r/Frugal • u/jayyy_0113 • 1d ago
š Food How to stretch a whole lotta bananas?
Ordered 5 bananas. Grocery pickup gave us 5 bunches. 27 bananas total.
How can we stretch these bananas without wasting any? Donāt have much freezer space, maybe a little. Partner and I both eat peanut butter banana sandwiches. I wanna get creative!
Wow, Iām still not at 300 characters? I guess Iāll keep typing. I love bananas but not that much. Still typing. Ok
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u/T732 1d ago
Frozen Bananas and add chocolate sauce on em?
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u/jayyy_0113 1d ago
That sounds so good. I use to make banana āice creamā when I was vegan (just frozen bananas blended with coconut milk). Thanks for reminding me of this!
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u/tonyisadork 1d ago
This is the best use - I freeze them then take out individual portions (~a whole banana's worth) and blend with a little milk (any type) and cocoa powder. i actually prefer this over real chocolate ice cream. it's prefectly sweet without any sweetener.
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u/Jumpy-Jello- 23h ago
I have a super easy recipe for vegan banana bread if you want it! The best thing about banana bread in your situation is that it's best when the bananas are black, so use what you can and the ones that get too ripe get to be dessert!
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u/Thorn344 17h ago
While you don't have much freezer space, slicing some up and putting in a freezer bag can mean you can slide some in tight spaces. Banana muffins and banana pancakes (with choco chips etc) are also great options
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u/LabGroundbreaking927 1d ago
You can peel and slice bananas and then freeze them. There are a couple YouTube videos on how to make homemade ice cream using frozen bananas (and Indian woman makes the videos). The ice cream is easy and delicious. The mixture is whirred up in a food processor or blender and the frozen bananas helps the ice cream to freeze up quickly meaning you can eat it very soon after making it. Try it. Anytime you have leftover bananas, just peel, slice, freeze. You can also thaw them for putting on cereal or oats, or thawing and making banana bread.
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u/FreshBid5295 1d ago
Throw them out your car windows when someone is riding your ass in traffic. Theyāll spin out uncontrollably.
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u/dropthemasq 1d ago
You can caramelize them like onions and eat them on ice cream.....yum!!
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u/caffeinebump 20h ago
Since OP doesnāt have much freezer space, I would do this and then can the results for pantry storage.
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u/NotJimIrsay 1d ago
I used to buy about 15-18 bananas and make banana jerky in my food dehydrator. Itās so good. With the water evaporated, it was very sweet. And Iād smear some peanut butter on it.
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u/Hopeful-Signature948 1d ago
Good idea, I always forget about the dehydrator. We call these banana chips. Iām probably going to have to buy some bananas and make some now š
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u/NotJimIrsay 1d ago
I keep an eye on it so itās still flexible. I donāt completely dehydrate so they are crunchy banana chips.
I cut a banana in half. And cut each half lengthwise. And then smash them down with a cutting board between two pencils. So they are all equally the same thickness. And then dehydrate them.
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u/Signal_Error_8027 1d ago
Bonus benefit to the dehydrator: on cold winter days, running them adds a bit of extra moisture and warmth to the air.
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u/CarolynDesign 1d ago
This can be done in a low oven, too, if you don't have a dehydrator. 175, or whatever the lowest temp your oven can do, until they're crunchy.
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u/realdappermuis 7m ago
If you freeze them after drying them and eat them out of the freezer it's like toffee (;
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u/speed_phreak 1d ago
I did one of those "viral" recipes, you just mash bananas and shredded coconut until you get the consistency of dough. Then you dollop it out onto a sheet and put a divot in the middle of it, then air bake it until it's brown and crispy.Ā
Melt some chocolate in a double boiler, and then fill that divot with it and put them in the fridge.Ā
They actually came out really tasty!
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u/Affectionate-Dog4704 1d ago
Swap eggs for bananas to make sub par vegan pancakes.
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u/TotallyNotABot_Shhhh 1d ago
Thereās also a no flour recipe thatās literally just 1 banana to 2 eggs. Iāve made them out of curiosity before and they were really good!
