No Sugar No Cream Ice Cream — Apple Banana Flavour (4 Ingredients)
📌 TL;DR
What it is: Frozen apple + frozen banana + honey + hung curd (strained dahi) — blended and frozen for 6 hours. No sugar, no cream, no machine.
Calories: ~150–170 kcal per serving
Protein: ~6–7g (from hung curd)
Freeze time: 6 hours minimum
IBS-friendly: Yes — no dairy cream, no refined sugar, light on the gut
I Made No Sugar No Cream Ice-cream, Because I Wanted Ice Cream and I Didn’t Want to Feel Awful After
This No sugar no cream Ice cream satisfied my weight loss craving . Some evenings you just want something cold and sweet. Not a “healthy alternative.” Not a smoothie in a bowl with fifteen toppings. Actual ice cream.
The problem with actual ice cream when you have IBS and you’re watching your sugar is that you pay for it. Every time. The cream sits heavy, the sugar spikes, and by the time you’re in bed you’re wondering why you did it.
I’ve been making a chocolate version of this for a while now — hung curd, frozen banana, cocoa, honey. It’s good. Really good. But I wanted something lighter. Something that tasted like summer fruit rather than dessert-dessert.
So I threw frozen apple slices into the blender with the banana and the hung curd and the honey, and I got this no sugar no cream ice cream that honestly surprised me.
Apple does something interesting when it’s frozen and blended. It adds a fresh, slightly tart note that cuts through the sweetness of the banana. The hung curd brings creaminess and a very slight tang. The honey rounds everything out. The result tastes like a creamy fruit sorbet crossed with ice cream — cold, smooth, sweet, and genuinely satisfying.
Six hours in the freezer. Three ingredients plus honey. No machine, no churning, no anything.
Video Summary: Watch this quick recipe tutorial showing the ingredients, cooking process, texture, and final serving of the dish.
Watch the recipe video: View on YouTube
Video Summary: Watch this quick recipe tutorial showing the cooking process and final dish.
What Makes This Different From the Chocolate Version
If you’ve already tried the chocolate hung curd ice cream on this blog, you know the base — frozen banana + hung curd + honey is a formula that works. The frozen banana gives you the creamy, thick body. The hung curd gives you protein and tang. Honey sweetens without refined sugar.
This no sugar no cream ice cream takes the same base and goes in a completely different direction flavour-wise.
Cocoa gives you deep, rich, almost bitter chocolate. Frozen apple gives you bright, fresh, fruity. The chocolate version feels like dessert-dessert — satisfying in a heavy way. This one feels light. You could eat it on a hot afternoon and it wouldn’t feel like too much.
The colour is different too. The chocolate version goes dark brown. This one comes out pale, almost ivory, with a very gentle blush from the banana. It looks like something from a fancy ice cream shop. It tastes like it too.
Same method. Completely different experience.
Ingredients
Makes 2–3 servings | Prep: 10 min | Freeze: 6 hours
- 1 medium apple, peeled, sliced, and frozen (any variety — I use Fuji or Shimla)
- 2 medium bananas, peeled, sliced, and frozen
- ½ cup hung curd (thick — strain regular dahi through muslin cloth for 2 hours if needed)
- 1.5 tablespoons honey (adjust based on how sweet your fruit is)
That’s it. Four things.
Equipment: Blender or mixie, freezer-safe container with a lid, cling film.
IBS note: Apple is moderate FODMAP — one apple across 2–3 servings puts you well within a safe range per portion. Banana is moderate FODMAP but at one banana per 2–3 servings, again fine. Hung curd is lower in lactose than regular dahi — most people with IBS tolerate it well. Honey in small amounts is generally okay; if you’re very fructose-sensitive, swap with maple syrup.
How to Make It
Step 1 — Freeze Your Fruit First
This is not optional and it cannot be rushed. Peel and slice both the apple and the banana. Lay them flat on a plate, cover, and freeze for at least 6 hours. Overnight is better.
