How To Make Banana Ripen

So you want to know how to make banana shake? Making a banana shake is not difficult. But first, you need to buy the ingredients. I assume that you already have two ripe bananas and a fruit shake. Before making the shakes, let us consider our ingredients in detail.

Making your own banana shake is very easy. First thing you need to do there are things that you will need:

How to ripen bananas quickly

Bananas not ripe enough to use in baking? Find out how to ripen bananas quickly using a paper bag as well as how to soften them in the oven.

A banana that is perfectly ripe for eating is not at the same stage in its ripening process as one that is perfect for making into a banana cake. 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. Find out 10 ways to use up overripe bananas.

How bananas ripen

Bananas give off ethene (also known as ethylene) gas, a natural plant hormone that regulates a plant’s growth and makes it ripen by converting the starch it stores into sugar. All fruits do this, but bananas produce a large amount, which is why they will ripen other climacteric fruits (fruit that will ripen off the plant that it grows on).

Unless you have unripe avocado or tomatoes that need help ripening, keep bananas separate to the rest of your fruit to stop this happening.

Two ways to ripen bananas

Paper bag method
In order to speed up the ripening process, all you need to do is trap the ethene gas in with the banana by putting them in a paper bag – fruit gives off moisture, so you must use a bag that won’t trap moisture. Ripening in a bag usually takes a day or so, but can be as speedy as overnight – just keep checking.

Cooking to ripen
All over the internet, you’ll find advice to ‘cook’ your bananas to ripeness. This method of ‘ripening’ bananas isn’t really ripening them, though it does make them soft and easy to bake with. There are a few things you should know before you put all your unripe bananas in the oven.

Use yellow bananas that are already sweet but not quite soft enough to bake with, and cook them in an oven heated to 180C/160C fan/gas 4 for about 30-40 mins. They will blacken and feel very soft (if you over cook them they may even burst, so keep an eye on them), and they may become marginally sweeter. These will be fine to bake with.

If you use green bananas, they will also blacken and soften, but you won’t ripen them to the sweetness you need for making a good banana loaf or banana muffins.

What to do if you have too many overripe bananas

Ripe bananas that are starting to go past their best can be frozen until you need them. They will go black in the freezer – defrost them and squeeze out of their skins.

How to Ripen Bananas

When you cannot wait for banana bars, but all of your bananas are underripe, what’s a baker to do? Here’s how to ripen bananas for pancakes, muffins, and more.

How do bananas ripen?

Ideally, a banana, apple, or other fruit left alone will ripen naturally. As it ripens, it releases ethylene, a natural plant hormone in the form of a gas. Some types of fruit and vegetables release more ethylene than others. Similarly, some fruits and vegetables are more sensitive to ethylene than others

Here are just a few examples of ethylene producing foods (when ripe):

• Bananas
• Apples
• Blueberries
• Avocados
• Plums
• Nectarines
• Peaches
• Potatoes
• Pears

You can use that ethylene to your advantage when you have a bunch of green bananas that you’re hoping to eat sooner rather than later.

Best way to ripen bananas naturally:

1. If you want to let the bananas ripen slowly, place them in a warm spot; maybe a sunny window, or near a heating vent.
2. Keep the bunch of bananas together—their friends will help speed the process along.
3. Depending on how green they are—and where on the banana ripeness spectrum you prefer them—they should take 24 hours to 5 days to ripen.

If that’s not fast enough, don’t fret. You have speedier options!

Ripening bananas with a paper bag:

1. Place the unripe bananas in a paper bag (a brown paper lunch bag, grocery bag, etc) along with a high-ethylene producing fruit, such as a ripe banana or apple.
2. Then loosely fold the paper bag closed and let the ethylene gas from the fruit encourage the banana to ripen. This process is gradual, but definitely faster than leaving the banana out in the open. They should be ready to eat in a day or two. (By the way, this is a great way to ripen stubborn avocados, too!

Need them riper, mushier, and even faster? Use the oven.

How to ripen bananas in the oven:

When you need super ripe bananas NOW, an oven is your BBF (banana’s best friend). No prep, nothing. You don’t even need to peel them.

1. First, preheat the oven to 300 degrees.
2. Place the unpeeled bananas on a foil-lined baking sheet and bake them for 15 to 20 minutes.
3. When ready, they’ll turn completely black.
4. Let the baked bananas cool, then scoop out the flesh with a spoon and mash.

Can you use the microwave to ripen bananas?

Technically, yes, but according to experiments, microwaving bananas doesn’t improve the flavor of the unripe bananas. Furthermore, it doesn’t make them any sweeter. And that sweetness is exactly what you want them for!

So, it’s more like softening than ripening.

If you’d like to try it, it tends to work better with a semi-ripe banana than a fully green one.

