Banana Split Tips
Can you serve a banana split in a different type of dish?
If you don't have a banana split dish at home, you're not alone! While you can easily order one online, you can also look at your local thrift store to see if they have any vintage banana split dishes. Otherwise, just find a long, shallow dish to use at home. If you don't have one that will do the trick, you could simply slice up the banana even further so that the sundae will fit into a regular bowl, like in other
ice cream sundae recipes.
How can you make a banana split your own?
While classic banana splits use scoops of chocolate, vanilla and strawberry, you can be as creative with the
ice cream flavors as you'd like. If it were up to me, I'd go with
vanilla custard, peanut butter ice cream and
cookie dough ice cream. You can also swap out the toppings and sauces. Instead of chocolate syrup, consider
salted caramel sauce,
strawberry syrup or
peanut butter ice cream topping. Use blueberries, raspberries or another fresh fruit to replace the pineapple and strawberry, or skip the fresh fruit toppings altogether and go with something a little more indulgent like Oreo crumbles, sprinkles or chopped peanut butter cups. Just keep the split banana as the base so you're still making a banana split!
Can you make banana splits ahead of time?
Since making a banana split takes more work than serving up scoops of plain ice cream, you might be tempted to make the sundaes ahead of time, especially if they're on the menu for your summer barbecue. But banana splits (and
banana split-inspired recipes) are best eaten fresh. You could chop up the strawberries and pineapple a few hours ahead, but the bananas should be split right before serving so they don't turn brown. Pull the ice cream out of the freezer about 10 minutes ahead of time so it's easier to scoop.
—Lauren Pahmeier, Taste of Home Associate Editor
Nutrition Facts
1 serving: 710 calories, 31g fat (17g saturated fat), 88mg cholesterol, 184mg sodium, 107g carbohydrate (68g sugars, 6g fiber), 11g protein.