Ripe bananas are nature’s perfect sweetener. They freeze beautifully and come in so handy when making smoothie bowls, nice cream, quick bread, and more. Once your bananas are covered all over with black spots, just peel them and freeze them whole. Freezing whole peeled bananas is the easiest way to keep them from sticking together!

How do you know when your bananas are ripe enough to freeze? The perfect ripe banana is just past the point where you would want to eat it fresh out of the peel. The skin will be soft and covered all over with dark brown or black spots, indicating that the starches have turned to simple sugars. They may even be a little mushy…no worries, we’re going to blend or mash them later!

Black spot bananas are naturally very sweet and blend up oh-so-creamy, turning your smoothie bowl or nice cream into a decadent, soft-serve like treat, with no dairy or refined sugar! They’re super economical too, often found on the discount produce shelf, just waiting to be taken home and frozen.

To freeze bananas, simply peel them and freeze them whole. This keeps them from sticking together. They are fairly easy to slice even when frozen. Put them in glass or other freezer-friendly containers, labeling the quantity of bananas on the top. I usually freeze them in containers of 2, for smoothie bowls, or 4, for nice cream.

When you’re ready to use your frozen bananas, pull the amount needed from the freezer and let them thaw just a little bit. They should still be frozen but just soft enough to dent slightly if squeezed. This gives the blender something to grab onto, making the creamiest soft-serve style smoothie bowls or nice cream ever.

These golden nuggets are not only the perfect base for smoothie bowls and nice cream. They can also be used as a sweetener/binding medium when mashed in quick breads and pancakes. Bananas come in their own waste-free packaging and are incredibly economical and convenient. Especially if you are between trips to the grocery store or only have green bananas on hand. Frozen bananas will keep their flavor for about 6 months.

If you’re curious about the health benefits of bananas, click here.

Ingredients for Freezing Ripe Bananas

Method for Freezing Ripe Bananas

Steps 1-2:

1. Let your bananas ripen until they are just past the point where you would want to eat them fresh out of the peel. The skin will be soft and covered all over with dark brown or black spots, indicating that the starches have turned to simple sugars.
2. To freeze bananas, simply peel them and freeze them whole. This keeps them from sticking together. They are fairly easy to slice even when frozen. Put them in glass or other freezer-friendly containers, labeling the quantity of bananas on the top. I usually freeze them in containers of 2, for smoothie bowls, or 4, for nice cream.

Step 3:

3. When you are ready to use your frozen bananas, pull the amount needed from the freezer and let them thaw just a little bit. They should still be frozen but just soft enough to dent slightly if squeezed. This gives the blender something to grab onto, making the creamiest soft-serve style smoothie bowls or nice cream ever.

There are so many ways to use frozen ripe bananas, especially in nice cream and smoothie bowls!

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Yield: 4 Servings

Author: Carol Clayton

How To Freeze Ripe Bananas (For Smoothie Bowls, Nice Cream and More!)

Ripe bananas are nature's perfect sweetener. They freeze beautifully and come in so handy when making smoothie bowls, nice cream, quick breads, and more. Once your bananas are covered all over with black spots, just peel them and freeze them whole. Freezing whole peeled bananas the easiest way to keep them from sticking together!

Prep time: 5 MinTotal time: 5 Min

Ingredients

4 Black Spot Bananas

Instructions

Let your bananas ripen until they are just past the point where you would want to eat them fresh out of the peel. The skin will be soft and covered all over with dark brown or black spots, indicating that the starches have turned to simple sugars.
To freeze bananas, simply peel them and freeze them whole. This keeps them from sticking together. They are fairly easy to slice even when frozen. Put them in glass or other freezer-friendly containers, labeling the quantity of bananas on the top. I usually freeze them in containers of 2, for smoothie bowls, or 4, for nice cream.
When you are ready to use your frozen bananas, pull the amount needed from the freezer and let them thaw just a little bit. They should still be frozen but just soft enough to dent slightly if squeezed. This gives the blender something to grab onto, making the creamiest soft-serve style smoothie bowls or nice cream ever.

Nutrition Facts

Calories

105.02

Fat (grams)

0.39

Sat. Fat (grams)

0.13

Carbs (grams)

26.95

Fiber (grams)

3.07

Net carbs

23.88

Sugar (grams)

14.43

Protein (grams)

1.28

Sodium (milligrams)

1.18

Cholesterol (grams)

0.00

Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators.

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How To Freeze Ripe Bananas