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Nothing's more irritating than having to throw out fresh fruit you just bought because it either ripened too fast or was already festering with mold. And what food is the biggest culprit? Usually, it’s bananas. Unless you're fitting bananas in your everyday meal routine, it’s difficult to keep up with how quickly they brown (which can be anywhere from 24 hours to five days, depending on how green they were at the store when you grabbed them).
The good news is that there’s actually a lot you can do with overripe bananas. We turned to chefs for top tips (both creative and delicious) that will prevent you from throwing speckled bananas in the trash!What To Do With Overripe Bananas
Image via Butternut Bakery
Banana Bread, Obviously
One of the most widespread baking recipes to make with overripe bananas is banana bread. Why? Because it’s simple, delicious, and an automatic crowd-pleaser. Check out our one bowl gluten-free banana bread recipe, our chocolate banana pumpkin bread, or these 40 recipes of banana bread that you need to make this weekend (the options are endless!).
(Writer’s note: My go-to recipe is the chocolate chip banana bread from Butternut Bakery — but I use dark chocolate chips instead!)
Image via Half Baked Harvest
Freeze Them For Your Smoothies
When in doubt, put your overripe bananas in the freezer. Then you’ll at least have time to think on what to do with them—and you can throw them in your morning smoothies. Bananas last up to three months in the freezer ideally, and pair well with a variety of different flavor profiles, like caramel, blueberry, chocolate, or orange.
This strawberry-banana colada smoothie from Half Baked Harvest may just be your new fav, or the cloudy summer smoothie which doubles as an Erewhon smoothie dupe. Chef Chris Morgan of Joon restaurant in Washington D.C. advises using overripe bananas and other raw fruits for your children at home (he makes little smoothies for his 7-month old baby—pure genius!).
Image via Food Faith Fitness
Make Banana Cookies
Substitute the flour for bananas in your baking with some tasty cookie options. The plus side of banana cookies is that they are often automatically gluten-free and can easily become dairy-free (but always check first!). These easy peanut banana oatmeal cookies from Food Faith Fitness are a great option. If you’re looking to ditch the peanut butter, try out these 4-ingredient banana oat cookies from Livvin Media.
Image via Kathryn's Kitchen Blog
Ice Cream, Anyone?
There is nothing better than sorbet or ice cream in the summer months. All you really need is frozen ripe bananas, any other frozen fruit you prefer, milk (whichever kind you enjoy— almond, oat, etc.) and some sweeteners like honey or vanilla extract. To fit your health goals, you can even throw in protein powder. This strawberry nice cream from Kathryn’s Kitchen Blog only has five ingredients!
Image via Butternut Bakery
Upgrade Your Breakfast
Pancakes, overnight oats, and muffins are all incredibly tasty options to use up those ripe bananas and upgrade your breakfast game. Try Butternut Bakery’sbanana nut muffins for a quick snack or these healthy chia banana pancakes from Half Baked Harvest for a savory morning bite. You can also sift through Brit + Co’s 17 overnight oats recipes — keep in mind that overnight oats only last a few days in the fridge, though!
Photo by Anna Tarazevich/PEXELS
Make Dog Treats
Don’t leave out your furry friends— they love bananas too! Making long-lasting dog treats “relieves the pressure on the idea of food waste, plus there is a bonus that your pets are spoiled, happy, and nutritiously rewarded,” says pastry chef Susan Bae of the critically-acclaimed restaurant, Moon Rabbit in Washington D.C. Check out her go-to dog treat recipe below:
Chef Susan Bae’s Dog Treat Recipe:
250g organic whole wheat flour
240g organic peanut butter
70g organic, unsweetened apple sauce
56g mashed overripe banana
113g organic plain bone broth
25g organic shredded cheddar cheese
25g freeze dried blueberries
Preheat oven to 350F.
1.) Mix to combine whole wheat flour, peanut butter, apple sauce, bone broth and banana. Until a dough is lightly formed.
2.) Fold in shredded cheese and dried blueberries to evenly distribute in dough.
3.) Roll dough out to 1/4” thickness and use your favorite cookie cutters to cut out treats.
4.) Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and bake dog treats until firm and dry to touch (this varies with each oven) Check at 45 minutes.
5.) Store at room temperature for up to 1 week in an airtight container or in the fridge for up to 3 weeks.
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Header image via Half Baked Harvest
