Make the most of your bananas’ shelf life with one simple tip on how to keep bananas fresh and store them properly.
Kitchen Hacks are some of our very favorite shortcuts in life! We’ve mastered how to de-seed a pomegranate, how to get rid of fruit flies, and how to keep water from boiling over the pot. Today we’re going to show you a few banana tips we think are super helpful. (Your next bunch of bananas is sure to thank you!)
How to Keep Bananas Fresh Longer
As a mom of five kids who happen to LOVE fruit, it can be hard to gauge how much fruit the kids will eat. Some weeks the fruit bowl is empty 2 days after I go grocery shopping. On other weeks the basket is full of overly-ripe fruit at the end of the week.
I usually buy green bananas from the store just to give us a little more time before they turn brown and mushy. But somewhere along the way, the ripening process takes place and I’m usually left with a bunch of bananas, too ripe to eat but no plans in the near future to make banana bread!
In an effort to save my bananas, I tried an experiment on how to keep bananas fresh… and it totally WORKS! Here is how to do it –
How to Keep Bananas Fresh
MATERIALS –
- 1 bunch of bananas
- plastic wrap
DIRECTIONS –
- Separate each banana from the bunch.
- Wrap banana stems individually in plastic cling wrap.
…simple enough, right?
Banana Science
Wrapping your banana stems in cling wrap will help slow the ripening process and keep your bananas fresh for 3-4 days longer than if you don’t wrap them. And I am not just making this stuff up, here is the science behind it:
Bananas, like many fruits, naturally release ethylene gas that controls browning and ripening. Much of the gasses escape from the stems, or the crowns, so by wrapping the crowns, you are able to slow down the ripening process a bit.
Paraphrased from an article found on LifeHacker
Best Ways To Store Bananas
Whether you store them on the counter or in the fridge, here are a few tips on how to store bananas to keep them fresher, longer!
Storing Bananas On The Counter
- Take the bananas out of the plastic produce bags as soon as you get home. Keeping them in the bags will cause moisture to build up and the bananas will rot.
- Avoid placing the bananas in direct sunlight or in a fruit basket next to other ripening fruit or veggies.
Storing Bananas in the Refrigerator
Have you ever tried refrigerating bananas? If you don’t care about the peels looking brown or even black, give this method a try! The peels will turn brown much faster, but the fruit itself lasts WEEKS longer! They stay firm and fresh and they taste delicious!
- Store bananas in the fridge after they are fully ripe.
- Keep SLICED bananas fresh by putting them in an airtight container and then covering the slices with lemon or pineapple juice.
Storing Bananas in the Freezer
When thawed, you can use your bananas in several recipes – including banana bread and breakfast smoothies. But here are some things to keep in mind –
- Peel the bananas before freezing them. If you try to peel them after they have been frozen, the peels won’t come off. And if you wait until the bananas defrost, you’ll be left with a mushy mess!
- Put the peeled bananas into plastic bags or Tupperware containers. It is a good idea to freeze portions together that are the perfect amounts for your desired recipes.
- Frozen bananas will last in the freezer for several months.
How To Ripen Green Bananas
- Store them at room temperature. The warmer the room, the sooner they will ripen.
- Place them close to other ripe fruit.
- Put them into a brown paper bag with an apple or tomato.
20 Banana Recipes
Looking for a few new recipes to use those ripe bananas? Here are a few of our favorites:
Frozen Banana Treats
Banana Baked Goods
Banana Drinks + Smoothies
Banana Bread Recipes
Banana Snacks
Thanks for tip on keep bananas fresh longer
You’re welcome Terry! Thanks for stopping by!
For a special treat, take the overripe bananas, peel, cut in half & put in a stick. Freeze up. Heat dark chocolate chips in a bowl over boiling water stir til smooth . Spoon the chocolate over frozen bananas and quickly sprinkle with your favorite finely chopped nuts or sprinkles for the kids. Put on a wax paper lined sheet & pop back in the freezer. Freeze up & you have a delicious treat!
That sounds AMAZING!!!!!!
THIS is a GREAT tip!! I buy a lot of bananas with 7 kids and they either seem to eat them in literally a day or they start to brown and then no one wants to eat them! I totally plan to do this when they aren’t inhaled as soon as I get home from the store!
LOL, seriously that’s exactly what happens in my house. One day they can’t get enough of them and the next day they just sit and turn brown.
Wonderful!
Also a trick my family has used for generations is once they get to your desired ripeness. Place them in the fridge. The exterior of the banana will continue to darken but the inside will stay perfect. I haven’t exactly every times it by day because we usually eat them all but some have gone over a week. If they last too long they are still perfect for banana bread. I remember one time we had the same bananas in the fridge for over a month! Yep still good and perfect for bread.
