What are the best things to make with ripe bananas? Bananas are delicious, but what about when they start to bruise and look unappetizing?
If you’re a picky eater, the appearance of the food you are going to eat can play a lot into whether you’re actually going to eat it or not.
You may love bananas, but only when they have that fresh, yellow look rather than their brown and black counterpart.
But it turns out that bruised and black bananas are perfect for making other things like baked goods! (You may already know this if you enjoy making confectionaries with bananas!)
We’ve already made a couple of delicious recipes that use bananas, but this list will be a great way to tie all of them together in one place, and give you some ideas of your own!
This post is all about the best things to make with ripe bananas you need to know about.
We love using ripe bananas to make all sorts of things. Whether you’re making something for many people or just yourself, you have a wide range of recipes to choose from.
Just be careful, because you could go down a rabbit hole trying to find the perfect recipe and end up with loads of variations.
This list will include a couple of our own recipes along with different types of those specific baked goods.
Plan on making more of these in the future? Remember to freeze the bananas you don’t use so they last longer!
From experience, we’ve learned to peel the bananas and cut them into thirds or fourths to make it easier once they come out of the freezer. Especially if you don’t plan on defrosting them first, those steps will help your future self.
Or, if you know you’re going to be making a lot of something with bananas, you can buy a bunch from the store the week before so they are perfect by the time you need them.
We’ve used both of these methods several times before and now recommend them to others to make their lives easier too!
Now that that has been covered, we will move on to those delicious recipes!
Things to make with ripe bananas:
Smoothies-
If you have frozen bananas, add them to a smoothie! Not only do they make the consistency creamier, but they complement the other fruits and veggies.
Of course, there are tons of recipes you could find for different types of smoothies, so we recommend looking through our Smoothies section to find your perfect recipe!
Some of our favorites are:
This Easy Post Workout Smoothie Recipe that only takes about five minutes to make.
It includes protein powder for the extra strength you may need after a challenging workout! Not only that, but the mixed berries make this drink taste amazing.
This Tropical And Delicious Mango Summer Smoothie will transport you right to a summertime vacation where you can sit back, relax, and enjoy the tropical flavors.
A super yummy drink that has the option to add vanilla ice cream? Yes, please! This smoothie is made as an afternoon snack, but can also be turned into a dessert with the addition of ice cream.
Lastly, our personal favorite for if you’re feeling like eating something instead of drinking, this Raspberry Smoothie Bowl Recipe is heavenly.
It has just the right texture and consistency to need a spoon, which forces you to savor it even more! The blend of raspberry, banana, and chocolate really makes it taste like a sweet treat.
Banana Bread-
A classic option for ripe bananas! Banana bread is a popular snack/breakfast/dessert that many people enjoy, and can be brought over for parties and potlucks.
Depending on how you make it, you can turn it into a different meal, as indicated by the variety of options above. Banana bread is another great gift to give to new neighbors or as a holiday dessert, too.
But what should you add? (If that’s something you’re interested in.)
Well, we like to add chocolate chips! If you go this route, make sure to stir them in right before you pour the batter into its pan, or else the chocolate chips are more likely to sink to the bottom.
If you don’t like chocolate chips, you can also add blueberries, granola, strawberries, etc.
Banana Muffins-
Just like banana bread, but bite-sized! Even better are mini muffins, which can be consumed quickly and make you lose track of how many you’ve had!
We love banana muffins, and if you do too, these are a great way to get rid of those super-ripe bananas. Muffins are the perfect breakfast food, and they are more versatile with what toppings you can add.
You can choose to add extra ingredients to the batter or sprinkle them on top after pouring them into the pan.
Need an example? No problem. We have a great recipe for you to try:
The Best Flourless Banana Muffins Of 2023 have chocolate chips and are our go-to breakfast for when we need to get out the door quickly.
You can make them on weekends for the week ahead, and they last through the week! (If they even make it through the week…)
These have consistently been a popular recipe among friends and family so we recommend you try them too! Just remember not to eat them all at once!
Banana Cookies-
Speaking of popular recipes that are great to make during the weekend to prepare for the week, banana cookies are a significant part of the list!
You can make them healthy, and our version contains little to no sugar! This Tasty 7-Step Banana Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe is yummy, without having too much sugar.
Depending on if you add chocolate chips or not, this recipe is sugar-free! You can also substitute the chocolate chips for blueberries, which is another fan favorite.
Fried Plantains-
Not the most conventional dessert, but absolutely delicious! Whether you eat them plain or with something like ice cream or cookies, they are super unique.
And depending on how you make them, also super healthy.
This is a great recipe for when you need to make something quick and easy, that will still be loved by your guests and yourself.
However, be aware that these don’t last long, so as long as you eat all of them, you won’t have any to waste!
Bananas Foster-
Another dessert dish incoming! Bananas Foster is like adding detail and sophistication to ripe bananas. They will already be super sweet, so you can add less sugar if that is something you want to do.
Bonus: this recipe already adds vanilla ice cream! (So you don’t need to find an excuse to use it.) The mix of ice cream and bananas creates an extra creamy taste and texture that is irresistible.
Almost like in a pie, bananas foster is perfect for the holidays because you can eat it warm and it just gives off cozy vibes.
It’s great to give to guests for dessert during a party, and even if they don’t like bananas, there are other parts of the confection that they may like.
Of course, it was made to be combined with bananas, ice cream, and the sauce, but just ice cream is an alternative you can make an option if you are planning on serving this at your next house party.
Banana Ice Cream-
If you don’t like vanilla ice cream, why not try banana ice cream? Although very different from any baked goods we’ve mentioned so far, ice cream is super fun to make!
As long as you have the right materials, making ice cream is pretty easy.
New to ice cream making, but want to try this recipe? Make sure you follow the directions closely and trust the process.
The recipe usually doesn’t look promising until the very end.
If you do decide to make this recipe, make sure to let us know what you think! Banana ice cream, as we know, isn’t one of the most common ice cream flavors and some people may not like it.
But, if you like bananas, this recipe may be perfect for you.
That’s the end of our list!
Have any other recipe ideas that we didn’t already list? Let us know in the comments so we can add them to an updated version!
We have a baked goods category on our menu if you want to check that out as well because there are many more great recipes that we didn’t get to add.
You can also find some of these recipes in our snacks category for some of the other recipes that don’t fit into baked goods.
Whatever you look for, there will be something for you! We have a variety of lists and recipes on the blog’s home page and our continuing to extend our collection.
For now, we hope you try one or many of these banana recipes!
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