No-Churn Banana Pudding Ice Cream

May, sixteen weeks. Spring has fully arrived and I am pregnant and the azaleas are long finished and now the crepe myrtles are starting to come in along the road and the world is green and abundant in the specific way of Alabama late spring.

I have been cooking differently. Not less, not simpler, just with a different internal orientation. I find myself cooking toward the future. I made a double batch of the chili recipe I finally wrote down and froze half. I made stock and froze it in quart containers. I made three loaves of banana bread and put two in the freezer. Tyler noticed the freezer filling up and said it was the most organized the freezer had ever been. I said I was preparing. He said for what. I said for when I do not have time to cook. He said we are six months out. I said I know. He said this is excellent, he approved completely. He said he would like to request that the chili be on the front shelf of the freezer so he can find it easily.

Sunday at Gloria was strawberry shortcake from the last of the spring strawberries. The good ones, the small sweet ones, not the large tasteless ones. Destiny made the shortcake biscuits herself and they were excellent. Gloria ate two servings and said this is a good year. She did not mean just the shortcake. I said yes. It is a good year.

The Sunday Gloria made that strawberry shortcake, I came home with spring still on my mind and the freezer already half-full and a bunch of bananas going soft on the counter — the exact kind that had been going into my banana bread loaves all week. It felt right to keep the momentum going, to make one more thing for the freezer, something sweet and creamy and easy to pull out on a night when cooking feels impossible. This no-churn banana pudding ice cream is exactly that: no machine, no fuss, just a bowl and a freezer and the kind of abundance that makes a good year feel real.

Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 0 minutes | Total Time: 6 hours (includes freezing) | Servings: 8

Ingredients

2 cups heavy whipping cream, cold
1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
1 (3.4 oz) box instant banana pudding mix
2 ripe bananas, mashed
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 cups coarsely crushed vanilla wafer cookies, divided

Instructions

Whip the cream. In a large bowl using a hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the cold heavy cream on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form, about 3–4 minutes. Set aside.
Make the base. In a separate large bowl, whisk together the sweetened condensed milk, instant banana pudding mix, mashed bananas, vanilla extract, and salt until smooth and well combined, about 1–2 minutes.
Fold together. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the whipped cream into the banana pudding base in two additions, folding carefully to keep as much volume as possible. Do not stir — fold until just combined and no white streaks remain.
Layer and freeze. Spread half the ice cream mixture into a 9x5 inch loaf pan or a 2-quart freezer-safe container. Sprinkle with 1 cup of the crushed vanilla wafers. Spread the remaining ice cream mixture on top and smooth the surface. Scatter the remaining 1/2 cup of wafers over the top.
Cover and chill. Press a layer of plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the ice cream to prevent ice crystals. Cover the container tightly with a lid or additional plastic wrap. Freeze for at least 6 hours, or overnight, until completely firm.
Serve. Let the ice cream sit at room temperature for 5 minutes before scooping. Scoop into bowls and serve as-is, or top with a few extra vanilla wafer crumbles and fresh banana slices if desired.

Nutrition (per serving)

No-Churn Banana Pudding Ice Cream — The Freezer That Started Filling Itself