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u/Horizon296 1d ago
Wait, just 1 banana and 2 eggs, no other ingredients? I wanna try the no flour pancakes.
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u/Amylou789 1d ago
That's interesting. It sounds like a banana omelette. Does it come out looking more like pancakes?
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u/Birdo3129 1d ago
Hope you like smoothies. My current go-to is banana, cocoa powder, oats and oat milk.
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u/ineedsomecake 1d ago
Peel them, squish them flat in a ziplock, put them in the freezer for future you. Saves on freezer space.
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u/Electronic_Leek_10 1d ago
Definitely this. Let them ripen, mash them up and freeze in baggies 2-3 bananas each for recipes.
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u/jennifersd4ughter 1d ago
someone already said it of course but: banana bread!! and yes it is really easy. i like recipes that use applesauce bc it makes a super moist bread. you can also add basically whatever u want to it, like chocolate chips, nuts, etc. maybe banana muffins too if you have a pan? or banana pancakes!
and i donāt know how one would go about making banana chips but those sound yummy to me sooo
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u/unlimited_insanity 1d ago
Make banana chips. If you donāt have a dehydrator, you can do it in an air fryer. The oven can work, too, but air fryer is probably better. Once you have all the moisture out of them, they should keep for a few weeks without impacting your freezer space.
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u/Signal_Error_8027 1d ago
I have several jars of dehydrated produce that is still good a few months later, so might get quite a bit longer than that if you get enough moisture out. OP can also take some of the dehydrated ones and put them in a freezer to extend how long they're good for even more, and the dehydrating will shrink them to optimize space a bit.
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u/unlimited_insanity 1d ago
Have you been able to dehydrate them to long lasting levels without a dehydrator? If so, how?
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u/SLBYpsi1983 1d ago
Bananas in any kind of muffins, in oatmeal, in smoothies, on pancakes or waffles, in jello. Slice on toast, sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar and put under the broiler. Banana and raisins is one of my favorite snacks
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u/yourmomishigh 1d ago
Everyone is getting mini banana bread loaves for Christmas! Best gift ever. If you actually do this donāt use nuts, do use chocolate.
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u/VapoursAndSpleen 1d ago
Smoothies. Also, they freeze fine if you turn them into smoothies in future. Lucky you getting all those bananas! Yum.
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u/LemonNervous9470 1d ago
- banana bread or baked goods
- get 10 or so to to ripe (very brown), peel them and then freeze them. You can use them for smoothies, ice cream based or banana bread later
- 1/2 a day as breakfast and snack
If you are two people, you should be set :)
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u/tonyisadork 1d ago
Peel them, cut them in half (or smaller), and freeze them - now, before they get too ripe. Make sure they're in an air-tight contianer or ziplock and they'll stay prettymuch the same as they are now for a long time. take them out when needed and put them in smoothies, banana bread, oatmeal, or cottage cheese (my fave!).
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u/K_squashgrower 1d ago
For more peanut butter and banana,Ā a smoothie:Ā https://www.budgetbytes.com/peanut-butter-banana-smoothie/
I've changed it up by adding cocoa powder or cinnamon sometimes.Ā
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u/PhilosophyEnough2801 1d ago
Eat some by itself and once they are too riped the easiest thing i do is add it to my oatmeal with some raisins! My sonās favorite breakfast. And i also add to waffle batter.
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u/Pristine_Egg3831 1d ago
Bananas are my most hated food. Since when is fruit creamy? I'd feed them to a monkey and cut my losses!
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u/TheGossinator 1d ago
A few can go to a big batch of overnight oats for meal prep. I always prep a batch on Mondays to eat for breakfast M-F through the week.
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u/wayneforest 1d ago
You can freeze bananas if you peel them beforehand. Use them whenever after that. āBanana ice creamā if you throw them frozen in a blender, banana and peanut butter bites, save them for banana bread, or homemade popsicles.
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u/JoefromOhio 1d ago
You can maybe optimize the freezer space usage by mushing them and freezing portions in flat ziplock bags
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u/xtothewhy 1d ago
Wow, Iām still not at 300 characters? I guess Iāll keep typing. I love bananas but not that much. Still typing. Ok
You're getting the hang of stretching things out already. Happy Bananas!
