Wondering what to do with ripe bananas on your kitchen counter? I love banana recipes, so I decided to put together a HUGE list of 55 things to make with ripe bananas!
(Psst! Be sure to check out our family’s very favorite Freezer-Friendly Banana Bread Recipe! We also really love these Homemade Breakfast Cookies!)
We love bananas at our house, but occasionally, life happens and it’s easy to let bananas go past their prime. Or, sometimes, I’ll find bananas marked down at the store because they are starting to get too ripe.
I’m really weird in that I prefer to eat bananas when they have some black spots on them, but the rest of my family won’t touch them once they are at the “Black Spot” stage.
When we have an abundance of over-ripe bananas, I either freeze them to use in smoothies and baking later, or I go ahead and make one of our favorite banana recipes with them.
What to Do With Ripe Bananas
I thought it might be fun to put together a list of some of my favorite things to make with ripe bananas!
The recipes on this list are a mixture of some of my favorite banana recipes right here on this blog, plus some other recipes I gathered from other sites that I hope to try soon.
Most of them are fairly healthful (with a few exceptions) and many of them are family favorites. Enjoy!!
10 Breakfast Recipes using Ripe Bananas:
1. Homemade Breakfast Cookies — Looking for a quick healthy breakfast option that will fill you up, give you energy for the entire morning, and taste great too? Try breakfast cookies — a nutritional and delicious breakfast on-the-go for busy morning.
2. Banana Walnut Oatmeal — The deliciousness of oatmeal with sweet bananas and crunchy walnuts!
3. Fourth of July Toast — Isn’t this cute! You could do it on waffles too — just a bit of cream cheese, strawberry jam, sliced bananas, and blueberries.
4. Healthy Banana Pancakes — Only 6 ingredients (and they are grain-free!)
5. Brown Sugar Banana French Toast Casserole — Yes, it is as good as it sounds (and looks). This is the perfect dish for your next brunch!
6. Pan-Fried Cinnamon Bananas — a crispy, sweet, pop-in-your-mouth snack that’s sure to please.
7. Breakfast Banana Split — don’t these look absolutely amazing! It’s like a yogurt parfait on steroids!
8. Banana Pancakes — the best, lightest, and fluffiest pancakes with a hint of banana sweetness.
9. Banana Bread Oatmeal Bars — need a quick breakfast or hearty snack on-the-go? Give these filly bars a try. They’re absolutely delicious.
10. Baked Banana Oatmeal Cups — similar to a muffin, these oatmeal cups are packed with nutrients that will keep you feeling fuller longer.
11 Ripe Banana Snack Recipes:
1. Breakfast Banana Pops — yum! The kids will love these better-for-you popcicles!
2. Copycat Trader Joe’s Gone Bananas — these chocolate covered banana bites are such a great little treat, and they are quite addictive!
3. Chocolate Banana Roll-Ups — Mix softened cream cheese with cocoa powder, sweetener to taste, and a little milk as necessary. Spread thinly on a tortilla. Top with sliced banana and roll up.
4. Banana Coconut Pudding — Such a light and refreshing snack that’s also dairy AND sugar-free!
5. Baked Banana Chips — when you want a little something crunchy, savory, and sweet at the same time, these banana chips will suffice!
6. Banana Chocolate Chip Energy Bites — Banana Chocolate Chip Energy Bites are a healthy breakfast or grab and go snack. Perfect for lunch boxes! 5 ingredients and 5 minutes are all you need!
7. Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Yogurt Pops — These easy to make Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Yogurt Pops need to be in your freezer at all times during the summer! Made with simple ingredients, they’re perfect for snacking or dessert!
8. Nutella Banana Crepes — These Nutella banana crepes are super easy to make, indulgent, and delicious!
9. Nutella & Banana Sushi — These delicious Nutella and banana fruity snacks are so easy you can prepare them for the after-school rush in five minutes. They also look cute on party platters.
10. Banana Ice Cream — The best delicious and creamy banana ice cream is a healthy dessert or snack — only one ingredient and unlimited flavor options!
11. Chocolate Covered Frozen Bananas — A deliciously refreshing treat on a warm summer day — and so easy to make!
7 Breads to make with Ripe Bananas
1. Freezer-Friendly Banana Bread — Our family has made this banana bread recipe for years and we LOVE it! It also makes an easy homemade gift idea!
2. Freezer-Friendly Chocolate Banana Bread — This recipe uses frugal ingredients we almost always have in the house, it’s deliciously moist, and it’s more nutritious than most desserts (but it tastes just as rich).
3. Whole-Wheat Chocolate Chip Banana Bread — Looking for a hearty snack or delicious addition to your breakfast table? Look no further than these fabulous whole-wheat banana chocolate chip muffins!
4. Cinnamon Swirl Banana Bread — This bread is so easy and delicious with swirls of cinnamon throughout.
5. Gingerbread Banana Bread — Soft and moist gingerbread combines with sweet homemade banana bread for the ultimate holiday baked good.
