Campfire Banana Boats – 12 Different Ways

Campfire banana boats are an easy campfire dessert that can be customized in so many delicious ways.

If you need a campfire dessert that’s fun and easy to make, then look no further than banana boats!

These are a perfect treat for campfire cooking because everyone can make their own combination of flavors, they cook over the campfire (or grill or fire pit), AND they are really difficult to mess up or burn.

I love making a banana boat topping board when we go camping with my family or with a larger group. With this, everyone can make their own unique banana creations.

However, if you want to avoid bringing a ton of different toppings (or are looking for inspiration on some of the best combinations), then be sure to check out the best 12 banana boat recipe combinations later in this post for some ideas.

I am a huge fan of making delicious food while camping that’s EASY! Here are all of my campfire desserts that accomplish both of those goals.

Simple Steps to Make Banana Boats

To make banana boats, simply cut a diamond or rectangle to remove the top piece of the banana peel (this gives you a little more room to put in your ingredients).

Then, slice through the ripe banana, without slicing from the bottom peel. Push the ends together a bit to separate the halves. (Optional: You can scoop out some of the banana in this step to be able to fill it with even more toppings.)

Stuff the banana with your favorite toppings (see banana boat variation ideas below) and wrap in tin foil. I like to wrap them loosely at the top and fold the excess aluminum foil into a bunch above the banana to make a handle to grab them out of the fire (see image below).

Although I usually recommend using a sheet of heavy duty aluminum foil when cooking over the campfire, it’s not really needed for this recipe because the banana peel has so much moisture which prevents burning.

How to Cook Banana Boats

Banana boats can easily be cooked over the campfire or on a grill. They’re a fool proof campfire dessert because they are really difficult to burn, even with the high temperatures of a campfire, due to the high amount of moisture in the peel.

I prefer to cook them elevated over a campfire on a grill grate to control the temperature a bit, but you can also pull some hot coals to the side of your fire and cook them right on the coals.

Cook banana boats for about 10-15 minutes over the campfire until all the ingredients are melted and gooey! (Adding a scoop of ice cream on top never hurt anyone.)

Banana Boat Variations

There are so many different ways to make campfire banana boats with a variety of toppings. My favorite way to make them to is set up a charcuterie board of all the toppings (see the full list of toppings here) and let everyone put together their own dessert creations.

However, if you’re looking for some specific variations so you don’t have to pack so many toppings, here are a few fun banana boat variations.

Chocolate Covered Strawberries or Cherries or Raspberries

Tropical

PB & J

Banana Split

Pretzel Peanut Butter Cup

Peach Cobbler

Very Berry Cheesecake

Trail Mix

S’mores

Apple Cinnamon

Oreo and Peanut Butter

Charcutiere Board Topping Choices

I love making a tray of different topping options and letting everyone make their own banana boats. I will say, the combinations listed above taste much better than what kids will end up piling into their bananas. But, what’s the fun in that?

Kids LOVE getting to create their own masterpieces (even if they look inedible to us adults.) A topping board is the best way to let kids’ culinary visions run wild and make this a super fun dessert! I also love making topping boards for creative s’mores and campfire cones.

• mini marshmallows
• semisweet chocolate chips or milk chocolate chips
• white chocolate chips
• Reese’s peanut butter cups
• M&Ms
• blueberries
• raspberries
• strawberries
• maraschino cherries
• dried pineapple
• dried mangos
• peanuts
• raisins
• cinnamon pecans (or granola)
• coconut
• peanut butter
• strawberry jam
• cream cheese
• Oreo cookies

I hope these banana boat ideas sparked inspiration for your next camping trip.