25 Delicious Recipes for Brown Bananas (2024)

ByStacie VaughanOn Updated

50 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links, view our disclosure policy.

I buy bananas with good intentions. They sit on the counter waiting to be grabbed for a quick snack. Sometimes they are eaten up quickly. Most often, however, they sit there till they start to turn brown and gross.

I hate to waste food so I’ll throw them in the freezer to use in recipes. When they turn brown like this, I can’t bring myself to eat one as is, but I don’t mind using them up in a recipe. In fact, some recipes require the bananas to be overripe! They have many, many uses.
25 Delicious Recipes for Brown Bananas (1)

My mom always made banana bread with them. I remember having an after school snack of banana bread warm out of the oven and topping it with butter. The butter would melt and flavour the bread even more. My mouth is watering just thinking about it!

Classic banana bread is one use for your brown bananas, but I’ve discovered a bunch of other yummy ways you can use them. Don’t let those bananas go to waste!

As you can see, there are plenty of ways to use brown bananas in addition to banana bread! This is a great list to inspire you to enjoy those bananas at the bottom of your freezer.

Whatever you do, DO NOT throw them away. Put them in the freezer until you are ready to use them.

25 Delicious Recipes for Brown Bananas (2)

25 Delicious Recipes for Brown Bananas (3)

This post contains affiliate links.

Looking for more banana recipes, but in a cookbook? Check out The Banana Cookbook.

25 Delicious Recipes for Brown Bananas (4)

What is your favourite way to use brown bananas?

Don't throw them away! Brown bananas are sweet and delicious. Try one of these easy recipes with your overripe bananas.

25 Delicious Recipes for Brown Bananas (5)

Banana Bread Breakfast Casserole

Use up your brown bananas and leftover bread in this crowd-pleasing breakfast recipe! It comes together in 10 minutes, bakes for 1 hour and is a recipe you’ll find yourself making again and again.

25 Delicious Recipes for Brown Bananas (6)

Banana Chocolate Cake

Packed full of sweet flavor! Banana and chocolate are perfect together in this easy cake recipe.

25 Delicious Recipes for Brown Bananas (7)

Banana Cake

An amazingly moist cake covered in cream cheese frosting. A perfect use for brown bananas!

25 Delicious Recipes for Brown Bananas (8)

Banana Nut Muffins Recipe

A classic banana muffin that you can make with or without nuts. These muffins are moist and full of banana flavour, making them a go-to snack and lunch box favourite.

25 Delicious Recipes for Brown Bananas (9)

Banana Cupcakes

These cupcakes will drive you bananas! They are super versatile, and can be made extra special with cream cheese icing, and the addition of peanut butter chips.

25 Delicious Recipes for Brown Bananas (10)

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

The perfect way to use up your brown bananas! This easy muffin recipe is incredibly moist and perfectly sweet.

25 Delicious Recipes for Brown Bananas (11)

Super Easy Bread Machine Banana Bread

Photo Credit:noshingwiththenolands.com

I love an easy dump and go recipe and this Super Easy Bread Machine Banana Bread is just that. Just toss your ingredients in, press the button, and walk away.

25 Delicious Recipes for Brown Bananas (12)

Pumpkin Banana Bread

Photo Credit:spaceshipsandlaserbeams.com

This easy Pumpkin Banana Bread is a simple recipe that produces a delicious homemade result. How about combining two fall favorite flavors into one sweet bread? I love a good quick bread and dreams come true with this amazing, moist banana pumpkin bread.

25 Delicious Recipes for Brown Bananas (13)

Best Frosted Banana Walnut Cake

Photo Credit:mooreorlesscooking.com

The Best Banana Walnut Cake is topped with a thick and creamy cream cheese frosting. It’s baked up perfectly in a 13 x 9 baking dish with the best banana flavor, that is so soft & moist, and just crazy delicious. Optional garnish with sliced fresh bananas or banana chips and chopped walnuts for an amazing dessert!

25 Delicious Recipes for Brown Bananas (14)

Easy Blender Banana Oatmeal Pancakes

Photo Credit:www.currytrail.in

Contemplating on what to do which the ripe banana?! Let’s turn it into an easiest breakfast that’s not just delicious but super healthy too. It’s gluten-free banana oatmeal pancakes.

25 Delicious Recipes for Brown Bananas (15)

Bananas Foster Upside Down Cupcakes

Photo Credit:flavormosaic.com

Bananas Foster Upside Down Cupcakes are easy to make upside down cupcakes made with bananas instead of pineapple, and are a perfect mini dessert for a party.

25 Delicious Recipes for Brown Bananas (16)

Best Chocolate Banana Muffins

Photo Credit:sweetandsavorymeals.com

Chocolate Banana Muffins are the best way to use overripe bananas. The muffins are very easy to make, soft, chocolaty and full of flavor.

