How To Thaw The Bananas Before Using Them
If you are using the bananas to make a milkshake or a smoothie, then simply toss them into the blender and blend directly. If you need to use them to make bread or muffins, then take out as much as you require in a bowl and let it sit in the refrigerator, until it returns to its original form. You may also keep it on your kitchen countertop to defrost it.
Is It Better To Eat Ripe Or Unripe Bananas
If a banana turns brown, you shouldnt assume that it has gone bad.
You better peel it. Just to be sure. If flesh has a brown color, you better avoid eating it.
A brown banana or a banana with black spots in the peel, actually has more antioxidants, than a green under-ripe banana.
Additionally, a ripe banana contains significant amounts of fiber and polyphenol compounds.
Also, ripe bananas contain a high content of simple sugars making it suitable for sucrose replacement in bakery products, like cakes.
As long as you dont see mold, theyre safe to eat.
Find more about the health benefits of ripe and unripe bananas, here.
How Long Do Frozen Bananas Last
Frozen bananas will continue to brown in the freezer, just at a much slower rate than on the counter top. I find that theyre best when used within 3 months of freezing, but your milage may vary. To make sure youve got plenty of ways to use those frozen bananas before they get too brown and shriveled, Ive got several recipe ideas for you listed below.
Don’t Miss: Smoothie King Arena Seating Chart
Freezing Sliced Bananas For Smoothies And Milkshakes
Bananas wont ripen any more once you freeze them, so freeze them at the ripeness you want for your smoothie or milkshake.
As an alternative to slicing, you can also just break the bananas apart with your hands.
How To Freeze Banana To Use In A Smoothie
So now you know you can use frozen bananas in your smoothie.
But whats the best way to freeze your bananas for your smoothie?
- Break or slice your banana up before putting it into the freezer. If your blender isnt high powered, putting a whole frozen banana straight in can lead to big chunks of banana instead of a smooth and creamy smoothie!
- If you have room, freeze the banana on a baking tray or baking paper for at least 30 minutes before putting into a storage container or freezer bag. This will minimise the sticking together of slices or pieces
- Use your frozen bananas up within 6 months. Over time, the taste and quality of a frozen fruit can decline. So its best to use your bananas up within 6 months
Read Also: Smoothie King Employee Benefits
How To Freeze Bananas Step
HELPFUL TOOLS FOR FREEZING BANANAS:
How To Use Frozen Bananas
If using frozen bananas for smoothies or banana ice cream, you can add them to the blender directly from the freezer.
On the other hand, if youre planning to use the frozen bananas in recipes like muffins, banana bread, or other baked goods, you should thaw them first.
There are several ways to thaw bananas. A simple method is to place them in a bowl or plate and let them defrost at room temperature for about 2 hours.
You can also microwave them using the defrost setting for 24 minutes, or place them in a bag and submerge them in warm water for 1015 minutes.
Ideally, use frozen bananas within about 6 months. If you leave them in the freezer any longer, they may develop freezer burn. Fortunately, while freezer burned bananas may be of lower quality, theyre still safe to eat.
summary
For recipes like smoothies or ice cream, you can use frozen bananas straight from the freezer. For most baked goods, you should thaw the bananas first. Generally, try to use frozen bananas within about 6 months.
You May Like: Strawberry Banana Smoothie Mcdonalds Calories
Are Plantains And Bananas Same
Due to their similar resemblance, a majority of people confuse plantains with bananas. In fact, they think plantain is another name for our favorite fruit banana.
However, this is not true. Plantains surely belong to the banana family, but theyre very different from bananas in terms of taste, flavor and texture.
While bananas are more sweet and creamy, plantains are less sweet and more starchy. Moreover, more than a fruit, they are used as a vegetable in their raw form.
