Banana Boats (Easy Campfire Dessert!)
These easy campfire banana boats are a warm, gooey dessert that starts with a simple banana and ends with happy, sticky faces.
You fill the banana with marshmallows, chocolate, or any other favorite toppings, wrap it in foil, and heat it on a campfire or a grill until everything melts together.
The banana softens into a spoonable treat, and you can eat it right from the foil with a spoon. It feels like a party dessert, even when the party is just your own backyard on a Tuesday.
Once you try it, this one earns a permanent spot in your summer rotation.
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What Is A Banana Boat?
A banana boat is an easy campfire dessert made by hollowing out a banana with a spoon and filling it with sweet toppings such as chocolate, marshmallows, and peanut butter cups. Once it is stuffed, you wrap the filled banana in aluminum foil and heat it over a campfire, on a grill, or in the oven.
When you use chocolate, graham cracker pieces, and marshmallows, the flavor lands very close to a s’more. Many other sweet fillings work just as well, so you never have to make the same boat twice.
Think of the finished dessert as a cross between a s’more and a classic banana split. The banana turns soft and warm, the chocolate melts into the marshmallows, and every bite is gooey.
The foil traps the steam, so the banana basically bakes itself in its own little packet. If you want to make it even better, a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top is a wonderful addition.
Why We Love Campfire Banana Boats
These little foil packets fit almost any warm evening. They are perfect for a camping trip, a grill night on the patio, or a summer evening around the fire pit. No campfire? No problem. You can also bake them in the oven wrapped in tin foil and get the same soft, melty result.
The real magic is the build your own setup. Set the toppings out on a table and let everyone choose their own favorites. That single habit makes the dessert work for a crowd, and it also helps you work around food sensitivities or dietary needs without making a second dessert.
It is a fun dessert to make and eat, and it is a genuinely good way to use up ripe bananas sitting on the counter. I keep a bowl of speckled bananas just for this reason all summer long.
I still remember the first time I made these at a family cookout. My youngest insisted on adding cereal to hers, and she has requested it that way every single time since. The kids do the filling, the grown ups handle the foil and the fire, and everyone ends up with a personal version.
If you like to prep camping treats ahead of time, this recipe plays nicely with others. Triple chocolate s’mores cookies, gooey brownie mix cookies, or Reese’s Pieces cookies all travel well and can be made in advance for a night around the campfire or an evening of card games.
Ingredients For Campfire Banana Boats
The full printable recipe with specific measurements and directions is in the recipe card below. For four servings, you need:
- 4 bananas
- 1/4 cup chocolate chips
- 1/4 cup mini marshmallows
- 1 graham cracker sheet, broken into pieces
Prep takes about 5 minutes and cooking takes about 10 minutes, so the whole batch is usually ready in around 15 minutes.
How To Make Banana Boats
The method changes slightly depending on your heat source, but the prep is always the same. Here is a quick look at the three cooking options so you can pick the one that fits your night.
| Cooking method | Heat setup | Time | Doneness cue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Campfire | Indirect heat, on a grill over the fire or beside lower burning embers | 10 to 15 minutes | Banana is squishy when picked up with tongs |
| Grill | Indirect heat | 10 to 15 minutes | Banana feels a little squishy with tongs |
| Oven | 400 degrees, on a sheet pan | 10 to 15 minutes | Banana feels squishy with tongs |
How To Prep Banana Boats
- Gently peel the banana peel away from the inner curve of the banana, leaving the peel attached if possible. Lay each banana on a piece of foil.
- With a small spoon, scoop out the banana to carve a boat and make room for the toppings. We usually just eat the banana we hollow out as we work, since each person makes their own.
- Fill the banana with chocolate chips, mini marshmallows, and pieces of graham crackers. Pull the banana peel back over the filled banana.
- Wrap the banana in foil, being careful to roll the ends in so the toppings do not spill out. Use a piece of foil large enough to wrap all the way around the banana.
