Banana Pudding Ice Cream (No-Churn!)
Homemade Banana Pudding Ice Cream – This delicious frozen summer treat is inspired by the classic southern dessert, and transformed into an easy no-churn banana ice cream recipe!
Why We Love This No-Churn Banana Ice Cream Recipe
My son and I have a favorite shake shop… Every time we go, he and I get banana pudding milkshakes. These fabulous vanilla shakes with crushed vanilla wafers and fresh bananas are absolutely to die for. However, honestly, I would rather have banana pudding in a solidified frozen form, like ice cream.
Today’s Banana Pudding Ice Cream recipe is a no-churn recipe, because I wanted as many people as possible to be able to make it, even if you don’t own an ice cream maker. That means the ice cream base is essentially whipped heavy cream folded with sweetened condensed milk! It has all the flavors of southern banana pudding, in a rich frozen ice cream base.
This is a great recipe for any time of year, but especially in summer months when the kids are excited about making ice cream together. No machine required!
(But see our notes below if you want to make this recipe in an ice cream machine.)
Ingredients You Need
- Heavy whipping cream – for the richest, most delicious ice cream
- Box instant banana flavor pudding – sometimes labeled as “banana cream” pudding
- Sweetened condensed milk – this secret to making delicious ice cream without a machine
- Vanilla extract – use quality 100% pure vanilla
- Salt – a little bit keeps the ice cream from freezing solid
- Mini vanilla wafers – or full-size wafers roughly chopped
- Banana – ripe, but not overly ripe like what you typically use in banana bread
Pro Tip: No white sugar, eggs, or egg yolks are needed when making no-churn ice cream. There is also no need to cook the ice cream base in a saucepan, and no need to strain the base with a fine-mesh sieve. Fewer steps, less mess to clean up!
How to Make Banana Pudding Ice Cream Without a Machine
Set out two medium mixing bowls. In one bowl, combine the instant banana pudding mix with 1 ½ cups of heavy cream. Beat with a hand mixer until thick and smooth.
In the second bowl, add the remaining 2 ½ cups of heavy cream. Add the vanilla extract and salt. Beat on high until the whipped cream forms stiff peaks.
Pour the sweetened condensed milk into the whipped cream and gently fold until it is well combined. Try not to deflate the whipped cream.
Set out a 3-4 quart freezer-safe storage container. Scoop the thick pudding mixture in a freezer bag and cut one corner off to create a makeshift piping bag.
Scoop 1/3 of the ice cream mixture into the storage container. Smooth into an even layer. Pipe half of the banana pudding mixture over the surface of the ice cream mixture.
Sprinkle with half of the vanilla wafers and half of the banana chunks.
Scoop another 1/3 of ice cream mixture over the top of the bananas. Gently tap the container to fill in any gaps. Then repeat piping the vanilla pudding and topping with vanilla wafers and banana chunks.
Finally, add the remaining 1/3 of the ice cream mixture over the top and gently tap the container to fill in the gaps. Add a few extra vanilla wafer cookies on top if desired.
Cover and freeze for at least 4 hours.
Remove the container from the freezer and allow the banana pudding ice cream to soften on the counter for a few minutes before serving.
Recipe Variations
- Gluten-free – Use GF-friendly vanilla wafers.
- Small batch – As-is this recipe makes 3 quarts of ice cream, or roughly 24 servings. Use the adjustable bar in the recipe card below for ingredient info to make however many servings you want.
- With an ice cream maker – If you would like to make this recipe with your ice cream maker, I would suggest using our best vanilla ice cream recipe, then layering in the banana pudding, vanilla wafers, and fresh banana chunks. Yes, you can put heavy cream and sweetened condensed milk in an ice cream maker. Yet the texture will be better with a classic ice cream base recipe.
- Store-bought ice cream – In a rush or want to save yourself some steps? Use your favorite store-bought container of vanilla ice cream! Let it soften before spreading into containers and adding the additional elements as directed.
Serving Suggestions
This ice cream is already loaded with all kinds of goodies like nilla wafers, fresh banana, and rich pudding. So it doesn’t *really* need anything… But additional crushed wafers, banana slices, and a dollop of whipped cream never hurt!
If you’re feeling extra EXTRA consider adding on a drizzle of salted caramel sauce or butterscotch ice cream topping. And of course, you can also add other traditional ice cream sundae toppings, like sprinkles, chocolate syrup, and a cherry on top.
Frequently Asked Questions
Honestly, it tastes JUST like you froze scoops of the best banana pudding! It’s ultra-rich and creamy, with great crunch from the vanilla wafers.
Frozen bananas tend to be overly ripe, so I suggest sticking to fresh bananas for the best taste and texture.
Keep the ice cream in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 2-3 weeks. When ready to serve, set the container on the counter for several minutes so that it slightly softens and becomes perfectly scoopable.
Looking for More Easy Ice Cream Recipes? Be Sure to Try:
- Blueberry Pie Ice Cream
- Blackberry Ice Cream with Anise
- Bubble Gum Ice Cream
- No-Churn Mocha Mint Vegan Nice Cream
- Lavender Dark Chocolate Chip Ice Cream
Banana Pudding Ice Cream (No-Churn!)
Ingredients
- 4 cups heavy cream
- 3.4 oz box instant banana pudding
- 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup mini vanilla wafers or large crushed wafers
- 1 cup ripe banana diced
Instructions
- Set out two medium mixing bowls. In one bowl, combine the banana pudding mix with 1 ½ cups of heavy cream. Beat with a hand mixer until thick and smooth.
- In the second bowl, add the remaining 2 ½ cups of heavy cream. Add the vanilla extract and salt. Beat on high until the whipped cream forms firm peaks.
- Pour the sweetened condensed milk into the whipped cream and gently fold until it is well combined. Try not to deflate the whipped cream.
- Set out a 3-4 quart freezer-safe storage container. Scoop the thick pudding mixture in a freezer bag and cut one corner off to create a makeshift piping bag.
- Scoop 1/3 of the ice cream mixture into the storage container. Smooth into an even layer. Pipe half of the pudding mixture over the surface of the ice cream mixture. Sprinkle with half of the vanilla wafers and half of the banana chunks.
- Scoop another 1/3 of ice cream mixture over the top of the bananas. Gently tap the container to fill in any gaps. Then repeat piping the banana pudding and topping with vanilla wafers and banana chunks. Finally add the remaining 1/3 of the ice cream mixture over the top and gently tap the container to fill in the gaps. Add a few extra vanilla wafer cookies on top if desired.
- Cover and freeze for at least 4 hours before serving.