25+ Banana Recipes perfect for ripe bananas!

Bananas are a common household fruit comprising 63 percent of the American fruit diet, but did you know there are many ways to use this bright yellow fruit outside of eating it as-is or mixing it with yogurt? Check out our favorite banana recipes for using ripe bananas and dried bananas.

Recipes to make with Ripe Bananas

Are you wondering what to do with the ripe bananas on the counter? Don't worry; these banana recipes are perfect for using one or multiple bananas in easy recipes.

From cookies to banana muffins, there are so many ways to use ripe bananas.

Why Cook With Bananas?

The answer is simple - the cooking process helps their sugars caramelize, unleashing their flavor in a way that eating them raw doesn’t.

Once you’ve gone through all of your bananas, the peels can also come in handy for various uses around the home. The peels are high in vitamins B6, B12, magnesium, and potassium and blend well into smoothies. To use them as a meat tenderizer, marinate, cook, grill, or roast them in the same pan as your meat. If you want to take the bitter bite out of them, wash and boil them until soft.

Are Bananas Refrigerated?

Like avocados, bananas are best left to ripen naturally on your kitchen countertop or kept in your refrigerator if you don’t plan to eat them immediately. However, for the best quality, use your banana bunch once they’ve reached your desired level of ripeness.

Overripe bananas are known for their usefulness in banana bread, and in some of our recipes below, we recommend ripened bananas. Want to save them for later use for banana bread or smoothies? Remove them from their peels, transfer the mashed fruit to airtight, freezer-safe bags, then store them in the freezer.

Canned Banana Recipes

While bananas can be canned and stored in your pantry for future use, natural acids such as citric acid, lemon, or lime juice must be added for food safety. This is because bananas are dense and low in acid, which makes them more prone to botulism.

Whole Banana Recipes

Bananas baked whole are a simple, healthy, and tasty snack. Depending on how big you want your portions, you can bake them whole or cut them lengthwise. Bake them at 350°F for 15 minutes or until you’re satisfied with the texture.

Bananas are naturally sweet, so baked bananas don’t need much to transform into a swoon-worthy dessert. Honey is a versatile natural sweetener that pairs well with bananas, and neutral cooking oil or melted butter can be drizzled on top to help the bananas bake.

Use bananas whose peels have just started spotting for the best results, as they’ll be sweet but firm enough to retain texture.

When Is Banana Bread Done?

According to King Arthur Baking, a purveyor of baking flour, banana bread, and similar quick bread like pumpkin and zucchini bread is done once a thermometer inserted into the center reads between 200°F and 205°F.

If you’ve accidentally underbaked your banana bread, it’s recommended not to put it back in the oven. Instead, remove the underbaked banana bread from the baking pan, slice it into the desired portion size, and grill it as you would French toast a healthy faux version of this sweet breakfast entrée.

Banana Recipes

We love the sweetness of banana flavor and  how easy it is to use bananas in recipes. They are the perfect addition to a bowl of cereal or a smoothie bowl.

There are so many ways to use bananas!

Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie

Fruit and veggie smoothies are a quick, tasty, and customizable way to add extra nutrition to your diet anytime. This recipe only takes four ingredients - a banana, milk, peanut butter, and ice cubes - to achieve the smoothie version of the King of Rock and Roll’s favorite sandwich combination.

Nutella Popsicles

Do you also consider everyone’s favorite hazelnut cocoa spread to be a food group? If so, you’ll love this summer-ready banana and Nutella popsicle recipe made with the Zoku Duo Quick Pop Maker.

Are you like us and looking to use your Nutella stash to satisfy your sweet tooth cravings? We have a collection of fantastic Nutella recipes just for you.

3-Ingredient Banana Bread

Nothing beats the aroma of freshly-baked banana bread in the morning. Cake mix is the not-so-secret ingredient in this easy-peasy, three-ingredient banana bread recipe. Use yellow, chocolate, spice, or any complementary cake mix for a variation.

Cake Mix Banana Bread

Have you got some ugly, overripe bananas in your kitchen? If so, skip the trash bin and put them to work in this four-ingredient banana bread recipe made with yellow cake mix.

Want more ways to use the cake mix boxes sitting in your pantry? This recipe is featured in our Cake Mix Recipe collection.

Banana Milkshake

This soda-fountain-style milkshake is sweet, refreshing, and filled with the goodness of bananas. Top it with whipped cream and a maraschino cherry for some nice flair.

Need a blender recommendation for your warm-weather refreshments? We recommend the highly-rated and ultra-powerful Ninja Blender.

Individual Banana Foster

This downsized, microwavable version of our rum-infused Crock Pot Banana Foster Recipe is excellent when you’re feeding a craving for two - or one if you don’t want to share the mug it’s made in.

Banana Bread Oatmeal

Ever wish you could wake up to a hot and delicious breakfast in the morning? This slow-cooker banana bread oatmeal is chock-full of belly-filling steel-cut oats, bananas, and cashew milk. The brown sugar, cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg spices make it extra indulgent and warm.

Crockpot Bananas Foster

We developed this slow-cooker bananas foster to recreate one of John’s favorite cruise ship indulgences. It pairs fantastically with a scoop or two of vanilla ice cream, plus it comes together in just over an hour to quickly serve a dinner or brunch crowd.