For The Campfire
Place the banana boats over indirect heat. You can set them on a grill over the fire so the flames are not touching them, or place them on the fire next to some lower burning embers. Direct flames will cook the banana too much and can make it char.
Cook for 10 to 15 minutes over the hot coals, or until the bananas are squishy when you pick them up with tongs. Check one at the 10 minute mark to see how it is coming along. Open the foil carefully, peel back the banana peel, and enjoy with a spoon.
For The Grill
Cook the boats wrapped in foil on the grill over indirect heat for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the banana feels a little squishy when you pick it up with tongs.
This works on a gas grill or a charcoal grill, and it is an easy way to make them at home without building a fire. Open the foil carefully, peel back the banana peel, and enjoy with a spoon.
For The Oven
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Bake the bananas on a sheet pan for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the banana feels squishy when you pick it up with tongs.
This is the version I use in the middle of winter when the grill is buried under snow. Open the foil carefully, peel back the banana peel, and enjoy with a spoon.
Do not panic when the peel comes out dark. The banana peel turning dark brown is normal after cooking and it is completely fine. You are eating the soft banana inside, not the peel.
Cook over gentle, indirect heat. The banana needs time to soften, and direct flames will char the outside before the middle turns gooey.
Banana Boat Topping Ideas
This is where the recipe gets really fun. Some toppings go in before cooking so they melt into everything else, and others go on afterward so they stay crisp or colorful. Set out a mix of both and let everyone build their own boat.
Toppings To Add Before Cooking The Banana
Here are the toppings that hold up well in the heat.
- Berries: chopped strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, or blackberries add a little tang to balance the sweet fillings.
- Chocolate chips: semisweet, dark, milk, butterscotch, or white chocolate chips, or chopped chocolate you have on hand. Any of them melt beautifully inside the foil.
- Peanut butter cups: mini ones, or regular peanut butter cups chopped up. They turn soft and gooey as they warm.
- Peanut butter: dolloped right onto the banana, or use peanut butter chips instead. A spoonful adds a salty edge that keeps everything from tasting too sweet.
- Nuts: pecans, peanuts, walnuts, or sliced almonds, salted or unsalted. They keep a bit of their crunch even after cooking.
- Sweetened cereal: Golden Grahams, Cookie Crisp, or granola add a nice crunch. It is a great way to use the last bit of a box.
- Honey: a drizzle of warm honey is tasty depending on what else you add, and it is especially good with peanut butter.
- Coconut flakes: sprinkle them on top. They pair beautifully with melted chocolate, and toasted coconut works too if you have it.
Toppings To Add After Cooking The Banana
Whipped cream is usually added after the banana cooks, though it is also delicious piled on top. Sprinkles add instant fun and are best added after cooking because their colors can bleed during cooking.
Caramel sauce can be drizzled on, and a little added before cooking can be great once it warms up. The catch is that caramel tends to drip out of the foil, so offering it after cooking is the easier choice.
Chocolate sauce or syrup can also be drizzled at the end, after the banana has cooked, depending on how much chocolate is already tucked inside. Keep a few of these finishing touches on the table so people can add them right before they dig in.
What Can I Use Instead Of A Banana?
Not everyone loves bananas, and that is completely fine. Other bases work well, though swapping out the banana makes the dessert much messier, so have a spoon ready.
- Sliced strawberries: remove the tops, wrap them in foil with your toppings, and warm them over the campfire.
- Ice cream cones: these make campfire cones, another popular campfire dessert that holds banana boat toppings easily.
- Graham crackers or cookies: layer them in the foil and pile on all the toppings. It is similar to s’mores but more like a gooey dessert nacho.
- Leftover waffles or pancakes: use them as the base for something kind of like a crepe or a dessert taco.
Whichever base you choose, keep the foil wrap tight and the heat gentle. The goal is the same every time, a warm, gooey filling that you scoop up with a spoon.
How Long Will Banana Boats Last?
Banana boats are best made to order per person, which is one reason they work so well for a group. Do not count on saving leftovers.
Once cooked, they do not hold up long, so enjoy them hot from the foil while the chocolate is still melted. If you are feeding a crowd, set up the topping table and let people build their own right before the fire is ready.
FAQs
What is a banana boat dessert?
A banana boat is a warm, gooey campfire dessert made by hollowing out a banana, filling it with sweet toppings like chocolate chips and marshmallows, wrapping it in foil, and cooking it until soft. It is often described as a cross between a s'more and a banana split and is typically enjoyed with a spoon.
How do you make banana boats over a campfire?
To make banana boats over a campfire, gently peel back the banana, scoop out some fruit to make a boat, and fill it with toppings like chocolate chips, mini marshmallows, and graham cracker pieces. Pull the peel back, wrap the banana tightly in heavy-duty foil, and cook over indirect heat for 10 to 15 minutes until squishy.
Can you make banana boats in the oven?
Yes, you can make banana boats in the oven. Preheat the oven to 400°F, place the prepared foil-wrapped bananas on a sheet pan, and bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until the bananas feel squishy when picked up with tongs. This method is great when you don't have access to a campfire or grill.
What are some good toppings for banana boats?
Classic toppings added before cooking include chocolate chips, mini marshmallows, and graham cracker pieces. You can also add peanut butter cups, berries, nuts, or coconut flakes. For after cooking, try whipped cream, a drizzle of caramel or chocolate sauce, or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Banana Boats
Banana Boats (Easy Campfire Dessert! ) These easy campfire banana boats are a warm, gooey dessert that starts with a simple banana and ends with happy, sticky faces.
- Total Time: 15 min
- Yield: 4 1x
Ingredients
Ingredients
4 bananas
1/4 cup chocolate chips
1/4 cup mini marshmallows
1 sheet graham cracker sheet, broken into pieces
Instructions
How To Prep Banana Boats
1-Gently peel the banana peel away from: Gently peel the banana peel away from the inner curve of the banana leaving the peel attached if possible. Lay each banana on a piece of foil. With a small spoon scoop out the banana to carve a “boat” and make room for toppings. (We usually just eat the banana we hollow out as we work, since we each make our own.)
2-Fill the banana with chocolate chips, mini: Fill the banana with chocolate chips, mini marshmallows and pieces of graham crackers. Pull the banana peel back over the banana.
3-Wrap the banana in foil, being careful: Wrap the banana in foil, being careful to roll the ends in so the toppings don’t spill out.
For The Campfire
4-Place the banana boats over indirect heat: Place the banana boats over indirect heat. You can place them on a grill over the fire so the flames aren’t touching them, or on the fire next to some lower-burning embers. Direct flames will cook the banana too much and can make it char.
5-Cook for 10-15 minutes over the hot: Cook for 10-15 minutes over the hot coals, or until the bananas are squishy when picked up with tongs. Open the foil carefully, peel back the banana peel and enjoy with a spoon!
For The Grill
6-Cook on the grill over indirect heat: Cook on the grill over indirect heat for 10-15 minutes, or until the banana feels a little squishy when you pick it up with tongs. Open the foil carefully, peel back the banana peel and enjoy with a spoon!
For The Oven
7-Preheat the oven to 400 degrees: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Bake the bananas on a sheetpan for 10-15 minutes or until the banana feels squishy when you pick it up with tongs. Open the foil carefully, peel back the banana peel and enjoy with a spoon!
Last Step:
Please leave a rating and comment letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business to thrive and continue providing free, high-quality recipes for you.- Prep Time: 5 min
- Cook Time: 10 min
- Method: prep
Nutrition
- Calories: 186
- Sugar: 23
- Sodium: 27
- Fat: 4
- Saturated Fat: 2
- Carbohydrates: 39
- Fiber: 3
- Protein: 2
