Anyone who knows me knows I love to grill. But my barbecue highlight isn’t grilled meat or vegetables, it’s dessert. At my house, we always finish the night with grilled bananas, which are served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream and chocolate sauce. I have rarely eaten anything so delicious and am sure you will love it too!
Grilled Bananas: An Unexpected Cookout Highlight
While it may seem counterintuitive to throw a banana onto the grill, grilled banana actually enjoys quite a bit of popularity across the globe. In Brazil, grilled bananas, known as “banana na brasa,” are a very popular dessert. In several African countries, grilled bananas are a welcome snack or part of a meal. There they are often served with spicy sauces or as a side to meat dishes. In Asian countries, such as Thailand and Indonesia, grilled bananas are also a popular street food and are often served with coconut milk or palm sugar.
There’s a reason why this dessert just seems to stick! Grilling caramelizes the banana’s natural sugar, which creates a more intense flavor and makes the bananas nice and soft, and so fragrant too! We invite you to try this phenomenom yourself, grilled bananas are not only so delicious, but also completely uncomplicated to prepare.
So, let’s get grilling. There are lots of ways to make a grilled banana: Either peel the bananas and wrap them in aluminum foil before putting them on the grill, or place them on a grill pan. You can also put them directly on the grate, peeled. But this only works with firm bananas and a narrow grate. The easiest method is really to place the unpeeled bananas on the grill. However, the grill should not be too hot, lest the banana skins burn.
If you want to add some extra flavor to your grilled bananas, I suggest going for a chocolatey twist. To do this, cut the banana lengthwise, including the peel, and stick a few pieces of chocolate in it. In under 15 minutes, you’ll be in decadent caramelized, chocolate-rich banana heaven.
If you want a twist on that old banana split sundae, serve the grilled bananas with a scoop (or two, or three!) of vanilla ice cream drizzled with honey, cinnamon, chocolate sauce, nuts, and whip-cream.
Grilling doesn’t need to be heavy, in fact, it can be fresh as can be with recipes like our summer salad with grilled peaches, grilled zucchini with feta & herb marinade, and grilled watermelon with feta.
Grilled Bananas
Ingredients
- 4 bananas
- ½ cup walnuts chopped
- vanilla ice cream or whipped cream for serving
Instructions
- Reduce the grill temperature to 350°F. If you're using a charcoal grill, use the residual heat after grilling the main course.
- Place the bananas in the center of the grill grate and close the lid.
- Cook for 12-13 minutes, until the bananas are dark on the outside and soft to the touch.
- Remove the bananas from the grill and peel. Serve with chopped walnuts and vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.