The Perfect Banana Split

Perfect Banana Split
The Spruce
  • 15 mins
  • Prep: 15 mins,
  • Cook: 0 mins
  • Yield: 1 split (1-2 servings)
Ratings (37)

By Carroll Pellegrinelli

Updated 06/21/18

Love the taste of banana mixed with the creamy cold texture of ice cream and the rich flavor of chocolate? Is a banana split your ultimate comfort food? If so, try this easy-to-make recipe for banana splits that I'm sure you'll want to make over and over again.

A 23-year-old pharmacist apprentice named David Evans Strickler is credited with inventing the banana triple ice cream sundae in 1904. Back then, this was a high priced dessert, costing 10 cents, twice the price of other ice cream sundaes where Strickler worked at the Tassel Pharmacy, in Latrobe, Pennsylvania.

The 100th anniversary of the city of Latrobe was marked by the invention of the banana split in 2004. That year the National Ice Cream Retailers Association (NICRA) dubbed this Pennsylvania city as the banana split birthplace.

What You'll Need

  • 1 banana (split lengthwise)
  • 1 scoop vanilla ice cream
  • 1 scoop chocolate ice cream
  • 1 scoop strawberry ice cream
  • Garnish: ​​chocolate syrup
  • Garnish: marshmallow creme
  • Garnish: strawberry syrup
  • Garnish: whipped cream
  • Garnish: chopped nuts (lightly toasted)
  • 3 maraschino cherries

How to Make It

  1. Place banana slices against sides of long, narrow, shallow dish.*
  2. Place scoops of ice cream in a row between banana slices.
  3. Squirt chocolate syrup on vanilla and strawberry ice cream.
  4. Spoon marshmallow creme over chocolate ice cream.
  5. Top each mound with whipped cream. Sprinkle with nuts and top each with a cherry.

* These can be found in your local grocery store. (When having a big dinner party, I also use my glass banana split dishes for placing butter around the table).

Made With Bananas

Are you simply bananas for bananas? Try some other recipes that include bananas as the main ingredient:

  • Scrumptious Blueberry Banana Cake: Got leftover blueberries and bananas? What I really like about this Blueberry-Banana Cake is that there are more bananas and blueberries in the batter than flour and sugar.
  • Banana Pancakes: By adding a mashed banana to a simple pancake recipe, you have a flavorful breakfast.
  • Banana Syrup: This recipe begins with your favorite maple syrup.
Nutritional Guidelines (per serving)
Calories 461
Total Fat 24 g
Saturated Fat 15 g
Unsaturated Fat 7 g
Cholesterol 3 mg
Sodium 26 mg
Carbohydrates 57 g
Dietary Fiber 9 g
Protein 6 g
(The nutrition information on our recipes is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. Individual results may vary.)