How To Thaw Frozen Bananas For Baking
The best way to thaw frozen bananas depends on how you froze them. To thaw frozen whole unpeeled bananas, run them under warm water, then peel as usual. Alternatively, you can thaw frozen bananas by transferring them to the refrigerator overnight. Keep in mind that frozen bananas will release liquid as they thaw, so youll want to place them in a bowl. This is especially important for frozen whole unpeeled bananas, which are typically frozen without a container.
Also Check: Seating Chart For Smoothie King Arena
The Best Way To Freeze Bananas: My Top 3 Tricks
1. FREEZE BANANAS IN SLICES Bananas cut into slices freeze faster, thaw faster, store more neatly, and blend better. This makes them ideal for using frozen in smoothies, blending into banana nice cream, or thawing to mash for banana bread, banana muffins, pancakes, etc.
2. CUT YOUR BANANAS INTO EVEN AMOUNTS I cut all my bananas into 8 slices. That way I always know grabbing 8 slices = 1 banana, or 4 slices = 1/2 a banana, etc. It makes for easy measuring for recipes!
3. FREEZE BANANA SLICES IN A SINGLE LAYER BEFORE PUTTING THEM IN A BAG. By flash-freezing your banana slices before transferring them to a bag, they wont stick together in a large clump. Itll be easier to pull out exactly what you need and easier to use them when you need them!
Try Making A Fruit And Veggie Container
If you like to get experimental with your smoothies, having an easy-to-access container filled with fresh ingredients can help you become a smoothie aficionado. At the beginning of each week, prepare your favorite fruits and vegetables and store them in an airtight container in the fridge.
Take time to wash, peel, and chop your fruits and vegetables into blender friendly sizes as a part of your weekly meal planning. By having the ingredients prepped, you will not have to worry about the peeling, washing, chopping that often goes hand-in-hand with fresh smoothie making. You can just grab your ingredients and toss them in the blender for a quick, delicious breakfast.
Final Thoughts
Freezing smoothies saves you time and make it easier to drink a daily healthy smoothie.
If you have any time-saving smoothie tips that you use please let us know in the comment below ? We would love to hear them.
Recommended Reading: Smoothie King Positions
When Is The Best Time To Freeze Bananas
When the bananas are ripe to overripe is the best time to freeze them. This is because the frigid temperature essentially stops their ripening cycle.
Thus, green bananas will stay green in the freezer .
Keep in mind that the riper the banana, the sweeter it will be. This is because the starches turn into sugar. So once you add ripe bananas to your smoothies, youll probably be able ditch other added sugar or sweeteners which is a big win!
How Do I Freeze Bananas
You can cut your bananas into slices or large pieces, both using the flash freeze method I mentioned earlier.
True Story: I used to carelessly throw my unfrozen bananas into a bag. Theyd then freeze together into one giant clump! Seriously, youd have to take a knife to it or the blender would be very unhappy.
So save yourself some trouble with the following simple prep:
Read Also: Smoothie King Job Requirements
The Best Method For Freezing Bananas
In this guide, I quickly take you through the steps for freezing bananas for smoothies and why you might want to do it.
If youre asking yourself can bananas be frozen, then you will be glad to hear that this is a straightforward process.
There are just a few things that you will need to look out for since bananas are a very delicate fruit. They can easily mush, brown, and taste iffy if not handled correctly.
The process of freezing fruit varies between person to person. Still, the method I explain for bananas in this guide works best for me. If you have a different approach, then please be sure to share it in the comments section at the bottom of this page.
How To Freeze A Whole Banana
This freezing method is best if you want a whole banana to snack on later. For freezing a whole banana, make sure you remove the peel first. It won’t necessarily change the way it freezes, but it removing the peel of frozen banana can be tough, so why not remove that step for yourself? Carefully place the whole banana in a freezer-safe plastic bag, squeeze the air out, and it’s good to go in the freezer.
Also Check: 10 Day Smoothie Fast
Can You Freeze Smoothies 6 Time
Smoothies are an increasingly popular healthy snack alternative and are even becoming the go-to nutritious breakfast option as they offer a simple way to increase the number of vitamins and nutrients you eat in a day.
