like there aren’t enough words to describe it!
Stephanie says
Very delicious. I did need to add a little nutmilk to get things moving as I used a blender. And no added sweetener just 2 dates. Thanks!
Judy Radford says
OMG. Yummo. I popped it into my icecream machine to make it firmer. So good. Thanks for the recipe.
Great! Thanks for sharing, Judy!
LKim says
So so excited to discover a creamy ice cream recipe that I don’t have to modify for my daughter who has food sensitivities to over 50 foods (incl. nuts and coconut)! Also, the recipe sounds so yummy! We’ve always loved ‘banana ice cream’ even before we discovered her food issues. However, it can get icy. The addition of tahini sounds like it will be the perfect ingredient to eliminate the ‘icy’ factor that we get when we refreeze the banana ice cream.
We use many of your recipes and find your website a reliable source for our dietary challenges and the food we make is always so tasty.
lissi says
uhhhh yesss!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! this recipe looks amaaazing…! i literally eat banana soft serve EVERY DAY…my go-to after school snack :) normally i do PB and cacao powder…which is ah-mazing btw ;) but i had never thought of doing tahini and choc….cannot wait for this one :) thanks so much xxx
Melissa says
This was amazing. I didn’t even think I was a fan of tahini!! I didn’t have cacao but did have like half a bag of coconut flakes. Can’t wait for my hubs to try this. Another great recipe. Only food blogger I trust lol
Brittany Kinser says
This was absolutely amazing. My non-vegan husband and kiddos loved it! We all couldn’t believe that it was so creamy. I am so thankful for your creative and yummy recipes!
Yay! Glad to hear it, Brittany!
Cate says
I haven’t been able to find lactose free soy free (allergies) cocoa powder in my grocery store so I will probably order online. Have you tried this without and dubbed peanut butter or coconut flakes?
We have not tried without, but that could work I think (obviously changing the flavor)
Andrea says
Had this for dessert last night with walnuts on top. Substituted hazelnut butter for tahini. I forgot to add maple syrup, ha ha, but it was delicious, and I did not need the extra sweetness! My picky kids said it smelled good, and one of them even tasted it and proclaimed it was yummy. Rare occasion. Thank you very much for this recipe, will definitely make again.
Chrissie says
Best post flight treat! Don’t know what came over me but I was craving homemade vegan banana chocolate ice cream when I landed. Something quick healthy and good. Maybe it was the magnesium that my body needed. Dropped my bags and made this in 5 min! Thank you Minimalist Baker for the best easiest soft serve ice cream recipe. Hit the spot! Tweaked the recipe just a little bit. Used almond butter instead of tahini and added a small handful of fresh mint in the mix. Used a food processor but still needed to add a little bit of almond milk to get it to blend. Very smooth and tasty. Better than any store bought vegan ice cream. Can’t wait to see what I crave after my next travel.
Chris says
This is literally on repeat in our house! My boyfriend (who is certainly not vegan) keeps asking for it! Thanks for such an easy recipe Dana! xx
George says
I made it and it was awesome. Though my father found it too sweet. Such a healthy recipe. Used 85% dark Lindt to drizzle. Like eating a high quality chocolate icecream. Thanks for sharing :)
George says
Any other flavors to use with tahini? Would milk taste good instead of chocolate ? If we were to make it vanilla flavored. Also I would like to see another recipe with another fruit With tahini.
Cass says
My idea is to use this as a cake frosting, or a wholefood mousse – would the mixture be ok eaten/stored from the fridge or room temperature? I was thinking to add vegan salted caramel protein powder for extra thickness?? Has this been done by anyone? ?
George says
I don’t think it’s a good idea because your basic ingredient is fruit. And it can easily go bad at room temperature.
Katelyn says
The consistency of this is amazing!!! I can’t wait to make it with peanut butter. I added bourbon vanilla to the original recipe and it was sooo good. Such a healthy fix to my past ice cream addiction.
Lacey says
S0 GOOD
Marion says
I had no tahini, so I replaced it with hazelnut puree. Absolutely delicious. Thank you for this dessert recipe that has become one of my favorites!
Cassie Autumn Tran says
How do I avoid the unpleasant icy shell whenever I take out leftover soft serve? It most likely has to do with the freeze and thaw cycle of removing this DELICIOUS-looking treat out of the freezer routinely, but I’m not entirely sure! Anyhow, I don’t think freezing would be too much of an issue, because I could eat the entire yield of this soft serve in a single heartbeat!
Gail says
This came out perfect for the summer day today
Jade says
Oh my days! This was an absolute amazing little dessert fix!! Loved it!!
Malina Rose says
I would like to make this ahead for company. Have you tried freezing it? Any suggestions? Thank you!
Hi Malina! Yes! You can keep it in the freezer up to 1 week. Let come back to soft serve consistency at room temperature before enjoying. Hope this helps!
malina rose says
Thank you so very much for the wonderful recipes you share and also for answering my question. I wonder how this would be served frozen in an ice pop mold. Ever try it? Do you recommend it? Otherwise I will just take your advice to put it in a container to be left out to get to room temp again.
I think that might work if you’re going for more of a frozen-pop dessert, but haven’t tried it! If you do, report back on how it goes!
Ankita says
Hi Dana,
I have been a reader of your website for some time but mostly a silent reader – I do want to let you know that I made the banana soft serve (used almond butter instead because my friend is allergic to seeds) and it came out SO well! Since then I have made different modifications for a little variety and every time it comes out so well. You can’t even make out that it was made with bananas – thank you for this great recipe, I look forward to trying more from your website!