You are right about this!!! I recently tried it and my husband kept threatening to throw the bananas away ’cause the peels were literally BLACK, but when I finally got around to eating them (and the had been sitting in the fridge for weeks!) the bananas were still perfectly ripe!!!
Good and useful information you have shared, I eager to try it at my home. It will be better for my banana life. Thanks for sharing this nice information.
Glad you found it helpful! 🙂
That is such a simple, cool thing to know. I buy organic bananas and the top is wrapped in plastic wrap. Does this mean that hanging the bananas from one of those banana hangers is a waste??
Agreed! I discovered this “trick” about a year ago and am happily able to buy bananas for the week that actually last the whole week and are perfectly yummy!
Yay! That is awesome! Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment! 🙂
Or instead of wasting plastic, EAT THEM.
TBH I agree
Hi Stephanie. Great tip. I work at a school, and as you can imagine we have ALOT of bananas. When they get really ripe,we peel them, then wrap each banana individually and put them in a freezer bag and freeze them. they last for a 4-6 months frozen and can be used any time you want to make them into bread or muffins. I freeze them this way at home when they get too ripe to put on my cereal or just eat, and i love to make smoothies with them. Hope this gives a couple more ideas 🙂 have a great day.
I definitely need to try this! I am a banana addict!
Good luck Ashley! 🙂
with a pen
You can also just put your bananas, when they ripen to the point you like best, in the refrigerator. They will turn black but the fruit doesn’t ripen any more so when you peel them, they are just firm and perfect.
Bananas are also good sliced and frozen. Place a half banana, sliced in a thickness you like, in a snack ziplock bag and freeze. Take from freezer and suck on them – they taste like candy!
You’re right! I love a banana right out of the refrigerator – the peel looks gross, but the fruit is delicious! And I do freeze my overly ripe bananas. They are good to add to a breakfast smoothie! Thanks for stopping by!
Hefty used to sell a Fresh Express produce keeping bag during the summer months. I bought them and have put my bananas in ever since. You put a paper towel piece in with them and close it up . I have not had a banana go bad in months. The SAD news is that Hefty quit producing them. They worked for many kinds of produce. Other brands just don’t work as well. Can’t even find them on E-bay any more. I will try your tip when my bags have worn out.
Thanks!
I have a set of those reusable Debbie Meyer green bags, I put bananas in them to slow down the ripening process. They keep produce fresher for longer, and can be reused at least 20 times. They absorb the ripening gases given off by the fruit or veggie, slowing down the process.
How in the world have you never had banana pudding?!?! You have truly missed out on one of the best delights in the world. Make some or get some SOON!
Great tips. Thanks. Never new about the plastic wrap.
Same story with my boys being finicky with the fruit one week and the next week eating a whole bunch of bananas in an afternoon. Just being kids.
I’m a mother to 4 kiddos who love bananas and go quickly! But there are weeks they tend to take a break from them and wasn’t sure how to stop wasteing them. Thanks for these tips. I was told a few years back it wasnt safe to freeze bananas. Obviously it is! 🙂 Have a blessed week.
you guys got some good tips here and we are going to try them too. does anyone here know how to make frozen chocolate bananas? i love those but just don’t know how to make them.
Well that is fascinating. How on earth did you come up with that idea? It’s quite clever – though I like my banana more on the ripe side, so that I can freeze them for smoothies later 🙂 Still – great tip! Thanks.
Thanks Catherine! I appreciate you stopping by!
I am totally trying this, Stephanie! Thanks for the great tip!
Good luck Kristi!
Banana pudding is a true southern dish. and if you purchase Nilla vanilla waffers, check the side of the box for a good recipe.somel boxes does not have the recipe so check the box side to be sure you get the recipe. I know its not a health food but for the sweet tooth in me its my summer favorite. Evelyn.
I have more than just one sweet tooth, Evelyn! Thanks for the idea!!!
First time reading your blog. Very interesting. Does anyone ever make banana pudding? The riper the banana the better for a banana pudding. Well thats how I use my over ripe bananas. Smoothies are great as well.
I’ve never tried banana pudding- what a great idea!!!
What a great idea! I also have that problems and end up making banana bread or freezing them for later use in baking. If I could get them to last longer though that’d be great. Thanks for sharing:)
Thanks Danielle!
Love this tip! My bananas are forever going too brown.
Mine too! Thanks for stopping by Meghan!
Visiting from Link Party Palooza and I HAVE to try this! I can only eat bananas if they’re slightly under-ripe which is a very short window before they go too ripe for my tastes! 🙂
Thanks for stopping by! 🙂 Glad you like this tip!
