Top 10 ways to use up ripe bananas
Have some overripe bananas languishing in the fruit bowl? Put them to good use with our leftover recipes, from banana bread and muffins to ice cream and smoothies.
A limp banana turning an ominous shade of brown is a common sight in fruit bowls across the land – the short window between the perfect banana and overripeness means we’re sometimes caught short. When a banana loses its firmness it becomes hard to eat as a snack, but it can be mashed and used up in a number of thrifty ways.
Discover our favourite ways to use up this versatile fruit, then also read these guides on how to ripen bananas and how to freeze bananas. We've also got plenty more inspiration for using up leftovers in our collection of banana recipes.
Buying and storing bananas
Consider the shelf life when buying bananas. If you want to eat them over the course of the week, choose ones that have green tinges on the ends as they can be ripened at home. To eat straight away, choose bananas with small patches of black on the skin, which is a sign of ripeness. Store in a fruit bowl rather than the fridge, as the cold temperature will make the skins go black. They’ll also make everything else in the fridge smell like bananas.
Leftover banana recipes
1. Banana bread
A popular way of using up bananas is in a loaf or bread, and we have no shortage of recipes to keep you busy. Try a traditional banana bread loaf with icing, team it with Brazil nuts, or try our healthy banana bread with low-fat spread for breakfast. We've also got a delicious vegan banana bread which uses extremely overripe bananas to achieve a moist texture without the use of eggs. Check out our collection of banana bread recipes for lots of inspiration.
2. Baked bananas
Let your soft and squidgy bananas meld in heavenly fashion with chocolate buttons in these whole baked bananas. If it’s not barbecue season, they’ll cook perfectly well in the oven. Contrast all the steaming gooey sweetness with a dollop of ice cream.
Chocolate baked bananas
Boozy baked caramelised bananas
3. Banana muffins
Earn brownie points by tucking one of these moreish banana and pecan muffins into a lunchbox, or serve for an easy breakfast. If you prefer, you can swap the buttermilk for milk and lemon juice.
4. Microwave banana pudding
The mashable nature of overripe bananas means they can easily be worked into a cake batter. This cheat’s pud takes merely 20 minutes in the microwave, making it an ideal no-fuss midweek pud.
5. Quick banana ice cream
You don't need a fancy churner to enjoy homemade ice cream. For this version, chop your ripe bananas then freeze on a tray. Once frozen, whizz in a food processor with milk. It even counts towards your five-a-day – what more could you ask for?
Quick banana ice cream
Quick banana ice cream sandwiches
6. Banana smoothie
Another way of getting benefits from nutritious, potassium-rich bananas is to blitz them into a smoothie. Hazelnuts, mango, citrus fruits and berries all complement bananas in rather fine fashion.
Blitz up some more delicious banana smoothies, or treat yourself to a banana milkshake.
7. Banana pancakes
Go stateside at brunch time and flip up some fluffy pancakes which us overripe, blackened bananas in the batter. Enjoy them drizzled with maple syrup and topped with crunchy, toasted pecan nuts.
For a delicious dairy and egg-free alternative, try our vegan banana pancakes
8. Banana fairy cakes
Use up your mushy bananas in a traditional sponge. These cake sale-friendly cupcakes with retro icing will go down a storm with kids.
9. French toast
This decadent fried sandwich will work as a brunch dish or pudding, but it’s not for the faint-hearted – double cream, maple syrup, chocolate and mashed banana combined will knock your socks off.
Chocolate & banana French toast
10. Feelgood flapjacks
Be a little more virtuous with a nutritious flapjack, packed with hidden apple and banana, healthy seeds, chewy apricots and peanut butter.
11. Banana cakes
Take the concept of banana bread that bit further in these light and spongy traybakes. Top them with a gooey banoffee sauce, a nutty tahini buttercream or silky cream cheese frosting. Banana also pairs perfectly with cocoa powder in our decadent chocolate loaf cake, which also incorporates chocolate chunks into the sponge.
Banoffee traybake
Tahini banana cake
Banana traybake with cream cheese frosting
Chocolate & banana cake
12. Banana galette
Slightly overripe bananas take well to being caramelised in desserts, creating a beautifully rich toffee flavour. Combine them with hazelnuts and chocolate in this simple puff pastry galette or use them to make a tarte tatin, drenched in caramel sauce.
Caramelised banana & chocolate galette
Banana tarte tatin
More brilliant banana recipes...
Banana recipe collection
Vegan banana pancakes recipe video
Easiest ever banana ice cream recipe video
How do you use up leftover bananas? Leave a comment below…
As many countries urge populations to stay at home, many of us are paying more attention to our diets and how the food we eat can support our health. To help sort out the fact from the fiction, BBC Future is updating some of their most popular nutrition stories from their archive.
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