If you love baking with bananas then learning how to store ripe bananas is super important. Plus, it will guarantee that you (almost) always have bananas for baking!
How to Store Ripe Bananas in the Freezer
The best place to store your ripe bananas is in the freezer! We always have a good dozen or so bananas in our freezer because once they begin to turn brown I am not a fan, I like them completely yellow. Having bananas on hand for baking or smoothies at all times is great as long as you know how to store them. There are two options for storing them: in the peel or out of the peel.
To freeze your bananas in the peel all you need to do is stick them in the freezer. I have a plastic bucket in our freezer where I keep them all together so we can find them easily and they aren’t falling out. This method is great for bananas that will later be used for baking! The peels on these bananas will turn completely black while in the freezer, but have no fear, they are completely fine to use.
Frozen bananas in the peel in the freezer 
Peeled bananas in a zip lock bag ready
for the freezer
If you plan to use your bananas for smoothies then freezing them without the peel is the best option. Simply peel your bananas and store in a freezer zip lock bag. If you use a whole banana most of the time leave them whole but if you prefer to use a half of a banana at a time then cut them before you freeze them. This will make it super easy to use them when you are ready.
Either way you store the bananas they should be good for about 6 months as long as your freezer is cold enough.
Defrosting Bananas
If you plan to use bananas for smoothies don’t bother defrosting them. Instead pull them out of the zip lock bag and throw them right into the blender. To defrost the bananas in the peels you have a couple options:
- If you plan ahead and know you will bake the following the day you can defrost them overnight in the refrigerator on a plate (they may leak a little bit).
- Defrost them on the counter on a plate. This will take an hour or so.
- The last option is to microwave them. This is generally what I have to do. Simply place them on a microwave-safe plate and microwave in 30 second intervals making sure to turn and rotate them, until they are softened.
Once the bananas are defrosted, cut the end off and squeeze the bananas out of the peel. Barely any mashing will be necessary!
Favorite Recipes
We love to bake with bananas and use them in smoothies! Here are our favorite recipes:
- Banana Scones
- Banana Bread
- Strawberry Dark Chocolate Banana Muffins
- Banana Walnut Chocolate Chip Baked Oatmeal
- Peanut Butter Banana Acai Bowl
- Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
- Strawberry Smoothie Bowl
- PB&J Protein Smoothie
For behind the scenes looks at Return to the Kitchen, be sure to follow us on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and Pinterest! Also, if you make this recipe or any of our recipes be sure to tag us @returntothekitchen!
