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Get ready for another THROWDOWN! We’ve been talking about this one for a while… basically ever since Brian got me a Yonanas for Christmas last year. Today we are going to have a battle between the Yonanas and the Vitamix to see which can make the best banana nice cream using only ONE ingredient – bananas! Watch the video to see our full review and find out how to make this delicious vegan treat.
Check out the “Featured Products” section at the bottom of this post for more information about the products used in this video.
We have used the Vitamix in the past to make my three ingredient chocolate nice cream, but I’ve always heard that the Yonanas takes it to a whole new level, so let’s find out!
Watch the video here to see this epic battle take place!
Prepping the Bananas
Before we can get started, we are going to need a TON of bananas. I typically buy a lot, knowing that we can always freeze them if they get too ripe before we can eat them. Since we aren’t adding any sweeteners to this nice cream, you definitely want to make sure your bananas are good and ripe with lots of spots before you freeze them.
You might be skeptical that we can turn JUST bananas into something resembling ice cream, but trust me… it is magic! After they are ripe, I cut them into smaller pieces and lay them out in a single layer on a baking tray lined with parchment paper (for easier cleanup).
Now would be a good time to point out that you’ll want to make sure you have enough room in the freezer before starting this process. If I’m short on freezer space, I just throw the pieces directly into a freezer safe bag. They will stick together a bit, but you’ll get pretty much the same results in the end.
You’ll need to freeze them at least overnight before attempting to make your nice cream. After they are completely frozen, you can use them right away or store in freezer safe bags. Let’s get on to the competition!
Contender #1:
Vitamix A2500 Ascent Series Smart Blender
We bought a Vitamix a few years ago and it quickly became one of my favorite appliances. For making nice cream, I usually add some almond milk and cocoa powder (recipe here), but the Vitamix is strong enough to blend just the frozen bananas without any liquid. In order to keep the playing field level in this competition, we decided to do just that.
I let the bananas thaw for 7 minutes since that is what the Yonanas instructions recommended. I figured it would be a good amount of time for the Vitamix as well.
After that, I just dumped in the bananas and cranked it up to the highest speed. In order to keep everything moving, you want to use the tamper to alternate pushing down towards each of the four corners of the blender cup.
It took about a minute and 20 seconds for it to get to the consistency I wanted and then we were ready to give it a first taste!
I normally store my nice cream in single serving containers, but for this challenge I bought some larger tubs so I could see how each one scooped after being frozen overnight. They worked out quite well.
The Vitamix nice cream definitely scooped very nicely! I was really impressed with the silky smooth texture.
On to the next competitor!
Contender #2:
Yonanas Classic Original Healthy Dessert Fruit Soft Serve Maker
We just got the Yonanas Classic back in December. You might remember it from our Christmas gift exchange video. I hadn’t had a chance to use it yet because I really wanted the very first time I used it to be in this video. So we were excited to finally get it out and give it a test!
As I said before, the instructions recommend thawing your bananas for 7-10 minutes prior to using the Yonanas. So we set a timer for 7 minutes and then it was time for nice cream!
It is a pretty simple machine. You just put in the bananas (or other fruit) and use the plunger to push them along in the chute. Then POOF… like magic… nice cream comes out below!
The texture wasn’t exactly what I expected… stay tuned for the judging below for more. After a quick taste, we transferred it to the other ice cream tub and let it freeze overnight.
The scooping wasn’t quite as graceful for this one, but it still turned out looking very nice.
We were super excited to taste these after they were frozen overnight, so it was time for the judgment round!
Judgment Round
When it comes to judging, we take this seriously! We came up with eight different categories and made an official scorecard (complete with clipboard, of course).
The first category was taste, and we both agreed that it was a tie. Since we only used ONE ingredient (bananas), of course the flavor was pretty much exactly the same. Both the Vitamix and the Yonanas received a checkmark in that category.
Moving on to texture – we decided to break this one into two different categories. Up first, we judged the texture straight out of the machines when it was still “soft serve.” For that category, I preferred the Vitamix because it seemed smoother to me. However, Brian preferred the Yonanas. He thought it was a bit creamier. So we called it a tie and both got a checkmark!
