~ These Banana Split Dessert Nachos capture all the beloved flavors of a classic banana split … in a super-fun grilled dessert! Crispy, sweetened “nacho chips,” caramelized fruit, and a delicious strawberry sauce. Even better with a little scoop of ice cream! Quick, easy, decadent … and surprisingly nutritious, too! ~
This Recipe Is: • Vegetarian •
* (Our little disclaimer …) We partnered with Flatout for this sponsored post, as part of their #FlatoutIsMyCanvas campaign, but all opinions are entirely our own. Thanks for supporting brands that support Two Healthy Kitchens and our mission of healthy eating! *
Dessert. A vast, barren nutritional wasteland. Right?
No matter how you try to make mealtimes healthy, dessert is so often when we all just shrug hopelessly and figure we can’t really do any better … so why bother trying. Right???
Uh-uh! Not so fast there!
Dessert doesn’t have to be a complete nutritional loss!
Nope, nope! Dessert can actually be a nutritional win … and you can make it taste amazing in the process!
One of my favorite techniques for making desserts healthier is amping up nutritional superstar ingredients … like fruits and whole grains, both of which can be sinfully delicious and luxuriously satisfying, while stealthily packing in loads of health benefits, too.
These Banana Split Nachos? The perfect example!
Every time I make these, my whole family exclaims happily and piles me with compliments and giddy thanks (really – I don’t make this stuff up). It’s as if I’d just served them the most decadently indulgent dessert ever. Yup. These taste like amazing, sunshine-y tropical, banana split joy.
They don’t feel like a compromise, like a healthy dessert.
But (tee-hee) they actually are!
These dessert nachos are filled with good-for-you scrumptiousness. They’ve got loads of beautiful, sweet, fresh fruit, plus a big ol’ wallop of whole grains and protein (no really – protein in your dessert!) from the crispy-crunchy Flatout chips. All the flavors of a classic banana split, reimagined and better than ever!
Grilling the pineapple and banana adds a deeper, sweeter, caramelized flavor. And stirring the strawberries into a little whole-fruit jelly creates a drippy, lick-your-fingers sauce.
But of course, a banana split just wouldn’t be a banana split without the chocolate!
A small amount of chocolate chips goes a long, long chocolate-y way. Sneaky healthification tip: I often use minis, instead of regular, full-sized chocolate chips, to stretch the chocolate flavor further while using less – those mini chips work their way into every bite, so you get more little bursts of chocolate flavor but can use a smaller overall amount!
Mmmmmmm … and those “nacho chips”!
A dash of cinnamon and brown sugar, plus a few minutes on the grill, transforms Flatouts from a lunchtime sandwich wrapper into delicately sweet dessert chips. Exactly the right thing for scooping up all the warm, drippy-gooey-awesome fruit.
Sounds amazing, huh? (It is!) And you really could leave it at that. As a glorious pile of crispy chips and sweet, juicy fruit. Why go any further?, you might ask. That’s a good question. But …
Ice cream.
Oh, right. Ice cream. What’s a banana split without ice cream?
Yeah … now we’re talking perfection.
Just a little scoop of your favorite ice cream or frozen yogurt (all-natural, reduced fat … of course! 🙂 ) is all it takes to elevate these fruit nachos to full-on dessert glory. No question … once you dollop on that creamy-cold ice cream, nestled amongst the warm fruit and crisp, cinnamon Flatout chips, dessert is on!
No one will care that it’s so healthy. No one will even know!
Banana Split Grilled Dessert Nachos
A unique nachos recipe with all the flavors of a banana split! Simple yet decadent!
• Vegetarian •
Ingredients
- 1 cup thinly sliced strawberries
- 3 tablespoons 100% pure fruit seedless strawberry jelly
- 2 Flatout flatbreads (we use Light Original)
- all-natural nonstick cooking spray or sprayed canola oil
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 4 "planks" fresh pineapple (cut from about half of a peeled, cored fresh pineapple, see note)
- 1 banana, unpeeled, cut crosswise and then lengthwise into 4 "planks"
- 1/4 cup mini chocolate chips
- optional, for serving: your favorite reduced-fat vanilla ice cream or frozen yogurt (preferably organic or all-natural)
Instructions
- Prepare and preheat grill.
