These banana split tacos are a breeze to make and they're the perfect dessert for Taco Tuesday or any time you crave something sweet. Loaded with strawberries, bananas, and whipped cream, this dessert tastes decadent. Ideal for any occasion!
If you love banana splits, you're going to love this recipe. Although it's not a true banana split, this recipe does have all the sensibilities of the classic dish. It's a delicious, fruity dessert that puts a twist on the banana split in a way that you might not have seen before.
Who here loves Taco Tuesday? This is a blog, so I can't see anyone reading this, but I'm going to assume that you raised your hand. After all... TACOS! Tacos are so good. They're meaty, spicy, cheesy, and just so good. However, as great as they are, after all that savory, you need something sweet to cap off the evening. That's where these delicious easy banana split tacos come in!
I am an absolute fan of Taco Tuesday. When my son lived at home, I made sure we had tacos every Tuesday, and honestly, it never got old. I, my husband, and my son all love tacos, so every Tuesday was like Heaven for us. There are very few foods that can hit the spot for us the way tacos can. We love all that cheesy, spicy goodness, and we also love ending the meal with a tasty dessert.
I've served all kinds of desserts after we've finished our tacos over the years. I've served ice cream, icebox cakes, churros, classic ice cream tacos - you name it, I've served it. They're all delicious and make great desserts after a few tacos, but the dessert recipe that I've come to love the most is this super easy banana split taco recipe. It's a big family favorite, and I can't wait to share it with all of you. 
History of Banana Splits
Before we get into this easy taco-themed dessert, I want to take a look at where banana splits came from. After all, if it weren't for that classic dessert, I'd never have been able to put this particular spin on it. It's a bit of a mystery and hotly contested among food historians. Come on. Who doesn't love controversy, even if it is food-related? LOL
A true banana split is made up of a banana cut down the middle with one scoop each of strawberry, chocolate, and vanilla ice cream. Then it's topped with ingredients like chocolate sauce, strawberries, pineapples, whipped cream, maraschino cherries, and peanuts or walnuts. But we all know that. What many don't know is where it came from. Even historians don't know for sure! Bum bum BUUUUMMMMM!
Although the origin of the banana split is hotly contested in some circles, many historians believe that it was created in 1904 by David "Doc" Strickler, an optometrist from Latrobe, Pennsylvania. Inspired by the fruit-filled sundaes he discovered while on vacation in Atlantic City in the summer of that year, Strickler decided to try his hand at making a dessert that captured the feel and flavors of those delicious sundaes. Strickler's new creation used bananas and cost 10 cents, which at that time, was double the price of other sundaes. However, the price didn't prevent it from becoming a popular treat among students at nearby Saint Vincent College. News quickly spread, and soon the banana split had spread far and wide.
Although most historians agree that the Strickler origin of the banana split tends to be the most believable with the most proof, there are a few other claimants to the banana split throne. Ernest "Doc" Hazard from Wilmington, Ohio claimed to have made the dessert in 1907 in an effort to attract students from Wilmington College to his shop. There are some in Boston who claim that the dessert was created at Butler Department Store by the head soda jerk in 1905.
Whoever made them, banana splits have come to be an iconic ice cream dessert that everyone has probably had at least once in their lives.
Easy Banana Split Tacos
These easy banana split tacos might not have ice cream in them, but they do have all the flavors we love about the traditional dessert. This delicious dessert is filled with strawberries, bananas, whipped cream, and chocolate chips.
So while it's not exactly a banana split, it definitely checks most of the split boxes. The great thing about this recipe is that it's so good, and it's also so fast! It's also lighter than a banana split which is great after a dinner of stuffing your face with tacos.
No matter how much you want to eat, there's only so much room in your belly! These banana split tacos are absolutely delicious and filled with fruity, creamy goodness, but they're not so heavy that they'll make you feel sick after indulging in them along with a few tacos.
They're perfect!
Ingredients
It only takes a handful of ingredients to make these easy banana split tacos. Seriously, you only need five ingredients. They're all incredibly simple, so they're easy to find at your local grocery store. It's a super simple list. Here's what you'll need.