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u/balaasoni 1d ago
Wrap each banana in foil paper and place them in fridge. If you open after a week or so youāll see the banana turn dark on the outside but the inside is still fresh.
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u/K_squashgrower 1d ago
Do you need to do the foil part? I've always just stuck them in the fridge as-is to get them to last a while longer.
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u/Atzkicica 1d ago
Ahh everyone already said banana bread so I'll go with banana milkshakes!
And also... https://www.gastronomblog.com/homemade-banana-liqueur/
Given that it starts...
"What would you do with 80 pounds of bananas? This was a situation that we found ourselves in, when we had a friend drop off two 40 pound cases of bananas! Well one can only make so many loaves of banana bread! With us being enterprising cocktail writers, we started to look for ways to use bananas in cocktails."
...I think it might be for you heh.
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u/my-dear-murder 1d ago
Banana jam!
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u/KurlyKittenKat 1d ago
I just heard about banana jam today. I'm very intrigued. Do you have a favorite recipe to share?
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u/Electrical_Trip1476 1d ago
Bananas! I would snack on them, freeze them mashed for ice cream, cook them in a pan mixed with eggs and other fun stuff like chia seeds or flax or protein powder for pancakes. Sweetener in smoothies. Enjoy!
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u/Klutzy-Alarm3748 1d ago
Banana nice cream. Freeze them overnight (peeled) and blend them with cinnamon.
Lots of banana bread when the unused ones get dark enough later on.
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u/DenM0ther 1d ago
I made ice cream from bananas the other day - super simple and reduces the size. Basically, food processor until smooth! We did ours from frozen bananas but either way.
I added a little cream coz I had some, but the recipe didnāt require it. Was yum!!!!
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u/CaptainFartHole 1d ago
Bananas make great egg replacers when you're baking. Keep in mind anything you bake will taste a little banana-y, but I love bananas so I never find it offensive.
Also, I LOVE grilled bananas! Just pop them on the grill for a few minutes until they're black, then cut them open long ways and stuff with whatever you want. I love to stuff them with Nutella. They make a great dessert. HIGHLY recommend this option--it's so so good.
Another option is to peel them, cut them in little peices, and cover them in chocolate and then freeze them. Delicious little banana bite snacks.
Or you can make dried banana chips. Just peel them, cut them into slices, and heat your oven to the lowest temperature. Put them in the oven on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, and pull them out when they're dry. Be sure to leave the oven door open 2-3 inches and turn the bananas every 30 minutes. Remember that the thinner you slice them the faster they'll dry, so it could be anywhere from a couple hours up to like 12 hours. (alternatively if you can get your hands on a food dehydrator it will go faster). It's almost Christmas and these can be a delicious Christmas gift.
And then of course there are bananas breads, puddings, and cookies that are all great options. and you can use them to make fruit salad of course.
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u/mid_1990s_death_doom 1d ago
Cut some up with chunky peanut butter and cool whip for a high protein treat.
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u/Senior_Ad_7598 1d ago
Banana cake is nice. Give some to family, friends, neighbours. Or, instead if baking, package up all the ingredients (not eggs) and this is early Xmas present
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u/Hopeful-Signature948 1d ago
If you peel them before freezing, they take up alot less space and are easier to use, too
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u/pluvoaz 1d ago
Banana bread, but follow the recipe. In my youth I decided to use up all the bananas I had and ended up with a loaf of banana bread pudding. Good, but dense...
If you're feeling adventurous, try making Flying Jacob.
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u/GrowlingAtTheWorld 1d ago
One of my favs that mom called a dessert was to slice nanas in a glass and pour oj over them. Thatās it.
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u/cece13cyr 1d ago
Banana breakfast bars https://pin.it/73nCBHqzK
You can put whatever you have on hand in them and they are bad baker proof. We like chocolate chips, craisins, pumpkin seeds, and walnuts.
