Banana “Ice Cream” + Chia Seed Pudding Parfait

If you’ve never made banana “ice cream” or tried chia seed pudding, now is the time! We’re putting them together in this delicious and super filling parfait. I had this for lunch the other day and was full for hours. It’s also good for breakfast, or even a healthy treat.

Don’t let the instructions fool you – it’s not nearly as meticulous as it may look, I promise! You will need to freeze your bananas and make the chia seed pudding in advance. After that, everything comes together in 10 minutes!

STEP 1: Freeze Bananas

The more ripe your bananas are, the sweeter they’ll be.

1. First, peel your bananas; for this recipe, we’re using two.
2. Slice them into 1- to 2-inch chunks.
3. Arrange banana chunks in a single layer on a parchment-lined sheet pan, or you can wrap them in aluminum foil.
4. Freeze for 2 hours (or overnight, if you like).

Frozen bananas are always great to have on hand for smoothies! I feel like banana works in almost any smoothie recipe, and it gives a nice, creamy texture. Yum!

STEP 2: Prepare Chia Seed Pudding

INGREDIENTS

• 6 Tablespoons chia seeds
• 2 cups unsweetened almond milk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 Tablespoon maple syrup, honey or sweetener of choice (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a bowl or mason jar, combine all ingredients.
2. Once the mixture is well combined, let it sit for 5 minutes, give it another stir to break up any clumps of chia seeds, cover and put the mixture in the fridge to set up for 1-2 hours (or overnight).

STEP 3: Make Banana “Ice Cream”

INGREDIENTS

• 2 ripe peeled bananas, cut into chunks and frozen (we did this in step 1)
• 2-4 Tablespoons almond milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS

Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth and creamy (think soft-serve texture).

Use a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides of the blender, as needed. (I have a Ninja blender and it tends to splatter everything up the sides of the blender at first.)

STEP 4: Assemble Your Parfait!

Layer the ‘ice cream’ + pudding in a glass and use whatever toppings you like!

This one’s got slivered almonds, blackberries & a drizzle of honey. 😋

De-lish!

Nutrition Info:
– 450 calories (depending on your toppings – this nutrition info is specifically for the one I made)
– 15 grams protein
– 60 grams carbohydrates (including 24 grams of fiber!)
– 19 grams healthy fat

Good source of vitamins and minerals, like potassium, vitamin C, calcium + iron!

For additional protein, you could add a scoop of your favorite protein powder to the “ice cream,” if you like.

This recipe is inspired by Karina Elle.