You can make a fantastic sweet and creamy banana milkshake without ice cream. All you need is a blender, a ripe banana, and a handful of pantry staples.
I love a good milkshake, and a couple years ago I started uploading a bunch of milkshake recipes to the site (How to Make a Milkshake, The Best Vanilla Milkshake, Banana Milkshake, Oreo Milkshake, etc.).
Since then, I have gotten a TON of requests for a milkshake without ice cream, and today that day has finally come. Let’s make a banana milkshake without ice cream.
A No-Ice Cream Milkshake
I’ll be totally honest, I was a little iffy about doing a no-ice cream shake. I mean isn’t a milkshake without ice cream just a smoothie?
BUT, I got so many requests for one, and I remembered really enjoying the banana “milkshakes” my health-nut parents used to make for me and my sisters as kids, that I figured I’d give it a try.
I called my mom for the recipe, gave it a couple of tweaks, and you know what? This is a really good milkshake, no ice cream involved.
It’s thick and frosty, surprisingly creamy, and satisfyingly sweet. Best part about it? It feels totally indulgent without actually overindulging.
Ingredient Notes
- An overripe banana, preferably frozen: You’ll get the best results with a very ripe, frozen banana. The riper the banana, the more flavor your shake will have. And frozen bananas help you get that true frosty milkshake texture. I found during testing that shakes made with fresh unfrozen bananas were good, but much thinner and less milkshake-like. For extra tips and tricks on freezing bananas, check out my post How to Freeze Bananas.
- Milk: Any milk will work here including non-dairy milks. For an extra rich shake, feel free to add a splash of heavy cream or half and half to your measuring cup before filling it the rest of the way with milk.
- Ice: A bit of ice along with the frozen banana adds to the frosty texture of the shake. If you don’t have ice or have a blender that can’t handle ice, you can skip it, but your shake won’t be as thick. Also cut the sweetener in the recipe by half if you omit the ice.
- Sugar or sweetener of choice: You can skip the sweetener if you want, but I feel like something called a milkshake should be sweet enough to feel like a milkshake. Start with a heaping tablespoon and add more to taste if needed. Honey, stevia, maple syrup or your preferred sweetener can all be used here.
How to Make a Banana Milkshake Without Ice Cream
- In your blender, combine all ingredients and blend until well-mixed and frosty. If the contents of your blender stop blending at any point, stop, give it a stir, and continue. Repeat as needed.
- Pour into a glass, top with optional whipped cream if desired, and enjoy.
Milkshake Variations
- Peanut butter: Add 1 heaping spoonful of peanut butter (or any nut butter) before blending. Nutella would also be amazing.
- Chocolate: Add 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder to the shake before blending. If you want to use fudge sauce, use 2 tablespoons, and omit the extra sugar in the shake.
- Other fruits: Replace 2/3 cup of the ice with 2/3 cup frozen fruit of your choice. Strawberries would be a great option.
FAQ
Can I double this recipe?
If using a high-powered blender like a Vitamix or Blendtec, go for it. To change the recipe yield, hover over the serving size in the recipe card below or click if you’re on mobile, and slide the slider.
If your blender sometimes has trouble processing frozen fruit or ice, you might want to make your shakes in two batches.
Can I make a no-ice cream milkshake without a banana?
If you want to make a non-fruit milkshake without ice cream, go make my Frozen Hot Chocolate. Even though it’s called “frozen hot chocolate,” if I were going to make a non-ice-cream-based chocolate shake, this is exactly how I would do it, with sugar, cocoa powder, milk, and a lot of ice.
Or run to the store, get a pint of ice cream and make my Best Chocolate Milkshake (it’s worth it!).
More Milkshake Recipes
More Banana Recipes
- Small-batch Banana Muffins
- Small-batch CHOCOLATE Banana Muffins
- Banana Pancakes
- My Favorite Banana Bread Recipe
Banana Milkshake Without Ice Cream
Ingredients
- 1 ripe banana frozen and broken into pieces*
- 1 cup ice cubes or ⅔ cup crushed ice
- 1 cup milk any percentage
- 1 heaping tablespoon (18g) granulated sugar* or sweetener of choice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Generous pinch ground cinnamon
- Whipped cream optional for serving
Peanut Butter Banana Milkshake
- 1 heaping spoonful of peanut butter
Chocolate Banana Milkshake
- 2 tablespoons (10g) cocoa powder
Instructions
- In your blender, combine all ingredients and blend until well-mixed and frosty, stopping to stir to get things moving if needed.
- Pour into a glass, top with optional whipped cream if desired, and enjoy.
Notes
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