Use it up · Fruits

Bananas

Have extra bananas? Here’s how to choose, store and prep bananas, plus 8 family recipes to use it all up, best matches first.

🍽 See the recipes 🧺 Pick a few things you have

🛒 Choosing it

Buy some yellow and some green so they ripen through the week.

🧊 Storing it

Counter: On the counter; the cold turns the skin black and stops them sweetening
Freezer: Peeled, in a bag, up to about 12 months

Keep the fridge at 40°F or below and the freezer at 0°F. Freezer times are for best quality; food kept frozen at 0°F stays safe. When in doubt, throw it out. Times from University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources and Rutgers Cooperative Extension.

🔪 Prepping it

Spotty bananas are perfect for banana bread, pancakes, oatmeal and smoothies. Freeze them peeled and in chunks.

🥣 Make it from scratch

Homemade staples that use bananas:

Banana bread

📊 Nutrition per 100 g

Bananas. 100 g is about 3 1/2 ounces.

Calories	89 kcal	4%
Protein	1.1 g	2%
Total fat	0.3 g	0%
Saturated fat	0.1 g	1%
Total carbohydrate	23 g	8%
Dietary fiber	2.6 g	9%
Total sugars	12 g
Sodium	1.0 mg	0%
Calcium	5.0 mg	0%
Iron	0.3 mg	1%
Potassium	358 mg	8%

% Daily Value for adults (FDA). From USDA FoodData Central 173944 (SR Legacy).

🍽 Recipes that use it up

8 recipes, the ones that use the most bananas first.

With a smaller amount

Plan them into your week in the meal planner, or find recipes for two or three things at once with the “What can I make?” picker.

Storage times and buying tips are general guides from the sources below; follow any date or instructions on the package. Cook meat, poultry, fish and eggs to the USDA safe temperatures in each recipe.