“How do you freeze bananas?”
This is a super common question that I get all the time. And no, it’s not a stupid question! Freezing bananas is something that I discovered along the way of my weight loss/healthy eating journey. I would buy a bunch of bananas and some weeks I could eat them all, and others they would be left alone on the kitchen counter to wither away and turn into brown blobs. Instead of wasting bananas and throwing them away, I learned about freezing them for smoothies! Frozen bananas are the best discovery I’ve made! When you use frozen bananas in your smoothie, there is no need for ice because it makes your smoothie so thick, creamy, and cold!
Now before we get into Banana Freezing 101, I want to teach you guys about ripe bananas. A banana is fully ripened when it is CHEETAH SPOTTED! There should be absolutely no green, even around the stem. At the cheetah spotted stage, the starches will have fully developed into sugars. If you have the astringent puckering feeling in your mouth after biting into one, you will know that it isn’t fully ripe! You know what weird taste/feeling on your tongue that I’m talking about? Yuck! Wait for the cheetah spots : ) they are the best for perfect shmoozies!
Banana Freezing 101
1. Wait until the bananas have become cheetah spotted.
2. Peel
3. Place in a Ziploc bag.
4. Freeze!
-If you don’t have a high powered blender such as a Vitamix, you can chop up the bananas before freezing so it’s easier on your blender. I like leaving them in one piece so I know I’m getting a full banana serving when I use them in smoothies! You can literally store them in the freezer for months (although I make a lot of smoothies, Banana Nicecream, and Yonanas, so I go through them pretty fast)!
I hope you learned something new today!
Have a healthy & happy weekend!
xo Catherine
Ellen
January 24, 2014 at 12:47 pm (11 years ago)Why don’t you use organic ones? Dole and other brands are not good for the enviroment. 🙁
Kaitlin
January 24, 2014 at 12:51 pm (11 years ago)I never knew that waiting until the ripe was spotted made the bananas even better for you! I like to chop mine up into pieces so they are ready to pop in the blender for a smoothie! It’s also fun to make little frozen pb/chocolate bites 🙂
Shellie
January 24, 2014 at 6:07 pm (11 years ago)I love that you mentioned spotted bananas. So often people tell me my banana has gone bad when in reality it’s ripe! I personally don’t like green bananas at all. Truly ripe bananas are so much sweeter 🙂
Donyel @ The Kosher Cave Girl
January 25, 2014 at 7:46 am (11 years ago)I always freeze my bananas like that now for easy-peasy smoothie prep in the mornings when I’m in a rush.
…But let me tell you, I’ve had blonde moments where I’ve popped them in the freezer with the skin on, totally not thinking about it. Those were not fun mornings when I had to wait for the entire banana to defrost….
Shruti
March 20, 2015 at 7:50 am (10 years ago)you can scour the frozen peel with a knife and it comes of easily! I don’t peel mine!
Wendy
February 25, 2017 at 8:30 am (8 years ago)I also froze bananas without peeling them first, but want to use them for banana bread, I hope I will still be able to use them for that, was just going to leave them out the defrost & soften, has anyone done it that way?
Jim Kershner
January 22, 2020 at 6:16 pm (5 years ago)I wait till mine are turning brown then freeze, when I want to make a banana bread.Set them out for an hour and peel before you need them
Andrea
April 18, 2020 at 5:52 pm (5 years ago)I microwave the frozen banana in the skin 35 seconds each on two sides. Cut the hot stem with a knife and gently squeeze the fruit out in small sections into banana bread batter or a bowl of cereal or blender.
MARY JANE BROWN
April 28, 2020 at 3:53 am (5 years ago)Yes, I leave my peels on all the time for banana bread. That way, they store longer without the freezer burn. You just need to pull them out and let them sit for some time to thaw. They are a little gross feeling when you do peel them (gooey) but perfect for bread!
Debra Morlock
June 14, 2020 at 7:25 am (5 years ago)I have frozen the whole banana with peel and just peel off the peel to use. Now, I slice and freeze. I just throw them in a zip-lock and freeze if I am going to eat them. It is like eating little popsicles.
Vicky
August 9, 2020 at 6:30 pm (4 years ago)They will be fine. I had a instance that i made the best Bannana Bread I’ve ever made. I had started to prepare to bake one night and had just got started , my water went out and i had to stop where i was . i had just peeled the 🍌 and mixed in the eggs. I covered with a kitchen towel n put it in the refrigerator, to come back to with little hope it would be good as usual. Well its my secret now days ….the best banana bread ever..so very moist..i personally think the darker they get the better the bread..sweet n moist. I find that making it in stages ,sweeten’s it along.
Groovygurl
Gayla
December 27, 2021 at 4:42 pm (3 years ago)All the time. You don’t have to completely defrost before taking off the peel.
Bridgett
February 6, 2014 at 1:27 am (11 years ago)This is cool. But I blend mine and freeze in ice cube trays and the store those in a freezer bag. But if you use a whole banana at a time yours is the best way.
Jess
August 1, 2014 at 7:27 am (10 years ago)What about defrosting for banana bread? Do you just let them sit out until soft?
Sylvan
July 27, 2015 at 9:15 pm (9 years ago)I’ve done this but they turn to a darker color…?
Joanne Sears
April 19, 2016 at 10:01 pm (9 years ago)Once you make the ice cream, how do you freeze it to eat later, that it isn’t like solid frozen. For later eating?
Caesar
February 24, 2018 at 4:18 pm (7 years ago)Bananas are at there best when spotted. And for better health buy organic bananas. blend two bananas with small amount of organic kale about one leaf without the middle stem add organic cinnamon and half of tea spoon of organic flaxseed. Pour organic almond unsweetened milk about eight ounces cover and blend. all above are a great source for fighting colon cancer.
Pauline Dunn
July 1, 2019 at 5:39 pm (5 years ago)Really there’s no need to peel the banana before freezing! Just leave it as Nature has packaged it-in the skin. I just put the whole thing into the freezer. When I want to use it in a smoothie, or anything else, I just put the frozen banana into a tall glass of warm water. Within minutes, it will defrost the outside, and VOILA! you easily slip it he skin right off. Nothing’s simpler–or better.
Laura
March 5, 2020 at 4:17 pm (5 years ago)I freeze then right in skins when they start getting brown I put them in freezer, when making banana bread I get 2 or 3 out leave them about 15 to 20 min. Cut off top and squeeze out. Works great. Been doing this over 20 years.
Sandra
April 18, 2020 at 5:57 pm (5 years ago)I have two bags of bananas in my freezer. I have a bag of peeled and halfed ones for my protein shakes. I also have a bag with them frozen in the peel as well. I use these orf my banana bread and cake recipes because they seem to add much needed moisture to what I’m baking. I just set them out for about 15 to 20 minutes and they are super easy to peel.
Deborah
April 25, 2020 at 9:14 am (5 years ago)I put mine in a vacuum sealed bag.
Naomi Horton
April 28, 2020 at 5:53 pm (5 years ago)No need to defrost bananas. You can cut them frozen and pop straight into blender. If baking with them, chop while frozen and mix with other ingredients. They’ll thaw before you have finished mixing.
Roberta
May 2, 2020 at 10:36 am (5 years ago)Can you freeze bananas separately or do you need to put a bunch all together when freezing?
Leslie
March 19, 2021 at 3:53 pm (4 years ago)How long can you keep them in the freezer