Do you have overripe bananas sitting on your kitchen counter or dining table? Are you wondering what to do with overripe bananas? You can use them in so many delicious recipes that throwing them away would be a crime.
Organic bananas do ripe easily, especially in hot climates. So don’t be surprised if a banana you just bought is overripened in a few days. If anything, it’s an excuse to put your chef hat on and whip up something great. Ripe or overripe, bananas are delicious and healthy either way.
Are Bananas Good for You?
Banana is a versatile fruit found all over the planet. They usually grow in warm climates. If you’ve only ever eaten the bananas available at your local grocer, you’ll be surprised to see how many variations of bananas exist around the world. They come in different sizes and colors and may even taste slightly different.
What makes bananas such a ubiquitous fruit is that it’s packed with nutritional value and its dirt cheap. Bananas are quite cheap, almost everywhere, which makes it even better. You can get a healthy dose of potassium, fiber, vitamin C, and phytonutrients from a single serving of banana.
Here’s a nutritional breakdown of 100 g banana (2 small to 1 medium) as per USDA FoodCentral database:
| Calories | 89 kcal |
| Water | 75 percent |
| Carbs | 22.8 g |
| Protein | 1.1 g |
| Fiber | 2.6 g |
| Fat | 0.3 g |
| Sugar | 2.6 g |
| Calcium | 5 g |
| Potassium | 358 mg |
| Magnesium | 27 mg |
| Vitamin C | 8.7 mg |
Here’s why bananas are good for you:
Heart Healthy
Bananas are rich in potassium, which is a mineral that helps regulate blood pressure. Potassium, in general, is very good for heart health. According to a study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, as much as 1.3 g of potassium every day can lower the risk of heart disease.
Potassium isn’t the only nutrient in bananas good for your heart. The antioxidants in bananas also help prevent heart disease.
Improves Digestion
The fiber in bananas can help improve digestion. As you can see from the chart above, just 100 g contains 2.6 g, which is not bad at all. Unripe green bananas are even richer in fiber, as they contain resistant starches that are difficult for the body to break down. So these starches and pectins improve your gut health by nourishing gut flora.
Good Source of Vitamin C and Vitamin B6
Potassium takes all the limelight when it comes to banana’s rap. But bananas are also a decent source of Vitamin C. You can cover as much as 10 percent of daily Vitamin C requirements with just one banana.
Bananas are also rich in Vitamin B6. A 100 g of bananas contains 0.367 mg of Vitamin B6. This vitamin from bananas is easily absorbed by the body. It’s vital for a number of processes in your body, including red blood cell production, metabolism of amino acids, and removal of toxins from lungs and kidneys. Vitamin B6 is also good for pregnant women.
What to Do With Overripe Bananas?
I make it a thing to never waste food, which is why I’m bananas for bananas. Even if they’re overripe, I can use them to make something for breakfast or dessert. I’ve rounded up some of my favorite recipes from Forks Over Knives that use overripe bananas:
Banana Oat Chocolate Chip Pancakes
Mixing the healthiness of oats with the sweetness of banana and chocolate chips, these pancakes are the right way to start your day. You’ll have everything already in your pantry, so you can whip these up any day you have some ripe or overripe bananas lying around.
Here are the ingredients:
Bananas (2 bananas or 1 cup, overripe and mashed)
Oat flour or wheat flour (1 cup)
Rolled oats (½ cup)
Unsweetened plant milk or water (¾ cup)
Baking powder (¾ teaspoon)
Chocolate chips (¼ cup)
Sea salt (1 pinch)
Strawberries (1 cup, halved)
Steps:
- In a medium bowl, add the mashed bananas and milk, and whisk.
- Then add flour, oats, baking powder, and salt in another bowl. Add the banana-milk mixture into this mixture and stir until you have the right consistency.
- Add in the chocolate chips.
- Heat a non-stick pan or griddle on low heat, and put half a cup of the batter, spreading it to form a pancake.
