Banana bread has had a serious moment during lockdown. Not only are so many people baking, but, if my fruit bowl is anything to go by, everyone has found themselves in possession of many more bananas than they can get through with their morning cereal. Little wonder banana bread makes so much sense. But there’s only so much of it you can eat before wondering how else to use up bananas on the turn. Here’s some inspiration for you.
Banana porridge
An over-ripe banana is a parent's best friend, its concentrated natural sugars sweetening everything from breakfast to pudding. It's time to learn from the babies, folks. This recipe from Jamie Oliver is a good template – feel free to add other fruit, seeds, grains, nut butters and milks as you see fit, safe in the knowledge that ripe bananas and rolled oats have deliciousness covered for a very good start to the day.
Banana pancakes
Next weekend try making these pancakes, which, thanks to the walnut flour and oats, happen to be gluten-free. Although, says their inventor, Sarah Britton, of the food blog My New Roots, the banana-and-walnut combo makes the texture of these a bit more like that of an underbaked cookie than the pillowy lightness of a more traditional breakfast pancake.
Banana jam
While we're at the breakfast table, why not try a banana jam? This very simple recipe is just 15 minutes in the making – much quicker than your average fruit jam – and flavoured with vanilla, lime and dark rum. With flavours like that, you could almost be on a Caribbean island. And we could all do with a bit of that right now.
Banana flapjacks
Over-ripe bananas are a gift to plant-based bakers; the fruit's sticky, creamy texture when mashed is perfect when standing in for eggs (to bind) and butter (to enrich) – and let's not forget that aforementioned sweetness. With that in mind, these flapjacks are decadently gooey, chocolate-flecked, flaxseed-studded, oat-filled bars of healthy (ish) goodness.
Baked bananas
A joy all too easily forgotten. Now that barbecue season is upon us, why not stuff your ripe bananas with chocolate and cook them – still in their skins, wrapped in foil – on the grill?
Banana ice-cream
This ultraeasy recipe from Claire Ptak – enhanced with honey, sea salt and good olive oil – brings good news for ice-cream lovers without an ice-cream machine. Hallelujah.
Serves two-four
Ingredients
3 medium bananas
Pinch of fine sea salt
2tbsp honey
Extra virgin olive oil, to finish
Flaky sea salt, to finish
Method
1 Slice the bananas and freeze them in a container for at least an hour. Remove them from the freezer and immediately blitz them in a food processor until smooth. Add the salt and honey, and blitz to mix. Decant the mixture into an airtight container and freeze again for at least two hours.
2 Serve with a drizzle of your best olive oil and a pinch of sea salt.
Banana and cardamom buns
Meera Sodha's healthier take on deep-fried Mangalorean banana puris are a treat for any time of day. Light, spiced and not too sweet – although if upping the sweetness is in order, they'd make a good bedfellow for that banana jam. – Guardian
