Bananas are filled with natural sugars and lots of flavor, making them the perfect candidate for a one-ingredient dessert: caramelized bananas.
I set off to make this decadent, irresistible dessert when we accidentally ended up with over fifty bananas in our house. If you’ve ever used Walmart delivery, you know that there’s one place where you can order a bunch of bananas and another place where you can order single bananas. Ask for one single banana and you end up with, well, just one. Ask for one bunch of bananas and you end up with six to eight. And, if you mix up your bunches and your single bananas and accidentally ask for six bunches of bananas, you get what we got: the mother load.
And guess what? They all ripen at the same time.
What to do with so many bananas? I decided to hatch an experiment: which method made the best roasted bananas?
The competition: may the best banana win!
Third place: oven-roasted bananas
The picture looks promising, right?
I baked these–with no oil or sugar, just by themselves–in a 400-degree Fahrenheit oven. I started with them covered for 45 minutes and then cooked them uncovered for 20 minutes longer, or until the outside started to caramelize.
The result was a reddish-tinted banana. They weren’t “leathery” like the recipe said they would be but actually still juicy.
The pro of this recipe was definitely the optics. They looked incredible–like edible gold bricks or something else you’d find paving the path to heaven. (If you hadn’t guessed already, my heaven includes copious amounts of food.)
There were a few cons, though. First, who wants to wait 65 minutes for a dessert to finish baking, while checking on the doneness every 5 minutes? Second, the texture was off. While they were sweet, there was something that “catches your tongue” and makes your mouth stick. If you’ve ever eaten a persimmon before it’s ripe, you know the feeling.
And, finally, they left a lot of residue on my pan and guess who had to scrape it all off? I bet that other place (you know, the one not paved with golden bananas and overflowing with food) is just one big sink piled with un-scrape-able dishes.
Out of all three recipes, this one is third place. That is, out of three.
Second place: air fryer bananas
These bananas roasted in the air fryer were not bad at all! In fact, if I was too busy to man a stove (eh, “woman” it), I’d probably make these ones.
First, I preheated the air fryer to 370 degrees Fahrenheit. Once it was done preheating, I rubbed some coconut oil on the basket to prevent the bananas from sticking. You could also use spray oil if you have it.
Then, I cooked the bananas for 15 minutes, flipping them once before the final 5 minutes for even browning. Air fryers come in all different intensities, though, so you may have to try different temperatures until you get it just right.
As you can see above, these ‘nanners looked incredible. Their natural sugars were all caramelized on the outside. I probably could have kept them in there a few more minutes to get them extra-golden. They also tasted great.
That said, the middle still ending up fairly juicy rather than the creamy texture I was looking for. All these problems were solved in the final version, however.
First place: pan-seared caramelized bananas
This rendition took bananas to a WHOLE new level! I added a tiny bit of coconut oil to a nonstick pan just to make sure the bananas didn’t stick. Then, I set the heat to medium and let the whole thing go for about fifteen minutes, stirring occasionally.
First, the bananas started to cook. Then, they released their moisture until they were stewing in banana liquid. Once this liquid burned off, that’s when the magic began: if you resist the urge to stir the bananas too much, they will brown up nicely. Just give the soft bananas a few flips, and you’ll get a bit more browning, and it’s this “crust” that is so delicious–kind of like creme brûlée.
That’s it! A delicious, sweet concentrated banana dessert with a crusty, caramel-flavored coating.
How should I eat caramelized bananas?
Just as is!
- I like them as a dessert a la mode or with whipped cream.
- You could even serve them as a sweet side dish to a piquant meal.
- As a snack, you could scoop them up with some yogurt or sour cream.
- Take it a step further and add the caramelized bananas as a topping for yogurt and granola.
- Another option is to use the bananas like a pudding themselves and top them with berries and a little honey.
- Or, make a decadent breakfast by adding caramelized bananas on top of waffles or pancakes, all finished with syrup and a dusting of cinnamon.
A note now on what NOT to do… So, after making all these roasted bananas, I thought maybe I’d try to make roasted banana “nice cream”–you know, that frozen dessert vaguely reminiscent of ice cream but that only uses bananas. I blended all these bananas up together and….
Well, that didn’t work.
But I did learn something important: don’t blend up things that rely on a good, crispy crust. Kinda like a burger looks delicious, but a burger smoothie does not. A slice of Texas Toast sounds delicious, but Texas Toast juice does not, etc.
Don’t get me wrong: roasted banana nice cream didn’t taste bad, it just tasted like Gerber baby food. And if a food ain’t broke, I’m not gonna be the one to fix it. I’ll take my apple and ba-nay-nays STRAIGHT from the jar.
And on that note, I hope you enjoy your bananas, whatever the form may be.
PrintCaramelized Bananas: A One-Ingredient Dessert
- Prep Time: 0 minutes
- Cook Time: `5 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: two servings 1x
- Method: pan-seared
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Bananas smell and taste divine when caramelized using their own natural sugars! This recipe makes a great snack, dessert, or even side dish for a meal.
Ingredients
- 6 bananas
- a little coconut oil for greasing the pan (optional)
Instructions
- Grease your nonstick pan, if using the oil, and heat it over medium low.
- Add your bananas. When one side is soft, flip to soften the other side.
- Keep cooking the bananas until their juices emerge and evaporate.
- Then, stirring very occasionally, brown the bananas, flipping a few times to create more golden crusty parts.
- Once the banana are sufficiently caramelized, after about 15 minutes, remove to a plate and serve.
Notes
For a sweet dessert, try julienned mint, a sprinkle of cinnamon, a scoop of vanilla ice cream, a dollop of whipped cream, or just as is.
For a side dish, try accompanying them with sour cream or plain yogurt.
As a snack, try these bananas on top of a bowl of yogurt and granola.
For another snack, top these bananas with berries and honey and eat like a pudding.
Yet another snack: how about spreading these bananas on top of a piece of pumpkin bread?
For a decadent breakfast, serve these bananas on top of waffles and pancakes.
Keywords: banana, bananas, banana dessert, side dish, snack, caramelized bananas, vegan dessert, vegetarian, healthy food, electrolytes, potassium, rich, fruits, fruit desserts, caramelized banana recipe