If you want to get in as many essential vitamins and nutrients as possible by having a smoothie but do not always have the time to prepare one, then this is the guide is for you.
Smoothies do not have to be complicated. In fact, some smoothies can have as little as three ingredients. Nevertheless, sometimes it can be a pain to make your smoothie and have it ready for when you are on the go or in a hurry. Here are our favorite time-saving tips for smoothies on the go.
Can You Freeze Whole Bananas
Peeling a banana and storing it whole is hands-down my favorite way to freeze bananas. It involves almost zero effort, and then youre left with bananas that are easy to measure.
Most smoothie recipes call for 1 banana, or half of a banana, and whole frozen bananas are easy to break in half for measuring, too.
To freeze a whole banana, simply remove the peel, and then place it in an airtight container. I can usually fit up to 10 whole bananas into one of these large rectangle containers.
When you add a frozen whole banana to a smoothie, you can break it into thirds, or just in half, pretty easily with your hands, so that it will break down faster. You can also use a knife to cut a frozen banana into smaller pieces.
Note: Normally I use glass containers for our storage needs, but I like how lightweight these Ziploc containers are for frozen bananas. My kids reach into our freezer a lot, so I like that these arent breakable, either!
Read Also: Night Time Smoothie For Weight Loss
Freeze Them In Large Pieces
If you’re working on a baking project where you mash your bananas before using, but you don’t want to bother mashing them before you freeze them, you can leave them in larger pieces.
These top-rated Mocha Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins are easy to blend together with frozen, defrosted banana chunks.
Try these recipes:
Is It Important To Peel Bananas
You can freeze bananas in the peel, but you’ll save yourself some time and frustration if you remove the peels before you freeze your bananas.
When frozen, banana peels turn dark and get soft. While the bananas are still safe to eat when they’re like this, it makes the peels very difficult to remove.
Leaving the peels intact will also diminish the quality of your bananas. They won’t be as ‘fresh’ as they would be without the peel, and some people say it takes a month off the storage time.
So, go ahead and remove the peels before freezing.
Read Also: Smoothie King Center Seating View
Why Should You Flash
If you just throw your unfrozen banana slices in a freezer container and pop them in the freezer, they’ll freeze together in one big clump, which will be difficult to break apart later. Flash freezing saves you this hassle because it allows the bananas to freeze as individual slices. So, when you need bananas for a recipe, you can just reach into the bag and pull out as much as you needno chiseling required.
If you want to save even more time and hassle, consider flash freezing your whole bananas, too.
Freezing Method: Mashed And Frozen In A Single Layer
- Timing: 15 minutes
- Rating: 3/10
About this method: Peeling and mashing bananas for future use is a super common bakery trick. The mash can be measured and frozen in quart-sized bags for specific recipes. All the mashing work is done up front and you have frozen bananas puree at the ready.
Results: Despite being skeptical about this method, we had to give it a go. This method worked best for baking and was a complete failure for smoothies The pre-mashed bananas couldnt be measured out for one smoothie and gave it a slightly starchy texture .
You May Like: Club Crush Blender
Freezing Bananas For Smoothies And Drinks:
When I want to freeze bananas for smoothies, I like them more readily accessible, because were not going to thaw the bananas to make the smoothie .
I place a piece of parchment paper on a baking sheet, grab my spotty bananas, peel and slice or cut into chunks.
Spread them out so they are in a single layer as much as possible .
This way, they wont freeze together in a clump and youll be able to grab just as many banana chunks as you need from the freezer.
Pop them in the freezer to freeze for an hour or two until firm, then toss them in a freezer bag and freeze for up to 6 months.
When you need some for this Chocolate Peanut Butter Smoothie or this Metabolism Boosting Smoothie, youve got them!
How To Freeze A Bananas: 4 Simple Steps
Related: Can You Freeze Papaya?
You May Like: Smoothie King Center Seat Map