Banana Split
The ultimate American sweet treat – a classic, 3-scoop Banana Split with indulgent homemade sauces! Perfect for hot days or cool parties!
Grab your spoons! Nothing is better than a delicious Banana Split recipe with made-from-scratch dessert toppings! Three luscious flavors of ice cream and perfectly ripe bananas are topped with rich chocolate, homemade strawberry, and sweet pineapple sauces and finished with whipped cream, nuts, and maraschino cherries!
Banana Splits Make Parties Special!
No matter what the celebration – birthday, holiday, back-to-school bash, or even movie night at home – banana splits make every occasion “extra”! They’re fun! They’re extravagant! They’re customizable! (Think “Banana Split Bar”) And they’re pretty enough for parties!
Our classic Banana Split includes easy recipes for the strawberry and pineapple sauces that are SO simple and much tastier than store-bought! This personalized detail is the secret to the best Banana Splits ever!
Other Beautiful Banana Split Recipes
- Banana Split Poke Cake might be the most delicious cake you’ll make all year!
- Banana Split Trifle, with its gorgeous, layers is the ultimate beautiful dessert!
Ingredients
Bananas: You’ll need perfectly ripe bananas – one for each banana split – that are soft enough to cut with a spoon but not mushy!
Ice Cream: A classic banana split uses one scoop each of chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry. Simple and scrumptious.
Pineapple & Strawberry Sauces: To make these homemade sauces, you’ll need a can of crushed pineapple, freshly sliced strawberries, cornstarch, and granulated sugar. Simple!
Toppings: Chocolate syrup, whipped cream (spray can or homemade!), maraschino cherries, and peanuts will finish off this dessert with mouthwatering yumminess!
How to Make Banana Splits
STEP ONE: Make the pineapple sauce by straining the juice from the crushed pineapple into a small saucepan. Add nine tablespoons of sugar and one tablespoon of cornstarch and cook over medium-low heat for about 10 minutes, stirring often. When the mixture starts thickening and foaming a little, add the crushed pineapple and cook down for another 10 minutes. Allow to cool and store in the fridge in an airtight container.
STEP TWO: Make the strawberry sauce by dissolving 1/2 tablespoons of cornstarch in 1 1/2 tablespoons of warm water in a small saucepan. Add 3 tablespoons granulated and 1/2 pound of sliced strawberries and cook over medium heat for 10-15 minutes, stirring often. Press down on the strawberries to release their juice. Allow to cool and store the same way you would the pineapple sauce.
STEP THREE: Peel a banana and slice it in half longways. Place the two halves in a banana split dish. Place two small or one large scoop of each ice cream flavor between (or on top of) the banana slices. Repeat for each banana split you’re making.
STEP FOUR: Add the sauces. Chocolate sauce on the chocolate ice cream, strawberry sauce on the strawberry ice cream, pineapple sauce on the vanilla (or however you want to distribute them!) Garnish each scoop with whipped cream, a sprinkle of chopped peanuts, and a maraschino cherry on top of each scoop. NOW DIG IN!
Tips for Success
- The bananas should be JUST ripe—not too green or brown at all. A little green on the stem means they should be perfect!
- The homemade sauces will last about two weeks in the refrigerator.
- Put a scoop of whole, shelled peanuts in a baggie, then pound them into small, sprinkle-size pieces.
- Dip your ice cream scoop into a bowl of very warm water to make scooping easier.
- If you’re planning a Banana Split Bar for a party, make scoops of ice cream in advance and put them in muffin tins in the freezer. That way, everybody’s split can be ready at the same time!
- Play with variations! Go crazy with your favorite ice cream flavors! Substitute caramel for chocolate, marshmallow fluff for whipped cream, and pecans, walnuts, or cashews for peanuts! Garnish with flakes of coconut, chocolate chips, mini M&Ms, etc. The sky’s the limit!
What is a Traditional Banana Split Made of?
Banana Splits are an American classic dating back to 1904! Because the original idea was so good, they’ve not changed in over 100 years! Traditional Banana Splits are layered like this:
- A lengthwise-cut banana is placed in an oblong dish
- Top with three scoops of ice cream – vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry.
- Each scoop is topped with one sauce – chocolate, strawberry, and pineapple.
- Finally, the dessert is garnished with 3 dollops of whipped cream, 3 maraschino cherries, and a sprinkling of crushed peanuts for a sweet treat that can’t be beaten!
What are Maraschino Cherries?
Maraschino (pronounced mare-uh-sheeno) cherries are a fun, fruity garnish that is popular in everything from cocktails to fruit cake to ice cream sundaes. They are named for the maraschino liqueur that real, fresh cherries were preserved initially. That process started about 200 years ago in Italy and Croatia to make the cherries sweeter and longer-lasting. Today, the liqueur has been replaced with almond oil, and the cherries are preserved in a calcium-based brine. However, this brine robs the cherries of their color, so food coloring is added to give them back their bright cherry red color!
Other Amazing Ice Cream Dessert Recipes!
- Orange Creamsicle Ice Cream Dessert
- Fried Ice Cream
- Easy Ice Cream Sandwich Cake
- Ice Cream Bread
- No Bake Triple Chocolate Ice Cream Pizza
- Samoa Ice Cream Pie
Banana Split
Equipment
Ingredients
Pineapple Sauce
- 20 ounces canned crushed pineapple
- 9 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
Strawberry Sauce
- ½ tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 ½ tablespoons warm water
- ½ pound strawberries hulled and rough chopped
- 3 tablespons granulated sugar
Banana Split
- 1 banana
- 6 scoops ice cream (vanilla, strawberry, and chocolate)
- 1 tablespoon pineapple sauce
- 1 tablespoon strawberry sauce
- 1 tablespoon chocolate sauce
- Whipped cream
- 3 maraschino cherries
- 1 ½ tablespoons peanuts chopped
Instructions
Pineapple Sauce
- Strain the juice from the canned pineapple into a small saucepan and set aside the crushed pineapple for later. Add the sugar and cornstarch to the saucepan.
- Cook over medium-low, whisking often, for about 10 minutes until slightly thickened (it will foam a little). Stir in the crushed pineapple and cook for another 10 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and allow to cool to room temperature. Store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
Strawberry Sauce
- Whisk together the cornstarch and warm water in a small saucepan. Add the strawberries and sugar.
- Cook for 10-15 minutes over medium heat, stirring frequently, pressing down on the strawberries as they cook to break them up.
- Remove from the heat and allow to cool to room temperature. Store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
Banana Split
- Peel the banana and cut it in half lengthwise. Place in a banana split dish. Place 2 scoops of each ice cream flavor (see note) side by side between the banana slices.
- Add the pineapple sauce over the vanilla ice cream, strawberry sauce over the strawberry ice cream, and chocolate sauce over the chocolate ice cream.
- Add a dollop of whipped cream on top of each ice cream flavor, top each dollop with a cherry, and then sprinkle with chopped peanuts. Serve immediately.