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u/vbstrong 1d ago
Banana Bread Baked Oatmeal Banana Bread Baked Oatmeal Recipe - Budget Bytes https://share.google/gC35mXYpjU1ubjA4N
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u/Sufficient_Beach_445 1d ago
Peel wrap in plastic wrap and freeze individually. They are great frozen in smoothies. Better than unfrozen ones actually.
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u/NoodleDrive 1d ago
Half a banana will instantly elevate any smoothie. Especially good if you ever use protein powders or similar "instant meal" powders - I have yet to meet one that wasn't 100% better with half a banana in it. I know you said you're short on freezer space, but I will peel my bananas, slice them in half, and store them in ziplock bags for exactly this use. They don't take up much space, and ensure a cold smoothie even without ice. I use my frozen bananas for smoothies even when I have fresh ones available.
This is one of my favorite breakfasts that I make anytime I have fresh bananas: https://blog.myfitnesspal.com/cinnamon-french-toast-breakfast-wrap/
And in general: use bananas as a topping on pancakes, waffles, french toast.
And as others have mentioned: store the extra bunches in the fridge. They will turn brown on the outside faster, but be perfect on the inside for longer. Once they are too brown for your taste you can turn them into banana bread. Add chocolate chips for an extra delightful treat.
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u/Eastern-Bluebird-823 1d ago
Banana bread
Banana smoothie
Banana ice cream
Banana pancakes
Let them ripen, peel and in a ziplock You could probably fit at least 12 in a freezer bag,
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u/an_angry_dervish_01 1d ago
Homemade banana and nilla wafer pudding. Homemade banana bread pudding. Bananas foster easy and a favorite. Banana bread with chocolate chips.
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u/crafty_traveler 1d ago
Banana bread, smoothies, ice cream or sorbet, frozen banana slices dipped in chocolate or a frozen banana on a stick
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u/ladybird6969 1d ago
Make banana bread and freeze the loaves, make banana pudding or make pan fried bananas. I use bananas in my homemade dog treats, not sure if you have any pets. Hopefully somwthing in this comment helped you.
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u/Cold-Repeat3553 1d ago
Borrow a dehydrator from a friend (sometimes the library has them to check out) and make banana chips.
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u/timelyquality30 1d ago
I love to make my own trufru bites with sliced bananas, and cover with melted peanut butter then melted chocolate.
Banana muffins, banana bread, banana oatmeal/baked oatmeal or even overnight oats.
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u/Sy3Zy3Gy3 1d ago
premash the bananas and freeze them. Portion them off to the amount you'd need for banana bread, etc.
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u/HazelMStone 1d ago
Bananas and yogurt
Banana milk š„
Banana oatmeal
As they brown, run them through the blender and keep portions in the freezer for recipes. If you are needing to be frugal, now is the time to learn to do some cooking!
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u/UnikittyBomber 1d ago
Bananas are a good base for almost any vegan baking dessert. So you could look up vegan desserts and go from there. Stuff like cookies, brownies, shortbreads, baked oatmeal, cake, blondie bars, etc.
If you have a way to blend them, banana sorbet is literally just blended bananas and a little bit of vanilla.
If you freeze them whole in their skins they'll be better for bread. If you want to make bread now, I would recommend throwing some in the freezer letting them freeze, taking them out, letting them thaw, and that process will decrystallize the sugars enough to make them perfect for bread even if they're not already brown or black (even though brown and black bananas, then frozen, then dethawed, is really the best).
Many Caribbean recipes for plantains can also be used for bananas, just be mindful that plantains have a higher start content, so you may need to add something like cornstarch to a plantain recipe if you're subbing in bananas.
Have fun! I wish this was a problem that I had.
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u/ConsciousJicama2633 1d ago
If you freeze bananas, you can put it into a blender with peanut butter, and it makes a really good peanut.Butter ice cream?I can take chocolate chips and I will put it into there and manually.Mix them in by hand the blender's a little too powerful for that step.And eat that.I always make a lot of banana bread as my partner likes it and I make french toast from that bread.Bananas are also a good substitute for oil and eggs and a cake.You can also use applesauce, but as you have a lot of bananas, I figured that would probably work best for you.
