We scream for ice cream. Whether it’s coffee bacon ice cream or plain vanilla for Bananas Foster, we are all in. Alas, the calorie count on a bowl of the sweet frozen concoction is enough to send one screaming in the other direction. And since we are not fans of frozen yogurt, we tend to skip frozen treats all together. For this very reason, we were very skeptical when we received a Yonanas Classic machine to review. What is a Yonanas you ask? It is a machine for making soft-serve frozen fruit. Yes, fruit. The claim is that you can instantly churn frozen fruits to create a healthy dessert without additional fat, sugar or preservatives.Following the easy to read instructions, I tossed some ripe bananas (they even give you a guide to determine the perfect ripeness for best results) into the freezer in the morning to use for dessert that evening. As directed, I removed the bananas from the freezer 10 minutes before use. As the machine came fully assembled, I plugged it in when it was time for our after-dinner treat. We put the bananas in the chute pressed down on the plunger and presto-chango – soft serve banana puree. It looked exactly like mashed bananas, but the consistency and temperature perfectly resembled ice cream. Originally concerned that it wouldn’t be sweet enough, we were pleasantly surprised. Yet, we knew it wasn’t ice cream, it was sweet, frozen, creamy and delicious, but not ice cream.
The litmus test would have to include kids. So I sought the opinion of our 7- and 9-year-old neighbors. On a hot Friday afternoon, they were invited for an afterschool treat. With frozen bananas and peaches at the ready, I had hoped to make the treat ahead so they wouldn’t notice the lack of cream in the recipe. Instead they excitedly marched into the kitchen straight from the bus stop leaving no time for surprises. The kids were actually thrilled to try the machine which is incredibly kid-friendly as it turns out. The only hiccup is that they wanted to force the fruit through the machine too quickly and it seemed to over freeze…Of course the critical assessment was the taste test and these youngsters took their job VERY seriously. We discussed the taste, texture, and temperature. The consensus was that this was a very acceptable frozen treat! They did not miss the omitted cream or yogurt and it was sweet and creamy enough without any added sugar. They scored it an A+ and asked if they could come back the next Friday to do some more testing (the truest endorsement of all!)
When they left, I was left to clean the mess which took less than 5 minutes as the machine is easy to take apart and clean and is even dishwasher safe. It is also easy to reassemble.Okay, I know what you will say… You can do the same job with a food processor or blender. Ah, but you would be wrong; I tried. The Yonanas machine makes the texture more like ice cream and stays colder longer while the blender version was slimier and did not stay frozen. And the clean-up… Yonanas definitely won that battle.
So the verdict is that if you are a fan of frozen treats, Yonanas is an excellent choice especially if you are lactose-intolerant or maintaining a plant-based diet. I am looking forward to experimenting more fruit combinations (like Piña Colada) and attempting a frozen pumpkin pie for an October book club meeting!
Disclosure: While we received a complimentary Yonanas machine for review purposes, the opinions included herein are honest and unsolicited. Yonanas machines are available from the company’s website and Amazon.com, as well as Target and Walmart stores.
