Thick, cold, creamy, and bursting with banana flavor—that’s what you get when you make this Banana Milkshake at home!
Before you get in your car and drive to a local ice cream shop where they will charge you far more than it costs to make it, pull out your blender, peel some bananas, and surprise your family with the best banana milkshake at home. Perhaps the best part of creating a shake at home is that you control what goes into it.
Yes, it’s time to say goodbye to chemical names you can’t even pronounce. Have you ever wondered what is in that pump that adds some strange liquid to your shake? I know I have, but I’ve also been too afraid to ask for fear of wondering what I’ve been consuming all these years. When your family tastes how good a homemade milkshake can be, they may never want to go out for one again. You’ll love how easy and affordable it is. Instead of spending upwards of $30 for a family of four to get shakes, making them at home can cost less than half that price.
Homemade Banana Shakes Burst with Banana Flavor
When you make a shake at home, you know you are feeding your family a far better and healthier version than at a restaurant or ice cream parlor. Slices or chunks of fresh, ripe banana, high-quality vanilla ice cream (with vanilla bean specks for the utmost taste), and your choice of milk is all you need. You can add a hint of vanilla extract if you like.
That’s all there is to it—no added sugar, artificial sweeteners, or colors. If you choose your ice cream carefully, you can also eliminate the chemicals, gums, and artificial ingredients the manufacturers sometimes use. Low-fat milk and ice cream can help keep the calories down. I also like to use frozen yogurt in shakes.
How to Create an Ice Cream Parlor in Your Home
Part of the fun of going to an ice cream parlor is the variety of add-ins available for sundaes, shakes, and banana splits. Perhaps the most popular topping is whipped cream. Of course, you want to get some fun glasses to hold your milkshakes, and you can easily find inexpensive ones at the store.
Fill the glasses ¾ of the way full with the prepared banana milkshake and let your family create their masterpieces with whipped cream, donuts, cake pops, sprinkles, cherries, chopped nuts, cookies, and flavored syrups (chocolate, peanut butter, caramel, or marshmallow). You can have prizes for who made the highest, most creative, or most colorful shake. Shake time can be fun and bring the whole family together for a delicious activity.
How to Make Ahead and Store
Making a milkshake ahead of time may sound funny, but you can take a few steps to speed up the preparation process. Ripe bananas can be sliced and stored in zipper freezer bags. That way, they are ready when you are. Add the frozen bananas, ice cream, and milk to the blender, and voila—banana milkshakes! Once you make the shake, you can store it in the refrigerator for up to an hour before consuming it, but it will likely soften a bit. Freeze your prepared shake for extended storage (up to 3 months), then re-blend it with added milk to achieve the desired consistency.
Serving Suggestions
A milkshake is fine by itself, but who doesn’t think about having one when eating burgers, chicken fingers, and fries? After all, many fast-food restaurants offer milkshakes on their menus. We want to help you get creative with dinner, so think about pairing your shake with this Hamburger Mac and Cheese Casserole or Philly Cheesesteak Sloppy Joes. This Chicken Shepherd’s Pie is a new take on chicken and potatoes. Enjoy!
Banana Milkshake
Ingredients
- 1 large ripe banana
- 1 cup milk
- 3 scoops vanilla ice cream
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract optional
- Whipped cream and fresh banana slices optional, for garnish
Instructions
- Peel the banana and cut it into chunks.
- Place the banana chunks, milk, vanilla ice cream, and vanilla extract (if using) into a blender.
- Blend on high until the mixture is smooth and creamy.
- Pour the milkshake into two glasses and serve immediately, topped with whipped cream and a few banana slices.
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