No-Churn Banana Pudding Ice Cream (Gluten-Free)

If you love banana pudding, imagine that flavor in rich, creamy ice cream form! This rich and creamy gluten-free banana pudding ice cream is packed with real bananas and crunchy gluten-free vanilla wafers for the ultimate nostalgic treat. Best of all? No ice cream machine is required! This no-churn recipe is ridiculously easy and tastes just like a scoopable banana pudding dream—without the judgmental looks when you eat it straight from the freezer at midnight.

While working on writing a cookbook, I stumbled into the magical world of no-churn ice cream—and let’s just say, things escalated quickly. What started as three little recipes somehow turned into over 75 (because when I get excited about something, I don’t do half-measures). Before I knew it, I had an entire cookbook dedicated to ice cream, because… go big or go home, right? My brain practically short-circuited when I realized I could make all these different ice cream flavors without an ice cream machine. Is this wizardry?

One day, I noticed a bunch of spotty, neglected bananas on my kitchen counter—bananas my kids had rejected the moment they saw a speck of brown. (“EWWW!” they shrieked, as if they had just discovered an alien life form.) That’s my cue. In our house, brown bananas = dessert time. Honestly, my kids don’t even realize they’re unofficial members of my kitchen R&D team. Just don’t tell them… or they might start asking to be paid in actual money instead of cookies.

Since my crew loves Banana Pudding, I knew I had to turn it into ice cream. It took a few tries—tweaking the ingredients, adjusting the mix-ins, and obsessively testing the fluffiness factor—but I finally nailed it. My husband, the unofficial quality control supervisor, grabbed a little container, plopped onto the couch, and went to town with his spoon. Halfway through, he looked up and said, “Wow, this really does taste like Banana Pudding.”

Mission accomplished.

Why You’ll Love This Banana Pudding Ice Cream

✔ No-Churn Recipe – No ice cream machine? No problem! This one’s for the low-maintenance dessert lovers.
✔ Gluten-Free & Delicious – Classic banana pudding flavor without the gluten (or the dry, sad cardboard texture some GF treats have).
✔ Thick, Creamy, and Packed with Mix-Ins – Every bite has banana, pudding, and crunchy cookies—because we don’t do boring ice cream here.
✔ Perfect for Spring & Summer – Light, refreshing, and full of flavor… basically the ice cream equivalent of wearing flip-flops in March.

Pro Tips for the Best Banana Pudding Ice Cream

💡 Use ripe bananas – The riper, the sweeter, and the more they look like they’ve been forgotten on your counter for too long.
💡 Don’t overmix the whipped cream – Folding gently keeps the ice cream light and airy. This is the opposite of an arm wrestling match.
💡 Want extra crunch? Add a handful of crushed cookies on top before serving! Because there’s no such thing as too many cookies.
💡 Make it dairy-free – Swap the milk for coconut milk and use a dairy-free whipped topping. Vegan friends, you’re welcome!

No-Churn Banana Pudding Ice Cream

14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk

2 ¼ cups heavy cream, divided

3 ripe bananas

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

2 cups Gluten-Free vanilla wafers, broken into chunks

In a blender, combine ¼ cup heavy cream, bananas, and vanilla. Puree until smooth. In a large mixing bowl, add sweetened condensed milk and whisk together well. In a standing mixer or medium size mixing bowl, beat the heavy cream at high speed until stiff peaks form. Spoon half of whipped cream into condensed milk mixture, stir together with a spatula until well-combined. Add remaining whipped cream and repeat process, stir in cookies. Pour into a ice cream container, cover and place in freezer for a minimum of 4 hours to set. Served with whipped cream and extra cookies for a true banana pudding experience.

Freezer Instructions: Store in freezer for up to 6 months, pull out to enjoy as desired.

Single-Serve Cups: My favorite way to make ice cream is by distributing them into 4 oz. containers for the kids, and 8 oz. containers for the adults. Not only does this save you from scooping ice cream into bowls and getting less dishes dirty, it’s also a great way to not eat an entire pint at a time.

Chocolate Monkey Variation: when combining pureed bananas and sweetened condensed milk, add 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter and beat with electric mixer until smooth. Follow remaining instructions with adding heavy cream, then substitute 1 cup GF vanilla wafers with 1 cup mini chocolate chips.