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Needing inspiration for those brown bananas on your counter? Look no further! Here are lots of great banana recipes to choose from!
My family eats a LOT of bananas. Sometimes it seems like I can barely manage to save a few brown bananas to bake with, or to use in smoothies.
This list of recipes for overripe brown bananas contains a little bit of everything, but as always, all the recipes are easy to make. Along with the usual breads and muffins, you’ll find recipes for desserts, smoothies, and pancakes, too.
How to Ripen Bananas Quickly
Oven Method
This method works best for bananas that are at least a little ripe, not bright green bananas.
Preheat your oven to 300ºF. Place bananas (with the peels still on) on a parchment paper baking sheet and put in preheated oven for 20 to 40 minutes or until they’re dark blackish brown. They’ll look super ugly, but they’ll be soft and sweet on the inside. Don’t be alarmed if they leak a little juice/sugar – that’s what the parchment paper is for.
Cool to room temperature before handling and using in your recipes.
Brown Paper Bag Method
This method is slower than the oven method. It will take 1 to 3 days for your bananas to ripen, depending on how ripe they are to begin with. The paper bag simply accelerates the ripening process. The science behind this method is that ethylene gas builds up inside the bag and helps ripen the bananas more quickly.
Place the unripe bananas in a brown paper bag and fold over the top. To expedite the process, place an apple, avocado, or tomato in the bag with the bananas.
How to Freeze Ripe Bananas
If you have too many ripe bananas to use right now, you can freeze them for later. You can head to our tutorial to learn how to freeze bananas, but I’ll give you the short version here.
Line a pan with parchment to prevent the bananas from sticking.
Cut the ripe bananas in slices and lay them in a single layer on the lined baking sheet.
Freeze until firm, 1 to 2 hours.
When they’re firm, move them into a freezer-safe container, where they’ll keep for 3 months.
Frozen bananas are great for smoothies straight from the freezer, or thaw them overnight in the refrigerator to use in baked goods.
16 ripe Banana Recipes
Whole Wheat Banana Bread
4.64 from 61 votes
Whole wheat banana bread is a staple in my house – my kids love it and it's a perfect way to use ripe bananas. It freezes well and makes a great lunchbox treat!
Old-fashioned homemade banana cake is hard to beat! Make your own cake with ripe bananas and a hand mixer. This recipe is so easy, and you can make it all in just one bowl!
Triple chocolate banana muffins, chock full of dark chocolate chunks and mini chocolate chips, are nutritious and filling with whole wheat flour and very little oil. You're going to love these muffins!
This peach banana cottage cheese smoothie, with an extra boost of protein, is creamy and delicious! A cottage cheese smoothie can be made with other fruits, too.
This chocolate banana milkshake is cool, creamy, delicious, and SO much better than the shakes you get at fast food restaurants. It also whips up in just a few minutes!
Healthy chocolate banana bread is a perfect way to start your morning. It tastes great with coffee and kids love it, too. Although chocolate banana bread is definitely a sweet treat, this recipe includes healthy ingredients.
This healthy banana bread recipe is an easy, low-fat quick bread that's tender, moist, and full of banana flavor! A simple swap of oil for applesauce is all it takes.
There’s nothing like a frosty, refreshing pineapple smoothie, made with delicious tropical fruit and coconut milk, to bring you all the sunshine, with an added boost of protein, too!
I freeze my bananas before they get too brown but then they are ready for the recipes you suggested. We like the bananas in our smoothies and the dogs like them in their homemade dog treats.
I freeze my bananas before they get too brown but then they are ready for the recipes you suggested. We like the bananas in our smoothies and the dogs like them in their homemade dog treats.
This is a great round-up. I always default to banana bread or smoothies when I have a mess of bananas laying around. Now I’m going to branch out!
love them all!