Berry Smoothie Ice Cream

Smoothie Ice Cream is what happens when strawberries, blueberries, and bananas are blended into a frozen concoction so thick you can eat it with a spoon. 

Ice Cream Smoothie

This ice cream smoothie was an accidental result of my not paying a lot of attention as I threw some of our favorite smoothie ingredients into the blender. Banana berry smoothies are always a win with my kids, so I expected thumbs up when they tasted this.

Their response was off the charts though. The kids LOVED this and declared it the following: “awesome,” “favorite breakfast food ever,” “better than regular ice cream,” and “just make this for our next dessert.” I was laughing so hard by the time the kids polished off their “ice cream breakfast.”

While I did not share their extreme level of enthusiasm or the inclination to call this mixed berry smoothie, “more delicious than ice cream,” it really is a delicious frozen treat. And I was especially happy to see the kids so excited over a healthy treat.

I made these smoothies twice more that month before sharing the recipe with you, just to make sure that the “ice cream” wasn’t a fluke and could be recreated easily. Side note here: I have a very powerful blender. If you do not have a very powerful blender, I recommend using a food processor to make this ice cream.

I have made ice cream smoothies many times over the past ten years and the kids (even the grown ones) still devour every drop from their bowls and glasses.

We also make this Pina Colada Smoothie and enjoy it as soft-serve ice cream. It’s another ice cream smoothie guaranteed to make everyone grin.

Mixed Berry Smoothie

You’ll need the following ingredients to make this recipe:

• milk
• frozen bananas
• frozen strawberries
• frozen blueberries
• honey, to taste

The need for honey (or alternate sweeteners) in this smoothie will depend on the sweetness of the frozen fruit – specifically the strawberries, as some frozen berries simply aren’t very sweet. Taste the smoothie before adding honey and determine if it is needed. Sometimes, we add a good bit of sweetener and other times, none at all.

Layer ingredients into the blender or food processor in the order listed above. Blend until smooth, stopping as needed to scrape the sides of the bowl or pitcher.

Serve immediately for a fun soft serve ice cream or place in the freezer for 30-45 minutes, for a more easily scooped ice cream.

If fully frozen, allow the smoothie to thaw on the counter for 20-30 minutes before serving. This will freeze almost completely solid within a few hours.

I prefer to drink my smoothies with a straw, so I thin this smoothie with an extra splash of milk in the blender and blend again till smooth. This will create a wonderfully thick milkshake consistency smoothie.

Pineapple and bananas, watermelon and basil, peaches, there aren’t many fruits that I won’t happily add to our smoothies.

{originally published 9/22/11 – recipe notes and photos updated 2/23/24}