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About This Recipe
It’s no secret that some of my favorite baking recipes were inspired by ways to use up overripe bananas that I left sitting on the counter just a few days too long. But what do you do when the banana bread craving hits and you have a bunch of green bananas lying around? I’ve got the solution for you!
There are several different ways you can speed up the ripening process for a bunch of bananas. You’ve probably heard about the brown paper bag method but unfortunately that can still take a couple of days. With the oven method, you can brown unripe bananas in just 20 minutes!
Why is it better to use sweet bananas for baking? The riper the bananas the more naturally sweet flavor your recipe will have. This is idea for your favorite quick breads, banana muffins, blondies, pancakes, mug cakes and more! By using the natural sweetness of the bananas, not only will your recipe taste delicious but it will also help you to use less additional sweeteners which can help make the recipe even healthier!
I love this simple method because it allows me to be able to make the perfect loaf of banana bread any time I want!
- Yellow bananas
- Sheet pan
- Parchment paper or tin foil
The full printable recipe is below, but let me walk you through the process so you know what to expect when you’re making it!
1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or tin foil. Place unpeeled bananas in a single layer on baking sheet.
2. Bake for 15-20 minutes.
3. Once brown, remove from oven and let bananas cool. You can slice open to help the bananas cool quicker.
4. Scoop out the ripened banana (will be mushy) and use in recipe as directed!
If you ripen more bananas than you need, peel and scoop out insides and let cool. Once cool to room temperature, store in an airtight container or ziploc bag. You can store in the fridge for 2-3 days or store in the freezer for up to 3 months. To defrost, place refrigerator overnight and use in recipe as directed.
I find that it is helpful to go ahead and peel the bananas after they have cooled from the oven and store the mushy bananas in an airtight container (or freezer bags) for future use.
For Quickly Ripening Bananas
- Don’t use completely green bananas. They won’t have developed enough sugars and flavor be useful in baked goods, even after baking. I recommend using slightly green, bright yellow bananas for this to work best.
- Use parchment paper or tin foil. The bananas will often split and begin to leak, and the sugars in the juice can burn on your tray.
- Squeeze bananas into the bowl. For a mess free option, hold the stem end after taking out of the oven and snip off the other end and squeeze the banana into your bowl.
Can I use the microwave to ripen bananas?
I would not recommend using the microwave method to ripen bananas despite it taking less time. Putting the bananas in the microwave will heat the banana too fast for the starches to convert to natural sugars (the process that gives us the best banana flavor. The oven method is idea because it uses consistent dry heat to quickly ripen them, most similar to the natural method.
Will oven-ripened bananas taste the same as bananas ripened on the counter?
Oven-ripened fresh bananas will be a bit less sweet than ones ripened on the counter but overall still work wonderful for baking recipes since there are other ingredients that can help add sweetness such as sweeteners, protein powder, add-ins, etc.
What type of recipes should I not use this ripening process for?
This method is NOT for ripening bananas to eat them raw. For example, this would not work for bananas for my Frozen Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Bites. This method does make the bananas mushy so it will not work for any recipe that you want a firm, raw banana.
Are there other ways I can quickly ripen under-ripe bananas?
Yes, there are several different methods to quickly ripen banana. If you have plenty of time, another easy way to ripen your bananas is in a brown paper bag. Place bananas in a brown bag and fold the top of the bag over. The ethylene gas will circulate and ripen your fruit within 24 to 36 hours. If you have other ripe fruit, like ripe apples or avocados, place them in the bag with the bananas to help increase the amount of ethylene gas – which will help speed up the process.
Recipes To Use Ripened Bananas
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How To Quickly Ripen Bananas In The Oven
Ingredients
- Bananas
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Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Place unpeeled bananas in a single layer on baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes.
- Once brown, remove form oven and let cool.
- Scoop out the ripened banana (will be mushy) and use in recipe as directed!
Equipment
- Parchment paper or tin foil
Notes
- Don’t use completely green bananas. They won’t have developed enough sugars and flavor be useful in baked goods, even after baking. I recommend using slightly green, bright yellow bananas for this to work best.
- Use parchment paper or tin foil. The bananas will often split and begin to leak, and the sugars in the juice can burn on your tray.
- Squeeze bananas into the bowl. For a mess free option, hold the stem end after taking out of the oven and snip off the other end and squeeze the banana into your bowl.
Nutrition is hand-calculated and accurate. No autocalulations! However, note that values can vary based on the brands you use and if you substitute ingredients.
