Freezing bananas??

[crn]

What will happen? Will they turn brown & be mushy? Would you peel & then slice them?
I can never use the whole bunch (it's very hard to find a small bunch).

[Retroh777]

Ha! the Ultimate Recycler, I waste nada if able. I use the frozen bananas for smoothies. Keep em in the peel and just throw em in the freezer. Also, when you bring bananas home green, cut them off the stalk . That way they are separate from each other and they last much longer that way! Try it you'll see. retroh

[guilty]

OK, old thread, but I'm amazed at people putting bananas in the freezer without peeling first. They're easier to peel before they're frozen. I just peel, toss in a pyrex container, and stick in the freezer. They do not turn brown or mushy. They make a surprisingly creamy "ice cream" when put in a food processor, and are a great substitute for ice cream in milkshakes. Not to mention the banana bread possibilities.

[calliope_nh]

I toss them in whole if they are getting too old. The peels to get brown, but I use the fruit in smoothies like others here. FYI, it is a cold endeavor to peel the frozen skin, I use a knife. My daughter and I also make FroCoChoNanas which is the name we came up with for bananas rolled in coconut and mini chocolate chips and frozen. That is yummy, like a popsicle.

[jamieeats]

i freeze them when they are too ripe to eat. they are great to bake with, or you can grab a spoon and it's just like eating banana sorbet! give the peel about 5-10 minutes to defrost before you try to open it though.

[Sherri]

I used to spend summers on Balboa Island as a kid and chocolate-dipped frozen bananas were our special treat after a day at the beach. Easy to do at home -- peel and freeze bananas individually. Add a handle stick or not, your choice. When ready to serve, dip in melted chocolate and roll in crushed nuts. Yum! Summer on a stick!

P.S. you write "I can never use the whole bunch (it's very hard to find a small bunch)." Why not break off what you want, at the market, and only buy those instead of a large bunch?

[crn]

That's an obvious answer but the market where i buy them says that if you take them out of the bag & break a bunch they'll charge you much more. I know....it sounds cheap....

[vorpal]

Why would they be pre-bagged at a market??? What a waste of plastic! There's no reason to bag bananas.

[crn]

I know....it's ridiculous! And then to tpo off the ridiculousness, they charge more if you take them out of the bag!

[shellyesq]

I've frozen them with Magic Shell on parchment paper. Same sort of concept. We've also just eaten plain frozen bananas.

A "recipe" out of a vegetarian cookbook I once had said to slice the bananas, freeze them on a pan for at least an hour, and then puree them. It makes a sort of custardy texture for a healthy and easy dessert.

[krandy21784]

I freeze bananas all the time. Individually, peeled and wrapped in aluminum foil. I then use them for cooking or eat them when almost defrosted.

[subelle]

Hi
I'm new to ChowHound. I see your reply to freezing bananas is from 2007 but am wondering how your technique works out for you if you just want to plain old 'eat them' once they are thawed. I eat cereal almost everyday with a banana in it. I go to the grocery every Sunday and buy enough for the week. The problem is, while I'm at the store, I always end up buying things that I don't necessarily need. If I bought enough for, say, a month, and froze them for later use, I would save myself time and money. I am going to try your suggestion with just one banana for now but am wondering what else, if anything, you may have to add to this post. Thanks..........SuBelle

[ricepad]

Bananas frozen in their peels turn black and ugly, but their flesh smooths out and gets creamy. When I make banana ice cream, I always freeze the bananas first, then thaw them, buzz in a blender, and add to the ice cream.

To get a small bunch, break a few off the larger bunch.

[bitsubeats]

I just throw them in the freezer, whole, still in the peel, and not covered. I only do that if I'm going to make banana bread...cause they get all mushy and the skin turns really brown. Although the outsides are super dark, they are still great for baking

[LNG212]

I do the same thing. Throw them in the freezer whole. They get really creamy on the inside -- but I agree, this is only good if you're going to bake with them or use them in smoothies.

[Anne]

I peel and slice them, then put into small Tupperware containers. I use them straight from the freezer in smoothies---frozen bananas give any flavor smoothie a wonderful, creamy texture.

[Honey Bee]

They are fine if you use them frozen for baking or smoothies, but they are too mushy for other uses once defrosted.