Make Frozen Banana Pops Even Better With A Crunchy Breakfast Coating

Popsicles are a pretty good time, but for your next frozen treat, consider the curvy, classic banana. These fruit-on-a-stick snacks are delicious simply as-is or coated in chocolate, but there's actually a way to make them even more interesting, and it involves a few other staples off your morning table.

By reaching for a container of yogurt and your favorite box of breakfast cereal, you'll have the makings of a creamy, cold, and crunchy snack that's bursting with flavor — banana and beyond. All you need to do is cut a peeled banana in half (crosswise) and insert a stick. From there, dunk your banana in yogurt, then roll it in your cereal, turning as you go to get an even coating on all sides. Lay these out on a wax paper-lined sheet pan, and after about an hour in the freezer, voila — a craveable, whimsical, totally delicious frozen banana delight that will make your standard-issue popsicle look like a bore.

It's best to grab bananas that aren't overly ripe for this recipe. You still want some firmness, so the best options aren't green, but lack visible blemishes or dark spots on the peel, ensuring that they're sweet but not too soft. And while eating these bananas is a blast, a big part of the fun is customizing your flavors, too. Given the fairly neutral canvas of this familiar fruit, you have a lot of room to play.

Once you've got your top choice bananas picked out and prepped, you can begin deciding on your flavor combos. Strawberry yogurt with fruity crisp cereal gives your banana a bright and spunky persona, while vanilla yogurt and cocoa crisp is more of a classic combo reminiscent of a banana split. Crushed Cinnamon Toast Crunch adds a nice spice to a maple yogurt, or Golden Grahams are an ideal match for a creamy, honey-flavored option. If you'd prefer to keep your glycemic index in check, you can also opt for non-sugary breakfast cereals and reduced sugar yogurt, and wind up with a delightful snack that doesn't turn your nutrition routine on its head.

While you can freeze bananas for smoothies, or even turn a single one into soft serve ice cream, this repurposing of your fruit provides major satisfaction when it comes to both flavor and texture. And that's to say nothing of its major fun factor, no matter the occasion or season.