Can Bananas Be Too Ripe for Banana Bread? (2024)

FAQs

Can Bananas Be Too Ripe for Banana Bread? ›

Here's the secret: overripe bananas don't necessarily mean too-ripe bananas for banana bread. It really comes down to personal preference. Those brown-speckled, mostly yellow bananas are still ripe and will bake into a great loaf.

Using a lot of bananas adds excess moisture, and there are two ways to get rid of it. You could either add more flour or increase the baking time. Add a tablespoon of extra flour at a time into the batter and give it a good whisk until its consistency starts to look right: thick but runny enough to fall off a spoon.

Bananas release ethylene, a gas which controls ripening. Most of the ethylene is released from the stems of the bananas, so if you want to slow down ripening, simply wrap the stems in foil or clingfilm. Problem solved!

Harvest of bananas

If harvested too early, the taste will not develop well. However if you wait too long, they will become overripe before reaching the consumer. Determining the right harvest moment is therefore important for the eating quality and marketability of the bananas.

As with most produce, there comes a point of no return. If the bananas have any visible signs of mold, throw them out. If they smell off, that's another good indicator that they are no longer okay to use. Rotten bananas will often have a fermented or alcohol-like smell.

When it comes to banana quick bread, the riper the better! The bananas need to be mostly or completely brown, with a mushy, almost pudding-like texture.

Mold on bananas is fuzzy white, gray, or greenish—it looks a lot like mold on bread. If a banana smells rotten or fermented or is leaking fluid, it's time to say goodbye. If the fruit inside, not just the peel, is black, that's a sign that your banana is too far gone to safely eat.

(Although some recipes with add-ins, like cream cheese banana bread, shouldn't be left out.) After that, the bread starts to stale. To keep it fresh, place a paper towel in the bottom of an airtight container. Place the loaf of banana bread on top, add another paper towel, and put the lid on the container.

For baking, you need the sweetness that comes from an overripe banana – this means it will be very yellow with a few brown spots and feel soft.

This is because bananas, like many fruits and vegetables, continue to ripen after being picked. So to give them a longer shelf, bananas are harvested young and delivered to stores while still slightly underripe.

Can I ripen bananas in the microwave? ›

The microwave method: You can use a microwave to quickly ripen bananas in just a few minutes. Poke holes in unpeeled bananas with a fork or a small knife, place them on a microwave-safe plate, and then microwave the bananas in 30-second increments until they reach your desired softness.

Can You Store Bananas in the Fridge? Yes, you can absolutely store bananas in the fridge. Just keep in mind that the cool, dry climate slows the ripening process, which is why bananas aren't refrigerated in the supermarket. In other words, if you put green, unripe bananas in the fridge, they're likely to stay that way.

Can brown bananas make you sick? A banana that has turned brown because it is overripe likely won't make you sick. However, if a banana has begun to grow mold, is releasing liquid, or has an unpleasant smell, it has likely begun to rot and is no longer safe to eat.

But if you have a banana that you want to keep perfectly ripe for a few more days, move it to the refrigerator. The cool temperatures help slow down the ripening process so the banana won't turn to mush for a bit longer. Don't worry if the peel turns brown or even black in the fridge; the fruit should still be good.

I will summarize it all to say, if they are local bananas in a local market it is 1–2 days. If it is a distant market such as US or Europe getting their bananas from the tropics, usually a month, but it can be as long as two months. It mainly depends on where you live.

Overripe bananas are beneficial for heart health too! They are rich in minerals like potassium and magnesium, which help in controlling blood pressure. Cholesterol is also reduced by eating overripe bananas. It is also helpful in reducing the risk of heart diseases.

Making banana bread is a great way to use up any overripe, spotty bananas that might be lurking in your fruit bowl, and means that they won't get thrown in the compost or rubbish bin. This is another reason why we love banana bread so much, as its very existence actually helps to reduce food waste.

Bananas can even be used as an egg substitute in baking and, of course, eaten as is. If you often find yourself with overripe bananas (or perhaps you bought too many), freezing them is a helpful solution.

If you place them in the refrigerator, fully ripe bananas will last 5 to 7 days.