Chocolate covered frozen bananas are a copycat version of Trader Joe’s famous ‘Gone Bananas’. It’s one of the simplest (and healthiest) desserts you’ll ever eat!
dark chocolate covered frozen banana bites are irresistible
They’re my even better version of Trader Joe’s frozen treats. The last time I was at my sister’s she brought out a box and it didn’t even make it all the way around the table before it was emptied. That’s like throwing down the gauntlet to a food blogger. Why buy something in frustratingly small boxes when you can easily make them yourself?
frozen bananas have the texture of ice cream!
Crazy, but true ~ the frozen banana tastes just like ice cream, and the chocolate shell just adds to the delicious illusion. Since you’re making them yourself you can use your favorite chocolate. I like dark, but milk or white works too. The magic is in the coconut oil, which, when melted with the chocolate, makes a coating that hardens instantly on contact with the cold banana. It’s exactly like magic shell chocolate sauce that you pour over ice cream. Same principle.
what you’ll need
- bananas ~ I like to use firm bananas, not overly soft and ripe.
- chocolate, either good quality chips, or bar chocolate, chopped.
- refined coconut oil ~ this helps the chocolate coating harden to a shell. Look for refined, not virgin, which has a stronger coconut flavor. Nothing against coconut, but I definitely don’t want it interfering with the rich dark chocolate flavor.
how to store your frozen bananas
You’ll want to keep these frozen at all times: at room temp they’ll turn into little melted blobs. I like to stack them in a freezer safe container with sheets of waxed paper between the layers to prevent sticking. Take them out just when you’re ready to devour them!
how long will they last?
Plan to enjoy them within a week, but probably you’ll eat them all in one go, that’s what happens here.
more healthy-ish chocolate treats!
- Dark Chocolate Mendiants
- Easy Chocolate Dipped Strawberries
- Chocolate Hazelnut Milk
- Chocolate Dipped Pretzels
- Dark Chocolate Dipped Apricots
- Detox Dark Chocolate Almond Butter Cups
variation ideas for copycat Gone Bananas
- Top the coated banana slices with crushed nuts, coconut, or sprinkles before the chocolate hardens. You’ll need to sprinkle immediately after dipping as the chocolate starts to set up right away.
- Spread a dab of peanut butter or almond butter over the frozen bananas before coating them in chocolate.
- Make full sized dipped bananas; simply slip a popsicle stick into the banana before freezing, then after it has frozen, dip into the chocolate.
- You can do this with other types of chocolate or baking chips.
Chocolate Covered Frozen Bananas
Ingredients
- 2 ripe firm bananas
- 12 ounces dark chocolate chips or semi sweet bar chocolate, cut in small pieces
- 4 Tbsp refined coconut oil Note: this is a solid oil that comes in a jar.
Instructions
- Slice the banana and place the slices on a tray lined with parchment or waxed paper to prevent sticking. Put the tray in the freezer until the bananas are frozen solid. About 2 hours.
- Meanwhile place the chocolate chips and the coconut oil in a microwave safe bowl or measuring cup. Microwave for 60 seconds and then stir. Continue stirring until the chocolate is melted and the sauce is glossy. If necessary, microwave for another 15 seconds and stir again, until all the chocolate is melted and smooth. Don't over heat. Set the chocolate aside to cool.
- When the bananas are frozen, dip them into the cooled chocolate and coat on all sides. I like set the slices on a fork and then use a spoon to help drizzle the chocolate all over. Let any excess chocolate drip off before setting the slice down on a parchment or waxed paper lined tray (it can be the same one.) Put the coated slices back in the freezer right away to harden.
- Once the bites are hardened you can transfer them to a freezer safe storage container or zip lock freezer bag.
- Plan to enjoy your banana bites within a week.
Notes
Nutrition
i am thinking of adding some crunch when i try to make these myself. gonna sprinkle some brown rice cereal on the frozen nanas before i dip and see…. thanks for sharing such sweet little treats!!
Let me know how it turns out Suzi. I think maybe coating with chopped nuts after the chocolate might be good, too.
Could I do this with Cacao nibs??? Maybe a mixture of Cacao nibs, Organic maple syrup and Organic coconut oil?
You can’t melt cacao nibs, but you could sprinkle them on the chocolate after dipping.
it might be handy to stick a toothpick in the fruit slices before freezing – would make it easier to coat the fruit and use for nibbling handles when ready. We made this last night using 1/2 chocolate chips and 1/2 peanut butter chips. It made enough to coat the banana slices and a handful of frozen cherries (my hubby *raved* about the cherries).
OMGGGG , I just made 3 bananas, WOW!!!! Better than ice cream, I have been eating healthly for about a month and I lost about 10 pounds, this is so easy and the best snack, I love, Love them!!! Thank U so very much!!!
Yay~!!!!!
I love these! They were so fun to make and a delicious, healthy-isn treat 😉
AMAZING! These are SOOOOOO GOOOOOOOD! Work fast though because they thaw really fast. I did 6 bananas at a time and had to stop halfway through and refreeze the slices, small batches would be best. I used 60% cocoa and they were perfect
Wow, 6 bananas? You’re set for a while!
I was just wondering if it’d be possible to get the nutritional information for these? They look delicious
The nutritional information all depends on what brands of coconut oil and chips you use.In a nutshell who really cares? They are healthy for you because of the 3 ingredients used. So what I would say is .. make a batch and sit back and enjoy guilt free!
My philosophy exactly Ivy 🙂
1 cup of dark chocolate chips has over 800 calories
2 TBS of coconut approx 230 calories
1 Banana approx 100 calories
Hi there – these are my FAV things to buy at TJ’s…and I’ve made some myself in the past just melting chocolate chips in a zip bag and sort of ‘piping’ a bit onto the banana slices…however I was wondering with your recipe, if maybe I could just use unsweetened cocoa powder mixed with the coconut oil…wonder if it would harden the same way? :-/
That’s an interesting thought, Mejia Mamma… I’m not sure what would happen because you’d probably need more coconut oil to blend the cocoa powder in…let me know if you try it!
I’ve done it successfully with a mixture of melted coconut oil, cocoa powder, and maple syrup. (about equal parts coconut and cocoa powder, to a half part or less of maple syrup)
Great to know!
I just made these and they are fantastic!!! Thank you so much for the recipe!
Thanks Sarah — it’s hard to go wrong with bananas and chocolate, so I can’t take TOO much credit 😉
These look lush! However Coconut oil is a little out of my price range and a tad tricky to find (I live in Peru) . Would they work just fine with regular milk chocolate if I popped them back in the freezer for a while afterwards?
Absolutely Bella, they’ll be fine made that way, enjoy!!