15 Things to Do With Overripe Bananas

Spotty bananas? Don’t throw them out — that’s a waste — instead, use them in a recipe! They’re ultra sweet when they’re invaded by black spots, even if they’re not as attractive. Checkout all these suggestions below, and see how amazing overripe bananas can be!

1. Banana Bread

Peel those freckled bananas of yours and mash them up good because they are the perfect filling for banana bread. It’s banana bread you know. These recipes all feature the humble fruit, and they taste better when you make them with overripe bananas.

2. Smoothies

If you want a simple way to use up your overripe bananas, then simply peel and freeze them. After they’re frozen solid, purée them in a blender with some extra fruits, greens, or herbs, and you’ll have a lovely smoothie in no time.

3. Ice Cream

Frozen bananas can do magical things like make delicious non-dairy ice cream. This recipe is a combo sorbet with strawberry and bananas working in unison to create a rockin’ creamy dessert.

4. Muffins

Who doesn’t love muffins? They have crisp round tips and gooey middles that melt in your mouth when they’re straight out of the oven. Plus, they’re a single serving of happiness. Banana chocolate chip muffins are perfect for any occasion, especially occasions that involve disposing of overripe bananas. Get out that old muffin/cupcake pan and get baking! Gone gluten free? No worried, just use gluten free all-purpose flour instead of wheat flour.

5. Cookies

Since mashed bananas make a fantastic substitute for butter, you can use them to whip up a plethora of baked goods, cookies included. Get out some oats, your all-important bananas, peanut butter, coconut oil, a few other ingredients, and you’ve got yourself everything you need for some scrumptious cookies. Try these Peanut Butter and Banana S’mores.

6. Peanut Butter Volumizer

Adding one banana to a couple tablespoons of peanut butter makes twice as much peanut butter that you can spread on gluten free toast, muffins, pancakes, or whatever you see fit. Spotty bananas work best for this trick because they’re super street and malleable. Try this recipe from Chocolate Covered Katie.

7. Cake

Bundt cakes, sheet cakes, or regular cakes need some added banana goodness, don’t you think? Bananas make it harder for your cake to be dry, and they greatly enhance the flavor.

8. French Toast

Use up your aging bananas and old bread to make a delicious breakfast—good old French toast. With a few spices and seen almond milk, you’ll have the perfect mix of ingredients to make the best French toast in town.

9. Milkshake

Creamy and delicious, milkshakes hit just the right spot sometimes. Bananas add just right amount of sweetness to your shake and create an awesome balance of sweetness. Add in some peanut butter or almond butter along with a dose of cocoa, and you get a magical concoction.

10. Make a Mindblowing Treat

Need to impress someone? How about making this Mindblowing Banana Chocolate Caramel Vegan Ice Cream Cake? With five layers and lots of delicious flavor from real ingredients, you’ll make someone feel very, very special with this dessert.

11. Brownies

Including some banana in your brownies won’t ruin their chocolatey flavor — the smiley fruit will only ensure that your brownies are moist and delicious. Substituting the butter and/or oil in your brownies with a banana or two will cut the fat down and provide a wonderfully soft texture in your gooey dessert.

12. Bars

Remember those kid days filled with getting your feet muddy and feeling the ground beneath your toes and eating freshly baked granola or cookies? Well, you can have nostalgia and yummy baked goods all you want if you get yourself some bananas and follow this recipe. Jump in your TARDIS and go back in time to when you were care- and fancy-free! Don’t forget the bananas!

13. Cereal Topping

You can still eat bananas when they’re freckled! Sure, their texture is a bit less firm, but you don’t have to eat them mashed up and baked into whatever suits you. Slice up your old bananas and stick them on your cereal and you’ve got yourself a delicious balance of yumminess and crunchiness.

14. Pudding

Rice pudding is a joy on warm or cold nights. The creamy deliciousness melts away at the touch of your tongue, and the magical sweetness gives you a jolt of happiness. Bananas accentuate this phenomenon with their gooey texture and maple like flavor. If you make this pudding, then be sure to add plenty spotty bananas to it—your taste buds will thank you.

15. Pancakes

Sunday mornings should always include the smell of pancakes wafting through the air. Whether you like gluten-free pancakes or oatcakes or cottage cheese pancakes or blueberry vegan pancakes, you should witness how beautiful it is to wake up to pancakes. Therefore, we have an amazing pancake recipe for you that features the lovely banana (the happy fruit should be your friend by now I hope). Whip these up on Sunday, Tuesday, Monday, whatever day suits you.

Bananas are a monkey’s best friend, and they should be your best friend too! So, the next time you’re at a loss for what to do with your slightly browning bananas, look to these tips and get cooking! Happy trails!

Learn How to Cook Plant-Based Meals at Home

Reducing your meat intake and eating more plant-based foods is known to help with chronic inflammation, heart health, mental well-being, fitness goals, nutritional needs, allergies, gut health, and more! Dairy consumption also has been linked to many health problems, including acne, hormonal imbalance, cancer, and prostate cancer, and has many side effects.

For those of you interested in eating more plant-based we highly recommend downloading the Food Monster App — with over 20,000 delicious recipes it is the largest plant-based recipe resource to help reduce your environmental footprint, save animals, and get healthy! And, while you are at it, we encourage you to also learn about the environmental and health benefits of a plant-based diet.

Here are some great resources to get you started:

• Weekly Vegan Meal Plans
• Plant-Based Health Resources
• Plant-Based Food & Recipes
• Plant-Based Nutrition Resources
• The Ultimate Guide to Plant-Based Nutrition
• Budget-Friendly Plant-Based Recipes
• High Protein Plant-Based Recipes
• Plant-Based Meal Prep

For more Animal, Earth, Life, Vegan Food, Health, and Recipe content published daily, subscribe to the One Green Planet Newsletter! Lastly, being publicly funded gives us a greater chance to continue providing you with high-quality content. Please consider supporting us by donating!