Vegan sugar-free matcha-mint & mango-mint ice cream or "soft-serve"

For most people, nothing says 'summer' as much as ice cream. And even though so far the UK weather hasn't been all that summery this year, the craving for ice cream has set in in our house.

As a vegan, that can cause some problems. And even while hubby isn't vegan (although he practically has been since he moved to the UK, as we simply don't have dairy in the house), as amritdhari Sikhs we don't eat eggs, so that again rules out a lot of the prebought possibilities.

Luckily, Leicester graces us with a number of great ice cream parlours that also cater to vegans, with lots of yummy sorbets. But the sugar-content of these is still extremely high, so I thought: there must be a way of making this at home.

And who came with a solution but the Minions:

BANANAS!!!!!!!!!!!!

Over the weeks I've been testing out some soft-serve recipes, and they are so much tastier than any ice cream, sorbet or gelato I have ever had! And most importantly: hubby thinks so too, which is a small miracle as it has no added sugar to it!! (While Mr. Singh loves my cooking, one of the things we do not agree on are amounts of sugar and salt. Neither of them are ever enough for him. And as I don't keep refined sugar in the house and will use things like dates, honey or coconut sugar for him instead, sweet dishes never taste sweet enough for him. But these soft-serves are perfect!)  

 

Matcha-mint banana soft-serve with different toppings

My personal favourite is my matcha-mint banana soft-serve. Second comes my mango-mint banana version. I will give you both recipes. You don't need an ice cream maker for these recipes, just a food processor with an S-blade. And it won't take more than 15-20 minutes of your time to make them, including clean-up time!

First of all, you will need to keep some peeled and cut bananas in your freezer. I generally use either one really large banana or 1 1/2 to 2 small ones per person, For the mango-mint version, you also want to keep peeled and cut mangoes in your freezer. I now try to always have some of both in my freezer, so I can make my ice cream whenever we feel like it.

When you are ready to make your soft-serve, simply take however much banana pieces (and mango pieces if you are making the mango version) you need out of the freezer, and put them in the food processor. Now leave them to thaw slightly for about 15-25 minutes (just go and do something else in the meanwhile)! I didn't do this the first time and as a result I broke my food processor because the banana was so rock solid it made the plastic bowl of my food processor shatter into pieces! (Luckily I had a second one in the house, and the end result was so yummy that we both quickly forgot about the casualty). You still want your fruit to be frozen, just slightly less rock solid - but don't leave it out to the point you can easily put a fork through your fruit pieces.

For the matcha-mint version I add about a teaspoonful of matcha to my bananas if I make it for 2 people, and 6 large leaves of mint (which grows abundantly in our patio). This ratio works well for us, but obviously you can add to your taste.
For the mango-mint version, I use a ratio of 1:2 bananas-mangoes (so twice as much mango as I use banana pieces), with again 6 large leaves of mint for the both of us.

Mango-mint banana soft-serve with fresh mint leaves and raspberries

Switch on the food processor. First the big chunks will easily be processed into smaller bits, then slowly into a more creamy consistency. With my food processor (a cheap one from Aldi) I have to regularly stop the processor and use a spoon to bring the already creamy bits to the top and bring the still chunky parts to the bottom so the S-blade can do its work. I'm not sure if you'll need to do this with better processors, but just keep an eye on the consistency and help out if needed.

The matcha I will only add once I the bananas are processed into very small pieces, right before it starts becoming creamy - not right at the beginning as the powder will just go to the lid and stick there, and it's too precious for that. The mint I do put in in the beginning.

Once you have a really creamy soft serve, you simply scoop into bowls (and make sure you scoop out every last part of deliciousness, as it's too good to let go to waste)!

We have also been experimenting with toppings for these. Some smaller fresh mint leaves are a must for me. Raspberries, blueberries, blackberries (and really all berries) are absolutely delicious on both. I personally like my soft serves with some raw cacao nibs on top, and raw coconut shavings are also a treat. You can even put a small spoonful of maca powder on them. Hubby is crazy about cashew nuts, almonds and raisins, and he puts it on breakfast cereals and ice cream desserts alike - I haven't tried it myself as the thought of it doesn't really appeal to me, but he loves it.

I personally believe this will stay a favourite our entire lives - it's ideal for adults and kids alike, and it contains nothing but fresh fruit (and toppings are all super foods).

More experimenting is lined up in our house for the coming weeks - carob powder, cacao powder and vanilla are on the list to try out, as are frozen berries, but I'd love to hear your recipes for vegan sugar-free soft serves!