How to Freeze Bananas

How to freeze bananas: either for baking or for smoothies! It’s easy and a great way to reduce food waste.

Got some ripe bananas and no time to use them? Here’s one of our top tips for saving on groceries: how to freeze bananas! It often happens to us: we drive out of town for the weekend and just didn’t have time to bake banana bread or banana muffins. What to do with the bananas that are turning black on the counter? Good news: you can freeze this fruit for baked goods or smoothies, depending on how ripe it is. Here’s a quick guide to storing this versatile fruit.

How to freeze bananas

There are two main ways to freeze bananas and they depend on the ripeness of the fruit. Freeze whole very ripe bananas to use in baking recipes or freeze ripe bananas for smoothies. Frozen whole bananas work in baked recipes like banana muffins, banana bread, etc. Here’s how:

• How to Freeze Very Ripe Bananas for Baking: Peel the fruit and place whole on a baking sheet. Freeze for 2 hours until firm. Transfer to a plastic bag or freezer-safe container. If you use a bag, you can use a straw to suck the extra air out of the bag.
• To freeze ripe bananas for smoothies: Cut the fruit into 1/2-inch slices, then place on a baking sheet. Freeze for 2 hours. Once set, place in a freezer-safe container.

How many banana slices does 1 banana contain? Use the ratio 15 1/2″ banana slices = 1 medium banana. So if your smoothie calls for 1 banana, use about 15 slices.

How to thaw whole bananas

Here’s one important thing to know about whole bananas that you throw in the freezer: how to defrost them! Let the bananas sit at room temperature for about 2 hours: or you can refrigerate them overnight until completely soft. Here’s a tip: you’ll notice that a lot of liquid drips out of the banana as it thaws. Be sure to save! Use both solids And the liquid that oozes from the banana in your recipe: The liquid is the all-important moisture (and flavor!) you need for the recipe.

storage time

How long can you keep frozen bananas? You can store frozen bananas for 3 to 6 months. Of course they last longer, but we find that after about 6 months they start to lose flavor and become very icy. If you think about it, label the bag or container with the date you froze it. That way you don’t have to wonder how long they’ve been hiding in your freezer! (Of course, we usually forget that part and still have the secret…)

Recipes for using frozen bananas

Once you learn how to freeze bananas, there are tons of ways to use them in recipes! Due to the texture after freezing, we do not recommend using them in mashed bananas or roasted bananas. But they’re great for baked recipes and smoothies! Here are some of our favorite banana recipes: