Beating the heat has never tasted so sweet thanks to our Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Ice Cream Bars. These gorgeous, gut-healthy bars are packed with protein from Lifeway Organic Whole Milk Vanilla Kefir, along with calcium, vitamin D, and B vitamins found in all Lifeway Kefir products. Bananas, dates, cacao powder, and creamy peanut butter all join this frozen dessert party, as they blend together to create a silky, smooth frozen chocolate bar that has the perfect chilly finish.
Lifeway Kefir is the best healthy base for ice cream and frozen desserts like these chocolate ice cream bars, since it has a silky smooth texture with a delicious mouthfeel. It helps make desserts feel extra special while still offering complete protein and other important nutrients you can feel good about. Our kefir’s gut-friendly probiotics also make it easy to digest, meaning can indulge without worry and enjoy every last bite.
Along with protein and probiotics, these Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Ice Cream Bars are rich in antioxidants and magnesium from cacao powder, fiber and B vitamins from banana and dates, and healthy fats and vitamin E from peanut butter. Summer desserts have never tasted as good as they do with a little lift from Lifeway.
Find our probiotic kefir and other products in a store near you, and discover more recipes here. Don’t let summer pass you by without trying these beauties!
The Benefits of Cultured Dairy for Better Health:
Research continues to show the importance of eating healthy foods, including cultured dairy such as kefir, for better gut health, a strong immune system, and to support the microbiome. Fermented foods like kefir hold important value in this line of research due to the link between the gut-brain axis and overall health. Specifically, kefir has been shown to help diversify the microbiome, improve digestion, reduce inflammation, support healthier blood sugar levels, and improve satiety since the bioavailable protein it contains triggers the release of GLP-1.
Lifeway Kefir also contains a variety of nutrients that are vital for healthy bones and overall health: vitamin D3, K, calcium, and vitamin B12. Along with our kefir, we also offer our artisan-made Farmer Cheese, a creamy high-protein cheese made with live and active cultures to support a healthy microbiome that’s easy to spread and contains no added salt for optimal heart-health benefits.
Prep Time: 4-5 hours Servings: 6 barsIngredients
- 1 cup Organic Whole Milk Vanilla Kefir
- 2 large ripe bananas
- 2 Medjool dates, pitted
- 4 tbsp. cacao powder
- 2 tbsp. natural creamy peanut butter
- Garnish: 2 tbsp. additional natural creamy peanut butter, slightly warmed
- optional: crushed peanuts for topping
Directions
- To a blender add the Lifeway Vanilla Kefir, 2 bananas, 2 dates, and 4 tbsp. cacao powder, and 2 tbsp. natural creamy peanut butter, then blend until smooth. Set aside.
- Prepare the peanut butter garnish: Using a piping bag, or a spoon, drizzle a small amount of peanut butter into 6 silicon ice cream bar molds in a swirl pattern. Pour the blended ice cream mixture from step 1 into each mold, distributing it evenly, being sure to cover the peanut butter in the molds. Drizzle any remaining peanut butter right onto top, or add crushed peanuts for a fun crunchy topping.
- Insert a popsicle stick into each mold, then carefully transfer the ice cream bars to the freezer for 4-5 hours, or until fully frozen. Remove from molds and enjoy!