We also froze each overnight in these cute ice cream tubs and then judged the texture the next day. For this category, we both agreed the Vitamix won. The Yonanas nice cream seemed to have a larger ice crystal structure and just didn’t stay as smooth and silky as the Vitamix nice cream did.
Up next, we wanted to take a look at the machines themselves. The checkmark for “ease of use” ended up going to the Yonanas. As I said above, it is SO simple to use. The Vitamix does take a bit more “technique” and getting used to.
“Control” is something important to me. I like to feel like I am in control of what I am making. For the Yonanas, you don’t really have a lot of control. If you don’t like what comes out, you can’t put it back through the machine. You have to go with it or use another tool to get it where you want it to be. With the Vitamix, you can keep blending until the desired consistency is reached.
We have a lot more experimenting to do with the Yonanas. Apparently you can mix in some other ingredients like cocoa powder, but I still think the Vitamix takes the “control” category since you can easily incorporate any ingredients you desire into your nice cream and it will blend everything together evenly.
When it comes to the overall “usefulness” of each appliance, the Vitamix won by a landslide. Since purchasing ours almost two years ago, I have used it at least a few times a week to make various things like hummus, nice cream shakes, popsicles, vegan cheese sauce and so much more! On the other hand, you do have to keep in mind that the Yonanas can only do ONE thing and will still take up a nice footprint in your kitchen.
We can’t judge appliances without talking about the cost! We bought our “Certified Reconditioned” Vitamix A2500 Ascent Series Smart Blender on sale for $280. It normally sells for around $400 at regular price for the reconditioned ones or $500 for a brand new one. We also got a deal on our Classic Yonanas, which cost us just $32 and sells for around $40-$50 at normal price. They also make an Elite version of the Yonanas that costs around $90-$100. Obviously when it comes to cost, the Yonanas wins.
Our final judgment category was cleaning. After you finish making your nice cream, there WILL be a mess to clean up. For the Vitamix, you can just fill it half way with warm water and add a drop of dish soap. Then run the blender on the highest speed for about 60 seconds and rinse.
I originally thought the Yonanas might be a pain to clean, but the good news is that you can remove all of the parts that get dirty and dish wash them. All five parts (everything except the base itself) are dishwasher safe. I decided to give this one to the Vitamix since it’s so quick to clean and doesn’t require any disassembly / reassembly.
The Winner!
There can only be one winner in a throwdown… let’s review the judge’s scorecard!
As you can see, the Vitamix pulled a narrow victory with six checkmarks against the Yonanas with four check marks.
Honestly, they both worked out great and all of the nice cream was tasty. If you’ve been struggling trying to make nice cream in a regular blender, but aren’t ready to invest in a Vitamix, I would definitely recommend the Yonanas. It is a great little machine and it’s fun and easy to use. I think kids would really enjoy joining in on that process, whereas the Vitamix can be a bit more intimidating.
Check out the video here and let us know in the comments which one you prefer. You can also visit our Throwdown Playlist for more epic battles!
Featured Products:
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Vitamix A2500 Ascent Series Smart BlenderYonanas Classic Original Healthy Dessert Fruit Soft Serve Maker
*Note: The Yonanas has been sold out recently, so you may need to add it to your wish list and check back later.
SUMO Homemade Ice Cream Containers 1.5 Quart (2-Pack, Pink)
Libbey 8-1/2-Ounce Irish Coffee Mug, 4-Piece Set
Tovolo Sweet Treat, 6 oz. Mini Tubs Set of 4
Vitamix Blade Scraper Accessory, Grey
Thank you Jessica! I now make chocolate nice cream thanks to you. One more reason to love my vitamix. (Also bought reconditioned a few years ago. What a deal!)
FYI, I screwed up once and threw in room temp bananas and it came together fine. The final product might have had a tad more ice crystals in it, but maybe not. I’m going to experiment with strawberries when they are back in season, and maybe even pistachio. Yum!
Peace, Gayle