- In a small bowl, stir together strawberries and jelly. Set aside. (The longer you let this sit, the more liquid-y your strawberry sauce will become.)
- Lightly spray both sides of each Flatout with cooking spray. Sprinkle each side with 1/4 teaspoon of brown sugar and then 1/16 teaspoon of cinnamon, using your fingers to lightly rub the sugar and cinnamon to distribute them evenly across the flatbreads.
- Grill the flatbreads over medium heat for about 2 minutes per side, just until they begin to turn golden brown and grill marks form.
- Remove the flatbreads to a cutting board and immediately cut them into triangular "nacho chips" as shown in the photo in the post above. The chips will continue to get crispier as they sit, so if you wait even a couple of minutes before you begin to cut them, they won't cut as nicely and will tend to break into uneven shapes. Set chips aside.
- Lay pineapple "planks" crosswise on grill grates and close the lid. Turn pineapple occasionally to develop grill marks on all sides, which should take about 8-10 minutes.
- In the last few minutes of grilling, add unpeeled bananas to the grill, peel side up and crosswise on grates. Grill bananas on flesh side only, just until gently warmed with sear marks. We recommend that you don't grill them so long that they begin to get hot and mushy, but that is strictly personal preference.
- Remove fruit from grill, and (as soon as it's cool enough to safely handle) peel bananas and cut fruit into thin slices.
- Layer "nacho chips," strawberry sauce, grilled fruit slices, and chocolate chips.
- Serve immediately, with ice cream or frozen yogurt, if desired.
Notes
Pineapple: An easy, time-saving shortcut is to grab a container of already-peeled and cored fresh pineapple from your grocery's produce section. Typically sold right alongside whole, unpeeled pineapples, the pre-cored pineapple often doesn't cost any more, but saves a lot of time during prep. Half a pre-cored pineapple should divide perfectly into the four "planks" you need for this recipe. Some grocery stores also sell containers of fresh pineapple, already cored and then also cut into "planks," which is another option if you're short on time, but it often costs notably more.
Grilling: Remember that grills vary widely in temperature settings, so the settings and times you use may need to be adjusted according to your specific grill.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 servings Serving Size: 1/4 of nachosAmount Per Serving: Calories: 135Total Fat: 4gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 6mgCarbohydrates: 28gFiber: 3gSugar: 20gProtein: 3.5g
Nutrition information should be considered an estimate only, and may vary depending on your choice of ingredients or preparation. No guarantees are made regarding allergies or dietary needs. Always consult a physician or dietician for specific advice and questions.
These are so fun! I love Flatout and these are such a great use of them. 🙂 I love how they’re grilled!
I loved that you grilled the fruit for these dessert nachos! Oh my goodness, I love this idea!
Mmmmmmmm … grilling the fruit really does add that extra little depth of caramelized flavor. So good! Plus, the warmed fruit is such a great counterpoint to the cold ice cream and crispy chips! So many layers of flavor and texture to elevate banana splits to whole new levels of YUM! Thanks for the really sweet comment, Michelle! 🙂 ~Shelley
Wow Shelley – I’m always looking for new recipes to serve my granddaughter that are on the healthier side – I know she (and us) would love these nachos!!
My kids (and … let’s be honest … my husband and I, too! 🙂 ) absolutely wolf these down! They’re truly fantastic! And such a bonus that I can actually feel GOOD about serving dessert! Yay! Have a wonderful weekend, and give that sweet pea an extra little hug for me! 🙂 ~Shelley
We use our grill year-round so I can definitely see making these dessert nachos all the time. Such a great healthy dessert!
Oh, Joanie, I’m so excited these will be part of your regular rotation! Especially if you already have the grill fired up for the rest of your meal anyway, these Nachos are a total snap – and incredibly, wonderfully delicious! Enjoy!! 🙂 ~Shelley
What an awesome idea! That is seriously the most scrumptious pile of nachos, sweet or savory, that I’ve seen in a long time.
Thank you so much, Dara! They really are insanely scrumptious! And I love that, as my family is cheering and happily scarfing them down, I can truly feel terrific about the nutrition that’s packed inside every yummy bite! A total win! Hope you have an awesome weekend! 🙂 Shelley