I have a couple of old, black bananas sitting in my fruit basket right now. I also hate throwing food away if I don’t have to. And, finally, as much as I love it, I can’t always make banana bread. So, over the years, I’ve come up with a few ways to use old bananas (that aren’t banana bread) when I just don’t want to eat them anymore.
1. Freeze Them
Freezing ripe bananas is one of the best ways to use them. I take them out of their peel, slice them up, and put them in a bag. Once frozen, they last for 4 to 6 months. They’re especially good in smoothies, but you can also defrost them and use them for baking, for chocolate-dipped banana bites, or for any of the ideas below:
2. Make “Ice Cream”
There are dozens and dozens of recipes out there for banana “ice cream”, and most of them are super easy. It’s a gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, egg-free sweet treat that is pretty good at relieving any cravings I have without adding a heaping of guilt.
3. Make Oatmeal
Not only is this a natural way to sweeten oatmeal, it tastes really good. Mash the ripe banana into the bottom of a pot until it’s completely mashed, then cook the oatmeal like you would normally (although you may need slightly less liquid), stirring to make sure everything is incorporated. It’s banana oatmeal!
If you want, you can add peanut butter, chocolate chips, crushed macadamia nuts, walnuts (think banana bread oatmeal…)… it’s up to your imagination!
4. Make a Smoothie
I do not like to eat old, mushy bananas. They actually have to be on the green side for me to really like them. But old, mushy bananas are perfect for my smoothies/green drinks because they add sweetness in addition to healthy vitamins and minerals like potassium. Plus, it makes the smoothie cold without adding too much ice!
5. Pancakes
Similar to the oatmeal above, you can add bananas to your pancakes by mushing them like you would for banana bread, then continue on with the recipe as usual. The only adjustment you will need to make will be for liquids.
Okay, so banana bread still made it into this blog, and I’m not denying a healthy love for it. But, if I’m being honest, I don’t have time to make banana bread that often and use old bananas for one of the above.
What’s your favorite way to use old bananas? Let me know in the comments below!
‘Till next time!