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Almond Chunky Monkey Ice Cream

Vegan Chunky Monkey is a dairy-free ice cream made with just 4 simple ingredients and ready in minutes for a healthy and delicious soft-serve dessert!

head on view of vegan chunky monkey ice cream in glass cup with spoon and items surrounding.

We love using bananas as a base for ice creams like this Maple Butter Pecan Ice CreamBanana Coconut Ginger Ice cream, or Banana Cherry Garcia Soft Serve.

‎I was just gifted a new food processor, and what better way to break it in than by making vegan chunky monkey ice cream using 4 ingredients!

Needless to say, it was delicious, super healthy, and so much better than the Ben & Jerry’s version any day. :)

Why We Love This Recipe!

  • No ice cream maker required! This easy no-churn vegan ice cream is great when you don’t have an ice cream maker or just don’t want to pull it out. All you do is simply blend and enjoy!
  • Refined sugar-free. Bananas act as a natrual sweetener, and you won’t miss a thing. It’s perfectly balanced and not overly sweet!
  • Nutritious. Full of nutrients, healthy fats, and 100% dairy-free, this whole food plant based ice cream is a perfect alternative to dairy filled ice creams.

When the weather heats up or you simply have a craving for ice cream, this dairy-free soft serve is just what you need!

top down view of ingredients used to make vegan chunky monkey soft serve ice cream.

Ingredient Notes

  • Banana – Use overripe frozen bananas. I like to break up my overripe bananas into 1 – 2 inch peices and place them in a sealed container to freeze. That way you always have them handy!
  • Nut Butter – I used almond butter here, but any type of nut butter will do and adds a wonderful creaminess. You can use both creamy or chunky. See tips below for nut-free version.
  • Almonds – I used raw whole almonds that I roughly chopped. Slivered almonds would be great too. Feel free to use toasted almonds if you prefer!
  • Chocolate – Use your favorite chocolate bar chopped up or chocolate chips. Semi-sweet chocolate is typically vegan and non-dairy, but be sure check the label just in case.
top down view of food processor bowl with freshly blended non-dairy chunky monkey ice cream.

How To Make Vegan Chunky Monkey

Making vegan chunky monkey is easy as 1, 2, 3!

  • Start with adding the frozen bananas and nut butter to the bowl of a food processor or blender.
  • Blend until creamy, stopping to scrape down the sides as needed.
  • Serve in a bowl or cup with chopped almonds and chocolate.

It’s simple, straightforward, and best of all – delicious!

Top Tips

  • Enjoy right away as a soft serve or freeze to harden like ice cream. To freeze, store in sealed freezer-safe containers. It will take about 6 hours to fully harden and will last for up to 2 – 3 months.
  • Serve in chilled bowls or glasses.
  • Make it nut-free. For those with nut allergies, substitute the nut butter with sunflower butter (or sun butter) and omit the chopped almonds.

top down view of non dairy chunky monkey in a glass with toppings and spoon.

More Non-Dairy Ice Creams!

If you are a fan of easy no-churn ice creams, check out these other versions. You may find a new favorite!

top down view of spoonful of non-dairy chunky monkey in a glass with toppings.

If you try this non-dairy chunky monkey recipe, please let me know! Leave a comment and rate it below. I love to hear what you think, or any changes you make.

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Vegan Almond Chunky Monkey Ice Cream

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

5 from 5 reviews

Thick, creamy, and delicious, Vegan Almond Chunky Monkey soft serve is a straightforward and non-dairy no-churn ice cream that’s easy to make!

  • Author: Julie | The Simple Veganista
  • Prep Time: 5 min
  • Total Time: 5 minutes
  • Yield: Serves 2 – 3 1x
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: food processor, blender
  • Cuisine: Vegan American

Ingredients

Scale
  • 3 frozen bananas, cut into chunks
  • 3 tablespoons almond butter, or any nut butter of choice
  • 1/4 cup almonds, cut in half
  • dark chocolate, either in chips or bars broken into pieces*

Instructions

In a food processor (or blender), place frozen banana pieces and almond butter, blend until a fairly smooth consistency stopping every now and then to scrape down the sides and push the mixture to the bottom of the processor.