- Cook for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, until the surface looks dry and brownish.
- Repeat the process with the remaining batter. It should give you 5 to 6 pancakes.
- Top the pancakes with cut strawberries (or any other fruit you may have).
Recipe courtesy of Forks Over Knives.
Gluten-free Banana Teff Bread
There’s nothing quite like the good old banana bread. Plus, homemade banana bread has its own unique charm and taste. This recipe is totally gluten-free as it uses teff, which is a very granular whole grain. You can grind them in your regular blender to create a teff flour.
Here’s everything you need:
- Bananas (2 ripe/overripe)
- Teff flour (1 cup)
- Plant milk (¼ cup, unsweetened)
- Pure cane sugar (2 tablespoons)
- Baking powder (1 teaspoon)
- Baking soda (½ teaspoon)
- Apple cider vinegar (2 teaspoons)
- Vanilla extract (2 teaspoons)
- Ground cinnamon (½ teaspoon)
- Sea salt (2 pinches)
- Raisins (10 to 15, soaked and drained)
Steps:
- Preheat the oven to 350 ℉.
- Take a 8 x 4 inches nonstick or silicone loaf pan, and line it with parchment paper.
- Take a bowl and start with the bananas. Mash them with a fork.
- Add all the liquids (milk, vinegar, and vanilla extract), and mix it well.
- Now, add all the other ingredients to another bowl, and mix.
- Gently add the liquid mix to the dry flour mix, and whisk.
- Transfer the batter into the loaf pan, and sprinkle the raisins on top.
- Bake for 45 minutes (You can check if it’s cooked through with the classic toothpick method).
Recipe courtesy of Forks Over Knives.
Banana and Peanut Butter Chocolate Brownies
Yes, you can even add your overripe bananas into a brownie mix and give them a banana twist. This is what I love about bananas that they can easily go into pretty much anything sweet you’re baking. But speaking of sweet, this recipe isn’t too sweet, which is perfect.
Bananas and peanut butter add the fudgy texture to these brownies, which makes them absolutely irresistible.
- Cocoa powder (⅓ cup, unsweetened)
- Bananas (½ cup, mashed)
- Plant milk (½ cup, unsweetened)
- Oats (1 cup, quick-cooking)
- Pure cane sugar (2 tablespoons)
- Flaxseed meal (2 tablespoons)
- Pure vanilla extract (2 teaspoons)
- Peanut butter (¼ cup, no salt)
- Dates (¾ cup, pitted, chopped)
- Baking powder (1 ½ teaspoon)
- Sea salt (1 ½ teaspoon)
- Powdered sugar (1 tablespoon)
- 2 bananas (sliced, for topping)
Steps:
- Preheat the oven to 350 ℉.
- In a small bowl, add flaxseed meal and about 6 tablespoons of water. Leave it for 5 minutes.
- In another small bowl, add the dates and pour in boiling water, just enough to soak them. Drain after 5 minutes.
- Take an 8-inch baking pan and line with foil.
- Now, in a blender, blend the flaxseed, dates, bananas, milk, peanut butter, and vanilla extract (all the liquid ingredients).
- In a large bowl, combine all the rest of the ingredients (except powdered sugar and whole bananas). Add in the blended mixture and mix together.
- Transfer the mix into the baking pan and spread it evenly.
- Bake for 25 minutes, and cool on a wire rack for about half an hour.
- Sprinkle over powdered sugar with a sieve and put slices of bananas on top.
Recipes courtesy of Forks Over Knives.
Vegan Banana Muffins
Of course, there’s always the option of baking some muffins with leftover ripped bananas. But this recipe is a little different; it doesn’t have any flour or oil. In other words, it’s super healthy. And you don’t even need a lot of things!
