Like a cross between a s’more and a banana split, a Campfire Banana Boat is an easy and quick way to make a delicious, no-mess dessert that cooks right over your campfire or grill in minutes. Stuff them with your favorite toppings, wrap them in foil, and place them over the fire, these sweet treats taste every bit as special as the classic camping recipe, but are even more fun to create and exciting to eat!
Build-Your-Own Campfire Banana Boats
Give me a fire and I am flooded with nostalgic memories that all seem to circle around my favorite camping-themed foods. And while I will always be fond of the old-fashioned s’more, these Campfire Banana Boats make an even gooier, meltier, unrefined heavenly mess of a banana that’s been filled with fun flavor combinations that you can easily customize.
While my recipe for a banana boat is simple–you take a banana while still in its peel, cut it down the middle, stuff it with your favorite flavors, wrap it in foil, and place it over the fire–I like to make it a bit more complex by changing my toppings to include ingredients that are gooey, melty, sometimes crunchy, and sweet.
Grab your spoon and dig in to this no-mess dessert, because baking bananas not only brings out the natural sweetness, but it turns them into a “healthier” campfire treat that is perfectly foil-packed in its peel!
Why We Love Campfire Banana Boats
- Quick and easy to make a delicious campfire dessert.
- Cooks right over your campfire, grill, or even in your oven.
- Fun for kids (and adults) to build their own boat.
- Sweet, soft, gooey ingredients tucked inside a grilled banana.
- Perfect for cookouts, campfires, sleep-overs and backyard camping trips.
- One of our all-time favorite camping recipes!
Ingredients
- Bananas
- Mini marshmallows
- Milk chocolate chips
- Honey graham cereal: You can substitute fun-shaped graham cracker cookies, like teddy grahams, or use broken pieces of graham crackers.
- Chopped fresh strawberries
- Mini Reese’s cups: If you cannot find the mini Reese peanut butter cups, you can chop up a regular peanut butter cup for each banana.
Substitutions and Additions
- Toppings: A banana boat is a fun way to individualize your toppings. Some ideas include chopped nuts, sprinkles, caramel sauce, Nutella, shredded coconut, crushed candy bars, crumbled cookies, fresh berries, nut butter, cereal, or your own custom creation.
- Build Your Own Boat: Get creative! Fun flavor combinations can include:
- SAMOAS: Banana + Chocolate Chips + Caramel Sauce + Toasted Coconut
- PB & C: Banana + Peanut Butter + Chocolate Chips
- HONEY GINGER: Banana + Honey + Candied Ginger + White or Dark Chocolate
- PECAN PRALINE: Banana + Pralines + Dark Chocolate
- BANANA SPLIT: Banana + Milk Chocolate + Marshmallows + Cherries
Recommended Tools to Make this Recipe
- Non-stick Reynolds wrap (It keeps the marshmallows from sticking to the foil).
- Sharp knife
- Measuring spoons
- Tongs or oven mitts
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How to Make the Campfire Banana Boats
A Campfire Banana Boat is an easy and quick way to make a delicious, no-mess dessert that cooks right over your campfire or grill in mere minutes. Simply stuff them with your favorite toppings, wrap them in foil, and place them over the fire–they taste every bit as special as the classic camping combination, but are even more fun to create and exciting to eat!
- Cut each banana down the middle (along the concave side), from top to bottom.
Pro Tip: Be careful not to pierce through the bottom layer of the skin, but until the tip of your knife just grazes the peel on the other side.
- Pull the peel and banana slightly apart for each banana.
To Build a S’mores Banana Boat
- Press cookie or cracker pieces into the middle of the banana.
- Sprinkle chocolate chips over the graham crackers or cookie pieces.
- Sprinkle mini marshmallows over chocolate chips.
- Wrap the filled banana in foil and set it aside.
- Repeat for the 2nd banana.
To Build a Strawberry Chocolate Banana Boat
- Sprinkle chocolate chips into the middle of the banana.
- Sprinkle strawberries over the chocolate chips.
- Sprinkle mini marshmallows over the strawberries.
- Wrap the filled banana in foil and set it aside.
- Repeat for the 2nd banana.
To Build a Reese’s Cup Banana Boat
- Sprinkle Reese’s minis into the middle of the banana.
- Top the Reese’s with mini marshmallows.
- Wrap the filled banana in foil and set it aside.
- Repeat for the 2nd banana.
To Cook Your Banana Boat
- Place filled and wrapped banana packets on the grill, close the lid, and cook for 5 minutes.