25 Delicious Recipes for Brown Bananas (17)

Healthy Donuts with Banana and Chocolate Chips

Photo Credit:deliciousonadime.com

These Healthy Donuts with Banana and Chocolate Chips are an easy, homemade snack for kids or treat for brunch. Whether you’re clean eating or just looking for a treat that’s baked instead of fried, these healthy donuts are the perfect DIY. Packed with honey, plain yogurt and oats, you can ditch all those muffin recipes for something more fun. Only have a muffin tin? This recipe will work for you too!

25 Delicious Recipes for Brown Bananas (18)

Freezer-Friendly Blueberry Banana Oatmeal

Photo Credit:www.saltycanary.com

This Blueberry Banana Oatmeal has only three simple ingredients, but you can add additional optional toppings such as nut butters, sliced fruit, nuts, seeds, or even chocolate chips! And, it’s great for large batch meal prepping because it’s freezer-friendly!

25 Delicious Recipes for Brown Bananas (19)

Chocolate Banana Sourdough Bread Pudding

Photo Credit:ofbatteranddough.com

Chunks of thick sourdough bread soaked in a sauce of cream, Nutella, and mashed banana, dotted with chocolate chips and then baked until it turns into a rich and creamy chocolatey scoop of heaven with a consistency that’s a cross between chocolate cake and chocolate pudding.

25 Delicious Recipes for Brown Bananas (20)

Banana Crumb Coffee Cake Recipe

Photo Credit:www.urbanblisslife.com

This Banana Crumb Coffee Cake is a popular, tried & true, 5-star recipe for a reason! It's moist and fluffy, with a delicious cinnamon sugar filling and topping - perfect to enjoy with a cup of coffee.

25 Delicious Recipes for Brown Bananas (21)

Banana Coconut Bundt Cake with Coconut Icing

Photo Credit:www.christinascucina.com

Why make banana bread when you can make this unique banana coconut bundt cake? It's simple, yet delicious and will earn rave reviews!

25 Delicious Recipes for Brown Bananas (22)

Banana Strawberry Smoothie

Photo Credit:nourishplate.com

A great healthy and delicious banana strawberry smoothie to start your day. You can also enjoy it as a snack, or have it as a post-workout quick smoothie. It’s nutritious and packed with plant-based protein.

25 Delicious Recipes for Brown Bananas (23)

Chocolate Chip Banana Nut Bread Bread Pudding

Photo Credit:bakeitwithlove.com

If you thought your banana bread couldn’t get any better, try your hand at my Chocolate Chip Banana Nut Bread Bread Pudding for a sensational dessert! Made from our tasty chocolate chip banana nut bread loaf, the already flavorful banana bread is baked in a creamy custard!

25 Delicious Recipes for Brown Bananas (24)

Three Ingredient Slow Cooker Banana Bread

Photo Credit:www.supergoldenbakes.com

Three ingredient banana bread – just bananas, condensed milk and self raising flour! Best baked in a slow cooker, it is easy to make and delicious.

25 Delicious Recipes for Brown Bananas (25)

Banana chocolate chip pancakes

Photo Credit:www.everyday-delicious.com

Amazing banana chocolate chip pancakes! It’s a great idea to use up ripe bananas. These pancakes come out thick, fluffy, they have an almost plush texture.

25 Delicious Recipes for Brown Bananas (26)

Brown Sugar Banana Bread Recipe

Photo Credit:www.wenthere8this.com

This Brown Sugar Banana Bread takes 5 minutes to mix up and a little less than an hour of hands-off baking time, resulting in the most perfectly moist banana bread you have ever eaten!

25 Delicious Recipes for Brown Bananas (27)

No bake peanut butter banana energy bites

Photo Credit:www.salads4lunch.com

No bake peanut butter banana energy bites are soft, sweet, and the perfect little healthy snack to tide you over until your next meal! No baking required and made with just 6 healthy ingredients.

25 Delicious Recipes for Brown Bananas (28)

Best Chunky Monkey Bars

Photo Credit:mooreorlesscooking.com

These bars are a full-flavored chewy dense bar. They have a brownie texture but are just as delicious as my homemade banana bread.

25 Delicious Recipes for Brown Bananas (29)

Easy Banana Doughnuts

Photo Credit:www.thebossykitchen.com

This recipe of easy banana doughnuts is an awesome way to use ripe bananas that are sitting around. It is also a great recipe to put together for a brunch. Are you a grandma and kids are coming over for a visit? Make these!

25 Delicious Recipes for Brown Bananas (30)

free ebook!

The Best of Simply Stacie

When you subscribe to the newsletter for the latest updates!

