OMG guys. These are SO much fun!! I can’t get over how much I love them. Number one, they’re adorable and colorful, two, they’re freaking DELICIOUS, and three, they’re healthier! Instead of using regular ice cream for these, I made banana ice cream out of two ingredients. Frozen bananas and almond milk. If you haven’t tried it, it’s magical.
You literally slice bananas, freeze them, and purée them with just enough almond milk to blend. It turns into the most creamy, delicious soft serve. It legitimately tastes like ice cream. It’s unreal! Such a great treat.
I’ve even added peanut butter, chocolate chips, cocoa powder, toasted coconut, and a bunch of different things to it to make different flavors. SUCH a great alternative to ice cream if you’re looking for something a little lighter!
On to these babies. If I had to pick my favorite, I think it would have to be the s’mores. As you can see, we’ve got banana ice cream, dark chocolate, crushed graham crackers and toasted marshmallows. Such an amazing combination. I just toasted the marshmallows under the broiler for a few seconds. SO easy! No need for an open fire..unless you want to!
Not that I don’t love the classic banana split, I just have such a soft spot in my heart for anything s’mores. It’s just too good! And I LOVE graham crackers. I could eat them all day. Especially dipped in peanut butter. Or better yet, PEANUT BUTTER S’MORES. You should totally add peanut butter to these too.
The classic banana split is so fun too. I love them both! This one has the banana ice cream, strawberries, sliced banana, sprinkles, maraschino cherries, coconut whipped cream (or you can use regular!), and a dark chocolate drizzle. It’s loaded in the best way. Feel free to get crazy with toppings here! Toasted coconut and nut butter and/or chocolate chips would be amazing.
And now I regret not putting peanut butter on this one. You have to do it and tell me how it is! It was totally amazing in its pure form though. OMG.
These would be so fun to make on a hot summer day if you have friends or family over, and set up a bar with a bunch of toppings! The banana ice cream literally comes together in a couple minutes. These are so easy and kids would love them!
Gotta love that drizzle! Can never have too much dark chocolate. Can we all agree?
Healthier Banana Splits with Banana Ice Cream - 2 Ways!
These healthier banana splits are made with 2 ingredient banana ice cream - frozen bananas and almond milk! Such a fun treat the whole family will love!
Ingredients
For the banana ice cream
- 4 bananas, previously sliced and frozen
- 1/2 cup almond milk
For the classic banana split
- 1 banana, split lengthwise
- a few scoops of banana ice cream
- sliced banana
- sliced strawberries
- coconut whipped cream (or regular whipped cream) *see notes
- sprinkles
- maraschino cherries
- melted dark chocolate for drizzling
For the s'mores banana split
- 1 banana, split lengthwise
- a few scoops of banana ice cream
- toasted marshmallows *see notes
- crushed graham crackers
- melted dark chocolate for drizzling
Instructions
To make the banana ice cream, place the frozen bananas in a high powdered blender or food processor. Add the almond milk and blend until thick and creamy, like soft serve ice cream. You may need to stir it several times or use your blender's tamper to get things moving. The key is to add as little almond milk as possible to make it super thick and creamy.
To assemble the classic banana split, lay the split open banana on a plate, top with a few scoops of banana ice cream, a dollop of whipped cream, sliced bananas and strawberries, sprinkles, a couple of maraschino cherries, and a drizzle of melted dark chocolate!
To assemble the s'mores banana split, lay the split open banana on a plate, top with a few scoops of banana ice cream, a handful of crushed graham crackers, a few toasted marshmallows, a drizzle of dark chocolate, and another handful of crushed graham crackers.
Recipe Notes
*For the coconut whipped cream, I refrigerate a can of full fat coconut milk overnight. When ready to use, open the can and scoop out the very top, the thick coconut cream into a mixing bowl. Discard the water. Whip the coconut cream with electric beaters until it resembles whipped cream. Add a few tablespoons of powdered sugar and a ½ teaspoon or so of vanilla extract, or to taste. Whip again until combined. And voila, vegan whipped cream!
*For the toasted marshmallows, preheat your oven's broiler to high. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil, and place the marshmallow on the sheet. Place them under the broiler, watching very carefully. They will burn in an instant! Remove them when they look golden and toasted. This can take less than a minute, depending on your broiler. Don't walk away!
OMG that s’mores one looks GORGEOUS! I love the idea of using the banana ice cream in a banana split. Duh! Why didn’t I think of that? So yum!
Thanks SO much Melissa! Haha I thought the same thing when I thought of it!