Quick & Easy Ways To Use Up Black Bananas

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Use up those black and overripe bananas with these clever zero-waste ideas and recipes to help you cut your food waste – from cookies to pancakes, smoothies and more.

The best way to avoid food waste is to plan ahead and use up food before it has a chance to go off. But life happens. Sometimes, it feels like that bunch of bananas in your fruit bowl went from not quite ripe, and not yet edible, to overripe and no longer edible in the blink of an eye.

But worry not. Those overripe bananas don’t have to end up in your compost bin. Black bananas are actually the best bananas to use in cooking and baking, as they are so much sweeter than just ripe bananas. This is because a lot of the starch has been converted to natural fruit sugars.

But what to make with them? Well, I’m always on the lookout for something quick and easy to make with black bananas. As such, I’ve come up with a few tried and tested techniques and recipes that my family loves. And I’ve also found some great recipes that I come back to again and again.

Clever Recipes To Use Up Black Bananas

Banana bread cooling on a rack with a blue text box that reads clever ways to use up black bananas to beat food waste.

So don’t bin those bananas and let’s get baking with my tried and tested recipes.

Use the quick links to jump to each idea or keep scrolling for the full post:

1. Zero-Waste Banana Cookies

zero-waste oat cookies on a blue plate

Something I like to make from black bananas are these vegan, and gluten-free banana oat cookies, using only four basic ingredients. They take 15 minutes to make from scratch, and I’ll bet you have many of the ingredients in your cupboard already!

They are a bit bland as a stand-alone cookie, so I use the recipe as a base for whatever other ingredients I have to hand that need to be used up.

Some dried apricots or raisins that need to be used up? Yup. Some desiccated coconut reaching its expiry date? Yup. Some chocolate chips found lurking at the back of the cupboard? Toss them in! It’s a great way to use up black bananas and all the other odds and ends that need using up too.

Ingredients

  • 2 large-sized black bananas
  • 2 tbsp peanut butter
  • 240 g oats
  • Any additions you want to add (e.g. coconut, chocolate chips, dried apricots, raisins, etc).
  • 1 pinch salt
  • A 12-capacity muffin tray to keep your cookies in a circular shape

Instructions

banana oat cookies made from black bananas
  1. Preheat your oven to 200°C / Gas Mark 6 / 400°F
  2. In a large bowl mash up the peeled black bananas with a fork until it forms a paste.
  3. Add the peanut butter and mix well with the fork to combine.
  4. Add in your oats a little bit at a time, mixing well until it’s all combined. If your bananas are on the small side you may not need to use all of the oats.
  5. Add in your salt and any additional ingredients you want to use and mix well.
  6. Spoon a little bit of the mixture into each muffin hole (to around 1cm depth) until all 12 holes are filled.
  7. Place in the oven for 5-10 minutes until gently browned on top.
  8. Remove from the oven and leave to cool before eating, or transfer to a tub in the fridge for storage for up to three days.

Whatever you’ve got to hand, these make a great zero-waste snack at any time of the day.

2. Flourless Banana Pancakes

flourless banana pancakes

If you’ve got a solitary banana left in the fruit bowl that’s gone black, then don’t bin it. Just grab two eggs and get frying, with this easy flourless banana pancake recipe.

The black banana acts as a substitute for flour and milk in this recipe. The texture isn’t 100% pancake-like, but it’s pretty darn close. Think French Toast and you’re pretty much there, texture-wise!

Ingredients

  • 1 Black Banana
  • 2 Eggs
  • 1 teaspoon of Cinnamon
  • 1 tablespoon of Desiccated Coconut
  • 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil for frying

Method

  1. With a fork mash up your banana until fairly smooth. You still want some lumps in it otherwise your pancake will be a little flat!
  2. In a separate bowl beat your eggs, then add to the mashed banana.
  3. Add the cinnamon and desiccated coconut and mix well.
  4. Gently heat the coconut oil in your frying pan until hot and fry your pancakes.
  5. Serve with maple syrup or honey.

