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Chunky Monkey Ice Cream (No-Churn, Banana Chocolate & Walnuts)

Chunky Monkey ice cream is a creamy no-churn banana base folded with fudge chunks and roasted walnuts. This Ben and Jerry’s copycat style ice cream freezes in a loaf pan until firm for easy, scoopable banana chocolate walnut ice cream.
Prep Time 15 minutes
freezing 6 hours
Total Time 6 hours 15 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 520

Ingredients
  

Base and mix-ins
  • 2 cup heavy cream
  • 1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
  • 3 very ripe bananas, pureed Puree until smooth; very ripe bananas give the best banana flavor.
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 0.25 tsp salt
  • 0.5 cup walnuts, toasted and roughly chopped
  • 0.5 cup fudge chunks or dark chocolate chunks

Equipment

  • 1 stand mixer
  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Whip the cream
  1. Whip heavy cream to stiff peaks until the mixture holds clear ridges when the whisk is lifted. Visual cue: it should look thick and fluffy, not pourable.
Mix the banana base
  1. Whisk sweetened condensed milk, banana puree, vanilla extract, and salt together until smooth. Visual cue: no banana streaks remain and the mixture looks glossy.
Combine and load with mix-ins
  1. Gently fold the banana mixture into the whipped cream just until no white streaks show. Visual cue: keep the batter airy with slow, careful folds.
  2. Fold in toasted walnuts and fudge chunks until evenly distributed. Visual cue: you should see walnuts and fudge pieces throughout the base.
Freeze
  1. Transfer the mixture to a 9x5 loaf pan, press the top level, and cover. Visual cue: the surface should be smooth so it freezes evenly.
  2. Freeze at least 6 hours (or overnight) until firm throughout. Visual cue: the ice cream should hold its shape when scooped.

Notes

Pro tip: fold gently so the whipped cream stays airy, then freeze in a loaf pan for clean scoopable slices. Store covered in the freezer up to 2 weeks; freeze yes—no-churn holds shape well. For a dairy-friendly swap, use a plant-based sweetened condensed milk substitute and full-fat coconut cream in place of heavy cream, then whip until it thickens before folding.