1. Peel the bananas and place them in a microwave-safe container.
2. Cook for one 30-second increment, (and maybe just one more if you’re cooking multiple bananas) until you hear the bananas sizzling inside.

Storing ripe bananas:

If you’ve hit your limit with bananas for breakfast, or the bananas you bought are past their prime, just peel them and stow them in a zip-top freezer bag in the freezer for later.

Frozen bananas keep in the freezer almost indefinitely, but are best within 6 to 8 months. Just label your bag and you’ll always have the main ingredient in banana bread handy.

When you’re ready to make something, let the frozen bananas thaw before adding to the recipe.

If you plan on making a smoothie or blender ice cream, add frozen banana chunks right into the blender—no need to thaw.

How to Ripen Bananas

When you cannot wait for banana bars, but all your bananas are underripe, what’s a baker to do? Here’s how to ripen bananas for pancakes, muffins, and more.

Ingredients US CustomaryMetric

• Unpeeled bananas

Instructions 

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil for easy cleanup.
• Arrange unpeeled bananas on prepared baking sheet. Bake until banana skins are completely black all over, about 15 to 20 minutes.
• Cool. Scoop banana pulp from peel and mash.

Recipe Video

Nutrition

Calories: 105kcal

Carbohydrates: 27g

Protein: 1g

Fat: 1g

Saturated Fat: 1g

Sodium: 1mg

Potassium: 422mg

Fiber: 3g

Sugar: 14g

Vitamin A: 76IU

Vitamin C: 10mg

Iron: 1mg

How to Quickly Ripen Bananas, 6 Different Ways

Because you want banana bread and you want it now.

Is the bunch of bananas you just bought from the local market too green for your snacking preference? Or have you been craving banana bread and are in need of overripe bananas to make your favorite recipe? Your overnight solution could be a paper bag, an oven, an air fryer, or even a microwave. 

You may not have thought about science since your freshman gen-chem seminars, but hear me out. Bananas give off a molecule called ethylene. You can’t see it, but this compound works on processing the sugars within the fruit, allowing the banana to soften and change colors. Most of these hacks involve heat — a common misconception about banana ripening is that sticking them in the freezer will help. In fact, freezing bananas halts the ripening process and makes for a good way to preserve ripe bananas.

With a little time, some warmth, and consolidation, your bananas will soon be suitable for your snacking or baking preference.

1. In a bunch: takes about 24-48 hours to ripen

Bananas that grow together, ripen together. If you want more ripened bananas, do not separate all the bananas at once. Only separate the one you want to eat and leave the others intact. You can even bunch up your roommate’s bananas with yours by using some foil.

More consolidation means more ethylene emitted in one area. This ripening process happens slowly, but will ensure the sweetest and best bananas. If you want to speed up the process, keep looking, but the sweetest bananas will ripen on their own!

2. Place in warm places: takes about 24-48 hours to ripen

Place bananas in warm areas such as near a heater, above your refrigerator, or in an oven that’s cooling down. In the latter, make sure to check on them frequently. You’ll want to pull them out when brown spots begin to form. 

3. In a paper bag: takes about 12-24 hours to ripen

Place bananas in a brown paper bag and close loosely. Ethylene will build up and circulate within the bag, speeding up the ripening process. Check at certain intervals in order to take them out at your desired ripeness. This hack makes the magic happen pretty much overnight.

4. In the oven: about 15-30 minutes to ripen

This method is great to ripen bananas for recipes because heat brings out the fruit’s sugar. Bananas cannot be overly green when using this method. Put unpeeled bananas on a baking sheet and place in an oven set at 300ºF. Check on them frequently because time will vary, and don’t fret if the bananas leak a bit. You know they’re done when the peels become shiny and black.

5. In the microwave: 30 seconds-2 minutes to ripen

Need a dorm-friendly, banana ripening trick? You’re in luck! Take a fork or sharp knife and completely poke through the skin of the peel a couple of times on all sides. Place the banana in the microwave for 30 seconds. Let cool slightly and check if desired softness is met. If not, microwave for an additional 30 seconds. Continue this process until desired ripeness is obtained. This hack makes the ripening happen really quickly and works best when you’re in a pinch (also, it doesn’t require a paper bag).

6. In the air fryer: 8-10 minutes to ripen

Much like the oven method, the bananas will ripen when exposed to extreme heat. Luckily, a college student (especially in dorms) is much more likely to have access to a small air fryer than an entire oven. First, line your air fryer with parchment paper or foil, just in case the bananas burst, place them in there at 300 degrees Fahrenheit, and take them out after eight minutes or until the bananas are soft and the peels have darkened. Definitely let them cool, then mash away to make banana bread!