When life gives you overripe, browned bananas, whip up these banana recipes. While bananas seem to turn brown in the blink of an eye, for people who enjoy a tender slice of banana bread with their morning cup of coffee, it’s definitely a blessing in disguise. As bananas begin to brown, their starch breaks down into sugar, putting them at their peak for naturally sweetening everything from mashed banana bread to sticky toffee banana pudding. Of course, there’s always a time and place for perfectly ripe bananas, too. Here are tasty ways to use up a bunch of bananas, at any stage of life.
Banana Nut Bread
Kelsey Hansen / Food Styling by Kelsey Moylan / Accessories Styling by Addelyn Evans
Avoid wasting those mushy, browned bananas by making this soft and tender banana nut bread with just a few pantry staples, like cinnamon, sugar, and flour. For an extra sweet treat, save those overripe bananas that are about to expire.
Spicy Banana Oatmeal Cookies
Victor Protasio / Food styling by Torie Cox / Accessories styling by Thom Driver
Breakfast meets comforting midday snack in this recipe for spicy banana oatmeal cookies. The no-fuss cookie dough comes together in just minutes. The hardest part is waiting for the cinnamon, brown sugar, and cardamom-spiced cookies to come out of the oven before you can enjoy them.
Bananas Foster Cheesecake
Bananas Foster Cheesecake.
Jennifer Causey / Food styling by Ali Ramee / Accessories styling by Christina Daley
This silky, creamy cheesecake is topped with a generous drizzle of caramel and halved bananas, creating a hybrid dessert of two classic favorites: cheesecake and bananas Foster. For a spectacular, sparking dessert, flambé the cheesecake by drizzling it with a little rum and lighting it ablaze.
Banana Biscoff Pudding
Photography by Greg DuPree / Food styling by Rishon Hanners / Prop styling by Christina Daley
Layers of crunchy, sweet Biscoff biscuits nestled between creamy custard and sliced bananas make this dessert a refreshing treat. Perfect for impressing a crowd, serve it in a glass trifle dish for an especially elegant presentation.
Banana Pudding Pie
Photography by Will Dickey / Prop styling by Christina Daley / Food styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey
Making homemade pudding isn’t as complicated as it seems, thanks to this banana pudding pie that rivals any store-bought pudding mix. Rich whole milk and egg yolks give the pudding its creamy body, while a whole vanilla bean gives the custard a warming effect. Then it all comes together in pie form, with a vanilla macadamia wafer crust paired with the rich custard filling that’s layered between slices of fresh banana.
Banana Puff Cake with Walnut Streusel and Rum Glaze
Photography by Jennifer Causey / Food styling by Rishon Hanners / Prop styling by Heather Chadduck Hillegas
Banana bread gets a sweet twist with a crunchy nut streusel and a rich, creamy rum glaze. Baked in a sheet cake, serving this banana dessert to a large crowd couldn’t be easier.
Banana Pudding Paletas
Photography by Antonis Achilleos / Food styling by Ruth Blackburn / Accessories styling by Christine Keely
Chef Paola Velez’s refreshing take on paletas features a creamy banana pudding base made with browned butter, crushed vanilla wafers, and diced ripe bananas. Once frozen, each lollipop is covered in a thick layer of caramelized white chocolate topped with vanilla wafers and chocolate chips.
Banana Challah Fritters with Sweet Tahini Sauce
Banana Challah Fritters.
Jennifer Causey / Food styling by Ali Ramee / Accessories styling by Christina Daley
Challah bread gets a French toast makeover when it’s dipped in a mixture of banana, egg, milk, sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla before being rolled into individual doughnuts and fried until golden brown. A homemade tahini sauce for dipping makes the dessert even more decadent.
Blueberry Banana Cream Pie
Greg Dupree / Food styling by Torie Cox / Accessories styling by Thom Driver
This ice cream pie features a light and airy banana custard, a big mound of homemade whipped cream, and a blueberry-citrus filling. Every bite of this blueberry banana cream pie is filled with fresh, summery flavors.
Dairy Free Banana Ice Cream
Jennifer Causey / Food styling by Emily Nabors Hall / Accessories styling by Shell Royster
This no-ice cream maker banana ice cream is made with a balanced blend of coconut milk, half-ripe bananas, and swirls of creamy peanut butter. For contrasting textures, chopped honey-roasted peanuts top the ice cream batter before it’s frozen until firm.
Banana-Caramel Sauce
Photography by Victor Protasio / Food styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Accessories styling by Prissy Lee
Few things pair better with a slice of banana bread than this creamy banana caramel sauce. Finely diced ripe bananas infuse the baked caramel with a deep, nutty flavor that elevates any dessert, especially homemade banana bread served with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.
Pumpkin Banana French Toast
Photography by Jennifer Causey / Prop styling by Julia Bayless / Food styling by Ruth Blackburn
This two-part recipe starts with a pumpkin-spiced banana bread. Then, the bread is sliced and baked French toast-style in a mixture of eggs, milk, sugar, vanilla, and cardamom until caramelized on the outside but tender on the inside. A drizzle of maple syrup, a pat of butter, and lightly salted toasted pepitas round out the dish.
Mashed Banana Bread
John Kernick
A classic served at Dovecote Café in Baltimore, Maryland, this generations-old smashed banana bread recipe gets its comforting flavors from super-ripe bananas and a splash of banana liqueur. Meanwhile, a few handfuls of chopped pecans add a satisfying crunch to the moist, hearty bread.
Caramel Banana Pudding
Christophe Testani
Sticky toffee pudding usually gets its intense caramel flavor from soft dates. However, in this banana sticky toffee pudding, the moist cake is flavored with mashed bananas—and dates—for an even more decadent and flavorful dessert.
Think of this dessert as a deconstructed banana cream pie made with layers of chocolate pudding, graham cracker crumbs, banana slices, and a scoop of ice cream served in a cup. To finish, each parfait is topped with a dollop of homemade banana cream and even more graham cracker crumbs.