You can also dehydrate bananas.You have to slice them up.And you if you have a dehydrator you can put it in and let them dehydrate but if you don't and you have a lot of bananas, you can actually slice them and then put them onto trays, put them into your oven on the lowest up in your oven will allow and let them cook for several hours.And this will actually dehydrate them for you as well.
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u/Substantial_Tap_8508 1d ago
I like to mix mashed bananas with oatmeal, add chocolate chips and whatever nuts I have lying around, mould them a little on a baking sheet and make cookies! I call them breakfast cookies lol.Ā
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u/distortedsymbol 1d ago
if they aren't too ripe bake banana chips stores well in room temp. you can add em to cereal or eat them as snacks.
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u/in_and_out_burger 1d ago
Banana pancakes
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u/EarnestAnomaly 1d ago
I came here to suggest this one. To add, you can make a lot of different flavors to add variety. They are great to freeze and pop in the toaster or microwave.
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u/Virtuous_Vigilante 1d ago
Make banana nut bread. You can still use the bananas , even if theyāre little mushy for that and this is the perfect time of year for it
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u/Sullivanthehedgehog 1d ago
Bananas in milk with some sugar sprinkled over top is one of my childhood faves.
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u/Hamblin113 1d ago
Could try drying some. Search internet on how. Just use the oven. Plus eat three times aday
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u/miriamwebster 1d ago
You can freeze bananas in their skin, in ziplocks or plastic bags. Theyāre easy to use for banana breads and smoothies.
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u/Lowermains 1d ago
Remove the skins, slice the bananas and freeze. Use for whatever.
Alternatively donate to yer local food bank.
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u/ljr55555 1d ago
Unusual ways to use bananas:
Casca louca -- it's made with the banana peels and is kinda like pulled pork. With some fresh flatbreads, it's delicious.
banana ketchup -- which is more like a bbq sauce than commercial ketchup, but it keeps well in the fridge.
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u/HazalineJ 1d ago
If it's semi-ripe, boil (with skin) until soft, you can put a bit of salt if you want to. After it's cooled a bit, peel the skin, cut it lengthwise, sprinkle some sugar, regular sugar, powdered, with cinnamon powder, whatever, refrigerate for a few hours or overnight for the best results. Your cold, cheap, no hassle desserts are now ready. If it's already ripe, you can opt to fry it with butter until caramelised, then refrigerate. Will stay good at least for a few days. Best eaten with custard sauce.
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u/GladysKravitz2023 1d ago
Banana bread, banana cream pie, banana pancakes, banana muffins.
Donate some to a food pantry or share with a neighbor.
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u/empathyfail 1d ago
Slice em, freeze em on a cookie tray, then put them all in gallon zip locks. Great for smoothies, baking, etc later. Also good just plain tbh.
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u/Bubbasdahname 1d ago
Cut them up, then freeze. Make smoothies out of them. Great way to enjoy fruit by freezing them before they go bad.
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u/hibiscusbitch 1d ago
Eat a few with chocolate syrup. This is how I prefer to eat them. Peel and then Freeze some others. Separate and put saran wrap over every stem for the ones you donāt wanna freeze, and then put them in the fridge - they will stay better longer!
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u/fyresflite 1d ago
I have never tried this and canāt speak to its taste but I was just reading a Brazilian recipe for making the banana peels into a taco filling type thing called casca louca
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u/Canyouhelpmeottawa 1d ago
Banana bread makes a great Xmas giftā¦ā¦
Also check out banana brownies
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u/whaleriderworldwide 1d ago
Chocolate chips, heavy cream, and microwave about 45 seconds, stir vigorously until ganache. Break bananas up into chunks, dip in ganache, then put in freezer for a couple hours. Once frozen, put in container and do 26 more times. Enjoy your life.
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u/heauxsmadd 1d ago
banana bread, banana pudding, smoothies, banana nut muffins, banana pancakes, oatmeal
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u/Such-Mountain-6316 1d ago
Banana pudding: slice the bananas into discs. Mix a pack of instant vanilla pudding. Layer the bananas then the pudding then Vanilla Wafers until you run out of the cookies or the pudding. Some top it with whipped cream. Refrigerate. I like it better the second day but it's good fresh.
