This really is The Ultimate Banana Split! With three different kinds of ice cream and a huge assortment of toppings, this over-the-top dessert can feed a huge crowd!
Ultimate. Ginormous. Towering. Honkin’. Pimped out. Pick your giant adjective of choice–however you want to describe it, this is one hyoooooge* banana split!
*I hope you said this with a Donald Trump voice, because I sure did.
Folks, today is National Banana Split Day, and as we all know, I am a slave to these fake holidays. Seriously, Jason should wise up and send me a fabricated press release about National Chips and Salsa for Dinner Day, because there is no surer way to get me excited about a food than to suggest that it has its own calendar holiday. I’ve never even assembled a banana split before, but after hearing about its Very Special Day, I became a banana-slicing, ice cream-scooping, cherry-topping fool.
I’m not sure if pictures can convey the size of this dessert beast. You’re looking at a pound of brownie cubes, 7 whole bananas, 3 quarts of ice cream, a dozen chocolate-dipped strawberries, fudge, caramel, and strawberry sauces, and a boatload of sweet odds and ends from my kitchen.
And before we go further, let me say that although I treasure the emails and comments I receive about how sugar is deadly and desserts are so unhealthy—I really, truly do—rest assured that this over-the-top dessert is meant to serve, like, a bajillion people (= at least 10) so save those angry emails for something really important, like that grumpy cat on YouTube who’s always scowling at things. I mean, who does that jerk think he is?
So how do you take a banana split from average to awesome? Well, by adding basically every sweet thing your mind can dream up. I love brownie sundaes, so fudgy brownie chunks were a natural addition. I also like berries with my ice cream, so I thought I’d kick things up a notch by dipping my strawberries in chocolate before adding them to the split. And from there things rapidly spun out of control. Cookies! Sprinkles! Cherries! Lollipops! Must.Use.All.The.Things!
The end result was a towering banana split suitable for royalty. (But not that Prince George. He should stick to pureed peas for awhile.) Every bite had something different, and I particularly enjoyed doing some brownie excavation down into the bottom of the bowl—just call me the Indiana Jones of banana splits. As it sits the ice cream starts to melt a bit, meaning that the bottom layer has the most delicious mingling of brownies, banana chunks, soft ice cream, hot fudge, and any other fillin’s that have managed to slip-slide their way down the bowl.
After assembly, you can dish the split up into individual bowls, or if your group is friendly, you can all gather around the giant bowl and just dig in with individual spoons. And hey, if they’re not friendly, it’s a terrific chance to make new friends. Spoon-jousting and fighting over the biggest chocolate-covered strawberries are great ways to meet new people.
The best part is, this is a super-impressive but super-easy dessert to throw together. You can use all store-bought ingredients and whip it up in about 10-15 minutes, including slicing and scooping time. So, no excuses! I hope you’re all able to celebrate National Banana Split Day in style!
🍦More Dessert Recipes You’ll Love
- Mini Banana Split Cakes
- Birthday Party Hat Cakes
- Ice Cream Sundae Cake
- Chocolate Cookie Ice Cream Cups
- Birthday Present Mini Cakes
- Doughnut Ice Cream Sundaes
- Circus Animal Layer Cake
Striped Buttercream Balloon Cake
No-Churn Circus Animal Ice Cream
The Ultimate Banana Split
Ingredients
- 4 cups brownie cubes, (about 1 lb)
- 7-8 large bananas
- 3 quarts ice cream
- Fudge sauce
- Caramel sauce
- Strawberry sauce
- Cookies
- Chocolate-dipped strawberries, or other berries
- Whipped cream
- Sprinkles
- Maraschino cherries
Instructions
- Scatter brownie cubes in the bottom of a wide, shallow bowl. Slice bananas in half lengthwise, and place them on top of the brownies, fanning outward in a circle. Top the bananas with scoops of ice cream. Drizzle the ice cream with fudge, caramel, and/or strawberry sauces. Garnish with cookies, whipped cream, sprinkles, cherries, or anything else you can dream up! The ice cream will start to melt fairly quickly, so pass out the spoons and dig in!
Recipe Notes
Measuring Tips
Our recipes are developed using weight measurements, and we highly recommend using a kitchen scale for baking whenever possible. However, if you prefer to use cups, volume measurements are provided as well. PLEASE NOTE: the adage “8 oz = 1 cup” is NOT true when speaking about weight, so don’t be concerned if the measurements don’t fit this formula.
Want to learn more about baking measurements and conversion?
I have no words, which doesn’t happen very often. I don’t even think that the word ultimate does this banana split justice. Please let me know when you’re making a dessert of this caliber next time, I’ll be sure to put on my stretchy pants and jump on a plane :). Absolutely incredible!
Yes, stretchy pants are a must! Or maybe we should go straight to the caftan stage. 😉 Thanks Kathi!
Can I just watch that gif for the rest of my life? I would be okay with that. 🙂 This is indeed THE ultimate banana split. Wow!
Yes! Do you think we should set it to music? I’m just saying, nothing makes a gif come alive like the chorus to Wiggle…
I am a sugar hater but I LOVE your blog. It allows me to eat with my eyes (without the calories) and gives me inspiration for my own baking.
I also love faux holidays! You can’t have too many theme days; especially when they involve chocolate and whipped cream!
Wait, a sugar hater?! I don’t know if I know what those words mean… 🙂 Glad I can still entertain you, though!
Elizabeth! Sugar is poison.
Also, I’m a miserable human being with nothing better to do than rid the world of fun and pleasure.
🙂
Nobody does big and bold dessert like you! This is just… Such a beautiful sight.
You forgot the part about how I’m contributing to the obesity epidemic in America! I give your trolling a solid B-, try harder next time. 😉
This looks freaking amazing! I keep asking myself: Why have I never made a banana split before?
I know, it was my first time making a legit one too! Don’t wait until next August 25th–maybe we can celebrate Banana Split Day once a month, eh?
Good golly! I just scrolled down and my jaw dropped. That is the coolest dessert I have ever seen! WOW!!!
Haha, I got a good golly, I can die a happy woman. 🙂 Thanks Jessica!!
This banana split looks insane! It looks absolutely amazing. Bravo.
Thanks Emily! It was totally insane…in the best way possible!
This is the most amazing looking banana split I have ever seen!! Serioulsy, you have taken it to a new level, and I LOVE it! So fun, so delicious! Pinning!
Thank you Cate! I can’t wait for next Aug 25 to do it all again. 🙂
Call me selfish but I am not sharing that with anyone!!! ANYONE!!!!!! If I can’t finish that in one sitting, I’m saving it for later but all of it goes into my belly ONLY! hehehe ! Lovingggg that .gif!!!! This is what dreams are made of !!!!!! The BEST.BANANA.SPLIT.EVAAAAAH!!!! <3
I would never call you selfish–that makes perfect sense to me! 😉 Thanks Samina!
I can’t wait to make this for my son’s birthday!!!