Sheri Rosen says
Not only is it delicious, but it’s also very healthy. Tahini has a lot of calcium.
Dominique says
This tastes amazing! Absolutely love it.
Brittany Stites says
When I opened my freezer to make this there was only half a frozen banana! what to do? Add frozen cherries! seriously AMAZING!. thank you!
Great solution, Brittany!
Debra says
Omg, this was fantastic! Was slightly impatient and bananas were only slightly frozen. After mixing I put it in a baking dish and spread it out to freeze quickly. After frozen, drizzled with your magic shell and tahini. We loved it!
Meg says
I also love this combo (and your site). Another idea- skip the cocoa powder and instead use a little tumeric and ginger for a golden milk-type flavor. But you must top with a few cacao nibs ?
Lisa Roberton says
So simple and soooooo easy – all in the household enjoyed it
Carol Edwards says
I made this and it was delicious. It truly does only make enough for 2 people and once it was gone, I wish I had made more. very creamy and satisfied my chocolate ice cream craving.
Stephanie Moore says
Made this the night the recipe popped up in my email. It was so yummy. I subbed PB for Tahini. Next time I would probably only do half the PB but it was heavenly!
Leanne says
This is awesome. I love it very unique taste with the tahini. A perfect go to as summer arrives.
PS I added a splash of almond milk to get my bananas to blend better for those who were having trouble.
Robin Griswold says
I just want you to know I think you are a genius. My partner went vegan and I LOVE to cook so I keep looking for tasty vegan recipes. Every single one of yours that I have made have been easy and delicious, and it didn’t matter that they were vegan or not, they were just GOOD. Thank you! I made this “nice” cream last night and it hit the spot.
Amanda says
I’m definitely going to have to try this! Never thought of using tahini!
kelly says
So yummy!!! I ended up stirring in more tahini (a few more tbsp) and it came out wonderfully! Thanks for your creativity!
Susan Pantle says
I made the banana ice cream years back & added peanut butter – but chocolate & Tahini are other great ideas!! And the magic shell recipe – you have hit it out of the park on that one! Great ideas!! I see this in my immediate future!
Kristen says
Hi, about how many bananas do you think it would take to yield 2 cups?
Hi Kristen! About 6 bananas, mashed!
Reena @ The Lifestyle Enthusiast says
I’ve made banana soft serve “nice cream” so many times and just love it. I’ve never tried tahini in it – sounds delicious! I bet that’s delicious!
Elizabeth says
Thank you for this recipe Dana! I have tried a lot of banana icecream flavour combinations but this has to be my favourite! I served it with the magic shell and coconut flakes – so yum!!!
Yay! Thanks for sharing! xoxo
Sean and Kyle in Milwaukee says
This is awesome! Only adjustment we made was adding a tiny bit of maple syrup (about 1 TBSP). Now we will never be able to throw away bananas in our house… straight to the freezer! Thanks for all you do!
Thanks for sharing! xoxo
lauren lampert says
This was so tasty!! I used almond butter and tahini and I was super impressed with out delicious it came out!
Yay! xoxo
Leslie | Bessie Bakes says
It took me all of 5 seconds to decide that I was making this since I had all the ingredients on-hand and I’ve never tried chocolate and tahini together. OMG it was wonderful!! The only adjustment I made was that I poured melted chocolate inside the food processor with the ice cream for richness, BUT I also added a touch of espresso powder which I HIGHLY recommend. Thanks for taking care of my chocolate craving :-)
Yay! xoxo
Vicky says
Tahini’s taste alone is not yummy to me, so I’m not sure I’ll like this. Well,you never know until you try!
Sheila says
I’m the same way and it tasted a bit too bitter for me. next time I’ll make this with peanut butter or almond butter. the magic shell was amazing.
Mandy says
You have to try SOOM tahini
Life changing
Free shipping
They even have a chic tahini
Check them out!
Takes hummus, dressings-etc to the next level!
Mandy says
That’s chocolate tahini
Dana says
I tried Soom brand! I did a side by side taste test and do think Soom is superior. However I haven’t yet decided to make it my default tahini for everyday eating. For a special recipe I might order it again.
Christina says
You’re my food spirit animal. ?BEST FOOD BLOGGER ALIVE ? I am consistently wowed by your talent. I make your recipes and have never been disappointed. Thank you so much for making my vegan lifestyle fun and flavorful. You need a TV show.
I can’t wait to try this recipe, and your Tahini Bombs!
Dana says
There could not be a more true comment! She is also MY food spirit animal! When do we get t-shirts made?!
So kind! xoxox
Kemba says
I’m with you guys. Dana makes eating vegan so exciting.
Thanks for sharing your talent. This soft serve was, as expected, awesome!!!!
Kristin H. says
Yes!!!! You took the words right out of my….. keyboard ;). This is just what I’ve been missing.
Georgina says
This looks delicious, I am in a tahini obsession at the moment so this is going straight to the top of my recipe to do list. Thank you for sharing!
Emma says
Hi I have made banana soft scoops icecream but my blender struggled with the frozen bananas. Could I blend them unfrozen then use my icecream maker?
Gudrun says
The unfrozen banana taste møre raw and abit tangy but -frozen get the sweetnesse
Lisa Andrews says
Try a food processor, I use a mini one that attaches to a stick blender and it’s much better for ‘ice cream’ than using my vitamix which is def better for sauces and smoothies.
Natalie Yosipovitch says
My vitamix also doesn’t deal with frozen bananas well. My banana nice creams normally turn into puddings (I think the blender defrosts my bananas for some reason). Thanks for the advice, I’ll try a food processor next time.