Everyone has gone to the grocery store and purchased fruits and veggies in the hopes of adopting a healthier diet. However, if you’ve found that you have too many bananas sitting on your counter, you might be wondering if you should toss them in the freezer, peel and all, before they go bad?
You can freeze bananas with or without their peel. Freezing them with the peel requires the least amount of preparation before freezing, but more preparation after they are frozen. Peeled bananas must be stored in bags or containers, but they are much easier to use after freezing them.
Do not throw out those spotted bananas just yet! We found five of the best ways to preserve your soon-to-be rotten bananas!
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Do Bananas Last Longer With or Without Peel?
Bananas last longer with their peel still on. This is especially true for fresh bananas since the oxidation process is more extreme in this setting. When the peel is left on it protects the inner fruit and extends the shelf life.
It is better to leave the peel on when your banana is on the counter to prevent it from decaying quickly. If you do need to cut your bananas for some event, then there are a few ways you can prevent them from turning brown.
- Slice or peel only when you’re ready to consume
- Slice into halves or quarters and leave the exposed surface face down and face the peel up
- Peel and slice into coins and sprinkle with lime juice
- Keep cut and peeled bananas in the fridge to prevent decay
Refrigerated bananas will still turn a slight brown color, but they should not spoil or go bad for a few days. The peel will not make any difference with frozen bananas, however. If you leave the peel on you will notice the peel changes to a dark brown, however, it will protect the flesh inside the banana.
What Does a Banana’s Peel Do?
In nature, the banana peel is believed to protect the inner fruit and assist it in completing the ripening process. The fruit surrounds the seed at the bottom of the banana fruit and provides it with consistent food and nourishment while the banana tree sprouts.
The peel is also known to shrink as the fruit ripens since it slowly provides moisture to the seed.
After the fruit is harvested the peel helps preserve the fruit from being consumed or decomposing. The peel can prolong the lifespan of the fruit and protect it from a process known as oxidation.
Oxidation occurs in living organisms as they decay. This is a natural process for plants, animals, and all living organisms including humans.
Briefly explained, when fruits and vegetables are cut or peeled they excrete an enzyme that causes what is known as enzymic browning.
However, it can be delayed or slowed down through preservation processes or by preventing oxygen from meeting the inner tissue.
For bananas this happens when the peel is cut or penetrated, permitting the inner flesh to be exposed. This is why the banana turns brown after it is peeled.
Can You Freeze Bananas Without Them Turning Brown?
The best way to prevent frozen bananas from turning brown when freezing them is to peel, slice, and flash freeze them. After this, you should collect them into freezer-safe bags or containers and refreeze them.
Do not let them thaw before placing them in their freezer containers to prevent them from freezing together.
The above method is the best way of preventing frozen bananas from turning brown. However, you can also prevent browning by adding citric acid to the fruit slices.
You can buy this at the local supermarket, or you can use lemon or lime juice.
Citric acid and citrus fruits have a natural antibacterial property. This component makes them excellent at preventing decay and delaying the oxidation of fruits and vegetables.
Additionally, you can try freezing your bananas when they are not fully ripe, or at least before they get brown spots.
It is important to note that brown bananas are not dangerous to consume. Browned bananas should only be avoided if they are very mushy or smell rancid.
How Long Can You Store Bananas In the Freezer?
Bananas can stay in the freezer for up to three months. You can leave them in there longer than three months, but they will be best if consumed within a three-month window.
After three months they usually start to get very icy and break down. If you want them to taste creamy and fresh, you should aim to eat them within three months.
Icy bananas are the result of the water within the banana’s fruit separating from the rest of the banana. This is especially true for overly ripe bananas or unripe bananas.
To prevent your frozen bananas from becoming icy and unpleasant, wait until they are completely ripe, but not overly ripe before freezing them.
Do Bananas Go Bad When Frozen?
Bananas will not go bad after freezing them, but they may become icy and unpleasant to taste. The icier a banana comes, the less sweet and creamy they taste.
There is no definitive way to prevent this from happening indefinitely, but you can delay it by flash freezing and consuming it in a timely manner.
Freezing bananas does not extend their shelf life indefinitely. Rather, it simply delays the natural process of decay. Additionally, since bananas are a soft fruit, they do not hold up very well in the freezer as long as some other foods do.
Freezing food does delay the decay process by preventing the oxidation process from occurring. However, some foods such as celery and bananas are not sturdy food and do not hold up well under frozen conditions.
Bananas will not go bad in the sense of developing food poisoning or other such infectious diseases. Rather, they will lose their structural integrity and flavor and thus become unpleasant to consume after 3-6 months.
How Can You Tell If a Banana Has Gone Bad?
You can tell a fresh banana has gone bad by analyzing the scent and color of the fruit. Frozen bananas usually turn very brown and become icy after they have lost their structural integrity. Other signs include a loss of taste, unpleasant odor, and bug infestations.
Some obvious signs of decay in a banana are the presence of insects swarming around the fruit. Flies, gnats, and worms are the most common insect infestation for these fruits.
Typically the bugs either developed from eggs on the fruit or came into your house from outside.
Either way, these bugs are attracted to the sweet scent of bananas. If you notice a large number of gnats and flies swarming your bananas you should probably use them right away to prevent more from coming.
Bananas which have completely turned are very unpleasant and obvious. If the banana seems to have liquified, turned black or brown, or has a rancid, alcoholic scent, it is bad.