Notes On Cooking

An important word on frying these bad boys. Because they don’t contain any flour they handle a bit differently to their floury counterparts.

You want to fry the pancakes very very slowly on a very low heat. Slow and steady definitely wins the race here.

Aim for around 4 minutes on the first side, but do check to ensure they’re not burning on the bottom. They do colour up darker than pancakes made with flour, so don’t be alarmed if they quickly begin to look a little on the dark side!

Once the pancakes have started bubbling on the top a little you then want to get in with a spatula and flip them over. If you’ve cooked them for long enough they will flip over in one piece. Promise! 

You’ll then want to cook them for around 3 more minutes before serving. As they take a little longer to fry than normal pancakes I find it best to have multiple pancakes on the go – around three or four to a pan to reduce cooking time and save energy!

3. Vegan Banana Ice-Cream

Collage showing vegan ice-cream with bowls of frozen berries, dark chocolate and peanut butter.

If you’re looking for an easy and vegan-friendly way to use up black bananas, then try this vegan banana ice cream recipe. All it needs is one frozen banana to make, or you can get creative and add any other ingredients you may have.

It doesn’t taste like full-fat sugar-laden ice cream, but if you’re looking for something light and healthy, then it’s a delicious and refreshing way to use up those overripe bananas lingering in your fruit bowl. Just make sure you peel the bananas before popping them in the freezer, as otherwise they are a pain to peel when frozen.

Ingredients

  • One frozen banana
  • Optional: frozen berries, peanut butter and/or dark chocolate.

Method

  • Remove your banana from the freezer about 15-20 minutes before you start, unless you have a really powerful food processor.
  • Place the frozen banana in a blender or food processor, and give it a whizz for a minute or two until smooth and creamy.
  • Eat straight away – do not refreeze. This is because the banana has already been frozen and then partially defrosted.

Optional Variations

I like the taste of this ice cream on its own, but you can add extras to it to create a whole different dessert. Some of my favourites include berry banana ice cream and peanut butter, dark chocolate and banana ice cream.

  • For berry banana ice cream, add the banana and a large handful of frozen berries to your food processor, and pulse for a couple of minutes or until you’ve got a smooth consistency. This one is my kids’ favourite!
  • For peanut butter, dark chocolate, and banana ice cream, add a teaspoon of peanut butter to your food processor along with the banana, and blend for around two minutes, or until you reach a smooth consistency. Slice up a square of dark chocolate into small slithers and sprinkle over the top for a decadent treat.

4. Banana Bread

Slice of banana bread
Image used c/o Butternut Bakery

Whilst 2020 was the year we reached peak banana bread, there’s still very much a place for banana bread in 2024. I like this chocolate banana bread recipe from Butternut Bakery – it’s never failed me yet.

Banana bread can also be easily made vegan. Mostly it’s achieved by adding extra banana, as banana acts as a binder. This conveniently replaces the need for eggs, whilst enhancing the banana taste.

Simply Veganista has a great recipe for vegan banana bread, as well as heaps of variations. This includes Blueberry Banana Oat Bread, Buckwheat Banana Bread, and Carrot Banana Bread should you be looking for a little variation!


5. Fruit Smoothies

Banana smoothie in a tall glass and plastic-free straw.
Image used c/o Cooking With Elo

Fruit smoothies are a great way to use up any black or overripe bananas you have lurking in your fruit bowl. Plus, you can generally add most other fruits or vegetables you have that have also seen better days, to make a tasty and refreshing drink.

Even better, you can freeze any fruit until you want to use it. When making smoothies there’s no need to defrost it before use – you just need to bung it in your blender. I keep my fruit in a silicone bag until I’m ready to make smoothies, for a zero-waste approach.

When it comes to using bananas, I particularly love this vegan banana smoothie recipe from Cooking With Elo. It’s super simple to make, and needs just one overripe banana and a handful of ingredients you probably already have in your fridge. And if you’re not vegan you can easily substitute the ingredients.


What are your tried and tested recipes? I’d love to hear!

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