6. Honey Cinnamon Banana Bread Scones — These tender scones are filled with the comforting flavor of banana bread and are topped with a cinnamon sugar dusting and a simple cinnamon brown sugar glaze!
7. Whole Grain Banana Bread — Over-ripe bananas are the perfect compliment to freshly-ground whole grain as they give lots of extra moisture and sweetness.
3 Banana Muffin Recipes:
1. Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins — These muffins not “healthy”, but they are yummy, frugal, and so easy to whip up.
2. Gluten-Free Banana Chocolate Muffins — all the deliciousness of banana chocolate chip muffins, but gluten-free!
3. Whole-Wheat Banana Coconut Muffins — These healthy, vegan muffins are made with whole wheat flour, bananas, coconut milk, coconut oil, coconut sugar, and coconut! Coconut lovers will go crazy for these muffins!
8 Smoothies to make with Ripe Bananas:
1. Clean Eating Banana-Coconut Smoothie — a great option for those with food allergies or dietary restrictions
2. Pick-Me-Up Smoothie — This deliciously refreshing smoothie is packed with frozen fruit, protein, and just a touch of honey for that “pick-me-up” you need mid-afternoon. Give it a try instead of reaching for cookies or another cup of coffee.
3. Blueberry Banana Green Tea Smoothie — A delicious recipe that contains lots of wonderful antioxidants.
4. Green Monster Spinach Smoothie — Packed with good-for-you ingredients… you can enjoy this smoothie often for breakfast, snack, or anytime you need a pick-me-up!
5. Cinnamon Roll Smoothie — A cinnamon roll you can sip through a straw. You can’t beat that-but you can blend it. 🙂
6. Tropical Shake — This thick, creamy, refreshing shake is the perfect recipe for the long, hot summer afternoons. It’s a healthy version of “Pina-Colada meets Orange Julius,” combining some of my all-time favorite flavors.
7. Sweet Potato Smoothie — don’t knock it till you try it. The banana adds so much creaminess… it’s extremely refreshing!
8. Red, White, and Blue Smoothie — Looking for a fun, festive and healthy way to kick off a patriotic holiday? You can’t go wrong with this colorful smoothie!
10 Desserts using Ripe Bananas:
1. No Bake Banana Split Cake — All the fabulous flavors you’d expect from a scrumptiously melty banana split sundae, all in an easy to prepare no-bake dessert.
2. Double Chocolate Banana Cake — Lightly sweet, moist, and chocolatey. No frosting required!
3. Brown Sugar Banana Blondies — Delicious dessert bars that will have everyone going ape! The banana batter is baked to perfection then topped with incredible brown butter frosting!
4. Whole Wheat Banana Coconut Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk Cookies — These healthy cookies are a favorite in our house. They are good right out of the oven or eaten frozen.
5. Chocolate Bottom Banana Bars — These bars are so delicious, you’ll want to make a double or triple batch!
6. Banana Chocolate Chip Snack Cake — A healthified cake your family will love!
7. Magnolia Bakery Banana Pudding — Just like the Banana Pudding from Magnolia Bakery in NYC
8. Healthy Chocolate Banana Fudge — This healthy banana chocolate fudge has just a slight taste of banana to it. I cut it up into 16 bars, hoping it would last longer.
9. Banana Fritters with Vanilla Caramel Sauce — These banana fritters are crisp on the outside and tender on the inside, loaded with big chunks of caramelized banana and served with vanilla caramel sauce.
10. Chocolate Banana Tart — This quick and simple recipe only has five ingredients and it’s gluten-free, Paleo and vegan.
What are YOUR favorite ideas for what to do with ripe bananas? Tell us in the comments!
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Charone says
I love ripe bananas in green smoothies, pancakes, bread, cookies, and many other recipes. Thank for the 55 ways to use ripe bananas.
Olivia says
You’re so welcome! -Olivia, MSM Team
Michele says
Thank you for these awesome ideas!!
Jordan says
Yay! So happy that you like them! -Jordan, MSM Team
Vasanti says
Thank you for sharing all recipes 😊
Jordan says
You’re welcome! -Jordan, MSM Team
Urah says
You won’t believe how happy I am getting a hold of this post!
I recently moved in to a closed-in apartment with free banana plantation… I mean, bananas everywhere!
Have been trying to come up with some recipes but this list is so exhaustive.
Great job dear!
Jordan says
Yay! We are so glad that we could help! -Jordan, MSM Team
Lauren | Penny for Your Dreams says
I LOVE buying several bunches of bananas and letting them all ripen until they’re super ripe. Then I break them in half and put them straight into a freezer bag (I find they won’t stick together that way). Perfect for smoothies! Oh, and the cheapest place I’ve found organic bananas is at ALDI—even cheaper than Costco! 🙂
Meg says
Great ideas! Thanks for those tips! -Meg, MSM Team
Ashley P says
We went to an ice cream shop once and asked for a banana split. The one banana left from the last bunch was brown and the server was about to throw it out. I asked him for it and he looked at me puzzled and asked why.