Serve in bowls and top with, or incorporate, the chocolate pieces and almonds while blending, use as much as you like. 

Serves 2 – 3

Enjoy right away as a soft serve or freeze to harden like ice cream. To freeze, store in sealed freezer-safe containers. It will take about 6 hours to fully harden. Will last for up to 2 – 3 months.

Notes

Enjoy this nut-free. For those with nut allergies, substitute the nut butter with sunflower butter (or sun butter) and omit the chopped almonds.

To make 100% raw use raw cocoa chips…find the recipe here.

Try adding a scoop or two of vanilla or chocolate flavor protein powder to really boost the nutritional profile!

If using a blender, you may need to add a splash or two of unsweetened almond milk as well to help get the mixture moving.

Updated: This recipe was originally published in December 2012. It has been retested and updated with new photos and helpful tips in July 2021.

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43 Comments

  1. Made this yesterday!! Amazing thanks for sharing. Added a bit of almond milk and cinn sugar on top. Think I may try a bit of avocado next time to really make it creamy.

    1. Glad you liked it. Your add ins sound delicious! Avocado would be great too. I love adding them into my smoothies, they do make it creamier. :)

  2. Ahh you are awesome. I was almost literally wringing my hands yesterday trying to figure out what to do with my two dying bananas on the counter + three frozen ones in the fridge. I just wasn't in a banana bread mood (…AGAIN). But this would be perfect, I've been meaning to try making banana fro yo. Thanks for the delicious inspiration! :)

    1. I know what you mean about banana bread, again! This is a pleasant alternative for sure. And your very welcome, glad this hits a spot with you. :)

  3. Argh I would dig the heck into this! I never throw my bananas away!! No matter how ripe, I always find a use :)I hope to make this soon once my bananas do get ripe, thanks for the lovely recipe!

    1. I hope you had a chance to make this Bridget. I'm about ready for some myself. Enjoy :)

  4. I can't stop staring at this picture. Beautiful presentation. Thank you for making healthy food exciting. :)

    1. Thank you! Your so welcome…it is my pleasure. :)

  5. I'm obsessed with all those banana ice cream recipes, so YAY, now I have a new one to try! Just pinned this. :D

    1. Yes, love all of the banana ice cream ideas! Who ever thought of it first is a genius! :) Enjoy this one, it's scrumptious!

  6. I came across banana ice cream in The Engine 2 diet but I looove the additions you made and how you made it your own! Loving it!

    1. I came across banana ice cream from the blog RAWIFIED and was so impressed. I must say this is a nice combination, as I loved chunky monkey ice cream before eating an entirely plant based diet. I will look into The Engine 2 diet for some inspiration as well. :)

    2. Well I think it looks fantastic and I really am going to try it out! I love The Engine 2 Diet. The Engine 2 Diet is by Rip Esselstyn (son of Dr. Caldwell Essestyn who was one of the main people in Forks Over Knives and also the author of the book that changed Clinton's mind, Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease- a great book indeed). The first half of the book is a story of how Rip got his whole Engine to go plant-based and what their results were. The second half is recipes, both equally as good. I'm going to look into Rawified because I haven't taken a look at that blog!

  7. Anonymous says:

    AWESOME … hmmm yes

  8. OMG!! this looks so good. I shared it :)

    1. Thanks for sharing the love! We all need some vegan chunky monkey in our lives. :)

  9. Emily von Euw says:

    YES OMG banana ice cream is so amazing. It's just incredible. HOW!? Oh, nature.

    1. Nature, she is awesome isn't she! All hale banana ice cream…something so simple and delicious. :)

  10. Anonymous says:

    The perfect way to break in a new Processor! Love chunky monkey…thx

    1. Yes, and my new processor worked wonders! Enjoy the recipe. You could even add in some walnuts if you like. Cheers :)

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