• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
That Recipe
  • Recipes
  • Members
  • Subscribe
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipes
  • Members
  • Subscribe
  • follow the fun

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Recipes
    • Members
    • Subscribe
  • follow the fun

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • ×

    Home » Our latest posts » Desserts

    Make Daniel Tiger's Banana Swirl Without a Blender

    March 6, 2014 Filed Under: Desserts, Frozen, Fruit

    Banana Swirl from Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood made without a blender so a preschooler can make it "all by myself"

    Banana Swirl Ice Cream from Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood: Freeze your overripe bananas to make this simple and healthy frozen treat.

    I just had a light bulb moment and found a new way to make Daniel Tiger's Banana Swirl Ice Cream without a blender. Let your preschooler make it themselves, and sneak in a little science while they make their own healthy treat.

    My original post about Daniel Tiger's Banana Swirl Ice Cream  still generates plenty of traffic to the site even a year after publishing it.  If you don't have a preschooler you might not be familiar with Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood, which is a cartoon continuation of Mr. Rogers Neighborhood on PBS. It is one of the best shows out there with kid friendly advice for everything from "saying I'm sorry" to dealing with anger and frustration in an accepting musical way, just like the original.

    The Banana Swirl episode encourages kids to "try new foods because they might taste good".  My first set of instructions were directly from the show and involve an adult blending frozen banana slices in a blender. I had a very brown and mushy banana the other day and a light bulb appeared over my head and showed me an even simpler method that will allow the kids to make it all by themselves without knives or a blender.

    But you don't need a preschooler to make it or enjoy it, this is a fabulously delicious and healthy treat that anyone will enjoy. Well, anyone that would like Banana Ice Cream.

    All you need:

    • bananas {the riper the better}
    • zip-to-lock sandwich bag for each banana {maybe 1 ½ to 2 per bag, no more}
    Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood - ripe banana and a plastic bag

    Peel the banana and put it in the bag {smaller children may need help opening the bag and starting to peel the banana}.

    Remove as much as air as possible and seal completely. Smash the banana and spread to fill the bag. Lumps are okay, completely smooshed is okay.

    Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood - mash ripe bananas in plastic bag

    Freeze until hard.

    Massage bag until frozen banana begins to soften. Don't over do it. You want it soft but still cold!

    Daniel Tiger's Banana Swirl - Mashing frozen bananas

    {bonus science activity - ask your child how the banana feels different after it is frozen? is it easier or harder to mash the banana when it is frozen? etc.}.

    Put cold, softened banana ice cream in bowl and eat (or eat straight from the bag).

    banana ice cream in a bowl with text overlay "Daniel Tiger's Banana Swirl Ice Cream"

    It is gluten free, dairy free, Paleo, raw food, vegan, and pretty much allergy free unless you have an allergy to (or dislike for) bananas. And for those that like the taste of bananas, but not the texture, this is a good one to try since the texture is ice cream!

    You could pre-prepare it and toss the frozen banana bags into a cooler for a picnic or campout. You could even pack it in a lunch bag surrounded by ice packs so they could enjoy it for lunch, you'd just want to make sure it stays frozen until lunch time or it will just be warm mushy banana in a bag - blech!

    Until next time, happy eating.
    ~Audrey

    More Dessert Recipes

    • square cake topped with fresh strawberries and fresh lavender blossoms
      Strawberry Lavender Lemon Cake Simple Special Dessert
    • candy buttons (candy dots) with decorative rabbits on a marble background
      Candy Buttons A Simple Colorful Nostalgic Candy
    • lime and peppercorn cookies on a plate
      Lime Pink Peppercorn Cookies Spring Sweets Week
    • slice of apple cake on a plate
      Irish Apple Cake Makes a Simple Homey Dessert

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Jordan Hansen

      March 12, 2014 at 11:57 am

      Very nice idea, and I love all of the cartoons on PBS. Thanks you for sharing Thank Goodness It's Thursday 🙂

      Reply
    2. Molly Kopp

      October 04, 2014 at 4:43 pm

      Thanks for this tip. My toddler hates the blender, she likes to help with everything until we turn it on, this will be a lot easier and she'll enjoy smashing the banana up.

      Reply
      • Audrey

        October 08, 2014 at 10:40 am

        My son is getting better about but the blender and food processor do annoy him mostly because he can't here his shows. Plus mashing it with their hands is a great tactile experience.

    3. Erin

      June 04, 2015 at 4:06 pm

      Thank you for this recipe! My sons are excited about making it after seeing it on the show.

      Reply
    4. Erin Vasicek

      June 02, 2020 at 11:33 am

      I do have a blender but what a great teechnique to have knowledge of!

      Reply
    5. Amy (Savory Moments)

      June 02, 2020 at 5:14 pm

      This is such a great idea and I know my kids would love it! I am pinning to try this with them. We will have to watch that episode first.

      Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    audrey humaciu in kitchen

    Welcome

    I'm your hostess, Audrey, an avid "maker" that believes home made is better.

    Whether it's cooking, crafting, gardening, home décor, even blog design, I love getting my hands dirty and trying new things... even if I make a mess in the process.

    Discover more about me →

    Fresh Spring Tastes

    • strawberry muffins in a muffin tin with text overlay "sourdough strawberry muffins"
      Sourdough Strawberry Muffins Tangy Sweet Muffins
    • carrot muffins topped with granola on a cooling rack
      Carrot Granola Muffins with No Refined Sugar
    • lemon blueberry jelly roll on a plate
      Lemon Blueberry Jelly Roll Cake Sweet Taste of Spring
    • top down view of strawberry spinach salad with goat cheese and caramelized onions
      Strawberry Spinach Salad with Hot Bacon Dressing is a Delightful Spring Salad

    See more Spring Produce Recipes→

    tablet with ebook on display and text overlay "Seasoned with Love: 60 seasoning mix recipes from around the world"

    Tried and True Recipes

    • piece of bread dipped in cheese fondue with text overlay "alcohol free cheese fondue"
      Alcohol Free Cheese Fondue: Easy Family Dinner in 20 Minutes!
    • close up of popover in a pan with text overlay "Julia Child's Popovers"
      Julia Child's Popovers A Classic Recipe Made Easy
    • fork holidng a piece of lasagna with text overlay "no boil meat lasagna"
      The Original Barilla 4 Layer No Boil Lasagna Recipe
    • jar filled with granola
      Homemade Granola is as Easy as 1-2-3

    See our Top 10 Recipes →

    follow the fun

    • Bloglovin
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • Privacy Policy/Disclosures
    • Cookie Notice

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Contact

    • Contact
    • Work with me

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2023 ThatRecipe

    517 shares
    Manage Cookie Consent
    We use cookies to optimize our website and our service.
    Functional Always active
    The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
    Preferences
    The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
    Statistics
    The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
    Marketing
    The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
    Manage options Manage services Manage vendors Read more about these purposes
    Preferences
    {title} {title} {title}