5-Minute Banana Soft Serve (with Instant Pudding Mix + Berry Option!)

2 Comments / Snacks and Smoothies / By / December 19, 2025
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The most insanely delicious, ultra creamy banana soft serve, made with just five simple ingredients in five minutes! The secret ingredient is instant pudding mix and I have included a lower calorie, refreshing berry option as well! If you’re craving something sweet, or a healthier version of ice cream, give this one a try! {Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free Friendly}

A birds-eye view of two bowls of soft serve; one with frozen banana and caramel and the other frozen berries with dark chocolate chips and whipped cream.

I tested this recipe multiple ways. I even added protein powder but didn’t like the taste as much as without. The end result is a creamy, decadent and delicious frozen fruit spoonable soft serve.

It reminded me of salted banana caramel ice cream – I drizzled with caramel, topped with sea salt, and sprinkled with brown sugar, too. Dark chocolate chips and whipped cream complemented the mixed berry version for an antioxidant-rich dessert idea.

There are so many fun topping ideas that could take both of these recipes to the next level!

A birds-eye view of creamy frozen banana ice cream topped with brown sugar and whipped cream.

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Why I Love This Recipe

  • You get the creamy, soft-serve texture you crave with fewer calories, less added sugar, way more nutrients, and the option to make it high-protein – but it still tastes like a guilty pleasure!
  • What I love most is how customizable it is: use frozen bananas if you want a richer, creamier version or go with frozen berries for a lighter, lower-calorie option that’s still super refreshing and surprisingly creamy. Either way, it’s fast, fun, kid-friendly, and the perfect “I want something sweet right now” recipe.
  • Bananas add potassium and natural sweetness, while berries offer antioxidants and anti-inflammatory benefits.

Instant Healthy Soft SErve Instructions

This recipe makes about two servings! The banana version tastes like a decadent custard or ice cream. The frozen berry soft serve feels more like a smoothie bowl, however, the cheesecake pudding mix adds this amazing flavor. It is so refreshing and satisfying at the same time – especially with dark chocolate chips and whipped cream!

The ingredients for the frozen fruit soft serve on a counter.

Base Ingredients

  • 2 medium/large frozen bananas, sliced and frozen OR 1 cup of frozen berries for a lower calorie version.
  • 1/2 cup of Cool Whip. I used reduced fat and this is what the nutritional information is calculated with.
  • 2 tablespoons instant cheesecake pudding mix. Sub with your favorite flavor! Use sugar-free, if preferred.
  • A pinch of sea salt. Sweet and salty? Yes, please!
  • 3-4 tablespoons of milk. Add more as needed but for the thickest, most ice cream-like consistency, try to stick to just 3 tablespoons. I used Fairlife milk, a plant-based milk may result in a thinner consistency.
  • 1-2 scoops of vanilla or unflavored protein powder, optional. I tested with and without protein powder and I did prefer it without!

Fun Topping or Add-In Ideas

My personal favorite combination is banana slices, whipped cream, chopped walnuts and a drizzle of caramel!

  • Cinnamon
  • Banana slices
  • Caramel topping
  • Whipped cream
  • Dark chocolate chips (I love on the berry version)
  • Brown sugar (delicious on the banana version)
  • Nutella
  • Chopped walnuts
  • Cocoa powder
  • Vanilla Extract

Step-By-Step Instructions

A powerful blender or food processor definitely works best for this recipe. If you have one, you might be able to get away with less milk and a more “ice cream like” consistency.

  • A birds-eye view of the ingredients for the soft serve in a blender cup.
  • A birds-eye view of the blended banana base ingredients in a blender cup with a spatula in it.
  • A close-up of berry soft serve on an ice cream scoop.
  • A birds-eye view of a bowl of berry soft serve.
  • A spoon drizzleing caramel onto the top of a bowl of frozen banana soft serve.
  • A close-up of a bowl of banana soft serve topped with chopped walnuts, a caramel drizzle and whipped cream on a counter.
  1. Add all base ingredients into a high speed blender or food processor.
  2. Blend until smooth and well-combined, stopping and scraping down the sides to incorporate all the ingredients. If using a food processor, try switching between pulsing and blending. If the blender gets stuck, add a splash of milk. The consistency is definitely best if you can stick to just 1/4 cup, though!
  3. Divide into two servings. Top with you favorite toppings and enjoy! Best if consumed immediately.

Can I Freeze the Soft Serve?

