To Peel Or Not To Peel: What To Know When Freezing Bananas

You know those speckled bananas you bought last week that have been sitting on the counter or in your fruit bowl? Instead of letting them rot away, freeze them now to use later in recipes like a tasty loaf of banana bread. The good news — there is no wrong way to freeze a banana, whole, peeled, or sliced. However, there are more advantages to opting to remove the skin.

Peeling the banana means that it will be easily usable right out of the freezer — whereas taking the skin off the frozen whole banana is more time-consuming (and often a little tricky and messy). Additionally, they're not ideal for long-term storage the peel does not provide enough protection from the harsh elements of the freezer.

For the best results, place the peeled bananas (chunks or whole) on a baking sheet in a single row and pop them into the freezer until they are solid. This may take around three hours. Once done, you can move the fruit to an airtight container or zip-top bag for the best results. You can expect around six months of freshness for whole bananas but only around two months for slices.

If you froze your bananas when they were already soft and spotty, they'll likely be mushy and sweet when defrosted. Use these particular ones in breads and desserts that call for smashed bananas, like spiced cinnamon banana bread muffins. Let the bananas thaw, get rid of any excess juice, and add the same amount of frozen as you would fresh in all of your baked recipes.

Instead of letting the bananas defrost, make a chocolate-covered banana; put a popsicle stick into the bottom of a whole frozen banana, dip it in melted chocolate, and sprinkle on toppings like nuts, sprinkles, or chocolate chips. Blending frosty banana chunks into smoothies is a great way to get them ice-cold without watering down the flavor. Plus, your frozen banana will make your beverage extra creamy thanks to all the pectin and plant fat they contain — which is why nice cream is usually made with frozen bananas.

For a unique and delicious snack, lay out the slices and coat them with peanut butter and chocolate to make frozen banana bark. Top the mix with your favorite crunchy addition, like chopped nuts, toffee pieces, or even sesame seeds for extra texture.