Banana Pops
Servings 8 pops
These banana pops blend natural sweetness with rich semi-sweet chocolate and a crunchy topping of peanuts or sprinkles. They’re also gluten-free, paleo, and vegan with the right chocolate.
Ingredients
- 4 medium bananas see notes
- 1 cup (170 grams) semi-sweet chips chopped chocolate or peanut butter chips
- 1 tablespoon (14 grams) refined coconut oil see notes
- 1/16 teaspoon salt
- 8 teaspoons sprinkles I used 1 teaspoon per pop
- 1/4 cup (30 grams) peanuts finely chopped - I used 1/2 tablespoon per pop
- 8 4" Wilton treat sticks or popsicle sticks
Instructions
- Prepare a small baking sheet with a sheet of parchment paper.
- Peel the bananas.4 medium bananas
- Cut the bananas in half (not lengthwise!).
- Insert a treat or popsicle stick 2/3 or 3/4 of the way into the banana or whatever makes sense for your banana halves.8 4" Wilton treat sticks
- Place in the freezer for 4-5 hours.
- Add the chocolate or peanut butter chips, salt and coconut oil to a very small saucepan over low heat. Stir frequently until completely melted and smooth.1 cup (170 grams) semi-sweet chips, 1 tablespoon (14 grams) refined coconut oil, 1/16 teaspoon salt
- Remove from the heat, tilt the pan towards you so that the chocolate is on the side of the saucepan, and coat the banana - just 1 banana for now! - in the chocolate on all sides.
- Sprinkle the pop with chopped peanuts or sprinkles on all sides. You need to add the sprinkles or nuts immediately after dipping each single banana half because the chocolate freezes very, very quickly.8 teaspoons sprinkles, 1/4 cup (30 grams) peanuts
- If needed, place the saucepan with the chocolate back on the stove for a moment if the cold banana made the chocolate firm up a bit. I only had this issue one time when I used a weird paleo chocolate. For the last banana or 2, you’ll probably need to slather on the chocolate. I was left with 2 tablespoons chocolate in the saucepan and I was pretty generous with the coating.
- Repeat with the remaining 7 bananas. They're great to eat immediately, but you can also freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months. I like to let them thaw for about 10-20 minutes before eating. Then the chocolate isn't super hard and the bananas aren't frozen solid but aren't mushy, either. You don't want to let them thaw all the way!
Notes
- My bananas were 706 grams in their peel, but the size isn’t super important - you just don’t want gigantic or tiny ones - it’s best to use bananas that aren’t super curvy. They should be ripe, but not so ripe that they have brown spots on them.
- You can use unrefined coconut oil if you don’t mind coconut flavor.
- Paleo/vegan/dairy-free: if you like dark chocolate, then Hu Dark Chocolate Gems work great for a paleo, vegan and dairyfree- version. I'm not into dark chocolate, so I prefer Enjoy Life chocolate chips. They contain normal sugar, so they're not exactly paleo, but a lot of paleo people consider them as paleo as you can get for chocolate chips. Note that Lily's Peanut Butter Chips are produced on equipment that also processes products containing dairy. Other brands likely contain dairy as an ingredient.
- Timing - I initially tried dipping the popsicles after 2 hours of freezing, but the sticks fell out of 4 out of 8 pops while I was working with them. Then, I tried another batch after 8 or 9 hours, and the chocolate froze almost instantly. If you’re thinking of letting them defrost a bit before dipping - don’t! Freezing for too long and then defrosting makes them gross and very soggy. The best results came when I dipped them after 4 hours of freezing. At that point, the bananas were still not fully solid (that happens around 8 hours), and the chocolate didn’t freeze immediately.
- The nutrition information provided is calculated as a courtesy and is only an estimate. I am not a licensed nutritionist or dietitian. For the most accurate nutritional data, consult a professional or use your preferred calculator.
Nutrition
Calories: 233kcalCarbohydrates: 30gProtein: 3gFat: 12gSaturated Fat: 7gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0.02gCholesterol: 1mgSodium: 22mgPotassium: 357mgFiber: 4gSugar: 20gVitamin A: 49IUVitamin C: 5mgCalcium: 20mgIron: 2mgNet Carbs: 26
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