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While brown bananas are safe to eat, a mushy mess of overripe, sugary fruit isn’t exactly appetizing. But like stale bread, overripe bananas can come in handy for a handful of mouthwatering recipes, spanning the gamut from healthy banana smoothies to fruity pancakes. Here are six overripe banana recipes to make instead of tossing out the past-its-prime fruit.
If there’s one go-to recipe for ripe bananas, it’s banana bread. Not only does the buttery, moist, sweet treat make use of up to three “very ripe bananas,” but it also comes together with just a few standard pantry staples. And if you ever get tired of plain banana bread, you can make banana muffins or zhuzh up the recipe with chocolate chips and walnuts.
Recipe: Simply Recipes
Part of what makes overripe bananas repulsive is their mushy texture. Of course, that matters less if you pulverize them in a blender. While we encourage you to experiment with your own smoothie recipe, you can’t go wrong with a classic strawberry-banana combo.
Recipe: Food Network
You don’t need to spend $200 on a Ninja Creami to enjoy homemade ice cream. With a single banana and a food processor, you can make a creamy frozen treat in just a few minutes. All you have to do is freeze your overripe banana and toss it in a blender or food processor, and you’ll have a vegan, gluten-free, low-sugar ice cream. You can also add peanut butter, Nutella, cocoa powder, or cinnamon to upgrade this simple, easy-to-make dessert.
Recipe: The Kitchn
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While chocolate and peanut butter are the stars of the show here — can you name a better combo? — the added ripe bananas make these brownies extra fluffy and moist. Opt for crunchy peanut butter if you want to add another layer of texture to this top-rated dessert.
Recipe: Tasty
Related: 9,000 Calories Later: This Brownie Mix Is the Best, According to Our Taste Test
If you make oatmeal with mashed bananas, you can skip the sugar. They’ll make your porridge extra sweet and creamy — not to mention that tasty hint of banana.
Recipe: Cooking Classy
Related:Easy Recipes to Cook With Kitchen Scraps When Times Are Tight
There are few things cozier or more relaxing than digging into a short stack of homemade banana pancakes on a drizzly Sunday morning. Like most of these recipes, you’ll start by mashing up your spotted bananas, which you’ll then add to a standard pancake recipe.
Recipe: Allrecipes
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