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Let me teach you how to freeze bananas— a hack I use in countless smoothies, banana muffins and pancakes. If you’ve ever watched your bananas turn from perfect to mush overnight (while you were just trying to keep your family alive), this one’s for you.
Freezing bananas allows you to use them when you need them and not worry about having a recipe ready when they ripen. No more sad, brown bananas. Just thick, creamy, naturally sweet goodness ready to blend whenever the blender calls. I love adding frozen banana pieces to a banana smoothie, banana nice cream and banana muffins.
When to Freeze Bananas
Let’s talk banana vibes. Are yours still green and impossible to peel? Or are they looking a little… spotted and sketchy? If I’m grabbing one to snack on, I want it yellow—maybe with a hint of green. No brown spots, no drama. But when it comes to freezing bananas for smoothies, the browner the better! That’s when they’re at peak sweetness, which makes your smoothies taste like dessert (without any added sugar).
Even those super brown, practically collapsing bananas? Freeze them! They’re gold for smoothies, baking, or blending into nice cream. Ripe bananas are easier on the gut and naturally sweeter—perfect for giving your smoothie that creamy, dreamy texture.
Tip: While you’re waiting for bananas to ripen, sat a bowl of my Homemade Fruit Fly Trap next to them to prevent any pesky flies from moving into the kitchen. It works like a charm!
How to Freeze Whole Bananas
Freezing bananas is one of the best ways to keep them fresh for longer. And when you freeze them yourself, you can choose the perfect ripeness for your needs.If freezing whole bananas, I suggest breaking them into pieces before freezing to help with storage space.
- Choose bananas that are yellow with brown spots. Those are sweeter and freeze beautifully.
- Peel and slice your bananas into pieces about 1-2 inch thick. The smaller you chop, the easier they are to measure.
- Freeze them in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper for at least 30 minutes, making sure they don’t touch.
- Once your banana slices are frozen, transfer them to a freezer-safe bag or container.
Tip When Freezing Bananas
Remove as much air as you can to prevent freezer burn. Label the bag with today’s date so you know how long they’ve been in the freezer, and use the oldest ones first.
How to Freeze Mashed Bananas
Mashed bananas are the foundation for many baked goods, chia puddings and pancakes. Yet I’ve never loved the mashing process. I realized I could take an entire bunch of bananas and blend them in my Vitamix Blender and get a smoother texture. Skip the fork-mashing and grab your blender!
- Toss those ripe bananas in and puree until smooth and creamy—like banana baby food, but way more useful.
- Pour the puree into a silicone freezer tray, I like Souper Cubes—perfect smoothie-size portions!
- Pop the tray in the freezer for 2–3 hours, or until frozen solid. Once set, transfer your banana cubes to a freezer-safe bag, label it with the date, and stash it in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Recipes Using Frozen Bananas
Recommended Products for Freezing Bananas
When bananas go on sale, I STOCK up! Then I patiently wait for them to go from green to spotted. To make the freezing process more efficient, consider these products:
- Banana Hammock: Store bananas on this until ripe. Warning: don’t google “banana hammock” cuz you’re gonna get something totally different… if you catch my vibes.
- Freezer Bags: 1 gallon silicone or Ziploc Freezer Bags are durable and seal tightly to prevent freezer burn.
- Freezer Cubes: I loooove these containers for frozen fruit. They are airtight and stackable, saving freezer space. Use code: Jen15 at checkout and get 15% off!
- Banana Slicer: Hutzler Banana Slicer ensures uniform slices, making freezing and blending more consistent.
- Parchment Paper: Pre-Cut Parchment Paper prevents banana slices from sticking during the pre-freeze step.
Common Questions
Yes! Always peel them first—trying to peel a frozen banana is like trying to unwrap a popsicle with oven mitts. Save yourself the hassle.
Absolutely. Just peel them first, then freeze them whole in a bag. Just know they’ll take longer to thaw and can be tricky to blend unless you have a high-speed blender.
It depends! Slice if you want quick smoothie toss-ins. Mash or puree if you plan to use them in baking or want pre-measured cubes. Both work great—choose your adventure!
Frozen bananas stay good for up to 3 months. After that, they’re still safe to eat, but might lose flavor or get freezer-burned.
For smoothies—nope! Toss them straight into the blender. For baking, yes—thaw in the fridge overnight or at room temp for a couple of hours.
So the next time your bananas go a little too far on the counter, don’t toss them. Freeze them and blend up something delicious later like smoothies, ice cream and baked goods.
How to Freeze Bananas
Ingredients
- 5 bananas
Instructions
- Once your bananas have reached your preferred ripeness, peel each banana and slice in 1-2 inch pieces.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper then place the sliced bananas on the sheet so that they aren't touching each other.
- Freeze banana slices for 30 minutes or until completely frozen. Store in a freezer-safe container until you're ready to use.
Equipment
- knife
- baking sheet
- parchment paper
Notes
- Labeling the storage containers with how many whole bananas are in them, or how many pieces make up a whole banana can be useful when needing a certain measurement.
- Freeze for up to 3 months.
- Bananas may turn brown in the freezer and that is OKAY. They didn’t go bad or get too ripe, that’s just what happens.
Frozen bananas are amazing and I’ve been freezing them for years as well. Since there is so much plastic waste damaging this planet and wildlife, especially single use plastic, I do what I can to avoid using disposable plastic anything. I use reusable/recyclable Ziploc screw top containers. I’ve used the same containers for 5+ years and they’ve been great. I use a small piece of paper masking tape to write the date on for reference. I’ve found no need to freeze them separately. Just peel them, leave them whole and only cut them to size to fit in the quart container. To use them, I just cut the chunk sizes needed.
Hey Honesti,
That’s a great suggestion and I love that you’re so mindful of our amazing planet and keeping it green! You Rawk!
This is helpful! I’ve frozen my bananas for years, but usually just toss them in a bag and deal with the frozen clumps later. Now I’m going to add the step of freezing on parchment paper first, so they won’t all freeze together!
Thanks for the information on how to freeze bananas!