Freeze bananas and other fruit then run it through the Yonanas machine to create a fun and healthy treat made from delicious and healthy fruit.
Ease of Use/Performance: 4/5
Convenience/Storage 4/5
Appearance/Design 4/5
How much I enjoy 5/5
Total: 4/5
Yonanas is a simple ice cream maker that uses frozen fruits to create a fun and healthy treat that tastes somewhat like ice cream but without all the calories. Yonanas uses frozen fruit to create a smooth and tasty treat but it is not ice cream in the sense that ice cream is made from cream or milk.
The Yonanas machine is a different type of appliance with a chute on the top like a food processer and using the plunger you push the fruit into the blades to mash the frozen fruit. The blade cone ensures all the fruit comes into contact with the blades which are six metal toothed blades imbedded into the tough plastic cone.
These blades rotate and are right across the chute so anything going down the chute comes right into contact with the spinning blades. The motor is 200 watts but does not spin very fast and can handle very frozen fruit you are forcing down the chute.
The motor may be a bit noisy which is one of the complaints I have seen but any ice cream makers I have heard is just about as loud if not louder. Using frozen fruit means you don’t have to have use ice or other way to freeze the treat when you’re making it but you do have to freeze the fruit beforehand.
You can use either fruit you freeze, along with other things, or you can buy frozen fruit like strawberries, blueberries and others. The machine works best with fruits that have a specific consistency like bananas and strawberries while some fruits need the help of bananas to make a creamy texture.
Using fruit that will cream or be smooth after running through the Yonanas machine is the heart and soul of the concept behind the treat maker. Fruit that has small sections like raspberries and blackberries are not going to do well against the teeth as they simple break apart at their sections but this even makes an interesting treat in itself.
Using a banana or part of a banana first allows the rest of the fruit that follows to blend and crush nicely so many treats with the Yonanas you first use a section of frozen banana. Raspberries and blackberries taste great but you need to either use bananas to smooth out these types of fruits or let them thaw a few minutes before blending to get a creamy texture.
You can add other ingredients to the mix like chocolate or yogurt and even wine as long as it’s either solid or frozen beforehand like liquids and yogurt. I tried using frozen yogurt and it works great using simple cubes of yogurt you freeze in an ice cube tray but get a tray that has smaller cube sizes so they fit in the chute.
Some recipes at the Yonanas website say you can even use frozen wine in recipes but I don’t drink so cannot say how well that worked. I have used a variety of fruits, chocolates and nuts in the maker along with frozen yogurt and you can use other frozen ingredients you buy at the store like those smoothie kits.
I now see little stickers all over the bananas in several grocery stores saying to try the Yonanas with your bananas and I can also recommend this as a great treat. Yonanas is a unique machine with no others like it on the market and does work well for tasty treats but you use all frozen fruits for a healthy snack.
The machine works well for frozen fruit and does take a little effort to push and cram the fruit down the chute but you are using frozen fruit. The noise is also expected as most appliances with motors do make some sort of noise unless you pay a lot for an expensive well made one.
The Yonanas machine is decently made and has stood up to the dozens of treats I have made over the past weeks and has not shown any signs of wear or breakage. All the components are dishwasher safe but they do get a bit messy and require quick cleaning to not allow highly staining fruit like blueberries to stain the cone.
You should wash the parts of right after use or toss in the dishwasher if you have one for easy cleanup and the motor unit can be wiped off easily. The Yonanas website has several recipes with many from users to try but simple use recipes like bananas and strawberries make a great everyday treat.
Adding a few things like some chocolate shavings and a dollop of whipped cream with a sprig of mint can make a simple treat into an elegant dessert. Adding things like chocolate covered hazelnuts or other chocolate candy bars makes the treats a bit tastier as well as fancier.
The Yonanas machine works well and offers a great alternative to higher calorie desserts and can even make pies for a different frozen treat. While many of the recipes will still taste like the fruit you use when using bananas and yogurt you can get an almost totally ice cream taste and texture that is great.
I highly recommend Yonanas for a great and different treat that has the added benefit of being healthy and costs about $50 with a recipe book also available that costs about $20. I have seen Yonanas at Wal-Mart and Target but is also available at Amazon and the Yonanas website along with the Yonanas recipe book.
Yonanas Website
