How to Quickly Ripen Bananas: 4 Simple Methods

The most natural way to ripen bananas is to leave them on the counter in a warm spot, allowing them to produce ethylene gas (part of the ripening process) at their own pace. But that method can require several days, so if you want to quickly ripen green bananas or yellow bananas, here are some methods for expediting the ripening process:

1. 1. The freezer method: This method takes several hours. Place unpeeled bananas in a sealable plastic freezer bag and put the whole plastic bag in the freezer until the peels turn black. Then move the bananas to the refrigerator to defrost. The bananas won’t be as soft and as sweet as if they had ripened on the counter, but once the frozen bananas have defrosted they should be soft enough to work for almost any baking recipe.
2. 2. The microwave method: You can use a microwave to quickly ripen bananas in just a few minutes. Poke holes in unpeeled bananas with a fork or a small knife, place them on a microwave-safe plate, and then microwave the bananas in 30-second increments until they reach your desired softness.
3. 3. The oven method: This method will require a few hours. Preheat an oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the unpeeled bananas on the lined baking sheet and bake them for 30 minutes, checking the bananas every 10 minutes. The peels should ultimately be black and the flesh soft. Bananas ripened in the oven will be mushy and good for mashing; you can use them in banana bread recipes and other recipes, such as smoothies.
4. 4. The paper bag method: Ripening bananas in a paper bag takes anywhere from one to three days. Place unpeeled, fresh bananas in a brown paper bag and leave them in a warm spot to ripen. This will hasten the natural ripening process.

Keep in mind that hastening the banana ripening process can quickly lead to overripe bananas. Compared to ripe or regular bananas, overripe bananas will have a higher sugar content and be lower in fiber. If you plan to add overripe bananas to recipes, it might be necessary to adjust the other ingredients to account for the extra sweetness.

It’s best to use ripened bananas right away, but if you can’t use them immediately, you can store them for future use. To store ripe bananas, peel them and place the bananas in an airtight container in the refrigerator or freezer. Keep in mind that they will still ripen, albeit slowly, in an airtight container, as the enclosed space continues to encourage ethylene gas production. Plan to use the ripe bananas within a few days.

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