Nutritious, delicious, and so fun to make, these chocolate banana delights will put a smile on your little monkey’s face! Plus, they are naturally dairy-free, optionally low in added sugars, and are pretty much “everyone-friendly”.
To keep this chocolate banana treat on the healthy and allergen-free side, I use Pascha Chocolate Chips. They have three new types of chocolate chips, all of which are made in a top allergen-free facility, non-GMO verified, gluten-free, and certified organic, vegan, and fair trade.
The Pascha 100% unsweetened chocolate chips (paleo-friendly and pictured in the red bag) melt beautifully and allow me to sweeten to taste with my ingredients of choice (in this case I went for a combo of maple syrup and stevia). If I had used their bitter-sweet chocolate chips (85% cacao) in these chocolate banana pops, then I would just add the maple syrup (chocolate and maple are such an amazing combination!). With semi-sweet chocolate chips (55%) I would skip the added sweetener altogether. They are milky and sweet enough on their own!
These chocolate banana monkey pops are great on a hot day or simply for an afternoon snack. If frozen solid, I do like to let them sit at room temperature for about 5 minutes or so to let the chocolate banana goodness soften just a bit.
Oh, and just in case you are wondering, those adorable Monkey Business Straws and Cupcake Liners are by Cupcake Creations.
Special Diet Notes & Options: Chocolate Banana Monkey Pops
By ingredients, this recipe is dairy-free / non-dairy, egg-free, gluten-free, grain-free, optionally nut-free, optionally peanut-free, soy-free, vegan, vegetarian, optionally paleo, and even optionally added sugar-free! Just choose your ingredients wisely for the chocolate banana coating and sweeten as desired.
I’m sharing this recipe on Shirley’s awesome Gluten-Free Wednesdays at Gluten Free Easily, Allergy-Free Wednesdays at Adrienne’s great blog, Whole New Mom, A Wholesome Bunch at The Pink Sprinkle, Try a New Recipe Tuesday at Home to 4 Kiddos, and the Weekend Social at Bake at Midnite.
- 2 bananas, cut into 1½ to 2 inch chunks
- ½ cup dairy-free dark chocolate chips (I use Pascha Organic Unsweetened Chocolate Chips; use bitter-sweet or semi-sweet instead, if desired)
- ½ tablespoon melted coconut oil
- 1 tablespoon cashew, peanut, or sunflower seed butter
- Sweetener, to taste*
- Toppings (optional), such as shredded unsweetened coconut, cacao nibs, sprinkles, or chopped nuts
- Stick the banana chunks with your sticks of choice. This could even be toothpicks, but for fun, I cut these cute Monkey Business straws.
- Place the banana chunks, stick side up, in a single layer, not touching, on a silcone baking mat or parchment paper in the freezer. Freeze for several hours, until solid. Can be stored frozen in an airtight plastic bag until ready to use.
- Melt the chocolate chips (using the microwave - about 1 minute - or double broiler), until just melted. Do not overheat.
- Stir the melted chocolate, coconut oil, nut/seed butter, and sweetener, to taste, in a small bowl until smooth.
- If using toppings, place each on a separate small plate.
- Dip the frozen banana slices in the chocolate, rolling the sides as needed, then immediately roll in toppings, if using. Work quickly, as the chocolate will immediately begin setting up. If the chocolate cools too much and begins to get thick, heat it briefly (15 seconds in the microwave) and stir.
- Place the dipped bananas back on the mat or paper in the freezer. They can be eaten immediately, or kept frozen for later.
If using bitter-sweet chocolate (like Pascha 85% Cacao Chocolate Chips), less sweetener will be needed. With the semi-sweet chocolate (like Pascha 55% Cacao Chocolate Chips), no added sweetener will be needed, in my opinion.
19 Comments
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I love how simple and delicious this sounds. I actually had no idea that dairy-free chocolate was even a thing. Good to know!
Oh yes, it is SO a thing 🙂
I love frozen banana treats! I also love how you made this extra fun. I’ll have to make these for my nephews! 😀
What a cute recipe! I love how you set up the shot. My little monkey would love this recipe!
oooh, I am attending an event this weekend where kids will be – I totally need to bring a big ol’ platter of these! 🙂
And don’t forget the monkey straws 🙂
Okay, you’ve swayed me. I spotted Pascha chocolate at the health store on Wednesday but it was their bars but keen to still try it out! Will report back!
I bet you like it 🙂
These look great! And I love your site! What a great resource for dairy-free recipes. My husband recently went dairy-free and I’m having a hard time finding good recipes. Not anymore 🙂
Thank you Chrissie!
These Banana monkey pops look delightful and sure to be a winner with my kids! Love a delicious and healthy summer snack for them and glad I saw these!
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I LOVE these! What a clever idea! My kids will adore them. 🙂
Thanks Kristine! Great round-up – I pinned about 10 recipes from it already!
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Such a fun recipe! I love it! Tucking this away for sure!
Thanks Maggie!