25 Delicious Recipes for Brown Bananas (2024)

FAQs

Why are brown bananas better for baking? ›

As it sits at room temperature, starches convert to sugars, making the fruit sweeter and softer. These brown spots, often seen as a sign of spoilage, are actually a dead giveaway of peak banana bread potential.

How do you brown bananas for bread? ›

Let the bananas ripen (and overripen) at room temperature. Depending on the weather, this could take a few days, or up to a week. The best bananas for banana bread aren't yellow; they're black. Or they're at least streaked with black/brown, with just the barest hint of green at the stem.

What can you use overripe bananas for? ›

What to Do with Overripe Bananas
  • Mash Into Oatmeal. Breakfast is a great time to take advantage of the energy boost that comes from eating the natural sugars in bananas. ...
  • Blend Into Waffle or Pancake Batter. ...
  • Make Banana Muffins. ...
  • Bake Banana Cookies. ...
  • Add to a Smoothie. ...
  • Turn Into Ice Cream. ...
  • Whip Up Beignets.
Mar 12, 2024

Can bananas go too bad for baking? ›

While it's okay if the banana peel is dark brown or even black, if the inside is too, then the fruit is beyond ripe and now on its way to rotten. Another sign that bananas have gone bad is if they start leaking any fluids. When in doubt, just toss the bananas out.

What color banana is the healthiest? ›

Green Bananas Can Offer Health Benefits. Green bananas are less sweet and contain less sugar than riper yellow bananas. They also have more resistant starch, which may benefit blood sugar management and your overall health. Bananas are incredibly tasty and easy to eat.

Can diabetics eat bananas? ›

Takeaway. A person with diabetes should include a variety of fresh, whole foods in their diet, such as nutrient-dense fruits and vegetables. Bananas are a safe and nutritious fruit for people with diabetes to eat in moderation as part of a balanced, individualized eating plan.

Can dogs eat bananas? ›

Yes, dogs can eat bananas. In moderation, bananas are a great low-calorie treat for dogs. They're high in potassium, vitamins, biotin, fiber, and copper. They are low in cholesterol and sodium, but because of their high sugar content, bananas should be given as a treat, not part of your dog's main diet.

Why are my bananas still green after 2 weeks? ›

You might have noticed that most bananas you find at the supermarket are still a bit green. This is because bananas, like many fruits and vegetables, continue to ripen after being picked. So to give them a longer shelf, bananas are harvested young and delivered to stores while still slightly underripe.

Can I ripen bananas in the microwave? ›

How To Make ripen banana in the microwave. Peel and slice banana or bananas in a microwave safe bowl. Cover with waxed paper. Microwave for one minute.

What does an overripe banana look like? ›

An overripe banana will have large brown spots or streaks covering most of its peel; the fruit inside will be mushy, with soft brownish spots.

Can you eat a banana if it's black inside? ›

The black skin itself is not mold. Mold on bananas is fuzzy white, gray, or greenish—it looks a lot like mold on bread. If a banana smells rotten or fermented or is leaking fluid, it's time to say goodbye. If the fruit inside, not just the peel, is black, that's a sign that your banana is too far gone to safely eat.

Can you put too much banana in banana bread? ›

Fight the urge to use more banana than called for in your recipe. Using too much banana could make your bread heavy and damp in the center, causing it to appear undercooked and unappealing. If you have bananas leftover, you can always freeze them for later use.

What is it called when a banana turns brown? ›

High amounts of ethylene cause the yellow pigments in bananas to decay into those characteristic brown spots in a process called enzymatic browning. This natural browning process is also observed when fruits become bruised.

Why overripe bananas for baking? ›

A banana that is perfectly ripe for eating is not at the same stage in its ripening process as one that is perfect for making into a banana cake. For baking, you need the sweetness that comes from an overripe banana – this means it will be very yellow with a few brown spots and feel soft.

Which bananas are best for baking? ›

More mature bananas (with brown spots or even completely brown) are absolutely PERFECT for making banana bread. They've got a great sweetness and a really soft consistency that is great for baking.

Why do bananas get sweeter as they brown? ›

Brown spots on bananas are a typical sign of ripeness. The starch in the fruit has been converted to sugar and as a result the bananas taste sweeter and more aromatic.

Do brown bananas taste different? ›

Brown bananas have a more intense flavor, which will come through even after cooking.

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Ray Christiansen

Last Updated:

Views: 5723

Rating: 4.9 / 5 (49 voted)

Reviews: 88% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Ray Christiansen

Birthday: 1998-05-04

Address: Apt. 814 34339 Sauer Islands, Hirtheville, GA 02446-8771

Phone: +337636892828

Job: Lead Hospitality Designer

Hobby: Urban exploration, Tai chi, Lockpicking, Fashion, Gunsmithing, Pottery, Geocaching

Introduction: My name is Ray Christiansen, I am a fair, good, cute, gentle, vast, glamorous, excited person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.