These bananas should not be consumed in any way and should be thrown out in your outdoor trash cans. If you throw them away in your inside garbage can you will likely see many bugs swarming the fruits which can lead to an infestation of gnats and flies.
How To Defrost a Banana
Defrosting frozen bananas can be accomplished in several ways. However, you should never pull them out from the freezer and let them thaw on the counter if you are using them for smoothies.
If you plan on using them for baked goods, then this method of thawing bananas is alright.
Frozen bananas make a pleasant addition to smoothies and smoothie bowls. To properly defrost bananas for smoothies and smoothie bowls you want to avoid thawing them completely.
If your bananas are sliced, there is no reason to thaw them for your smoothie creations. The fact they are frozen actually helps create a smooth and creamy texture for the smoothie.
However, if you freeze the banana whole and still inside the peel, then you can run the fruit under warm water for a couple of seconds.
This will soften the fruit just enough for you to slice the peel off with a knife. However, it will not defrost it so much that the fruit becomes mushy and ruins the taste of your smoothie.
To defrost bananas for baking you can leave the fruit at room temperature for about 2 hours, until the ice melts away. We recommend you keep them inside a bowl so they do not melt all over your kitchen and leave a sticky residue on your countertops.
You should also cover these bananas with a lid, towel, or plastic wrap. As we discussed above, bananas are appealing to many insects and if you leave them to thaw without a cover you might find a swarm of gnats buzzing around your fruit.
Ways To Store Bananas In the Freezer
Bananas can easily be stored in either freezer-safe bags or freezer-safe containers. You can either store them sliced, chopped, blended, or whole. If you freeze them whole you can either keep them in the peel or pre-peel them.
1. Mashed
Mashed bananas can be stored in cylindrical containers easily. As an alternative, you can also store them in freezer-safe Ziploc bags or rectangular containers.
To freeze your bananas this way follow these steps:
- Peel your bananas
- Place them in a large bowl
- Take a for or metal tool and mash the bananas until they look semi-lumpy
- Scoop them into the containers or bags and place them in the freezer
The only way to thaw bananas in this fashion is to leave them on the counter at room temperature or put them in the refrigerator. Or, you can place them in the microwave on high for a minute or two.
However, make sure you are ready to use all of the bananas at once. Every time you heat your frozen fruit you are welcoming several different types of bacteria to the fruit which could get you sick.
It is unlikely you will want to use the whole volume at once for a smoothie. We recommend that you use this preservation method for bananas that you want to use for baking, rather than for smoothies.
2. Sliced
Freezing your bananas as slices is the best way to freeze them for making smoothies. However, it requires a little more time and a few more steps.
To freeze sliced bananas follow these steps:
- Peel your bananas
- Slice them into slices of about 1 ½ inch thick
- Place them on a baking tray
- Place a piece of parchment paper beneath the slices and on top of the slices
- Place in the freezer for approximately 30 minutes (this is known as flash freezing)
- Remove from the freezer and place into a container or bag
- Return them to the freezer and keep them there for 3-6 months
This method is much better for smoothies and smoothie bowls. The flash freezing will prevent the slices from freezing together and permit you to simply take them out by handful rather than all at once.
3. Whole
Freezing bananas whole is the simplest method and the second-best way to freeze them for smoothie use. You can either freeze them in the peel or remove the peel first. If you peel them first you will need to place them in a freezer-safe container or bag.
For bananas with the peel still on you can simply place them in the freezer as they are. For simplicity and organizational reasons, you may want to keep them in a bag or container.
However, it is unnecessary so far as preventing freezer burn.
To freeze unpeeled bananas you will simply place the whole banana in a freezer-safe bag or container. If you want to use them in a smoothie, you can partially thaw them, break them into 3 pieces, and then place them in the blender.
You should never try to blend a whole frozen banana since it could break your blender.
4. Pre-made Smoothie
You can also make extra smoothies with your excess bananas and freeze them. Simply make your smoothies and pour them into single-serve containers.
When you are ready to drink them, take them out of the freezer, place them in the fridge to thaw overnight, and drink the next day.
This is a great option for anyone hoping to bring their smoothies with them on the go but never have time to make them in the morning.
5. Banana fruit pop
Last, you can make banana frozen fruit pops. There are several ways to do this, but these are the two best methods we found:
Chocolate-covered bananas:
- Peel a whole, ripe banana
- Melt chocolate on the stove or use a chocolate ice cream shell
- Place the bananas on a baking sheet on top of parchment paper
- Drizzle the chocolate sauce over them or dip them and place them on the parchment paper
- Freeze in the freezer for at least 1 hour before consuming
Blended banana fruit pops:
- Blend your bananas in the blender
- You can add milk, yogurt, or other fruits to taste, but it’s unnecessary
- Blend until turned into a puree
- Pour into ice pop molds and stick in the freezer
- Allow them to freeze for at least 1 hour before consuming
How Do You Get The Peel off a Frozen Banana?
The easiest way to remove the peel from a frozen banana is to rinse the banana under tap water for a few seconds. This will lift the peel from the banana fruit inside. After several seconds use a butter knife to slice the tip of the banana off and slice the peel off in fluid motions.
Alternatively, you can use a sharp knife to slice the banana into cubes. After they are sliced into cubes, the peel is easier to remove with a knife or spoon. However, we find the above method to be easier.