Crispy Banana Tempura with Ice Cream

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I order tempura udon basically every time I’m out for noodles, but somehow it took me way too long to batter up a banana. Turns out banana tempura is the move: warm, crispy fried banana pieces piled over cold vanilla ice cream with a chocolate drizzle running down the side. That hot-and-cold thing is what gets you, the brittle tempura crunch against melty ice cream and soft, sweet banana in the middle. It’s a five-ingredient dessert that comes together in about 15 minutes, and it looks way fancier than it has any right to.

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What Is Banana Tempura?

Banana tempura is banana cut into bite-size pieces, coated in a light tempura batter, and fried until golden and crisp. It’s the same Japanese frying technique you know from tempura shrimp and vegetables, just turned into dessert. You’ll often see it on the dessert menu at Japanese steakhouse and teppanyaki spots, sitting on a scoop of vanilla ice cream. A good vanilla does a lot of work here, and my vanilla ice cream with olive oil and salt is a great match if you want to level it up. Making it at home is even easier than it looks, and you get that fresh-fried crunch you just can’t get from takeout.

What Makes This Banana Tempura So Good

It’s all about the textures. You bite through a SUPER crispy, craggy tempura shell into a warm banana that’s gone soft and jammy from the heat, and then the whole thing hits that cold, creamy vanilla ice cream. Hot, cold, crunchy, smooth, all in one bite. The banana caramelizes a little on the inside, going soft and sweet all the way through.

Add a chocolate drizzle and it’s basically a banana split with a crispy upgrade. If you love finding new ways to use up ripe bananas, this hits the same craving as my chewy banana butter mochi, just crispy and fried instead of soft and chewy. Two totally different desserts, same sweet banana payoff.

Tips for Making Banana Tempura

1. Use a firm, just-ripe banana

You want a banana that’s ripe enough to be sweet but still firm enough to hold its shape in hot oil. Big brown spots mean it’ll turn to mush the second it hits the batter. If your banana is on the softer side, cut the pieces a little bigger, around 1 inch, so they stay together.

2. Keep the batter cold and a little lumpy

Tempura batter is just the batter mix and cold water, and the secret is to not overmix it. A few lumps are a good thing. Cold water keeps the gluten from developing, which is what gives you that light, lacy, crispy shell instead of a heavy coating (Sudachi Recipes has a great breakdown of classic tempura batter if you want the full science). Some people even drop an ice cube in the bowl. A light hand with the batter matters here, the same way it does for other home-fried treats like my deep fried egg yolks.

3. Watch your oil temperature

Heat your vegetable oil to about 325F and use a thermometer if you have one. Too cool and the batter drinks up oil and gets greasy. Too hot and the outside browns before the banana warms through. Fry each piece for about a minute, until golden, then pull it onto a paper towel to drain.

4. Plate it while it’s hot

Banana tempura waits for no one. Fry it right before you’re ready to eat and get it onto that ice cream fast, because the contrast between the hot, crispy banana and the cold scoop is the entire point. It goes soft as it sits, so this is a make-it-and-eat-it dessert.

Storage & Leftovers

Real talk, this one is best eaten right away. The crispy shell softens within an hour of frying, so fried banana tempura doesn’t store well. If you want to prep ahead, slice the banana and measure out the dry batter mix in advance, then just add cold water and fry when you’re ready.

If you do end up with leftovers, skip the microwave (it steams the coating soggy) and re-crisp the pieces in the air fryer at 350F for 2 to 3 minutes. They won’t be quite as shattering as fresh, but they’ll come back to life.

Equipment

• Sauce pan
• Deep fry thermometer
• Mixing bowls

Ingredients

Five things, most of which you probably have. The tempura batter mix is the one specialty item, and it’s worth keeping around because it fries up so light. Here’s what you need:

• 1 Banana
• 1/2 cup Assi Tempura Batter Mix
• 1/2 cup cold water
• 2 cups Vegetable Oil (for frying)
• Vanilla Ice Cream (for serving)
• drizzle of Chocolate Syrup

No tempura mix on hand? You can whisk together a quick batter with flour, a little cornstarch, and cold water, but the boxed mix is the easiest way to a crispy shell. Swap the chocolate syrup for caramel or a dusting of cinnamon sugar if that’s more your vibe.

Instructions

1. Peel the banana and cut it into 1-inch pieces.
2. Pour the vegetable oil into a small sauce pan and heat it to 325F, using a deep fry thermometer to keep an eye on it.
3. Add the Assi Tempura Batter Mix and cold water to a small mixing bowl and stir just until combined. Leave a few lumps, do not overmix.
4. Drop the banana pieces into the batter and coat each one completely. Using a spoon, carefully lower them into the oil and fry for about a minute each, until golden. Take them out and set them on a paper towel to drain.
5. Add a couple scoops of vanilla ice cream to a plate, pile on the hot banana tempura, and finish with a drizzle of chocolate syrup. Eat it right away.

This is the one I’d pull out to impress people. It looks like a proper restaurant dessert, and the whole thing is a banana, some batter mix and about two minutes in oil.

Serve it the second it comes out of the pan. That contrast between hot tempura and cold ice cream is the entire point, and it does not wait around. 🙌

If you make this banana tempura, come back and leave a star rating on the recipe card, it really helps other people find the recipe. And drop a comment to let me know how yours turned out!

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