Room temperature fruit will give you a thick smoothie, not ice cream. The frozen texture is what makes this a no sugar no cream ice cream and not just a blended fruit drink.
If your apple slices brown slightly in the freezer — that’s fine. It doesn’t affect the flavour or the final colour significantly once blended with banana and curd.
Step 2 — Sort Your Hung Curd
Hung curd needs to be genuinely thick. Press a spoon into your dahi — if liquid pools around it, it needs straining. Pour it into a muslin cloth, tie it up, hang it over a bowl in the fridge for 1–2 hours. What comes out should be almost cream-cheese thick. That consistency is what gives you the creamy texture in the final ice cream.
If you have store-bought thick Greek-style dahi, check the texture — it sometimes works without straining.
Step 3 — Blend
Add frozen apple slices to the blender first — they’re harder than the banana and need to break down first. Add frozen banana, hung curd, and honey on top. Blend on low to start, then high once everything is moving. Scrape the sides as needed.
You’re looking for a completely smooth, thick, pale mixture. It should look like soft-serve at this point. Taste it — adjust honey if needed. This is your last chance to change the sweetness before it freezes.
Step 4 — Freeze
Pour into a freezer-safe container. Press cling film directly onto the surface of the mixture — this stops ice crystals forming on top. Put the lid on. Freeze for 6 hours minimum.
Step 5 — Scoop and Eat
Take it out 5–7 minutes before you want to eat it. This no sugar no cream ice cream sets fairly firm — letting it sit briefly at room temperature makes it scoopable. Warm your spoon under hot water for clean scoops.
No Sugar No Cream Ice Cream — Apple Banana Flavour
Equipment
- 1 Blender
- 1 Spatula
- 3 Small Dessert Bowl
- 1 small bottle Optional
Ingredients
- 1 medium apple peeled, sliced, frozen
- 2 medium bananas peeled, sliced, frozen
- ½ cup hung curd well-strained and thick
- 1.5 tbsp honey
Instructions
- Peel, slice, and freeze apple and banana for at least 6 hours or overnight.
- If curd is thin, strain through muslin cloth in the fridge for 1–2 hours until thick.
- Add frozen apple to blender first. Blend briefly. Add frozen banana, hung curd, and honey. Blend until completely smooth and thick.
- Taste and adjust honey. Pour into a freezer-safe container.
- Press cling film directly onto the surface. Cover with lid. Freeze 6 hours.
- Remove 5–7 minutes before serving. Scoop and eat.
Notes
- Fruit must be fully frozen — fresh fruit gives a smoothie, not ice cream.
- Hung curd must be thick — strain watery dahi through muslin cloth first.
- Add a pinch of cinnamon for extra warmth and depth.
- For more protein: blend in 1 tbsp hemp seeds — undetectable in flavour.
- Keeps in freezer up to 1 week. Re-blend if texture becomes icy after day 4.
Nutrition Per Serving of No Sugar No Cream Ice Cream (Approx, Makes 3 Servings)
| Per Serving | |
|---|---|
| Calories | 150–170 kcal |
| Protein | 6–7g |
No refined sugar anywhere in this. The sweetness comes entirely from ripe banana, apple, and a small amount of honey. The protein from hung curd makes this more filling than regular fruit sorbet — you’re not going to finish one serving and immediately want three more.
Why This Works for IBS Specifically
Most ice cream is a disaster for IBS. High-fat cream, lactose, refined sugar, artificial flavours — it’s a combination that hits the gut from multiple directions at once.
This no sugar no cream ice cream removes every one of those triggers.
No cream — hung curd replaces it. Lower in lactose, easier to digest, adds protein instead of just fat.
No refined sugar — honey and ripe fruit do the sweetening. The glycaemic load is lower and it doesn’t cause the same inflammatory response that processed sugar does.
No artificial anything — three whole ingredients plus honey. Nothing your gut has to figure out.
Apple adds pectin — a soluble fibre that acts as a gentle prebiotic and supports healthy bowel motility. Banana adds resistant starch (especially if the bananas aren’t overripe), which feeds beneficial gut bacteria.
