Chocolate Covered Bananas

Chocolate Covered Bananas are the ultimate summer dessert. Frozen bananas are coated in a crisp dark chocolate shell, and have an ice-cream-like texture that’s hard to resist. They are like an ice cream bar, only better!

If you’re like me, you may assume this recipe should be super-easy to make without any additional direction… you just dip a banana in melted chocolate right?

Well, almost.

As it turns out, it can get kind of messy if you dip a fresh banana into melted chocolate and then try to freeze it. The chocolate can drip off before it starts to harden in the freezer, so you’ll wind up with a huge flat disc of chocolate on one side of the frozen banana.

It’s much more successful if you start with frozen bananas, so I’ll share all the tips you need to know below.

Why You’ll Love Them

It’s a healthy treat. Bananas are naturally sweet and have an ice cream like texture when frozen, so they make a great alternative to ice cream and popsicles. You’ll get extra fiber and nutrients in each bite!

They are easy to make. Just dip a banana in melted chocolate, and add any extra toppings you like! The hardest part is waiting for the bananas to freeze.

They are customizable. I’ve included tips below for using both melted chocolate chips as the coating, or you can make your own homemade chocolate shell, if you prefer a naturally-sweetened option.

They are allergy friendly. Frozen bananas are naturally gluten-free, and they are dairy-free when you use vegan chocolate chips.

You can add crushed peanuts, sprinkles, sea salt, or any other coating you like to make them look extra festive, too.

Ingredients You’ll Need

What do you need for chocolate covered bananas?

• Ripe bananas
• Chocolate chips
• Coconut oil
• Popsicle sticks

That’s all you need for a basic chocolate covered banana, but you can also gather toppings if you’d like to make these extra fancy. I highly recommend chopping up some salted peanuts for a crunchy coating!

You can also sprinkle these with chopped almonds, pecans, hazelnuts, pistachios, walnuts, rainbow sprinkles, or shredded coconut.

Expert Tip: Use refined or expeller pressed coconut oil, if you’d like the bananas to have zero coconut flavor.

How to Make Chocolate Covered Bananas

1. Freeze the bananas. 

Line a large baking sheet or plate with parchment paper or wax paper. (Make sure it will fit on a flat surface in your freezer!)

Peel the bananas and cut them into thirds. I think this size is the easiest to manage, especially if you have kids in the house who need smaller portions, but you can also cut them in half if you’d like to make larger banana pops, or into 4 smaller pieces, if you want even smaller banana bites.

Insert a popsicle stick into the bottom of each banana, going at least halfway into the banana, so it will stay securely in place. Then place the banana on the lined baking sheet, and repeat with the remaining pieces. You should get 6 banana pops from 2 large bananas.

Place the pan on a flat shelf in the freezer and let them freeze until firm, about 3 hours.

2. Melt the chocolate.

Add the chocolate chips and coconut oil to a heat safe bowl that will snugly sit on top of a small saucepan.

Create a double boiler by filling that saucepan with 1-inch of water and then bring the water to a boil over medium high heat. Place the bowl of chocolate chips and coconut oil on top of the pan, so the steam will gently melt them.

Note: This method above is the best way to melt chocolate for dipping bananas. The steam will keep the bowl of chocolate warm while you work, so you won’t have to worry about re-melting everything during the process. With that being said, you can also microwave the chocolate and coconut oil in 30 second increments, stirring in between each round, until the chocolate is melted.

3. Coat the bananas.

Be sure to gather any additional toppings you might need before getting started, as this process will move quickly. If you’d like to roll the bananas in crushed peanuts or sprinkles, make sure they are standing by in a separate bowl.

I also recommend keeping a large plate nearby, to catch any mess you make as you add the toppings to the banana.

Remove the frozen bananas from the freezer and work with just 1 banana at a time. Hold the banana over the bowl of melted chocolate, and use a spoon to drizzle the chocolate evenly over the banana, until it is totally covered on all sides. Let any excess chocolate drip back into the bowl.

If you’d like to add a topping, quickly move the banana to hover over the large plate nearby, to catch any drips. Use your fingers to sprinkle your topping of choice onto the melted chocolate. The chocolate coating will start to harden in just 60 to 90 seconds, so you don’t have long to get the coating on.

Hold the banana in the air as the chocolate sets, which shouldn’t take much longer than 2 minutes or so. Then place it back onto the parchment lined pan.

Repeat with the remaining frozen bananas, adding the remaining chocolate and toppings. Let them harden before placing them back on the pan, for the prettiest results.

4. Freeze briefly.

Return the bananas to the freezer for at least 10 minutes, so the chocolate can totally harden. Then the bananas are ready to serve.

You can store chocolate covered bananas in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months, but I think the texture is best if you eat them within 30 days of making them.

Make Your Own Chocolate Shell

If you prefer to skip the refined sugar found in chocolate chips, here’s how to make your own chocolate shell that is naturally sweetened with maple syrup.

Here’s what you’ll need:

• 2 tablespoonscoconut oil
• 2 tablespoons cacao powder
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup

Melt the 3 ingredients together in a double-boiler, just as directed above for melting the chocolate chips. This will keep the mixture warm, which is key to keeping the texture runny enough for drizzling on bananas.

Drizzle it over the frozen bananas, and watch it harden in just 60 to 90 seconds. This mixture should make enough to cover 6 banana pops (made from cutting 2 ripe bananas). The homemade chocolate shell is softer to bite into, if you prefer a less-crunchy coating.

More Banana Recipes

Looking for more ways to use ripe bananas? Try these other popular ideas.

• Banana Oatmeal Pancakes
• Peanut Butter Banana Ice Cream
• Banana Milk
• Oat Flour Banana Bread
• Banana Overnight Oats

If you try these chocolate covered banana pops, please leave a comment and star rating below letting me know how you like them!