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The best recipes for overripe bananas

From squidgy caramel blondies to banana breakfast loaf and a nourishing smoothie, we've got loads of great ideas for using up overripe bananas. So please don't chuck them away!

Published: February 26, 2015 at 9:12 am

There’s nothing more sorry-looking than an overripe, brown-spotted banana. But with a little bit of imagination, you can blitz it, bake it or freeze it into something wonderful.

Quick storage tip

Don’t keep bananas in the fridge as they turn brown quicker, and don’t keep them in your fruit bowl as the ethylene gas emitted makes other fruits ripen too quickly. However – if you need your avocado or tomatoes to ripen quicker, put them in in a paper bag with a ripe banana overnight.

Genius recipes for overripe bananas

Banana bread cheesecake

Indulge in this glorious mash-up of two favourite sweet treats – a banana bread base topped with creamy vanilla cheesecake, sliced bananas and salted caramel.

Spiced pineapple and banana cake

With its tropical notes and its subtle harissa heat, this banana cake serves up a big slice of holiday flavour, topped with a creamy icing. Don’t be scared of the harissa – the flavour mellows in the cooking. Check out our best harrissa recipes here.

Roasted banana caramel swirl ice cream

Check out this impressive ice cream recipe with roasted bananas and homemade caramel sauce. Black bananas are best for this recipe as they’re super ripe and sweet.

Banana malt loaf

Use up left over bananas in our moist loaf with tea-infused dried fruit and malt extract. Malt adds an extra nutty caramel taste to this moreish tea time treat.

Banana breakfast loaf

Make a loaf this weekend for an easy breakfast during the week. Made with pecans and 4 mashed bananas, it’s a great way to use up overripe bananas. Ready in an hour and makes 8 servings.

Caramel banana blondies

Chewy crust and soft centred blondies – the sibling of brownies, made with white chocolate and sliced ripe banana. You’ll be standing over these waiting for them to cool down enough so you can eat them straight from the tin. Use salted caramel for extra indulgence.

Quick banana ice cream

10 minutes to prep, and 2 hours to freeze… plus only 4 ingredients required! Add chocolate chips, coconut flakes or chopped nuts if you fancy something a bit different.

Frozen banana and peanut smoothie

You can freeze ripe bananas whole, to add to cakes and smoothies at a later date. Their skins will turn black, but they’ll taste absolutely fine.

*Add to your regular fruit smoothie, or peel and add to a liquidizer with a splash of coconut or almond milk, a handful of mixed berries and 1 tbsp peanut butter.

*Whizz until smooth, and add more milk to get to the consistency you want.

Banana and almond butter muffins

These delicious banana and almond butter muffins make a great, healthy on-the-go breakfast. Replacing normal butter with almond butter really cuts down the calorie count as well as adding flavour.

Banana loaf with passion fruit frosting

Our take on the ever-popular banana loaf. Made with pecans and a tropical passion fruit frosting, this is a teatime treat to share with family and friends.