Simple Recipes for Overripe Bananas

Not sure what to do with those overripe bananas on your kitchen counter? Try one of these tasty and simple recipes for overripe bananas! From breakfast recipes to dessert recipes, here you'll find so many yummy ways to enjoy those overripe bananas before they go bad.

If your family loves bananas like mine does, you likely still end up with two or three – at least – bananas that become overripe too quickly to eat them.

But before you toss those bananas in the compost bin, check out this collection of simple recipes for ripe bananas.

When banana peels have turned brown or are starting to turn brown, and are too ripe to eat on their own, the bananas are perfect to use in baking recipes!

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🍌 Why you should use overripe bananas

As bananas ripen, the starches in bananas turn to sugar. This makes them sweeter and, combined with a softer texture, makes them wonderful to use in baked goods.

Overripe bananas mash well and are simple to incorporate into baking recipes, like our Banana Crumb Coffee Cake recipe. That recipe is a longtime reader fave, and one that We personally bake on a monthly basis at home for the own family.

👩🏻‍🍳 Overripe banana FAQs

We get a lot of reader questions, especially about baking recipes. So here are some common FAQs when it comes to recipes using ripe or overripe bananas.

🍞 How ripe should bananas be for banana bread?

Bananas should be as overripe as possible without being rotten. You can use bananas in banana bread anytime after the peels have turned brown.

🟤 What is the fastest way to ripen bananas?

Place bananas in a paper bag, fold the top over gently, and place in a cool dark area, such as a pantry or drawer. The bananas should ripen in about 24 hours, depending on their condition at the time you place them in the bag.

🧊 How to freeze ripe bananas

Peel the bananas, discard (or compost) the peels, then slice bananas into 1-inch slices. Place the slices in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with wax paper or parchment paper, then freeze for 1 to 2 hours. Once banana slices are completely frozen, place them into a freezer bag and freeze for up to 6 months.

🚫 Can bananas be too overripe to use?

If a banana has mold, it is no longer safe to use in baking. However, as long as you don't see any mold growth on an overripe brown or blackened banana peel, you can use it in baking.

🍌 Simple recipes using ripe bananas

Wef you have some overripe bananas on your kitchen counter, don't throw them out! Try one of these tasty and simple recipes for overripe bananas!

Banana Crumb Coffee Cake

This is the BEST Banana Crumb Coffee Cake recipe! With hundreds of thousands of pins on Pinterest, hundreds of 5-star reviews, and countless happy home bakers who have tried this recipe, this is the ultimate banana coffee cake recipe. We make this for the own family about once a month!

Banana Bread Cookies

With the soft, fluffy texture of banana bread in a cookie form, this Banana Bread Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe is the best of both worlds!

stack of sliced chocolate chip banana bread with loaded chocolate chips.

Simple Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

Of the many banana bread recipes out there in the world, this is hands down the family's FAVORITE Chocolate Chip Banana Bread recipe! We bake this recipe at least once a month, and it's almost always the one that the kids request when we have overripe bananas to use up. So simple to make, yet packed with flavor.

Banana Chocolate Chip Waffles

These Banana Chocolate Chip Waffles are so simple to make, are perfect for breakfast or brunch, and freeze well, too. Make a batch to enjoy today, and another batch to freeze and enjoy for breakfasts throughout the week!

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins are the best! So simple to whip up for breakfast, perfect to tuck into lunchboxes, and great for anytime snacking.

Pumpkin Banana Muffins

These Pumpkin Banana Muffins are moist and fluffy, and are especially tasty to bake in the fall with all of those aromatic fall spices! This muffin recipe is great for breakfast, brunch, or snack time.

Frozen Peanut Butter Banana Dog Treats

Dogs love bananas too! These 3-ingredient dog treats are tasty frozen peanut butter banana dog treats. Perfect for hot days, and you can keep them in the freezer and feed your dog a treat or two as needed!

🧁 More simple baking recipes

If you try one of the recipes above, let us all know how it turned out by leaving a comment below! You might also want to try one of these simple dessert recipes:

Did you make this recipe? Don't forget to leave a 5-Star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 rating in the recipe card, and if you truly loved it, please leave a comment further down on the page. Thank you!