You buy a bunch of bananas with good intentions — maybe to slice atop your morning cereal or stir into yogurt for breakfast.
Or perhaps you intend to eat one each afternoon as a little pick-me-up, since bananas are packed with natural sugars that give you energy. They also deliver potassium, vitamin C and fiber.
Then two or three of the bunch begin to betray you as they ripen. Tiny brown spots appear, then spread until the fruit doesn’t look very appealing. Don’t worry — overripe bananas aren’t spoiled; they’ve simply moved into a sweeter stage of ripeness.
Something fascinating happens as bananas mature and shift from bright yellow to brown or black: their starches convert to sugars, making them much sweeter.
So before you toss them or add them to the compost, consider our recipe ideas for what to do with overripe bananas. Think banana ice cream (fold slices into vanilla ice cream), banana cream pie (blend into a smoothie with a vanilla wafer crunch), classic banana bread and even banana pancakes, muffins and more.
How to Store Overripe Bananas
If you have overripe bananas but won’t use them right away, freeze them. You might be tempted to freeze them with the peel on, but it’s wiser to remove the peel first — once frozen, the thin skin is a pain to peel off.
Also note that thawed ripe bananas are best used in baked goods, smoothies, puddings and other recipes where the fruit will be mixed in. After thawing they’ll be very soft and not ideal for eating straight.
Here are two simple ways to freeze overripe bananas:
- Peel whole ripe bananas and place them in freezer bags. Remove as much air as possible, seal and label the bag with the date using a smudge-proof marker. Depending on your recipe, you can use the fruit frozen or thawed.
- Peel ripe bananas and slice them into ½-inch pieces. Lay the slices on a baking sheet lined with wax paper and freeze for about 2 hours. Once frozen, transfer the slices to a freezer bag, remove air and label with the date. This method makes measuring for baking much easier.
20 Recipes That Use Overripe Bananas
These 20 recipes for overripe bananas might tempt you to leave a couple on the counter to darken just so you can make them. For most of these dishes, one or two mashed ripe bananas (sometimes three) are all you’ll need.
Banana Bread Recipes
Banana bread is the classic solution for overripe bananas. You can elevate it with chopped nuts, chocolate chips or dried fruit. A tablespoon of banana liqueur or rum brings another layer of flavor.
1. Banana Bread
Everyone should have a reliable banana bread recipe. This one from Simply Recipes is among the site’s most beloved recipes with nearly 6,000 reviews. It yields a single loaf, though many readers suggest doubling the batch.
2. Death by Chocolate Banana Bread
This chocolate banana bread from Delish includes cocoa and plenty of chocolate chips — a dream for chocolate lovers. Warm it up and top with vanilla ice cream for extra delight.
3. Cream Cheese-Filled Banana Bread
Want to combine cheesecake and banana bread? Kristyn Merkley at Lil’ Luna shares this cream cheese-filled banana bread that’s utterly decadent.
4. Gluten-Free Banana Bread
There are numerous recipes for gluten-free treats. The one-bowl gluten-free banana bread from Minimalist Baker uses three bananas, avocado oil and almond meal, among other ingredients, and has excellent reviews.
Banana Breakfast Recipes
You could just grab coffee and a bagel, but why would you when there are so many tempting banana breakfast options?
They’re basically dessert you’re allowed to eat in the morning — a win, especially if you pair them with a glass of orange juice for vitamin C.
5. Banoffee Scones
Banoffee, a British combo of banana and toffee, traditionally appears in pie form. Banoffee scones from King Arthur Baking Company bring that flavor to breakfast — the reviews alone will make you want to bake.
6. Nutella Banana Swirl Muffins
Bananas pair beautifully with chocolate and nuts, so Nutella is an ideal match. Nutella banana swirl muffins from The Novice Chef hit all the right notes.
7. Banana Bread Donuts
A tutorial for browning butter in the microwave on the Peanut Butter Plus Chocolate blog helps you make banana bread donuts. Don’t have a donut pan? Use a muffin tin to make donut holes instead.
8. Banana Pancakes
This banana pancakes recipe from Once Upon a Chef calls for one overripe banana — “the browner, the better.” You get double banana flavor from mashed banana in the batter and sliced, firmer banana on top. Want to add whipped cream?
Healthy Banana Recipes
If you’d rather exercise regularly than give up sweets, here are some healthier — or healthier-feeling — recipes to try. Share them around and spread the joy.
9. Gluten-Free Strawberry-Banana Muffins
Strawberry-banana muffins from Recipe Runner are a fresh twist on the smoothie pairing, made with oat flour. You can easily make them dairy-free by choosing your preferred milk.
10. Paleo Banana-Blueberry Breakfast Bread
Michele Rosen at Paleo Running Momma offers this paleo, nut-free banana-blueberry bread. Fresh blueberries add antioxidants and extra flavor.
11. 3-Ingredient Flourless Banana Bread Cookies
Arman Liew at The Big Man’s World shares simple, wholesome treats like his banana-oatmeal cookies. They’re easy enough for even a kitchen novice.
12. Tropical Green Smoothie
This tropical green smoothie from Ashley Manila at Baker by Nature makes it easy to eat your greens. Use frozen overripe bananas for a pina colada-like flavor. The bright color comes from spinach, kale or Swiss chard — use what you have.
Ripe Bananas Dessert Recipes
Bananas on their own are dessert-adjacent, but add flour and butter and you’ve got treats that upstage other fruits.
13. Chocolate Banana Cake
If you want to wow people, this chocolate banana cake is a winner. Top it with chocolate ganache and walnuts and you’ll have folks asking for the recipe.
14. Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Shake
Is the peanut butter cookie dough shake dessert, breakfast or a potent afternoon pick-me-up? Maybe all three — Blissful Basil’s vegan, gluten-free take packs tons of flavor.
15. Banana Pudding Cake
Banana pudding is a classic, but it needs firm slices for presentation. Try this banana pudding cake from Spend With Pennies; it bakes up light and saucy, combining pudding and cake in one.
16. Banana Upside-Down Cake
If caramelized brown sugar and bananas atop a cake sound good, you’ll love Jessica Kraft’s idea at Sprinkle Some Sugar of substituting bananas for pineapple in this upside-down cake.
17. Velvet Elvis Cupcakes
No roundup of overripe banana recipes would be complete without Elvis’s favorite flavor pairing. Ingrid Beer at The Cozy Apron nails the peanut butter-and-banana combo in these Velvet Elvis cupcakes.
18. Banana Cookies
These banana drop cookies from Lovefoodies are simple and adaptable — add Heath chips, chocolate chips or nuts. They stay soft thanks to the moisture from the bananas.
19. Rock Lobster Cocktail
Is it a cocktail or a dessert? The Rock Lobster cocktail from The Spruce Eats can be both. Coconut rum, dark rum and banana liqueur give it a tropical kick — a fun adult use for a very ripe banana. Cheers!
20. Chocolate Chip Banana Bars
Save the recipe for chocolate chip banana bars for times when you have a bunch of overripe bananas. This recipe calls for five bananas — wrap a bar or a square and tuck it into lunch boxes.
For other ways to make use of browning bananas, you might also like this guide on what to do with overripe avocados — many of the same preservation and recipe ideas apply to both fruits.
Marla Benson is a senior editor with Savinly.
