Thanks to its natural sweetness and smoothness, banana adds a pleasant flavour and an irresistible texture to many dishes. It is also a very healthy fruit that is rich in lots of nutrients.
Feel free to enjoy a banana on its own, but you can also try many delicious recipes that will make your breakfast or snack more interesting. So if you are looking for tasty dishes that use this fruit, these ideas are well worth a try. I am sure you will love them.
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Banana in the starring role
There are plenty of wonderful recipes that suit bananas that are already turning brown. It would be a huge shame to let them go off. You can use them in all kinds of bakes, as they sweeten and moisten them beautifully.
And don’t worry, overripe bananas are perfectly safe to eat. The skin may change colour (visible brown spots), but the inside of the banana is still edible, it will just be sweeter and softer. So there is no reason to let overripe bananas go to waste. Instead, use them, because they are even better for cooking and baking.
So eat an ordinary banana on its own while it is nicely ripe. Use the riper ones in the kitchen for all sorts of bakes, desserts, buns and other treats.
1. Banana oat cookies
If you love cookies, you have to try this quick and easy recipe for a healthy version made with banana. Children will enjoy them as well as adults. They also make a healthy snack for when you are on the go. Or you can put the cookies in a nice jar and you have a stylish gift ready.
You will need
- 3 ripe bananas,
- 200 g fine rolled oats,
- 1 tablespoon nut butter,
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon.
Mash the bananas with a fork and mix them with the oats, nut butter and cinnamon to make a thick mixture. Leave it to rest for about 15 minutes.
Line a baking tray with baking paper and shape the cookies. Bake in the oven at 180°C for about 20 minutes until golden.
You can improve the cookies with chocolate chunks, cocoa, vanilla, coconut, or protein powder in the adult version for extra protein, or add anything else you like.
💡 Tip: Bananas are a very popular fruit with children. Try getting them involved in cooking and make some tasty, healthy meals.
2. Banana tortilla pinwheels
You can make all sorts of things with tortillas, both savoury and sweet. Try these banana tortilla pinwheels, for example. They are ready in no time and are a wonderful treat that will satisfy your cravings and please your guests too.
You will need
- tortillas,
- nut butter to taste,
- bananas,
- dark chocolate (at least 70% cocoa) with a teaspoon of coconut oil for coating.
Spread the tortillas with nut butter, place one banana in each and roll up. Brush with melted chocolate mixed with coconut oil. You can also sprinkle the tortillas with desiccated coconut or crushed nuts. Leave them to set in the fridge (if you can’t wait, put them in the freezer for a few minutes so they set faster).
Then cut them into slices and enjoy your sweet pinwheels.
3. Overnight oats with chocolate and banana
How about a healthy dessert with banana that needs no complicated preparation? Sounds wonderful. People often make overnight oats for breakfast when they don’t have much time to spend in the kitchen in the morning. Just mix everything in the evening, leave it in the fridge overnight and then enjoy a delicious breakfast.
You will need
- 50 g rolled oats,
- milk to cover,
- 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed or chia seeds (optional),
- cocoa and cinnamon to taste,
- 20 g nut butter of your choice,
- 1 banana.
The evening before, mix the oats with the seeds, cocoa, cinnamon and nut butter in a container with a lid. Pour milk over everything, stir, close and leave to chill in the fridge overnight. In the morning, simply top with banana slices and enjoy.
Feel free to add any other ingredients as well. Chocolate chunks work brilliantly, for example, or whole nut pieces instead of nut butter.
4. Banana bread
Banana bread has been all the rage lately, and it is the perfect way to use up overripe bananas. You could try this recipe for a healthier “banana bread” with no added sugar. And don’t worry, you will end up with a delicious breakfast or snack that even the sweetest tooth will enjoy.
You will need
- 3 overripe bananas,
- 2 eggs,
- 100 ml melted coconut oil,
- 50 g honey, or honey-flavoured chicory syrup,
- 100 ml milk,
- 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda,
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon,
- 350 g spelt flour,
- raisins, nuts or chocolate chunks as desired.
Preheat the oven to 170°C and grease a loaf tin with butter or line it with baking paper.
In a large bowl, mix the oil, honey and eggs. Then add the mashed bananas and milk. Next come the bicarbonate of soda and cinnamon, and finally the flour. If you want to add extra pieces to the bread, fold them in at the end.
Pour the batter into the tin and top with nuts and chocolate and a sprinkle of cinnamon if you like. Bake for 55–60 minutes. Check it is done with a skewer, then let the bread cool before turning it out (if you can resist trying it while it is still warm).
Banana bread tastes delicious with nut butter, jam or a healthier chocolate spread.
5. Banana French toast
You surely all know French toast, so why not add a sweet banana to it? It creates a wonderful flavour and, combined with the lovely aroma of cinnamon, it can brighten up any morning.
You will need
- sliced white bread,
- 1 banana,
- 2 eggs,
- 100 ml milk,
- cinnamon,
- butter.
Mash the banana with a fork and mix it with the milk, eggs and cinnamon. Dip the bread slices in this mixture and fry them in melted butter over a low heat until golden on both sides.
Serve with nut butter, honey or chicory syrup, or flavoured quark.
More banana snack ideas
- Try a classic: spread a banana with nut butter of your choice and add pieces of dark chocolate with at least 70% cocoa.
- You can also try banana canapés made from sponge fingers, bananas and chocolate glaze.
- Make banana toast with nut butter by spreading 1 tablespoon of nut butter of your choice on a slice of wholemeal toast and topping it with banana slices. You can add a drizzle of honey.
- Fill a bowl with unsweetened muesli, top it with banana slices and pour over milk or plain yoghurt.
- Make a delicious cream by mixing mashed banana with cocoa powder and honey.
- How about good old porridge? Slice a banana into cooked oats, sprinkle with chia seeds and drizzle with a little maple syrup or honey.
- Make a banana smoothie, which also works as a great portable snack on the go.
- You can also whip up a wonderful mug cake with banana. Mix half a mashed banana with an egg, add oats, a teaspoon of baking powder and a little plain yoghurt, sprinkle with cinnamon and bake in the microwave.
- Make classic pancakes, spread each one with nut butter or quark mixed with honey, add a whole banana and roll up.
How to freeze bananas for later use
Sometimes there are more overripe bananas in the fruit bowl than you can use in time. But that doesn’t mean they have to go to waste. You can store them in the freezer for later use. Here is how.
First, peel the banana (if you froze it with the skin on, it would be very hard to peel when you wanted to use it). Then cut it in half or into quarters. This way it will thaw faster, and banana prepared like this is handy when you only need part of it.
Put the banana pieces in a resealable bag or an airtight container and place them in the freezer. That’s all, nothing difficult or complicated.
Bananas have all kinds of uses in the kitchen. Not only are there many ways to eat them with almost any meal, but they also offer lots of health benefits. Now you will never have to throw away an overripe banana again.