Nutter Butter Banana Pudding

In this twist on a classic sweet treat, a schoolyard cookie meets a Southern dessert favorite. We top ours with Nutter Butter cookie crumbles and a cookie in the center to hint at the inside goodness.

If you plan to serve and eat yours immediately and love bananas, layer the top or the bottom with fresh banana slices.

Chocolate Oatmeal Bars

Show your loved ones some extra TLC with this bagged lunch oatmeal bar recipe featuring a decadent blend of bananas, oats, coconut flakes, and chocolate chips.

While caramel sauce is optional, we recommend it for taking this recipe to the next level. Here’s a Crock Pot Caramel Sauce to get you started.

Lava Flow Cocktail

We love this blender cocktail because it reminds us of a beautiful Hawaiian sunset, particularly at Anaehoomalu Bay, or A-Bay for short.

The light rum and Malibu make it extra boozy, the strawberries add fruitiness and color, and the pineapple and cream of coconut give it that tropical feel that will transport you to Aloha Friday, any day.

Copycat Banana Julius

Orange Julius smoothies get their iconic taste and frothiness from adding powdered egg whites. Serve this banana and orange version of the classic Orange Julius in tall pilsner glasses.

Peanut Butter No-Bake Pie

This yummy experimental no-bake pie with a graham cracker and butter crust was also a birthday treat for John back in 2015. As with our other no-bake pies, instant vanilla pudding mix makes an excellent base for no-bake pie filling.

Crockpot Granola

Many store-bought granola products contain nuts and seeds, which John could no longer eat after being diagnosed with diverticulitis. This nut-and-seed-free granola is sweetened with honey and contains many yummy additions, like coconut flakes, raisins, dried berries, and dried bananas.

Banana Pudding Poke Cake

A poke cake is a classic Southern dessert, and this banana pudding gets its flavor from instant banana pudding mix and sliced bananas.

If you love this poke cake, you’ll also love our Strawberry Poke Cake, Oreo Poke Cake, patriotic Poke Cake in the colors of our nation’s flag, summer-ready Piña Colada Poke Cake, and Butterfinger Poke Cake inspired by the candy itself.

Banana Oatmeal

This banana oatmeal is similar to our banana bread oatmeal featured earlier in the roundup. However, it uses plant-based cashew milk instead of heavy whipping cream and is scented with cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg.

Homemade Banana Bread

This homemade banana bread recipe comes from my family’s recipe collection; I still remember being given the splotched handwritten recipe card as a teenager.

The recipe post also contains valuable tips about banana bread, from storing and freezing it to what bananas work best in recipes.

Crock Pot Banana Bread

A hot oven that heats the entire house is the last thing you need on a hot summer’s day. Not only is this banana bread recipe made entirely in your Crock Pot, but it is also a great way to use up any frozen bananas stockpiled in your freezer.

Magnolia Bakery Banana Pudding

Magnolia Bakery is a treasured and world-famous New York City bakery chain known for scratch-made baked treats. In particular, the chain gained popularity for making cupcakes with batter left over from their cakes, including the Sex and the City-inspired “Carrie” cupcake.

This banana pudding recipe comes straight from the pages of Bobbie Lloyd’s The Magnolia Bakery Handbook: A Complete Guide for the Home Baker.

Sour Cream Banana Bread

When this recipe post was published, it was our eighth banana bread recipe we had shared over the ten years we had operated Tammilee Tips. The sour cream makes this banana bread moist, tangy, and overall delicious.

Port Wine Banana Bread

The port wine used in this creative banana bread recipe comes from Ficklin Vineyards, one of our favorite Madera Wine Trail wineries.

After testing the recipe, we found that it took about one hour to bake, so be sure to check yours at about the 45-minute interval to account for any variations with your home oven. Add chocolate chips, chopped walnuts, or both for more loaded banana bread.

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

Chocolate and banana is a flavor combination that works well in many sweet culinary contexts. With a prep time of only ten minutes, this easy chocolate chip banana bread could be your pick-me-up dessert; the most challenging part is waiting for it to bake in your oven.

Nutella Banana Bread

This Nutella banana bread made with frozen bananas is a living testament that everyone’s favorite hazelnut spread adds chocolatey fun and flair to almost any sweet treat. Let it shine by pairing it with a hot cup of coffee.

Crock Pot Bourbon Banana Bread

This Crock Pot banana bread recipe contains two heaping teaspoons of bourbon - plus one for the glaze - to deliver rich smokiness to the classic breakfast and brunchtime treat.

We used a bottle we had picked up on our Caribbean Cruise to St. Thomas, but you can use any kind whose flavor you would enjoy coming through in your banana bread.

While optional, chopped toasted pecans add a crunch factor and pair well with the bourbon. Or spread a bit of cream cheese frosting on a slice.

Upcoming Banana Recipes include how to make the perfect Banana Split, Banana Cake, Banana Pancakes, Banana Cream Pie, Banana Ice Cream, a gluten-free banana bread, banana bundt cake, vegan banana bread, overnight oats, and more!

Recipe Tips

Printable recipe card instructions are available in each individual post.

Nutrition information, including calories, protein, calcium, carbohydrates, fiber, vitamin c, potassium, cholesterol, sodium, trans fat, monounsaturated fat, polyunsaturated fat, and more, will vary depending on the products used.

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