11 Things to Make With Overripe Bananas … Besides Banana Bread
One of my daughters often asks me to pack fresh bananas in her school lunch bag. I appreciate that she wants to eat healthy food, but bananas have such a short shelf life. They turn brown on my counter before I know it. My family loves classic banana bread, but sometimes we want something different. Here are a few other things to do with those bananas once they get dark and mushy.
What to do with Overripe Bananas:
1. Make chocolate banana bread. It’s still banana bread, but it’s got a fun twist. Find the recipe here.
2. Make Chocolate-Bottom Banana Squares. This is one of my family’s favorites. Get the recipe here.
3. Make smoothies. You can use a recipe, or simply wing it and throw a banana, some strawberries or other fruit of your choice, and a small amount of milk or juice in the blender.
4. Make milkshakes. Again, you can find plenty of recipes online, or just put a few scoops of ice cream and a banana in the blender. Don’t forget to make some homemade whipped cream to put on top.
5. Make banana chocolate chip muffins. It’s hard to eat only one of these. I know because I’ve made them many times. Get the recipe here.
6. Make banana chocolate chip cookies. Get the recipe here.
7. Freeze them. Peel and freeze your overripe bananas to use later in baked goods such as banana bread, muffins, pancakes, or cookies.
8. Make banana bread pancakes. Get the recipe here. Or just mash up some banana into your regular pancake batter.
10. Make banana slow cooker overnight oatmeal. This is another great breakfast idea. Find the recipe here. Or, again, simply mash and stir a bit of overripe banana into your favorite oatmeal. I sometimes throw in a dash of unsweetened cocoa powder because chocolate and bananas complement each other nicely.
11. Make brownies. That’s right. Banana brownies. Get the recipe here.
What are your favorite recipes that use overripe bananas? Leave a comment and let us know!
What to do with Overripe Bananas:
Take overripe bananas, peel & wrap them individually (or 1/2 a banana at a time) with cling wrap film, then store them all in a freezer bag. Take out a half or whole banana, break and drop in the blender for smoothies & shakes.
You can use less ice in your smoothies (making for less dilution of the flavors) when you add the FROZEN banana pieces rather than the fresh ones that are merely overripe.
Freeze peeled banana pieces on a popsicle stick, then once frozen — dip them in melted couverture chocolate, set on wax paper, re-freeze & wrap in cling film to store.