- Remove cooked packets from the grill, cool, carefully open, and enjoy!
Pro-Tip: Use tongs or oven mitts to check the banana boats and remove them from the fire/grill/oven. The foil gets hot! A good way to check if it is done cooking is to give it a light squeeze. If it’s still really firm, it’s probably not done yet. If it’s a little squishy, then it’s ready to eat. The aluminum foil should cool down very quickly once it is removed from the heat, but be careful about releasing trapped steam when unwrapping.
Tips
- Use tongs or oven mitts to check the banana boats and remove them from the fire/grill/oven. The foil gets hot! A good way to check if it is done cooking is to give it a light squeeze. If it’s still really firm, it’s probably not done yet. If it’s a little squishy, then it’s ready to eat.
- The aluminum foil should cool down very quickly once it is removed from the heat, but be careful about releasing trapped steam when unwrapping.
- If you are uncomfortable cooking food directly in tin foil, you can put a layer of wax paper or parchment paper on top of the foil so that the banana is not touching it while it cooks.
- Don’t overstuff your banana or you’ll have a hard time closing and wrapping it up.
- Using a ripe banana with a few dark spots will result in a sweeter snack.
Storage Tips
- To Store: Once the packets have been cooked, they are to be eaten right away.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can make these banana boats even without a campfire! Simply place the prepared banana boats in the oven at 350°F for 10 to 15 minutes.
I recommend eating this sweet treat with a spoon. Since it’s been cooking over a campfire, it will most likely be a bit messy and you don’t want to burn your fingers. To be safe and stay clean, stick to the spoon!
You can pre-make the packets a day in advance and take them with you on your camping trip. When it is time for dessert, simply place your Banana Boats on the grill to cook.
Other Easy Camping Recipes
Campfire Banana Boats
Ingredients
S’mores
- 2 ripe bananas
- 6 tbsp mini marshmallows
- 4 tbsp milk chocolate chips
- 4 tbsp honey graham cereal (or broken pieces of graham crackers)
Strawberry Chocolate
- 2 ripe bananas
- 6 tbsp capped, chopped fresh strawberries
- 4 tbsp mini marshmallows
- 4 tbsp milk chocolate chips
Reese’s Cup
- 2 ripe bananas
- 6 tbsp mini marshmallows
- 6 tbsp mini Reese’s cups
Instructions
- Preheat the grill on high.
- Starting at the top of the unpeeled banana, carefully slice from the top of the banana to the bottom. Be careful not to pierce through the bottom layer of the skin.
- Gently pull the peel slightly open. Pry open the banana flesh. Repeat the steps for the remaining bananas.
S’mores
- Press 2 tablespoons of the cracker pieces down the length of the banana.
- Evenly sprinkle 2 tablespoons of milk chocolate chips over the top of the graham crackers.
- Evenly sprinkle 3 tablespoons of mini marshmallows over the top of the milk chocolate chips.
- Wrap the banana in foil and set it aside. Repeat the steps for the 2nd banana.
Strawberry Chocolate
- Evenly sprinkle 2 tablespoons of milk chocolate chips over the banana.
- Evenly sprinkle 3 tablespoons of chopped strawberries over the chocolate chips.
- Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of mini marshmallows over the strawberries.
- Wrap the filled banana in foil and set it aside. Repeat the steps for the 2nd banana.
Reese’s Cup
- Evenly sprinkle 3 tablespoons of Reese’s minis over the banana.
- Top the Reese’s with 3 tablespoons of mini marshmallows.
- Wrap the filled banana in foil and set it aside. Repeat the steps for the 2nd banana.
- Once all of the bananas have been filled and wrapped, evenly space the packets on the grill. Close the lid and cook for 5 minutes.
- Remove the packets and allow them to cool for 3 – 5 minutes. Carefully open the packets and enjoy.
Jenn’s Notes
- Use tongs or oven mitts to check the banana boats and remove them from the fire/grill/oven. The foil gets hot! A good way to check if it is done cooking is to give it a light squeeze. If it’s still really firm, it’s probably not done yet. If it’s a little squishy, then it’s ready to eat.
- The aluminum foil should cool down very quickly once it is removed from the heat, but be careful about releasing trapped steam when unwrapping.
- If you are uncomfortable cooking food directly in tin foil, you can put a layer of wax paper or parchment paper on top of the foil so that the banana is not touching it while it cooks.
- Don’t overstuff your banana or you’ll have a hard time closing and wrapping it up.
- Using a ripe banana with a few dark spots will result in a sweeter snack.