- Soft tortilla mini bowls
- Cool whip
- Bananas, sliced
- Strawberries, chopped
- Chocolate chips
See? There's nothing to this ingredient list. It's so short and simple. And that usually leads to the best recipes!
Making Easy Banana Split Tacos
Making these tasty banana split tacos is as easy as the ingredient list. There's no mixing. You only have to bake the tortilla bowls for less than five minutes. The entire recipe is basically just putting the ingredients together. That's it! It's super easy. You'll find the complete recipe with amounts in the recipe card below, but the recipe overview that follows will show you how incredibly easy to make this recipe.
- Bake tortilla bowls on a baking sheet for 4 minutes. Allow to cool.
- Spread a tablespoon of cool whip in the bottom of each bowl.
- Place three banana slices on top of cool whip.
- Sprinkle chopped strawberries on top of bananas.
- Top taco bowls off with a dollop of cool whip and chocolate chips.
- Chill and serve.
Variations
In addition to being simple, fast, and delicious, these easy banana split tacos are also the perfect vehicle for switching things up. When you think about it, the best part of banana splits is that you can literally put anything on them, and the same holds true for this recipe, as well. It's so easy to make tweaks to this recipe to make it your own. You can make small changes or big ones. It's totally up to you!
Use Different Fruits
This recipe calls for diced strawberries to go with the banana, but you can use other fruit if you like. You can even keep the strawberries and add even more fruit. Of course, classic flavors include pineapples, but you can really put any fruit at all on this recipe, and it will be absolutely fantastic. Some of my favorite fruit variations include:
- Pineapple
- Kiwi
- Blueberries and raspberries
- Peaches
- Anything you want
Use Different Baking Chips
This delicious dessert taco uses chocolate chips because chocolate is a classic banana split flavor. However, caramel is a classic flavor, too! Outside of chocolate chips and caramel chips, you can use any baking chips you like. It all comes down to personal preference, so feel free to get creative. Some great flavors include:
- Chocolate chips
- Caramel chips
- White chocolate chips
- Butterscotch chips
- Toffee chips
Use Sauces
Like any banana split this taco banana split can always benefit from sauces. Top your banana split taco with dessert sauces like chocolate and caramel or try something like pineapple topping on it. Om nom nom.
Serving Easy Banana Split Tacos
All you need is a fork and a plate to serve these delicious dessert tacos. Everything you need is right there in the tortilla boat! Even the whipped cream is included.
These are perfect for a Taco Tuesday dessert, but no matter what you had for dinner, these make a great dessert. These cute little taco desserts would make great additions to any potluck or family get-together as well. Just bring them out of the fridge and let everyone enjoy!
Storing Easy Banana Split Tacos
I don't recommend storing these tasty little dessert treats. If you store these after they've been put together, your tortilla bowl will get soggy. Instead, refrigerate the individual ingredients in containers and then put these dessert tacos together when you're ready to serve them.
You can bake the tortilla bowls ahead of time and store them on the counter in an air-tight container, as well.
The banana split ingredients (not including the bananas) will keep well in the refrigerator for up to three days.
The tortilla bowls will keep well in an air-tight container for about the same amount of time.
Do not peel your bananas until you're ready to make the bowls so they don't brown.
Give These Easy Banana Split Tacos a Shot
These easy banana split tacos are the perfect dessert for Taco Tuesday or any day of the week. These dessert tacos are delicious, fruity, and rich - but not too rich!
They're the perfect ending to any meal, and they're so fast, you won't mind whipping them up at a moment's notice for a snack! They're far and away one of the easiest recipes I've ever brought to you.
Give them a try, and I know you'll love them as much as I do!
Easy Banana Split Tacos
Ingredients
- 12 tortilla soft, mini bowls
- 8 oz cool whip
- 2 bananas sliced
- 2 cups strawberries chopped
- ½ cup chocolate chips
Instructions
- Pull out and measure all the ingredients.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Bake tortilla bowls on a baking sheet for 4 minutes. Allow to cool.
- Spread a tablespoon of cool whip in the bottom of each bowl.
- Place three banana slices on top of the cool whip.
- Sprinkle chopped strawberries on top of bananas.
- Top taco bowls off with a dollop of cool whip and chocolate chips. Chill and serve.
Nutrition
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