Hi! -first time I’ve read your blog! – thanks for the tip!! We have bought a machine called a Yonana that blends frozen bananas, & any other fruit you would like to use, into the smoothest ‘ ice-cream type’ pudding-&its all natural!! Delicious!! x
That sounds wonderful! I am going to go check it out on Amazon!
I always freeze my bananas when they are starting to brown, put them in chunks in plastic wrap or freezerbags, then i just tip them into my smoothie maker frozen when making milk shakes or smoothies makes them deliciously cold. Or i allow them to defrost and use them for making banana loaves.
Such a great idea!
You are a secret genius.
(blushing) AH, thanks Kevin! I’m not good at keeping secrets- I like to share them with EVERYONE!!!
God bless Stephanie !
No matter how little you share with mankind, it becomes source of divine blessings, making your life easier and I guess you have opted that as a permanent source to derive comfort and happiness. Selfless service always pays, here and in life after.
Thanks! 🙂
Hate to be the party pooper here but, I hate plastic wrap. It’s horrible for the environment. Cut them up and freeze for smoothies!
Sorry Cathy- and I am definitely going to use them for smoothies! I don’t know why I never thought of this before! Thanks for stopping by!
Not trying to be a smarty pants, but bananas aren’t fruit. They are classified as a herb….
I have never heard this before- I guess you learn something new everyday! 🙂
That isn’t correct, bananas ARE fruit, they are actually botanically a berry, the banana plant is botanically a herbaceous plant.
Got almost too ripe bananas, slice them up stick them on a cookie tray and freeze then, once done blend them up with a little chocolate topping or cacao and a little honey and you have Banana Ice-Cream without the dairy! … my fave is adding a little chocolate and peanut butter.. oh my nomnomnomnom
Yum! You had me at “chocolate and peanut butter”- my favorite flavors!!!
Sounds like a Glad commercial to me…doubt it even works!
Give it a try, you might be surprised! 🙂 And use whatever brand plastic wrap you’d like. 🙂
Aside from smoothies, you can use Frozen bananas to make ‘ice cream’. We throw frozen bananas, a dash of cinnamon, a splash of milk, and if we’re living on the edge – a scoop of pb, all into the vitamix and mix until smooth. Yummy ice cream!
That sounds delicious! I have been wanting a vitamix for so long!
I’m a retired Marine Officer, and still visit the Military Commissary whenever possible. They always have the GREENEST bananas you’ve ever seen (I mean seriously–I didn’t even know that bananas were that green when growing!) or they have yellow bananas that will be too ripe in a day or two. I might have to mention this to the produce manager.
Good idea! And thanks for your service, we appreciate our military! 🙂
If my family doesn’t eat the bananas and they start to go brown, I will let them get very ripe before I freeze them. Depending on how many I have to freeze, 5 – 6 bananas fit in a quart bag (good for 1 banana bread recipe) or 1 banana fits in a snack size bag ready to pop in to a smoothie. I do peel the fruit first. For banana bread, I smoosh (technical term) the bananas in the bag after they have thawed, easy and no extra dishes.
That is a great idea! Thanks for stopping by!
I will definitely try this for the same reasons mentioned: some weeks the kids zip through the fruit and other weeks it just sits there. Another tip: if your bananas aren’t ripe enough for bread, but are too ripe for the kids’ tastes, just freeze them and thaw them in a bowl in the fridge when you have enough to make bread or muffins.
I’m glad to hear I am not the only one with unpredictable kids! Thanks for stopping by! 🙂
My wife and I are going to try this as our bananas always ripen too quickly. We also get a number of fruit flies, usually around them stem area. Does anyone know if this helps keep them away too (we’ll soon find out at home).
I don’t have a problem with fruit flies, but this just might do the trick! Please let me know what you find out! 🙂 If you still have a problem, here is a simple, natural fruit fly trap: http://www.somewhatsimple.com/how-to-get-rid-of-fruit-flies/
Thanks for stopping by Mitch!
Love this tip! I try to do my grocery shopping only once a week, and it’s really hard to judge which shade of green is actually going to last until the next week’s shopping day before going too soft. Also, for those who freeze their over-ripe bananas, no need to freeze them on a pan first. I save the extra step and just break the peeled bananas in half, freezing 4 halves in one sandwich size zippered bag. There is enough sugar content in the bananas that they don’t freeze solidly together and you can easily separate 1 or more halves out of the bag without thawing then put the rest back in the freezer for another time.
Great tip Phyllis! Thanks for your input!
This is a great tip! Just an FYI…when my bananas are too ripe, I throw the whole thing in the freezer…not peeled. When I’m ready to make banana bread, I just thaw them out in a gallon bag and then sqeeze them into a bowl to mash up…easy peasy 🙂
I am definitely going to try this- thanks Christine!
