Don’t throw away overripe bananas! Here are 4 simple ways to put them to good use

Banana pancake. Picture: Pexels/Monstera

Banana pancake. Picture: Pexels/Monstera

Published Nov 14, 2022

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A squishy banana turning black on its peel is hard to eat as a snack, as many would agree.

The window of opportunity between an edible banana that is still ripe and firm to when it turns overripe, is so thin that almost always when you buy bananas in bulk, there’s a chance that some might turn inedible.

But before you leave them to rot a little more or discard them completely, you would be surprised to know what you could put to use by blending or mashing up.

Here are four ways you could turn this obvious disadvantage in your favour with a few simple tricks.

Banana ice cream. Picture: Pexels/Silvia Trigo

Make banana ice cream

Making ice cream from your frozen bananas is simple! Just place them in your food processor with a dash of milk. Add a dash of vanilla for extra flavour. Blend until the bananas are smooth and creamy. Serve with hot fudge sauce and pecans or walnuts.

Make an oatmeal

Take that overripe banana, mash it up with a fork, and stir it into your warm bowl of oats. Go ahead and add a dash of cinnamon and some chopped walnuts or chocolate chips to make it even better.

Banana pancake. Picture: Pexels/Ioana Motoc

Make a banana protein pancake

Grab your spotty bananas, some protein powder of your choice, and an egg. Mix them together in a bowl and make these super healthy pancakes on a hot grill. You can also change it up and use banana, egg, and flaxseed for a different flavour. This is a versatile recipe that has endless possibilities.

Make a smoothie

You can easily freeze your over-ripe bananas so you can use them later in place of ice in a smoothie. Once frozen, an over-ripe banana will taste just as good as the regular one when you blend it to make a smoothie. Simply replace the ice in the recipe with your frozen bananas. You may do this even with bananas that are not overripe, but it's a great idea how to save all of your overripe bananas.

Have you checked out the latest IOL Food & Drinks digital magazine? Read it here.

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