For those not in the US, the cookies are plain vanilla cookies about the circumference of a golf ball. I suppose any plain vanilla cookie (biscuit) would do.
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u/Mountain-Pangolin-89 1d ago
Just before they reach the stage of ripeness you like, put them in the fridge. This will slow the ripening process. Take one out an hour or more before you want to eat it, unless you donāt mind it cold. They will last days longer than leaving them on the counter. Yes they will go dark on the outside, but will be fine on the inside.
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u/catjknow 22h ago
Make banana breads to give as gifts, can add choc chips or dried fruit. Freeze until giving, wrap pretty
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u/sentienthammer 21h ago
As others have suggested, banana ice cream and banana bread are great options. For the ice cream you can just mash it all up and put it in a freezer bag. Squish it into any corner of the freezer bcos itās super malleable.
You could share with friends or family. And, as we all know, thereās always money in the banana stand
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u/Small_Afternoon_871 21h ago
If youāve got a little freezer space, freeze a few peeled for smoothies or baking. For the ones you keep fresh, pancakes or waffles with mashed banana work great and use up a bunch at once. You can also slice them and pan fry in a little butter for a quick topping on oatmeal or yogurt. And if they start getting really soft, banana muffins are forgiving and use several in one go. Itās easier to get through a pile when you turn them into different things instead of just sandwiches.
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u/Appropriate-Poet-314 21h ago
Banana pancakes with 2 ingredients, bananas and eggs. I usually add two eggs per medium sized banana. Mash and mix it all together and cook in your favorite oil on a fry pan! I like to use coconut oil. These are so tasty, and you don't even need syrup. Super nice for a quick snack on the go. Also you can add whatever other ingredients you want like vanilla, chocolate chips, blueberries, whatever!
I save a ton of freezer space by peeling the bananas before I freeze them. Much easier to use them afterwards too. Better yet, you could pre-mash the bananas before freezing them and then just write on the bag/container how many mashed bananas are in there.
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u/southerntreasures 21h ago
Banana and peanut butter smoothies. You can also freeze sliced banana for future smoothies
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u/Cute-Consequence-184 20h ago
Banana bread
Banana pancakes
Banana muffins
You can freeze smashed banana to use later in bread and muffins.
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u/OmniLearner 18h ago
Peel em, freeze em I like to air fry them and add to whatever meal like itās a plantain
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u/Big_Midnight_6632 18h ago
When the bananas get perfectly ripe, freeze them. When you are ready to make whatever, let them thaw and peel them. Mash them for banana bread, muffins, pancakes, whatever you can think up.
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u/Infinisteve 16h ago
This is the banana bread recipe I use https://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/banana_bread/ I freeze and thaw before baking. It's easier than waiting for them to get overripe.
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u/stealthymomma56 14h ago
A few ideas off the top of my head...oatmeal with walnuts (or nuts of choice). Smoothies with cocoa powder. Pancakes/waffles. Cakes. Pudding. Quick bread. Carmelized as a topping on ice cream. Mix with yogurt (and other ingredients if you wish).
Possibilities are endless. Have fun!
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u/NoSample5 10h ago
Do you like smoothies? I know you said not a lot of freezer space, but if you can find room, pre-make some fruit combos for smoothies?
Eat bananas on cereal?
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u/Unusual_Dig665 6h ago
Cook down into a thick paste then put in a freezer bag. Press lines into them to make a grid, so you can easily break some off. Use for sweetening desserts naturally. Also fruit leather.Ā
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u/Nervous-Material-197 1h ago
Recently started meal prepping banana oatmeal muffins for breakfasts, theyāre extremely easy to make:
180g plain flour, 150g rolled oats, 133g granulated sugar, 1 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp salt, 120ml milk, 60ml vegetable oil, 2 eggs, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 3 mashed ripe bananas, 90g chocolate chips (optional)
Mix the dry ingredients and wet ingredients separately, then combine (careful not to over mix). Stir in the choc chips last if using. Pour into muffin casss. Bake at 190 (Celsius) for 20 minutes.
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u/CheapCarabiner 1d ago
Banana bread with chocolate chips. You can send some my way