Here’s the list of ingredients:
- Overripe bananas (4)
- Oats (2 cups, grounded/floured)
- Apple juice (½ cup, unsweetened)
- Applesauce (½ cup, unsweetened)
- Flaxseeds (2 tablespoons, ground)
- Vanilla extract (½ tablespoon, alcohol-free)
- Apple cider vinegar (½ tablespoon)
- Baking powder (½ tablespoon)
- Baking soda (½ teaspoon)
- Cinnamon (1 teaspoon)
Steps:
- Preheat the oven to 350 ℉ while you do the prep.
- If you have rolled oats, ground them into flour.
- In a blender, add the bananas and puree. Next, add all the other liquids (applesauce, apple juice, vinegar, and vanilla extract).
- In a large bowl, add the oat flour and all the other dry ingredients.
- Pour in the liquid mix from the blender, and whisk gently until combined.
- Take a muffin pan (two of 6 cupcakes or one of 12 cupcakes) and insert cupcake liners.
- Pour in the mixture into each, filling them up just two-thirds.
- Bake for 20 to 22 minutes until they rise and have a golden brown surface.
Recipe courtesy of Forks Over Knives.
Acai-Banana Ice Cream and Oats
This recipe shows that the humble banana can be very fancy as well. The ingredients sound a bit crazy in terms of combinations, but trust me, it will all make sense when you try it. This is like a breakfast-themed dessert.
You’ll need the following ingredients:
- Bananas (2, frozen and cut into chunks)(You can freeze overripe bananas too)
- Acai pulp (2 single-serving packets)
- Rolled oats (¾ cup)
- Zucchini (½ cup, shredded)
- Millet (¼ cup)
- Maple syrup (½ tablespoon)
- Ground Cinnamon (¼ teaspoon)
- Vanilla bean powder (⅛ teaspoon) or vanilla extract (¼ teaspoon)
- Fresh fruits for topping
Steps:
- To start the ice cream, add bananas and acai pulp into a food processor. Blend until fluffy and freeze the mix.
- In a saucepan, add two cups of water and bring to boil. Now, add the oats, zucchini, millet, and cinnamon. Bring to a boil again, then reduce the heat.
- Let it simmer until the oats are soft and all the liquid is absorbed.
- Add the maple syrup and vanilla.
- Pour the oat mixture into dessert bowls. Pour over the ice cream, and top it with fruits, nuts/nut butter, or seeds.
Recipe courtesy of Forks Over Knives.
Banana Blueberry Bars
These bars are a perfect snack that can make a good choice for a pre-workout energy boost. Plus, there’s no sugar, so you enjoy the natural sweetness of the fruits. Here are the ingredients:
- Bananas (2, overripe)
- Rolled oats (3 cups)
- Blueberries (1 cup, fresh or frozen)
- Dates (1 cup, pitted and halved)
- Cinnamon grounds (¾ teaspoon)
- Baking powder (1 ½ tablespoon)
- Vanilla extract (1 teaspoon)
- Nutmeg grounds (¼ teaspoon)
- Walnuts (½ cup)
Steps:
- Take a small bowl to soak the dates in apple juice for 10 to 15 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 375 ℉ and line a 9 x 9 inches baking pan with parchment paper. (line the sides too and cut slits)
- Add the 1 cup of oats, bananas, vanilla extract into a blender. Drain the dates, and add them to the blender as well. Blend everything.
- In a medium bowl, add the remaining two cups of oats, baking powder, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Pour in the liquid mix and stir well.
- Now add in the blueberries and walnuts and stir again.
- Pour the batter into the baking pan and press down to cover the tray evenly.
- Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, then cool for 15 minutes.
- Cut into bars and serve.
Wrap Up
So the next time you’re asking yourself what to do with overripe bananas, you have plenty of scrumptious recipes to try. Even though banana isn’t the star of the dish in some of these recipes, its sweet taste still manages to come through, just how it does in smoothies typically.
Overripe bananas are easier to mash and easily incorporate into other liquid blends, sometimes even without needing to go through a whirl in the blender. And, of course, you get all the goodness of them, but in the form of dessert or breakfast.