This is as close to gut-friendly dessert as I’ve found. It tastes like a treat. It doesn’t behave like one inside your body.
Tips So It Actually Turns Out Right
Freeze the fruit long enough. Six hours minimum. I know it’s hard to wait. But under-frozen fruit gives you soup, not ice cream.
Thick hung curd only. Watery dahi makes the ice cream icy and grainy. Strain it first. The extra step is worth it every time.
Blend apple first. Apple is harder and more fibrous than banana. Starting with apple alone for a few seconds before adding the rest makes the blending smoother.
Don’t skip the cling film on the surface. That crusty icy top layer happens because of air exposure. Cling film pressed directly on the surface solves it completely.
Let it thaw before scooping. Five to seven minutes on the counter. This no sugar no cream ice cream is not soft-scoop straight from the freezer — give it a moment.
Variations
Mango version: Replace apple with frozen mango chunks. Use only 1 tablespoon of honey since mango is already very sweet. This is the summer version of this recipe and it’s very good.
Add cinnamon: A pinch of cinnamon powder blended in adds warmth and depth that works beautifully with apple and banana. Also supports blood sugar balance.
Strawberry apple: Replace half the apple with frozen strawberries. You get a pink ice cream with a slightly tart, berry-forward flavour. Works the same way.
More protein: Add 1 tablespoon of hemp seeds to the blender. They blend in completely, you can’t taste them, and they add 3–4g extra protein per serving.
IBS Notes From Me
I make both versions — this one and the chocolate one — and keep whichever I made most recently in the freezer. Having something there when the evening sweet craving hits is the difference between making a good choice and opening a packet of something I’ll regret.
This apple banana version is lighter than the chocolate one. If I’ve had a heavy dinner, this is the one I reach for. The fruit flavour feels cleaner, the texture is slightly lighter, and it doesn’t sit as heavy.
One serving is genuinely enough. The hung curd protein and the fibre from the fruit together mean the satiety hits properly — unlike regular ice cream where somehow finishing the whole container still feels possible.
If you haven’t tried the chocolate hung curd ice cream yet, that recipe is also on the blog. Same base, completely different flavour. Both are worth keeping in your freezer rotation.
You can eat this Guilt Free Chocolate Cake with this recipe
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use any variety of apple for this no sugar no cream ice cream?
Yes — any apple works. Sweeter varieties like Fuji, Gala, or Shimla apples give a milder, rounder flavour. Granny Smith or other tart apples add more sharpness and balance out a very ripe banana nicely. Use what you have. The flavour shifts slightly but the texture stays the same.
My ice cream came out icy and grainy, not creamy. What went wrong?
Almost always the curd. If the hung curd (strained dahi) had too much water in it, the mixture freezes with large ice crystals instead of setting smooth. Strain your curd properly next time — it should be thick enough to hold its shape on a spoon. The other cause is not covering the surface with cling film before freezing, which lets air in and creates ice crystals on top.
Can I make this without honey? I want it completely sugar-free.
Yes. Skip the honey entirely and rely on the natural sweetness of the fruit. Use very ripe bananas — the browner the skin, the sweeter the banana. The result will be less sweet than the honey version but still works. You can also add 2 to 3 deseeded khajoor (dates) to the blender instead of honey for natural sweetness with added fibre.
Can kids eat this no sugar no cream ice cream?
Yes — this is one of the cleanest desserts you can give a child. No refined sugar, no artificial flavour, no preservatives. The only thing to check is honey — for children under 1 year, replace honey with mashed ripe khajoor (date) or skip entirely. For older children this is completely safe and most kids love the fruit flavour.
How is this different from the chocolate ice cream on the blog?
Same base — frozen banana, hung curd (strained dahi), honey. Different fourth ingredient. The chocolate version uses cocoa powder and tastes rich, deep, and dessert-heavy. This apple banana version is lighter, fruitier, and brighter. The chocolate one feels like a treat-treat. This one feels like something you could eat on a Tuesday afternoon without thinking twice. Both are worth making — they serve different moods.
