Banana Split Bar Ideas for Parties
Set up a banana split bar for birthday parties, baby showers, or any summer gathering. This delicious dessert bar allows guests to make their own ice cream treat just the way they want with fresh ripe bananas and yummy toppings. It’s a great way to add something a little different and a lot of fun!
Take your ice cream bar to the next level by making it a banana splits theme.
Party Decor
I designed this with a baby shower or child’s party in mind, and used a whimsical wall decal for a unique backdrop. The monkey theme is quite popular and the life size wall decoration is unexpected and makes a statement!
Using the decal as the inspiration and focal point, I chose the color scheme to match the artwork: brown, green, and yellow.
Hang a cute sign to match the theme and to invite guests to make their own banana split. I created this with a wood craft piece from the craft store, and covering it with coordinating paper and printed sign. The placement looks as though it’s hanging from the tree!
Use an apothecary jar to hold a bunch of bananas. It doubles as decoration and an ingredient.
Look around the house to find interesting vessels to serve food and drinks from. Here I used small round glass bowls to hold dry toppings, including chocolate sprinkles and crushed heath bars.
Fill small carafes with chocolate sauce and caramel syrup. These are typically used to hold salad dressing and they’re easy to pour from. Tie on a label to make them easy to identify.
Hanging monkeys make an adorable addition to the side of ice cream sundae glasses. This is a festive way to carry out the theme.
Wrap store-bought cans of whipped cream with decorative paper to keep the look unified. It only takes seconds to do.
Chocolate dipped bananas make a nice addition to the table and offer an alternative to the banana splits, plus kids love them!
To display them, place craft foam in a low vase and insert the banana stick into the foam. Cover the foam using candy or colorful paper filler.
One of my favorite tips for serving ice cream is to pre-scoop balls and place in the freezer until ready to serve. I used a pedestal glass dish to make them a focal point and stand out on the dessert table.
The ice cream will stay frozen for quite a while if you freeze the entire vessel. Add a ribbon flag to the ice cream to add some color for the display.
Ingredients
Here’s what you need to place on your banana splits bar.
- Vanilla ice cream
- Ripe bananas. Look for ones with some black specks on the peel. That indicates it’s at its peak of ripeness. You will likely need to shop ahead since most bananas in the store still have some green, or are completely yellow. They should ripen within a few days.
- Sprinkles. Chocolate or rainbow sprinkles are great depending on the look of your party.
- Crushed candy. Chopped toffee bits or candy bars are ideal.
- Crushed cookies. Add crushed Oreo’s, chocolate chip cookies, Biscoff cookies, etc. make delicious topping options.
- Sauces. Chocolate sauce, caramel sauce or raspberry sauce are all good choices.
- Whipped cream. Use the cans for an easy option.
- Cherries. If you want a crowning touch, add maraschino cherries to the mix.
How to Build-Your-Own Banana Splits
- Peel banana and slice it in half lengthwise. Place it in a dish or glass and add 2 or 3 scoops of ice cream.
- Top your banana split with your favorite dry and wet toppings.
- Top it off with a dollop of whipped cream and a cherry.
More Dessert Bars
For more ‘build-your-own’ desserts, check out these ideas.
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