This recipe tastes best if consumed within a few hours. Yes, you can freeze it, but the longer it freezes the icier the consistency becomes. When I tested this, it was fine if frozen for up to 8 hours. The banana version definitly holds up much better than the berry version. Any longer than 8 hours requires 15-30 minutes of sitting on the counter before it has that creamier consistency!

A spoonful of banana ice cream with brown sugar over a bowl.

Tips for Success

A powerful blender or food processor definitely works best for this recipe. If you have one, and want a thicker consistency, add more frozen fruit!

The key to getting that thick, creamy soft-serve texture is blending slowly and patiently. Because we’re not adding milk or liquid (which would make it runny), you want to rely on short pulses, scraping down the sides, and letting the frozen fruit soften just enough to move through the blades.

Add the banana to the blender or food processor in smaller chunks or slices for easier blending.

Stop as soon as the mixture turns smooth and creamy—too much blending will warm it up and make it soft/soupy.

Dairy-Free Option

Sub the cool whip with a dairy-free cool whip and use a plant-based milk. If possible, use 2-3 tablespoons of milk only for a thicker consistency.

More Healthy Snack Ideas

These are nutritious snacks that taste like dessert!

Isn’t Pistachio Pudding Mix Full Of “Toxic” Chemicals?

Instant pudding mix is an easy and convenient way to add taste and texture! It’s mostly sugar, modified starches for thickening, flavorings, and some food colorings or stabilizers. These are all FDA-approved ingredients considered safe to eat in the amounts found in foods.

That said, it is a highly processed product – it’s not very nutrient-dense and it does contain artificial additives. So while it’s fine to enjoy occasionally, it’s not something to rely on for nutrition.

Food additives like the ones in Jell-O pudding mix have been evaluated repeatedly by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration), EFSA (European Food Safety Authority), and other global food safety agencies. For an additive to be approved, it must undergo toxicology studies to determine a “no observed adverse effect level” (NOAEL).

Now, remember: the “dose” makes the poison. Therefore, there might be one study out there that says one of these additives “may be a carcinogen” but 1) there is not enough research or even a specific dose in which this could be the case, and 2) the other studies in which this additive has been used have found no harm.

A birds-eye view of two bowls of soft serve; one with frozen banana and caramel and the other frozen berries with dark chocolate chips and whipped cream.

5-Minute Banana Soft Serve (with Instant Pudding Mix + Berry Option!)

Author: Alex Evink, MS, RD
176kcal
5 from 1 vote
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Prep 5 minutes
Total 5 minutes
The most insanely delicious, ultra creamy banana (and mixed berry) soft serve, made with just five simple ingredients in five minutes! The secret ingredient is instant pudding mix and I have included a lower calorie, refreshing berry option as well! If you're craving something sweet, or a healthier version of ice cream, give this one a try! {Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free Friendly}
Servings 2 servings
Course Snack
Cuisine American

Ingredients

Topping and Add-In Ideas
  • Cinnamon
  • Caramel
  • Chopped Nuts
  • Whipped Cream
  • Dark Chocolate Chips
  • Sprinkles
  • Fresh Fruit

Method

  1. Add all base ingredients into a high speed blender or food processor.
  2. Blend until smooth and well-combined, stopping and scraping down the sides to incorporate all the ingredients. If using a food processor, try switching between pulsing and blending. If the blender gets stuck, add a splash of milk. The consistency is definitely best if you can stick to just 3 tablespoons, though!
  3. Divide into two servings. Top with you favorite toppings and enjoy! Best if consumed immediately.

Nutrition

Calories176kcalCarbohydrates39.6gProtein2.6gFat2.4gSodium247mgFiber2.5gSugar12.9g

Notes

  • I used Fairlife milk, a plant-based milk may result in a thinner consistency. 1-2 scoops of vanilla or unflavored protein powder, optional. I tested with and without protein powder and I did prefer it without!
  • If you prefer a thicker consistency, blend completely and add a couple more slices of bananas.
  • This recipe tastes best if consumed within a few hours. Yes, you can freeze it, but the longer it freezes the icier the consistency becomes. When I tested this, it was fine if frozen for up to 8 hours.
Nutritional information is just an estimation and individual ingredients and preparation may lead to slight discrepancies. Above is for the banana version without protein powder.
Berry version: 111 calories, 2.4 grams of fat, 247 mg sodium, 21.8 grams of carbohydrates, 2.3 grams of protein, 12.9 total sugars, 6.5 grams of added sugars, 2.6 grams of fiber,

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2 thoughts on “5-Minute Banana Soft Serve (with Instant Pudding Mix + Berry Option!)”

5 from 1 vote

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