Discover the most popular banana recipes from around the world. Ripe bananas are not only a versatile ingredient in baking but also a nutritious addition to your diet. In baking, they serve as a natural sweetener, allowing for reduced sugar usage, while contributing moisture that keeps cakes, muffins, and breads soft and tender. Their binding properties make them an excellent egg substitute in vegan recipes, and they provide a rich, fruity flavour that enhances overall taste and creates a denser texture in baked goods.
From a health perspective, bananas are packed with potassium, vitamin C, vitamin B6, and dietary fiber, supporting heart health by regulating blood pressure and aiding digestion. Their natural sugars offer a quick energy boost, making them ideal for pre-workout snacks, while the tryptophan they contain can improve mood by promoting serotonin production.
1. Banana Fritters Recipe
Banana fritters were invented by British people living in India, and this specific recipe originated in Agra in 1902. As the recipe is old, it is slightly outdated, so we have adjusted the ingredients through trial and error to improve the recipe for ease of cooking and taste.
We found that if you use less flour, the fritters will have a banana texture, and they tend to get stuck to the frying pan. Using the amount we recommend will make them easier to cook and have a smoother pancake texture.
The texture of these fritters is soft, and they taste similar to crepes. The amount of sugar depends on your preference. Feel free to use more or less, depending on your taste. They are a very nice treat with maple syrup on top, and instead of ghee to cook them, you can use vegetable oil; we like to use groundnut oil because of its neutral flavour. This recipe makes up 16 banana fritters. There are many ways to make banana fritters, you can finely dice the banana or you can slice them long ways into strips. The turmeric is optional, its main purpose is to make the banana fritters look golden brown.
Banana Fritters Ingredients
- Egg (1)
- Salt (Pinch)
- Sugar (1 tsp)
- Flour (3 tbsp)
- Milk (150ml)
- Bananas (3)
- Ghee
- Caster sugar
- Turmeric (1/8 tsp -optional)
How to make banana fritters
Whisk egg with salt and sugar and fold in the flour and milk to form a batter. Finely chop the bananas or slice them then add to the batter. Heat ghee or oil in a frying pan, then add a tablespoon of batter to make a 3-inch fritter. When golden brown on one side, turn it over. When cooked, drain on kitchen paper and sieve caster sugar on top of them and serve whilst hot.
2. Banoffee Pie Recipe
Banoffee pie is easily one of the most popular desserts that are both rich and decadent. It originates right here where I live in East Sussex, England. What is so good about it? The flavour combination works so well together. The banana and the toffee sauce both enhance each other, similar to the ways that you find strawberries and cream, apple and cinnamon, or coffee and walnut. This vegetarian dessert is very easy and quick to make, and it is just one of those puddings that your guests will keep coming back for more, as long as they like bananas! It serves between 6-8 people and it is made in a similar way to how you make a cheesecake.
Something that I didn’t realise until I wrote this recipe up was that the word Banoffee is a compilation of banana and toffee, I feel silly now! Banoffee pie nowadays comes in many shapes and sizes. Some people decide to make them with slight variations using ingredients such as chocolate or coffee but I like to keep things traditional and stick to the original as much as possible. Next time you invite friends or family over for dinner, make sure that you serve this dessert. I guarantee that someone will ask you for the recipe and that you won't have any of it left by the end of your night. It will take a total time of about 3 hours to make.
Banoffee Pie Ingredients
- Digestive Biscuits (225g)
- Condensed Milk (397g)
- Bananas (2)
- Soft Dark Brown Sugar (75g)
- Double Cream (150ml)
- Butter (175g)
- Sprinkle of Cocoa or Chocolate Shavings
How to make banoffee pie
- Melt 100g of butter in a saucepan on low heat, meanwhile, crush biscuits to form the base. Then add the mixture to a greased cake tin, press it down and chill for 10 minutes.
- Melt 75g of butter and combine with the brown sugar. When dissolved, add condensed milk. Bring to a boil for one minute, stirring consistently until it resembles caramel. Once it has cooled add it to the biscuit base and refrigerate for 1 hour.
- After it has set. Top it with thinly sliced banana and whipped double cream. Finally, dust the top with cocoa powder or chocolate shavings and serve.
3. Banana Bread Recipe
Banana bread is an old fashioned tradition that you would usually have served up at your grans house after a family roast dinner on Sunday. It honestly is not appreciated enough, the texture is bouncy, soft and spongy. The flavour is incredible, although it has the name bread in it, I have it as a dessert with some custard on top! That being said it can be eaten as part of a breakfast with some fruits. It Is not clear where this traditional bread originated but it has been around for many years and is very popular. You can usually find fresh banana bread in your local bakery in England.
I discovered my love for banana bread when I was collecting some over ripe bananas from an app called ‘Olio’ - On the app people give away food for free to be used instead of it being wasted. I experimented with the kids putting these ingredients together and we got the best banana bread I’ve ever tasted! Ryan even ate a whole loaf to himself!
Ingredients for banana bread
- Over ripe bananas (4)
- Plain flour (2 cups)
- Softened Butter (115g)
- Baking powder (1 teaspoon)
- Cinnamon (1/2 teaspoon)
- Salt (1/4 teaspoon)
- Light brown sugar (120g)
- Natural yoghurt (80g)
- Vanilla extract (1 teaspoon)
- Eggs (2)
How to make banana bread
- Preheat oven to gas mark 4 (350F)
- Start by mashing up your bananas in a bowl until they are a smooth batter texture.
- In another bowl soften the butter and sugar together until well combined. Add one egg at a time to the mixture and whisk well.
- Once your eggs, sugar and butter are combined slowly mix in the mashed bananas and vanilla extract.
- Add your baking powder, salt, cinnamon to the flour and mix well.
- Add the dry flour mixture into your wet ingredients and mix well until all is combined. You should have a smooth cake like batter.
- Grease a loaf tin or two and pour in your mixture, pop into the oven for 65 minutes, then allow to cool for 10 minutes before tucking in! Enjoy.
Some other great things you can do with banana
Banana Receipes (Frequently asked questions)
Are banana fritters healthy?
Bananas are high in potassium and other vitamins. turmeric has the potential to improve heart health, and prevent disease. It is a potent anti-inflammatory and could help ease depression. Eggs are a complete protein that are rich in nutrients, they have good cholesterol and are good for your heart. The downsides to this dish is that it contains sugar and ghee which is an animal based fat, if you could swap out those ingredients or use less, it would make them healthier.
Are banana fritters suitable for vegans?
Whilst these are not suitable for vegans, you could easily swap out the milk for a dairy free alternative, swap the ghee for a vegan spread, and replace the egg for an egg replacement or apple sauce.
