This Banana Slush Punch has been a family favorite for generations! A frozen blend of bananas, pineapple, and citrus concentrates creates a thick, scoopable base that turns perfectly slushy when topped with fizzy soda. The texture is cold and refreshing with just the right amount of sweetness and sparkle. It’s colorful, crowd-friendly, and made to be ladled into cups and enjoyed ice cold.
We had this slushy punch at every Easter party that I can remember from my early childhood, and I want this to be one of the recipes my kids take with them in their own lives.
Ingredient Needed
- Ripe Bananas – When I say ripe, I mean it! They should look brown all over and ready for banana bread, but some good spots on the peel indicate your bananas will be nice and sweet, with a good texture for this punch.
- Juice Concentrates – This punch uses lemonade and orange juice concentrate and also calls for pineapple juice. Since the frozen pineapple juice concentrate will be right there in the freezer aisle, it’s the easiest to grab that. But if you prefer, many stores now sell fresh pineapple juice in the produce section by the fresh juices and smoothies.
- Sprite or Ginger Ale – Take your pick between the two of these. There are so many other flavors in this punch, that either one will provide a satisfying sparkle to the finished product. Diet soda is fine.
How to Make Banana Slush Punch
This is a simple overview of the recipe, you’ll find a full printable recipe below!
- First, you’ll place some ripe bananas and water in a blender and sprinkle them with some sugar. Blend until smooth and then set aside.
- Then, in a large bowl or pot, you’ll combine some pineapple juice, orange juice concentrate, a can of lemonade (pink or yellow) concentrate, and some more water. Mix well. If you didn’t think ahead (like me) to thaw out the concentrates, pop an immersion blender into the mixture and mix until it’s smooth. Add the banana mixture and mix well.
- Pour the banana mixture into 3 separate freezer-safe containers or gallon-sized Ziploc bags. Freeze several hours or overnight (at least). When ready to serve, place one frozen bag of banana mixture into a punch bowl or serving jar and pour 1 liter of Sprite or ginger ale over the mixture.
- Break up with a spoon or ladle (or whip out that immersion blender again) and serve. You can garnish it with frozen raspberries or frozen sliced strawberries if you want.
Storage & Other Tips
- Freezing: The base is meant to freeze into a slush. Once it’s in the freezer, cover the punch base tightly with plastic wrap or a lid to prevent freezer odors and ice crystals from forming. It can stay frozen for several days before serving.
- Add Soda Just Before Serving: Add ginger ale, Sprite, or other fizzy soda right before you’re ready to serve so it stays fizzy and slushy.
- Serving Suggestions: This punch is great as a stand-alone refreshment on a hot day. It could also be served along side some easy desserts or a fruit or veggie platter. Its tropical flavors would pair well with other island-inspired dishes like Huli Huli Chicken, Hawaiian Macaroni Salad, Kalua Pork Sliders, or Hawaiian Style BBQ Ribs with Grilled Pineapple.
Frequently Asked Questions
Freezing time depends on your freezer, but it generally needs several hours or overnight to reach the right slush consistency.
This is one drink that is perfect for prepping ahead! Those frozen bags will keep well in the freezer for several weeks. If you need to transport them to an event, pack the frozen bags in a cooler and pop your soda in there as well. They should blend up perfectly if used within a couple of hours.
Let it sit on the counter for a few minutes, and stir or break it up before adding the soda so it softens into a scoopable slush.
This yields about 7 1/2 quarts (about 40 8-ounce servings to 60 4-ounce servings), so feel free to cut the recipe in half if you’re not interested in feeding a small army!
Yes. It will be less sweet, but still fizzy and refreshing.
Banana Slush Punch
Ingredients
- 6 cups water divided
- 4 bananas very ripe
- 1 ½ cups white sugar
- 6 cups pineapple juice 48 ounces
- 2 12-ounce cans orange juice concentrate
- 1 12-ounce cans lemonade concentrate pink or yellow
- 3 liters Sprite or ginger ale
- berries of choice for garnish, if desired
Instructions
- In the jar of a blender, combine 3 cups water, bananas, and sugar. Blend until smooth and set aside.
- In a large bowl or pot, combine remaining water, pineapple juice, orange juice concentrate, and lemonade concentrate and mix well or blend with an immersion blender. Add banana mixture.
- Divide the mixture evenly among 3 freezer-safe containers or gallon-sized zip-top bags and freeze for several hours or overnight (at least).
- When ready to serve, place 1 container of banana mixture at a time into a drink bowl or jar and pour 1 liter of chilled ginger ale or Sprite over the banana mixture. Mix with a spoon (or immersion blender) and serve immediately.
- If desired, you can garnish with frozen berries.
Notes
- Makes about 30 8-ounce servings to 60 4-ounce servings. Feel free to cut it in half if needed, or simply prepare just one bag and 1 liter of soda and save the rest for another occasion.
Questions & Reviews
My Mom made home canned grape juice with the grapes in the jar too! One time she shared some with my sister in law who had never seen this before and she drained off all the juice and made a “cherry” pie with the grapes! LOL
What a unique recipe! It looks really good, you don’t often see banana in drinks (other than smoothies). I totally get you on the grandparent thing. My grandparents were all alive when I was born, but both sets lived thousands of miles away and both sets had a ton of other grand kids living near them. My brother and I were basically the forgotten grandchildren. Oh well, at least our parents were loving!
How long could I keep the mixture in the freezer if I didn’t use it all at one time? Oh, btw- I love your turquoise immersion blender!
This looks so good! Such a sweet and luscious drink for a hot day!
My favorite is this stuff with canned peaches and pears, fresh strawberries and bananas. Fruit cup! Yummy! Thanks
What a great idea for using ripe bananas. This punch is perfect for spring days or Easter:) Thanks for the great post.
What fruit could I use besides bananas? Would strawberries work?
My first instinct is to say mangoes because they have similar sugar content and texture, so you’d wind up wit a similar texture. I bet you could use strawberries, you’d just have to play around with the sugar proportions. Even after it’s frozen, it won’t be frozen SOLID because of the sugar and texture of bananas, so you’ll want to achieve something similar with whatever fruit you use.
My grandmother totally used to make something like this. Thanks for reminding me and the fond memory!
Could you recommend a substitute for pineapple juice? We’ve got some allergies, but this sounds so good!
I bet any citrus juice would be tasty. Or coconut milk (depending on allergies, of course! :))
My grandma totally made this when I was a kid! It seems like she always had several Cool Whip containers in the freezer with slush in them.