These super-simple skin baked bananas with chocolate have to be the tastiest but easiest gluten-free desserts to make. Using only 2 ingredients, everyone will enjoy these deliciously soft and sweet delights!
I don’t know about you but desserts can be a bit of a minefield, particularly when trying to be considerate to a diabetic’s blood sugars. After a big meal that may be quite carb-heavy, rolling out a dessert packed with hidden carbs and sugars is not always ideal. However, these super simple skin baked bananas with chocolate are a great healthier option.
Baking the bananas seems to bring out even more of their natural sweetness and paired with the melted chocolate creates a heavenly gooey, soft dessert. In under 20 minutes, you can have an absolutely delicious dessert on the table that has endless options for jazzing up. However eaten simply as they come, hot from the oven is just as good.
Why I Love These Simple Baked Bananas so much
Finding delicious desserts that aren’t too carb-heavy can be tricky for managing diabetes. I know that we try to ensure that if we have had a particularly high carb main meal we try to find a more sensible carb count option for a dessert. Mainly because the more insulin on board creates the potential for bigger errors.
Now, these baked bananas and chocolate are slightly on the higher end at around 20-25g of carbs. But unlike a dessert packed with refined sugars, the carbs in this dessert also come with the addition of fibre, antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals.
This has to be one of the easiest desserts I have made. It can be prepared in advance, just simply pop them in the oven and let it work its magic.
In the meantime, you have the option of preparing a little platter of toppings and extras, so that everyone can choose how to jazz up their pud if they want to. This makes this dessert incredibly versatile
Brilliant Bananas
Bananas are a really brilliant fruit to include in your diet. I know they are usually the first fruit to go in any diet recommendation because they are quite a high carbs fruit. I have to admit that they scared me a little after my daughter’s type 1 diagnosis. But I soon came to realise the benefits of a banana outweighed the carb count.
Bananas are not only delicious but also:
- Can healthily help to satisfy sweet cravings
- Are fibre rich and a great source of potassium, vitamin B6, vitamin C, and various other antioxidants and phytonutrients
- Make a wonderful natural sweetener in baking – yes let’s celebrate the banana bread and all its manifestations over the last few years!
- A wonderful middle of the night hypo treatment
- Are a low to medium GI food which means it should be kinder on blood sugar levels.
However, a banana’s GI and nutritional values will alter as they ripen. The riper / yellower a banana is, means that it will contain more sugar and therefore carbohydrates, so it may cause a bigger rise in blood sugar.
Also, the size of the banana you eat will also determine its effect on your blood sugar level. Naturally, the larger the banana, the more carbs you’ll consume and therefore the greater potential rise in your blood sugars. We have found the small kids’ bananas to be the perfect size for this dessert.
Other brilliant banana recipes to try
LOW-CARB CHOCOLATE AND BANANA MUFFINS
HEALTHY PEANUT BUTTER BANANA OAT BISCUITS
LOW CARB CHOCOLATE CHIP BANANA BREAD
Recipe variations and topping ideas
This vegan and gluten-free recipe is so versatile with endless options. Here are a few of our favourite additions, but remember to use vegan-certified products if you wish to continue to make this a vegan-friendly option
- Peanut butter and crushed peanuts to make a healthy snickers taste sensation (pictured)
- A big dollop of Greek yoghurt (pictured)
- Toasted or desiccated coconut
- Crushed nuts
- Cacao nibs
- Honey / Maple Syrup / or a sugar-free syrup
- A big dollop of your favourite Ice-cream
- Whipped cream
Boozy Baked Bananas
A great adult-friendly version of this dessert is to add a shot of your favourite tipple, such as Whisky, Rum or Brandy into the foil before baking and serve with some boozy cream or your favourite ice cream.
How to store skin baked bananas
In my experience, these don’t actually store very well and are best eaten and enjoyed straight away hot from the oven.
However if you wanted to use them mixed into another dish, for example, your morning porridge, simply remove the skins and store them in an airtight container for a couple of days in the fridge.
If you love this recipe then why not try these other desserts:
- APPLE CRUMBLE WITH OATS
- QUICK AND EASY FROZEN FRUIT CRUMBLE
- EASY NO CHURN CHOCOLATE AVOCADO ICE CREAM
What you need to make the Simple Skin Baked Bananas with Chocolate
- Banana
- Full of fibre and a great source of potassium, vitamin B6, vitamin C, and various other antioxidants and phytonutrients
- The riper / yellower a banana is, means that it will contain more sugar and therefore carbohydrates
- We use a small kids size banana in this recipe
- Dark Chocolate
- Try and use a chocolate that has a cocoa content 70% or above. The higher the cocoa content the lower the sugar!
You will also need some foil and a baking sheet.
How to make Simple Skin Baked Bananas with Chocolate
It couldn’t be easier, simply take your banana and carefully cut down the middle, lengthwise going through the skin and some of the flesh
Next add in your chopped chocolate pieces, pressing them firmly into your split.
Now carefully wrap your banana in foil and place it in a preheated oven 200 C fan/ 220 C conventional and bake for 10 to 15 minutes depending on the size of your banana.
Serve hot on a plate and enjoy just as it is or add toppings of your choice.
Diabetes Note
These skin baked bananas and chocolate are slightly on the higher end at around 20-25g of countable carbs. But unlike a dessert packed with refined sugars, the carbs in this dessert also come with the addition of fibre, antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals.
Carb Counting
The overall carb count for these simple skin baked bananas based on the ingredients we would count for is:
- Banana= approx145g – 18.6g of carbs
- Dark Chocolate (70%) = 15g – 5.2g of carbs
Now add all the carbs together – 18.6+5.2= 24g of carbs per portion
Please note this carb count amount per portion is based on the standard ingredients listed above and may differ depending on what you use and how much you choose to eat.
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Simple Skin Baked Bananas with Chocolate
Using only 2 ingredients, everyone will enjoy these deliciously soft and sweet skin baked bananas with chocolate!
1
servings5
minutes10
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minutesKeep the screen of your device on
Ingredients
1 medium 1 banana
15 g 15 dark chocolate
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 220 C / 200 C fan
- Take your banana and carefully cut down the middle, lengthwise going through the skin and some of the flesh
- Next add in your chopped chocolate pieces, pressing them firmly into your split.
- Now carefully wrap your banana in foil and place it in a preheated oven and bake for 10 to 15 minutes depending on the size of your banana.
- Carefully unwrap and peel of the skin to serve. Enjoy just as it is or add any toppings of your choice.
Tips and Notes
- Ensure you use a vegan certified chocolate if you need this recipe to be vegan friendly
- Leaving the skin on is optional. Feel free to peel it if you prefer, but I find it easier for serving in its skin
- The baking time will vary depending on how ripe your bananas were and how soft you like the end result.
- Diabetes Note – These skin baked bananas and chocolate are slightly on the higher end at around 20-25g of countable carbs depending on the size of your banana.
