Caramelized Banana Split Recipe

Take a classic dessert to the next level with this Caramelized Banana Split recipe. With simple directions to caramelize bananas in the oven, this treat is easy enough for a weeknight.

For an item that is literally always on my kitchen counter, I actually don’t have a ton of recipes on this blog for bananas! There’s a banana breakfast smoothie and chocolate covered bananas, but I think it’s time to give bananas a little more love around here.

It’s hard to think of bananas without a banana split coming to mind. Truthfully, I’ve never enjoyed traditional banana splits, because I’ve never loved eating just plain, uncooked banana.

I love the flavor of bananas, but prefer them baked into something like mango banana bread, or cooked, like in bananas foster. Give me caramelized bananas over plain ones any day!

So, this caramelized banana split recipe with Hudsonville Ice Cream’s Limited Edition Blueberry Graham Delight is my idea of a perfect summer treat.

This banana split recipe is a twist on a classic:

This caramelized banana split recipe is definitely a unique riff on the classic banana split. If you’re a food history nerd like me, NPR has a really interesting article about the history of the banana split.

What exactly constitutes a classic banana split recipe? A banana, of course. And one scoop each vanilla, chocolate and strawberry ice cream. And pineapple, chocolate AND strawberry sundae sauces. And whipped cream, cherries, and optional nuts.

I don’t know about you, but I don’t normally keep three separate flavors of ice cream in my freezer at the same time (because my freezer is tiny and usually full of Greek lasagna!).

And while I do have recipes for a trio of homemade ice cream toppings, I don’t generally make all three at once.

So, for this at-home version of a banana split, I’m choosing just one extra special ice cream from Hudsonville. I’m caramelizing bananas in the oven to make them extra ooey gooey, then adding even more caramel sauce. I’m adding fresh blueberries. And the whipped cream and cherry are there, of course!

How to caramelize bananas in the oven:

So, first of all, there’s a little bit of a learning curve to cutting the bananas in half. It sounds easy, but it was tricky figuring it out!

If you place the banana so that it’s laying flat on your cutting board, it will be easy to cut in half lengthwise, from the top, but the resulting halves WON’T lay flat on your baking sheet.

So, you need to take the banana, and hold it against a cutting board so that the ends that curve up are pointing up toward the ceiling. Then, take a knife, and going in from the top, cut the banana in half lengthwise.

If you do it that way, the halves will lay flat on a baking sheet, and give you a nice flat surface to sprinkle cinnamon sugar over, which will give you evenly caramelized bananas.

Place the bananas under a high broiler for 3 to 4 minutes until the sugar starts to brown and bubble. Just like with my microwave caramel sauce, watch them VERY CAREFULLY, because they go from perfectly caramelized to burnt in a few seconds.

Psst – did you know that you can also ripen bananas in oven? Bookmark that post for next time you want to make banana bread but only have unripe bananas on hand.

What ice cream to use for a caramelized banana split?

As I mentioned above, a classic banana split is one scoop each vanilla, chocolate and strawberry ice cream. You could do that, or you could top this caramelized banana split recipe with just one super special ice cream.

Hudsonville Ice Cream’s newest Limited Edition flavor, Blueberry Graham Delight, fits the bill! It’s creamy vanilla ice cream that is swirled with blueberry sauce and crushed graham crackers.

It really captures the essence of a Michigan summer (where blueberry picking and making buttermilk blueberry muffins is an essential activity) in a scoop. It’s delicious in a bowl, on a cone or in a sundae or a split!

All of Hudsonville Ice Cream’s Limited Edition flavors are seasonal and only available for a short time, so you’ll want to find them in your nearest grocery store as soon as possible!

Hudsonville Ice Cream is continuing a long tradition of flavor development with two Limited Edition flavors – Blueberry Graham Delight and American Fireworks. Hudsonville Ice Cream can be found in most grocery stores in Michigan and throughout the Midwest.

Check the Scoop Locator on Hudsonville’s website so you can be sure to find which store near you carries these flavors. Also, be sure to connect with Hudsonville Ice Cream on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Hudsonville Ice Cream. Sponsored posts help me pay for the costs associated with this blog (groceries…lots of groceries), and help support me as I pursue a career in recipe development and food photography. All opinions are 100% my own.