I always store my bananas away from other fruit and veggies as the skin touching them will cause other things to go off
Yep, you are right! Thanks for stopping by Jill!
Also you can wrap them in bubble wrap (whole bananas) and store in fridge and the skin won’t go brown.
REALLY?!?!? I LOVE a cold banana, but the peels always get so brown in the fridge. I eat them anyway, but this is definitely good to know! Thanks Denise!
Love this post. Going to try this as I can’t stand normally ripe bananas. I love them underripe, green and firm.
I buy 2 of the biggest bunches each week as my kids are the same. The bananas have only been home for 2 days and overripe already! And they were green when I got them.
Thanks for the tip. This is going to change my [banana] life, LOL.
You and me both! I can stand any sort of soft banana! I am glad I was able to change your banana life, lol! Thanks for stopping by!
Never throw a banana in the garbage. Just when you see one brown spot on the banans they are perfect for FREEZING. Peel all bananas, lay them on a large cookie sheet to freeze individually. when frozen, bag them. At that point they are perfect for smoothies or baking. For one banana put on a plate in the microwave for 20 seconds on high and it will be almost thawed and really to use for baking or easy to cut into large slices for putting in the blender for smoothies. Just so you know you can also freeze ripe pears. Core them, do not peel, then chop in large pieces. Use them in smoothies as wel. Ripe avocados? peel, remove pit, put in blender with a little water and lime juice. they will not go brown. Take one tablespoon amount and fill the sections of ice cub trays, freeze then bag. One avocado cube i 1 tablespoon an good for smoothies.
I am definitely going to do this! We LOVE smoothies!!!! Thanks Pam!
I had a dejavu (I’m sure I spelled that way wrong) when I saw this post. My husband came home from his microbiology class like a year ago and told me that if you separate bananas they will not turn quite as fast. He also told me the the chemicals that make the bananas go bad will also make any other fruits and veggies that you store them with go bad more quickly. So for a month or so I would come home after buying bananas and he’d have them taken apart and spread all around the kitchen. I probably don’t have to tell you that it drove me crazy and I told him to leave the bananas alone.
HAHA!!! That is such a great story! I’d love to see a kitchen with random bananas all around!
You can also put your ripening bananas to good use. Not only do they make other fruits spoil faster – they also make other fruits and vegetable RIPEN faster. Put your banana in a paper bag with an almost ripe tomato picked from your garden, and the waiting game doesn’t take nearly as long…
This is a GREAT idea! We always have hard avocados sitting around waiting for them to ripen- I never thought of sitting them next to a banana! Thanks Melinda!
Top tip…will try to cling wrap stems. We freeze for smoothies and banana bread. I lice banana into 2cm pieces before freezing in a Tupperware so they are small enough for the bullet/ smoothie maker to chop up. Also…putting hard avocados near bananas in the fruit bowl marks the avo ripen quicker if you need it for guocomole the next day! ??
I JUST tried the avocado trick last week- it totally worked! And that’s smart about slicing the bananas to fit in the bullet! I’ll have to do that!
Thanks for this tip – good information. Also, when my bananas do start to get too ripe before I can use them all, I just mash them up and put them in a container in the freezer until I have two cups for banana bread. Or, I peel and cut them in half, wrap in wax paper and put in a plastic bag to freeze for smoothies. Either way works great!
I’ve never even thought to freeze them- what a great tip!!!!!! We make smoothies all the time! I am definitely going to do this!!!
You can also just stick your ripe banana in the freezer as is….. I do this with my ripe bananas and then defrost to make banana vale etc
I don’t know why I never thought of this! I will try it for sure!!!!
I’m so going to try this when I buy bananas this weekend. We only like when bananas when they have a little green or just barely ripe. I can buy the greenest bananas and in two days they already have spots. Thanks for the tip! Can’t wait to try it!!
I am with you- I can’t STAND soft bananas- they have to be just barely yellow!
Yep, it’s totally true. We started buying the organic bananas since my husband swears that they taste better and we’ve noticed that they also last longer because the organic bananas at Kroger all have plastic covering the stems.
Awesome! I’ve never tried organic bananas, now you have me curious about them tasting better!
They’ve done tests with monkeys and bananas, organic and not, and the monkeys choose the organic bananas 100% of the time! Look it up!
That is so interesting- I am definitely going to try organic and see if I notice a difference in taste. Thanks for the info!
So only monkeys eat organic bananas. 🙂 I seriously doubt that they can differentiate between bananas cultivated by different cultural practices. More likely cultivar differences, ripeness, presentation method. For interest, modern bananas (plants) are clones and are produced using plant tissue culture.They have no seeds. Thanks for the stem tip.