How to Freeze Bananas

Everything you need to know on how to freeze bananas! Whether it's for smoothies, baking, or you just don't want them to go to waste, here are all the tips and tricks.

If you find you have a surplus of bananas on hand, freezing them before they go bad is a great way to preserve them.

You can freeze them whole, in chunks, or even mashed!

How to freeze bananas?

• Peel the banana and place on parchment lined baking sheet. You can cut the bananas into slices, halves, or leave whole.
• Flash freeze the bananas by placing the banana filled baking sheet in the freezer for 2-3 hours.
• After a few hours place bananas in a freezer safe bag, label and return to freezer.

What is flash freezing?

Flash freezing food is a quick freeze of an object in a few hours, typically done by freezing small pieces individually. Flash freezing doesn't diminish quality, color, or flavor of the food.

What if you don't have enough space to flash freeze?

Although flash freezing is ideal, I have frozen halved bananas without flash freezing. They might clump together in the bag a bit but they do break apart easily enough.

If it's between tossing the bananas directly into the freezer or throwing them away- I will just peel and freeze without flash freezing.

How to freeze bananas for smoothies?

I recommend freezing your bananas in chunks or halves for smoothies. Keep in mind what size fruit your blender can handle and how much banana you typically use in a smoothie.

I typically use half a banana in a smoothie and so it's nice to have that premeasured and frozen so I can quickly grab the right amount.

How to freeze bananas without turning brown?

Based off of my research bananas turn brown for three reasons. The first is for not flash freezing, the second is not storing frozen bananas in an air tight container (so too much air exposure), and the third is keeping them in the freezer for too long.

My personal experience is I get brown bananas when they are in the freezer too long or if I freeze a banana that was way over ripe.

Are brown frozen bananas still okay to eat?

Yes. Use them in smoothies or baking.

How long to freeze bananas?

For freshness and quality frozen bananas should be eaten within 6 months. After 6 months they can still be eaten but may suffer from freezer burn.

How to freeze bananas for banana bread?

You can mash bananas and then freeze the mash. I like to mash 2-3 bananas to make 1 cup, then freeze that mash in a cube or a freezer safe container.

When you are ready to bake with the frozen mashed banana, remove the mash the day before and allow to thaw overnight in the refrigerator.

Is it best to freeze ripe or over ripened bananas?

You can freeze bananas at any stage in their ripeness but beware that the banana will not get any more ripe once frozen. For example, if you freeze a banana when it's green it will not continue to soften and sweeten.

I like to freeze yellow/ripe bananas for smoothies and brown/over ripe bananas for banana bread.

Can you freeze bananas with the peel on?

If you are going to use the banana for bread or other baked goods then this method is fine. Just be sure to put the banana on a plate or bowl since it will get watery as it thaws.

To freeze a banana with the peel on just stick the entire banana in a freezer safe container.

If you are freezing them for smoothies I do not recommend freezing with the peel on. The peel is difficult to remove when frozen.

How to thaw frozen bananas?

If you are using bananas for baking, place frozen bananas in a bowl and let sit overnight in the refrigerate. Then mash and use as if they were fresh.

What to use frozen bananas for?

• Banana Ice Cream- so good and easy to make!
• Chocolate Dipped Bananas- dip frozen banana slices in melted candy melts and then refreeze for a tasty snack.
• Smoothies- these are my favorite way to use them! Check out my Chocolate Banana Smoothie!
• Pancakes- whip up some tasty banana pancakes with thawed mashed bananas.
• Bread- use the thawed from frozen mashed bananas as a 1:1 in your favorite Banana bread recipes.

Don't use frozen bananas in recipes that are best made fresh- like easy banana pudding, Thanksgiving fruit salad, or a Christmas fruit salad.

How to make a frozen fruit mix?

Add cut strawberries, blueberries, or other fruit to the baking sheet and flash freeze in order to a make a fruit medley.

Then use this premade mix in smoothies!

If you like this article, check out how to tell if potatoes are bad, how to tell if sweet potatoes are bad, how to tell if buttermilk is bad, how to tell if brussel sprouts are bad, or how to tell if broccoli is bad.

Also, check out how to freeze strawberries, how to freeze corn, and how to freeze broccoli!