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! 

The Ultimate Banana Split | From SugarHero.com
Want to save this recipe?
Get this sent right to your inbox, plus great new recipes weekly!

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.

The Ultimate Banana Split | From SugarHero.com

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.

The Ultimate Banana Split | From SugarHero.com

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?

The Ultimate Banana Split | From SugarHero.com

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 Ultimate Banana Split | From SugarHero.com

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.

The Ultimate Banana Split | From SugarHero.com

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 Ultimate Banana Split | From SugarHero.com

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

Striped Buttercream Balloon Cake on a white cake stand in front of a polka dot background.

Striped Buttercream Balloon Cake

Is there anything more fun than buttercream stripes?! This cheerful cake trend is all the rage these days, and it adds a bit of whimsy to any cake design. For this Striped Buttercream Balloon Cake, I paired buttercream stripes with candy balloon lollipops, for the ultimate colorful birthday cake!
View Recipe
Scoops of Circus Animal No-Churn Ice Cream in a chocolate bowl.

No-Churn Circus Animal Ice Cream

No-Churn Circus Animal Ice Cream is a sweet pink-and-white swirled ice cream, with LOTS of sprinkles and circus animal cookies mixed in! The best part is, you don’t need an ice cream maker to make this treat.
View Recipe
Close up of an Ultimate Banana Split on multi-colored napkins.

The Ultimate Banana Split

5 from 1 vote
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! 
Prep10 minutes
Total10 minutes
Yields20

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
Save this recipe!
Get this sent right to your inbox, plus great new recipes weekly!

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

If you have the freezer room, I recommend pre-scooping the ice cream. Because the ice cream will start to melt as soon as it is scooped, and you’ll buy yourself a few extra minutes of perfect banana split appreciation if you use frozen scoops of ice cream. Line a baking sheet or two with waxed paper, and soften the ice cream at room temperature for 5-10 minutes. Scoop the ice cream onto the sheets and return to the freezer until you’re ready to assemble. Once it’s go time, plop the pre-scooped ice cream on top of the bananas, finish assembling, and admire your handiwork before diving in!

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?

Nutrition

Calories: 823kcal | Carbohydrates: 141g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 29mg | Sodium: 481mg | Potassium: 311mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 82g | Vitamin A: 380IU | Vitamin C: 3.6mg | Calcium: 116mg | Iron: 3.2mg
Tried this recipe?Snap a pic and hashtag it #SugarHero. We love to see your creations on our Instagram @elabau.

Meet Elizabeth!

Hi, I’m Elizabeth — a trained pastry chef, cookbook author, video instructor, and your new Baking BFF! I’m going to teach you everything you need to know to be a sugar hero. ❤️

Related Recipes

5 from 1 vote

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Rate This Recipe!




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

42 Comments

  1. 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!

  2. 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!

    1. 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…

  3. 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!

    1. Wait, a sugar hater?! I don’t know if I know what those words mean… 🙂 Glad I can still entertain you, though!

  4. 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.

    1. 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. 😉

    1. 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?

  5. Good golly! I just scrolled down and my jaw dropped. That is the coolest dessert I have ever seen! WOW!!!

  6. 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!

  7. 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