What to Do With Soft Bananas If You’re Tired of Banana Bread
Unfortunately, I annoy banana consumers. I like them to be bright yellow and without any hints of brown or green, although I prefer a couple of freckles instead of stem green if I have to. (Unripe bananas have too many tannins and are needed in wine.)
Due to unreasonable banana standards, I often get too many “soft” bananas in the kitchen. My boyfriend will eat them if he’s around, but he’s only been here half a week and I don’t really like baking (or eating) banana bread. Luckily, there are many things you can do with soft or at least very ripe bananas, but none of them have a smoothie or bake.
Accept Pinterest
I haven’t logged into my Pinterest account for half a decade, but there is one recipe that stuck with me at least twice as long. Frozen banana ice cream is not like ice cream, but it tastes much better than it should. I got really into it for a moment when I was living in Florida and going to Weight Watchers meetings (it was a pretty dark time), but I still eat fake ice cream, sometimes with cocoa powder, sometimes with vanilla. (You can also shape the frozen “ice cream” into small balls, then roll them over in cereal or chocolate chips before returning to the freezer to make delicious little frozen banana chunks.)
These two-pack banana pancakes have also been quite popular on Pinterest, probably because they are naturally gluten-free. I personally have never tried them, but I know several moms who made them for their kids and the kids loved them. All you need are bananas, eggs, and some baking powder (optional, but it helps to beat them).
You can also make banana lollipop, another frozen treat that tastes a lot tastier than it deserves to be. Bananas need to be firm enough – at least firm enough so that a stick can be inserted into them without falling apart. Place the sticks on a baking sheet lined with parchment or wax paper and place in the freezer for 15 minutes. Until then, make a magic shell with two ingredients . Dip the bananas in the magic shell, sprinkle with peanuts or something else, then put them back in the freezer until the chocolate is completely frozen.
Make banana pudding (or banana pudding milkshake)
If your bananas are very ripe but still a little hard, banana pudding is the way to go. Despite the name, the banana pudding is usually not flavored with banana, but the over-ripe, sweet banana slices are great between the custard layers and the Nilla waffles. You can make it with custard powder or instant pudding mix, or you can get a little funny over your own custard too . (Also, don’t overdo it: the recipe printed on the Nilla Wafers box is great.)
If your bananas are completely out of shape, toss them in a blender and make a banana pudding milkshake . I think you can also make a smoothie, but it’s much less fun.
Try Australian recipes
I admit I don’t know much about Australian cuisine, but I admire the boldness they show in Best of Australia Recipes, especially their banana meatballs recipe. Adding bananas to the meatballs will surely give the Italian closest to you jitters, but I think this step makes sense: Bananas add moisture and sweetness, and are also a nice slice of tropical pizza!
The same site also has a simple recipe for banana pancakes , which are very similar to 2-way banana pancakes, but better (because they are fried). I love the recipe that includes self-rising flour, which means I’m incredibly excited to try the pancakes as soon as I get my hands on the soft bananas. All you have to do is knead the nanners with flour (and a little baking soda) and then sauté them in oil. Eat them with ice cream.
Make banana ketchup
Banana ketchup is a Filipino sauce that’s delicious for burgers, fried chicken, tartang talong, Filipino spaghetti (which also includes hot dogs), and plain rice. Food52 has a fascinating article on the origin and creator of Maria Orosa sauce. (Maria was not only the inventor of the popular condiment, but also a chemist and activist.)
I don’t have a banana ketchup recipe (because I’m not Filipino), but you can find them online, including this one from Chef Lou Boquila and this one from Serious Eats . This is the perfect way to diversify your banana consumption, especially if you are tired of baking banana bread.
What are your favorite ways to use soft bananas, and how soft do you allow them? (Is there anyone who likes them green? Identify yourself in the comments.)