40 Banana Recipes That Go Beyond Banana Bread

Banana pudding is one of our all-time favorite desserts. It's a classic Southern recipe, and for good reason; luscious layers of pudding, whipped cream, ripe bananas, and wafer cookies are completely impossible to resist.

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Banana bread is the epitome of simple home baking, but that doesn’t mean it can’t also deliver maximum deliciousness. Our tried-and-true favorite banana bread does just that—it’s quick to whip up with only a handful of pantry ingredients and is full of intense banana flavor. If you’re looking to make the ultimate loaf—moist, dense, and absolutely jam-packed with banana—look no further than this recipe.

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To give this a special spin, we made pudding from scratch. It’s hard to match the boxed stuff, so whipped cream and sweetened condensed milk give it the richness we were after and vanilla bean enhances the flavor. The result is heavenly, almost ice cream-like. Make it the night before, then enjoy it cold, right out of the cooler. Mom would definitely approve.

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Traditionally, rum is the liquor of choice to flambé bananas Foster, but no one’s stopping you from experimenting with bourbon or anything over 80 proof that has great flavor. As the sauce ignites, the flames will die out as the alcohol is cooked off, leaving you with the flavor of whatever you choose.

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Banana nut muffins are the shortcut version to banana bread, and are made for breakfast meal prep. They're light and moist, full of toasted walnuts, and just sweet enough. Grab one next time you're running out the door in the morning to improve your whole day.

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When it comes to old-school desserts, banana cream pie and pecan pie are always at the top of the list. If you’re torn between which dessert should be the centerpiece of your holiday table, why not combine them? This pie pairs pecans in a sticky caramel, layered with bananas, and topped with a light and fluffy vanilla cream filling. Think banoffee pie, taken over the top with pecans and caramel. Best part? It’s completely no-bake, so you won’t be fighting for the oven space. We love how impressive this looks once assembled, and with minimal effort!

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Bananas, all about ‘em. Pudding, love it. Lasagna… wait, what? Stay with us! It’s true that this isn’t a true Italian lasagna, with layers of pasta, sauce, and cheese. Instead, we’ve layered Nilla wafers, cheesecake filling, and bananas into the perfect no-bake dessert to make for a crowd.

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Packed with blueberries, bananas, and banana chips (HELLO!), consider these your new go-to blueberry muffin. Change them up depending on which berries you have in the freezer—cranberries are so fun for the holidays, while chopped apple is a crowdpleaser in the fall. Baking the muffins in an air fryer is not only better for the environment than heating up your entire oven, it cuts the baking time on the muffins down to a fraction of a normal muffin recipe.

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This is a nostalgic feeling pie that’s rich and creamy and easy to make. It feels like the peanut butter and banana sandwich you’d make after school, but so much better. The chocolate crust is rich and gives the perfect crunch against the smooth filling, and since it’s a press-in crust, it takes much less effort than a traditional pie crust. The filling is no-bake and unbelievably addicting; to say we are obsessed is an understatement.

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There's no ice cream sundae more iconic than the banana split. Topped with fruit syrups, chocolate sauce, whipped cream, and a cherry, few desserts are as recognizable, and this recipe will help you make the ultimate version.

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Is there anything as lovely as a homemade pie? We think not. While pumpkin pie and apple pie are best in the fall, banana cream pie is just the treat for special occasions all year long. It's layered with dreamy vanilla pastry cream and slices of banana, all topped with clouds of whipped cream. This version calls for our favorite basic pie dough, but of course you can use store-bought dough if you prefer.

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If you've been wondering what to bake with bananas and chocolate chips, we've got the answer: banana chocolate chip cookies. They're perfectly chewy on the interior with just-right crispy edges, and are packed with puddles of gooey chocolate and delicious banana flavor. They're basically chocolate chip banana bread in cookie form.

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We love a good smoothie bowl. This one, made with nutrient-rich frozen açaí and a crunchy coconut topping, will keep you full and happy all morning long. We chose to include some of our favorite fruits in the mix, but feel free to switch it up and sub in your own favorites.

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Our classic banana bread is a recipe we turn to again and again when we're looking for a staple brunch recipe, but when we're looking to make things extra-special, it's time for mix-ins to take center stage. We took our banana bread to the next level by adding in not just chocolate chips, but toasted walnuts. The result is a moist banana bread with sweet chocolate flavor and nutty crunch in every bite that we just can't get enough of.

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There are no eggs and no dairy in this ice cream, yet it's got a flavor and texture everyone will LOVE. The secret? Frozen bananas!

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This is our dream breakfast, and surprise, it's made using almost the same exact batter as our favorite banana bread! Don't own a waffle iron yet? Check out our best waffle irons to buy too.

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You could use a pre-made crust, dulce de leche, and whipped cream in a can and get this done in 15 minutes—we won’t judge. But if you’re looking for that extra special touch, we recommend going old school and making everything from scratch. If you’ve never had homemade whipped cream, you’re in for a treat, and this trick for making dulce de leche is seriously cool (see step 1).

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Smoothies are one of the easiest and best ways to ensure you are having the most important meal of the day, breakfast. Tossing fruit in a blender beats cooking and washing dishes (and that's coming from people who cook for a living). With just 6 pantry staple ingredients (plus ice), this smoothie couldn't be simpler.

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For best results, we recommend using an extra thick pancake batter. Our homemade recipe below is perfect for coating the bananas and comes out super fluffy. If you're using something like Bisquick, you may want to add a little more mix than the box calls for to the batter.

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Looking to shake things up with the classic banana pudding? We took our love of s'mores and layered it into our favorite pudding. Filled with marshmallows, graham crackers, chocolate, and plenty of whipped cream. It's a true summer dream.

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