10 Banana Recipes: What to Make With Ripe Bananas

The best strategy for buying bananas depends on how you plan to use them: Bananas for snacking or slicing over your morning oatmeal will look very different from bananas you’ll need for a baking project. In general, look for bunches of bananas that are firm and pale yellow, with hints of green around the edges and stems (or, if you prefer, fully green). That way, you’ll have the full spectrum of ripeness to work with. When the bananas are still firm and yellow, they’re perfect for snacking. When they start to soften and appear more brown than yellow, it’s time to bake.

Bananas will last a little over a week, depending on how ripe they were when you purchased them. Spotted or soft bananas should be eaten within a day or two. To freeze bananas, peel, slice, and transfer to a plastic bag or airtight container. For easy preportioning, flash freeze banana slices in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet or in a muffin tin before transferring to containers.

Yes, you can cook with overripe bananas. In fact, most banana recipes, like banana bread, call for overripe bananas. As the fruit ripens, its starches convert to sugar, resulting in a deep sweetness akin to molasses or brown sugar—perfect for baking. Reserve overripe bananas for bread, muffins, and cakes, where their appearance or texture isn’t a factor.

Satisfy cravings for banana flavor with any one of these favorites.

1. 1. Banana bread: Banana bread is a cake-like quick bread that gets its moist crumb from overripe bananas, eggs, and brown sugar. It initially became popular in the 1930s, alongside the emergence of baking soda and baking powder. Banana bread is now considered an easy and iconic homemade loaf with many stylistic variations, from chocolate chip banana bread to oatmeal banana bread. Banana muffins or banana cake may come topped with cream cheese frosting or a coat of crunchy demerara sugar. For a dairy-free treat, try a vegan banana bread recipe.
2. 2. Banana pancakes: Bananas are a natural addition to any brunch staple, from French toast to pancakes. To make banana pancakes, add mashed bananas to the batter, or serve the cooked pancakes with sliced bananas on top. Serve with maple syrup. Alter any recipe for banana pancakes to your liking; add whole wheat flour to the mix for a nutty, whole grain flavor, or melt a bit of coconut oil and add it to the batter with the melted butter for a hint of coconut flavor.
3. 3. Banana pudding: Banana pudding is a dessert consisting of layers of vanilla pudding studded with fresh banana slices and vanilla wafer cookies. Original recipes for banana pudding called for a top layer of toasted meringue, but over time, it was replaced by store-bought or homemade whipped cream. Some banana pudding recipes feature a crust of vanilla wafer cookies, like the graham cracker crust on an old-fashioned cheesecake, but most recipes simply call for layering whole cookies between the pudding and slices of fruit in a trifle bowl.
4. 4. Banana chips: To turn sliced ripe bananas into crunchy, sweet banana chips, dry them out in the oven or a dehydrator, or deep-fry them. Enjoy crispy banana chips as a snack—add them to granola, dip them in peanut butter, or enjoy them plain—or use them as a garnish on banana bread or other dishes.
5. 5. Banana cream pie: Banana cream pie is a popular cream pie variation consisting of a cooked custard or pudding, fresh slices of banana, and a whipped cream topping. You can make banana cream pie with a standard pie crust or a cookie-based crust made with graham crackers or vanilla wafer cookies.
6. 6. Bananas foster: This favorite tableside banana dessert features bananas flambéed in butter, brown sugar, and rum, then served with vanilla ice cream.
7. 7. Banana ice cream: One-ingredient banana “ice cream” is a fruit purée made from blended frozen bananas with the same creamy texture as soft-serve ice cream or an old-fashioned milkshake—minus the added sugar or sweeteners. (Banana ice cream is commonly known as the original “nice cream,” which now refers to any frozen fruit purée.) Unlike traditional ice cream, which is often made using an ice cream maker, you can make nice cream with a blender or food processor. Add mix-ins like cocoa powder or peanut butter for a twist.
8. 8. Banana smoothies: A banana smoothie is a rich and creamy mixture of blended bananas and other simple ingredients, like other fresh fruits and almond milk. Many people enjoy banana smoothies as on-the-go meals, but you can also enjoy a banana smoothie as a breakfast smoothie or as a snack between meals.
9. 9. Banana split: This iconic sundae pairs a halved ripe banana with scoops of ice cream, chocolate sauce, whipped cream, and a Maraschino cherry.
   
10. 10. Banana tarte tatin: Tarte tatin is a French upside-down tart typically made with apples. In banana tarte tatin, bananas are caramelized in sugar and butter on the stovetop, then cooked in the oven beneath a layer of buttery puff pastry. Before serving, the baker flips the tart out of the pan to reveal a crown of glistening caramelized bananas and a crispy, crackly crust.

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