Green tea “ice cream”

The first time I tried green tea ice cream was at an all-you-can-eat Chinese buffet in Small Town, Wisconsin. I remember choosing it from the ice cream cooler because of its bright green color—I was a child, ok? When I took my first bite, I was surprised at the flavor—I didn’t hate it, but I didn’t know if I liked it either. I took a few more bites, and a couple more, and then one or five more and realized I was crazy about it.

The earthy, almost savory yet slightly sweet notes from the green tea are a match made it heaven with the rich, creaminess of the ice cream. I was never a fan of super sweet treats, so this was right up my alley.

Since I was in college, I’ve been making 2-ingredient “ice cream,” which is just frozen bananas blended in a food processor with a little milk. Genius. Plus, bananas are super good for you! Thanks to Rick Moranis in Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves circa 1997, I will forever remember they are a great source of potassium. But, there a bunch of other benefits—check them all out in this Well-Being Secrets article, 24 Science-Backed Health Benefits of Bananas.  It’s actually amazing how similar the texture and richness is to actual ice cream considering how healthy it is. And, you can doctor it up with anything you like—chocolate, peanut butter, preserves, and even matcha! As I mentioned in my post Matcha green tea chia pudding, I have recently been experimenting with matcha powder, so I decided this was the perfect time to recreate the green tea ice cream I had in my youth.

It’s quick, simple, and deceivingly sinful. So dig in, guilt free!

Enjoy.

Ingredients

• 3 ripe bananas
• coconut milk (or whole, rice, almond, sweetened condensed, etc.)
• honey or agave
• 2 tsp matcha powder

Instructions

Cut bananas into small pieces and freeze for three hours to overnight. Put frozen bananas in a food processor and pulse until smoothish (there will still be small chunks). You may have to use a spatula to scrape down the sides during this process.

Add matcha and a drizzle of honey and blend. Add in milk little by little until you get the consistency of soft serve.

Eat immediately or place in the freezer for an hour for a harder consistency.