Turn an ordinary banana split into a delicious dessert you could only get at a gourmet restaurant. I promise my caramelized Plantain Ice Cream Sundae will deliver.
It’s also the perfect dessert for mom. It’s an easy-to-make Mother’s Day recipe that the kids can make with a little help from dad in under 10 minutes.
She won’t believe her eyes when you present her with this one of a kind sweet treat.
Feast your eyes on this delicious Latin American ice cream sundae!
Plantains are members of the banana family. Like bananas they taste delicious with ice cream.
Sautéeing or roasting brings out the caramelized sweetness of this tropical fruit.
What are plantains?
Plantains are a fruits similar to a banana that are grown in tropical climate like the Caribbean, Latin America or West Africa.
They change color as they ripen.
A green plantain is considered firm and unripe and as they turn yellow begin to ripen.
As they grow, unripe plantains begin to soften and eventually become sweet plantains.
Like bananas, they develop more sugar as time passes.
Black plantains are the sweetest and are great for making fried plantains.
HOW TO MAKE A PLANTAIN ICE CREAM SUNDAE
For this recipe, I used ripe plantains.
I chopped off the ends and slid my fingers down the length of the plantain pulling back the almost black peel to remove it.
I sliced the fruit into half-inch thick round slices, tossed them in a little coconut sugar and fried them in a heavy skillet until they were golden brown.
Then I added a sweet mixture of water, apple juice and brown sugar to the hot skillet to create a syrup.
Two scoops of vanilla ice cream on top and a few almond sprinkles and voilà – your ice cream sundae is served!
Make this plantain banana ice cream sundae for mom and I promise she will be impressed.
Variations
- Use caramel ice cream or whipped heavy cream on top in place of ice cream.
- Substitute the brown sugar for one tablespoon of maple syrup.
- Top the dessert with your choice of nuts or flaked coconut.
WHAT DESSERT CAN I SERVE ON CINCO DE MAYO?
This sundae would also be delicious to serve to your guests at your next Cinco de Mayo party.
Satisfy their sweet tooth and put a smile of their faces.
Just sub out the 2 tablespoons of apple juice for rum.
Try these great recipes for your Cinco de Mayo party
- Chorizo and Chicken Rice Skillet
- Pico de Gallo – Salsa Fresca
- Cilantro Lime Grilled Chicken
- Cinco de Mayo Fiesta – 15 Tapas, Tacos and other Mexican Recipes
- Coconut Rice Recipe
- Easy Pineapple Pico de Gallo Salsa Recipe
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Caramelized Plantain Ice Cream Sundae (Easy Recipe)
Ingredients
- 1 very ripe, almost black plantain
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoons coconut sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 cup water
- 2 tablespoons apple juice
- 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
- Vanilla ice cream
- Sliced almonds
Instructions
- Peel the plantain and slice plantains into round pieces. In a large bowl, toss the slices with the coconut sugar and ground cinnamon.
- In a cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat sauté the plantains in olive oil until they are golden brown and caramelized, about 3-5 minutes.
- In a small bowl mix together the water, brown sugar and juice.
- Pour the homemade caramel sauce into the skillet and allow it to reduce into a syrup.
- Transfer the caramelized plantains and syrup to a dessert dish.
- Place a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top and sprinkle with slivered almonds.
If you make a recipe, be sure to snap a photo and hashtag it #homeandplate. I’d love to see what you cook!
Oh my goodness. I have never had ice cream with plantains. I’m tempted to try it out now. Looks so amazing! Pinning!
Hope you enjoy…thanks:)
I love plantains, but I think I’ve always had them in savory preparations (ie. tostones). I bet they’d be awesome caramelized like this… I don’t often make desserts (we do a square of dark chocolate), but when I do, I like to keep them simple. This looks like a winner!
Thanks Tamara…it’s an easy recipe and good with ice cream or without:)
Oh wow, this looks spectacular! I’m off to find plantains!
Yum….thanks Sue and enjoy!
What a beautifully grown up twist on the ice cream sundae. I really love the addition of the coconut flavours. Stunning photos (I detest shooting ice cream as you have to be so fast)
Totally agree with you…whipped cream always gets me. It’s a runny mess in minutes. Lucky for me this was a cold day here in Ohio. I shot it outside on the screen porch.
That looks delicious!
I usually eat my plantains green – good to be reminded that there are other ways… And I like using apple juice in the syrup.
Thanks Anne….Plantains are underrated but so tasty!
i’ve never tried plantain before, definitely curious to know what they taste like – but i’m sure they’re delicious when caramelised like that.
They taste a lot like bananas and are just incredibly tasty. I’m sure you’ll love this dessert especially caramelized:)
What a gorgeous summer dessert…I love the caramelized plantain…a creative and delicious way to serve it. Pinning this for later. xo, Catherine
And so tasty too Catherine…thanks and I hope you enjoy it:)
This is not only a perfect dessert for mom, but a perfect dessert for CincoDeMayo–totally trying this!
Thanks Kristen…it’s the perfect May dessert.
Oh my goodness, this looks amazing! I would have never thought to use plantains in place of bananas!
Thanks Ladies…yes…plantains make for the perfect grown up ice cream sundae…enjoy!
oh wow this looks almost too good!
Yes…I know what you mean 🙂