“Brown bananas make the best banana bread,” I told him. “I actually put them in the freezer so they turn brown faster just so I can make bread and muffins with them.” The server said he never knew that and would have to try it.
I walked out of there with my split… and a free banana. 🙂
Crystal Paine says
I love that story!!
Jennifer B. says
I am not vegan, but was looking for a recipe to make for a new mom who is and found this: https://foodwithfeeling.com/vegan-muffins/
It only makes six muffins, but was so much easier and quicker than the chocolate chip banana bread loaf I usually make, so I wanted to share. My family (also not vegan) thought it was just as good as, if not better than, our traditional chocolate chip banana bread which we love.
Crystal Paine says
Thank you for sharing!
Chris says
Crystal, this was so good. But my hubby is allergic to bananas. 🙁 I thought some of the ideas looked delicious and then remembered his allergy. Oh well…. Thanks for sharing a practical thing like this, great idea for an article.
Meg says
Aw, bummer! Glad you liked the tips, though! -Meg, MSM Team
Faith Dossett says
I learned something interesting about bananas with dark spots on the peel. Bananas like this contain TNF (Tumor Necrosing Factor), which kills breast cancer cells. I was diagnosed with breast cancer and has a mastectomy in late October, 2016, and read about this shortly after my surgery. Since then, I’ve tried to eat 2 or 3 “spotty’ bananas a day. Also, okra is a cancer fighter, as are several other vegetables. I just couldn’t resist posting about the bananas, though. (Even if fruits and vegetables don’t have cancer-fighting properties, they’re good for you. And a plate looks so much prettier with colorful food on it!)
Sheryl says
Banana pineapple jam, or banana nut butter are awesome.
nancy says
Thank you so much for the time you spent for this post!
Nadia @ Adventures in Wonderlab says
I am making the whole wheat banana coconut muffins right now! Great list – I am pinning this. I always have extra ripe bananas!
Jamie @ Medium Sized Family says
I’ll be pinning this list as a resource! Even with 7 people in the house, we always have a couple of bananas sitting around that no one wants. This will be a nice alternative to our usual banana bread. 🙂
Meg says
Yay! Thank you! -Meg, MSM Team
Antonella says
Hi Meg of MSM Team! I’d love other posts like this regarding other kinds of food. For ex. I usually buy too many greens to eat in salads but when they start to wilt I don’t know what to do with them. I put lettuce in vegetable soups but other than that? I’d love if you could make me discover other uses for that 🙂
thanks
all the best
Meg says
Thanks for this idea! -Meg, MSM Team
Alli says
We buy a large container of spinach every week. By the end of the week, it’s looking a little wilty, so I throw it in the freezer and then use it for smoothies! We do it all the time!
Julia says
Love this list!
Becca says
Amazing! The amount of bananas I’ve just thrown away and now I don’t have to. Great resource for reducing household waste!
http://www.nappiesandnailpolish.com
Faith (Home Ec @ Home) says
This moist and delicious one bowl banana bread is the best I have ever made and it is so easy! http://www.homeecathome.com/the-home-economist/moist-and-delicious-one-bowl-banana-bread
Rosanna says
What a great list! One thing I didn’t see on your list is to cut the bananas into slices and freeze. After they are frozen, you can put them into a food processor along with 1 TBSP of cocoa, a dash of vanilla, and 2 TBSP Natural Peanut Butter. Process until smooth a creamy like ice cream. We call it Banana “ice cream.” Very delicious!
Alli says
We do this all the time! I just do bananas and peanut butter and let the kids put sprinkles on top. They don’t even know the difference. We have a blend tec and it does an awesome job!
K Ann Guinn says
I also love to have extra bananas in the house, and often buy more just to freeze for smoothies and baking. I most often make green smoothies, because now that my family is used to the greens, it’s so much more healthy. I almost always include bananas in smoothies, because they improve the texture and add natural sweetness (which means I rarely add sweeteners). I actually wrote a blog post about freezing bananas, too.
By the way, you are not weird for liking bananas with brown spots. According to a couple of websites, they have added health benefits when they are ripe!
I love your list of 55 ways to use bananas! I’m looking forward to trying some of your banana recipes soon.
Sherry says
I freeze bananas right in their peels!
Linda says
I’ve been doing that for years. As soon as the bananas get too ripe I throw them right in the freezer as is. I have so many right now that I’m wanting to make a few different things.
Amy A. says
I have banana bread baking in the oven right now.
Katie @ My Joy in Chaos says
My favorite is definitely Nana Anna’s Banana Bread – I made 4 loaves this week! It freezes great and is egg free. http://www.myjoyinchaos.com/home/2016/3/nana-annas-banana-bread-recipe
Teresa says
Thanks for the recipe Katie. I am going to try it. My youngest is allergic to eggs and wheat so I just have to swap out the flour. The less ingredients an have to change the better it usually turns out.
Chellie says
Thanks for sharing my breakfast banana split! I’m with you, I like a few brown spots on my bananas, they’re nice and sweet that way.