What to do with overripe, brown bananas? Baking would be the usual suggestion, and I’ll be the first to taste that delicious banana bread, no doubt about that. There are also other things you can do before the bananas go bad. Have you ever fried them? And I mean sweet bananas, not plantains.
==> Check out this vegan cookbook for some amazing dessert recipes: Cooking with Amore <==
Before we begin, here are some interesting health facts about overripe bananas.
- An overripe banana is rich in antioxidants
- It has many nutrients
- potassium
- vitamins B6, C
- magnesium
- fiber
- copper
- protein
- manganese
- carbs (when the banana ripens, the banana’s starch turns into sugar)
- It can help relieve heartburn
- It is good for cardiovascular health
- It is also easier to digest
- It can moderate blood sugar levels
- It may improve kidney health
Source: Healthline
Fried Bananas in Chocolate Sauce
So, I had four overripe bananas and I was not sure what to do with them. I did not feel like baking, so I made a delicious, sweet breakfast.
After savoring my first sip of Earl Grey tea, I got the following ingredients out of the pantry:
- 4 overripe bananas
- fresh jar of coconut butter
- dark chocolate (dairy-free)
Instructions
- Peel the bananas. You may leave them whole or slice them in half, it’s up to you 😉 .
- Open the jar of coconut butter. Some oily substance should be floating on top. Pour some of that into a frying pan
- Heat the oil
- Add the bananas
- Break off some chocolate from your chocolate bar, break it into smaller pieces and sprinkle it over your bananas.
- Let the chocolate melt while the bananas fry in the oil (on low to medium heat)
- After 4 minutes, turn the bananas over to brown the other side. They will heat nicely in the chocolate sauce.
- When the bananas have browned a little, turn of the heat.
- Arrange the fried bananas on a plate and add a few spoonfuls of the chocolate sauce on top. The sauce may seem a little oily, but not to worry, coconut oil is good for you, it has a whole list of health benefits (it contains healthy fatty acids).
So, here’s another simple recipe. Great for the weekend when you want to surprise a special someone or for any day of the week when you just want to spoil yourself. We all deserve a little treat once in a while. 🙂
What Else can You do With Overripe Bananas?
Ice cream! Who doesn’t love ice cream? And this recipe is so easy to make. All you need is the following:
- sliced, frozen bananas
- blender
- flavors (could be strawberries, raspberries, chocolate, peanut butter, whatever flavor you want your ice cream to be)
Making it takes less than five minutes, for more info, see my recipe in this article (an additional delicious and sweet recipe awaits you there as well – lots of mouthwatering treats today 🙂 )
Enjoy!
I hope you try out either the fried bananas or the banana ice cream, or both 🙂 It is really delicious, easy on the wallet, and not time-consuming at all. What more could you want from a recipe? 😉 And if you’re having someone over for dinner, these are great desserts as well. You could even add some Drambuie to your fried bananas if you are making a late night dessert.
Hello, I am not vegan, but I love bananas and am so glad I came across your recipes as I’ve had to throw some out when they’ve been sitting too long.
Your recipes not only look delicious, but it’s always great when I can find a healthy dessert to enjoy.
I love dark chocolate, and am glad that you suggested using that in this recipe, as it is considered healthier. I can tell that this is going to be good simply by looking at the ingredients.
Do you think fresh bananas would make much difference? Not sure if I can wait to try it. ?
Hi Willow,
Fresh bananas are harder, and so it would taste a little different. I prefer using bananas that have a slightly browning peel, because they are a little softer and it tastes better when they are fried.
Enjoy the recipe 🙂
I never imagined that banana could be fried!!! Banana is my best choice of fruits, and I love eating it with or without chocolate! This recipe seems a delicious one, and I want to try it TODAY! I will try this recipe with my flatmates as they love it when I cook for them. The good part is that 2 of my flatmates are vegans, which makes it even better for them!
I love learning new vegan recipes to please my vegan friends and myself, too, since cooking is my hobby! Also, I love the ice cream as it is easy to make. But, I have a question, is it a fixable recipe? I mean, can I add other ingredients to it?
Thank you for this fantastic post!
If your flatmates love it when you cook for them, then you must be a good cook 🙂 Try it out, it is so good!
The ice cream recipe is very flexible. You can certainly add other ingredients to it, to make different flavor ice cream. Let me know how it goes 🙂
I have been smiling as I read through this really nice article and I really love what you have given here. So far, the vegan diet is really easy to go with and I hope I try it out soonest at my place. The recipes are very good and very much available and that alone is nice. Is there a video online here I can watch to keep leaning about it?
Hi Justin,
I am glad you liked this article. The recipes are indeed easy and so yummy! I have not developed the video part yet for my website, but I will work on it eventually. I just need some time to set it up properly 🙂
Thank you for your comment!
Hi Christine,
Thanks for this article that shows us how to deal with overripe bananas. Another possibility to use them is to make banana cakes that I saw my mom did it quite often in my childhood. She said that the overripe bananas are the best for making banana cakes since they got a stronger flavor than the normal bananas.
I love your tip to make them into ice creams, especially for this summer. The tip to add Drambuie to fried babanas as a late night dessert is awesome too which makes my mouth watering now.(yummy)
Thanks for sharing,
Matt
Hi Matt,
Very true, overripe bananas are excellent for baking! Banana cake or bread always comes out so delicious, I love it! I could eat banana bread (or cake) every day 😉
Thanks for your comment!
I love frying baanas and had not thought of doing it with chocolate before. I usually do it with honey and cinnamon. I love this idea and con not wait to try it. I actually have some bababs and chocolate in the house already. Do you have a preferred chocolate type to o this with?
Hi Catherine,
Try it out, it is so delicious! I use any kind of dark, dairy-free chocolate.