More often than not, one only whips up a delicious banana loaf to avoid wasting the abominations that took a turn for the worse in the fruit bowl. But what about those days when you’re craving banana bread and all you can get are perfect, untarnished yellow ones from the stores? Gosh, how rude.

Turns out you can fast-track your bananas to mushy, supersweet goodness by roasting them in the oven!

Why are ripe bananas best for baking?

Woah woah woah…what’s the issue with using perfectly yellow bananas for baking?

Well, while they’re absolutely fine to use for your bakes, they’ll yield completely underwhelming results compared to using overripe bananas.

That’s because when bananas ripen, they get a softer texture and have a far more pungent flavour and intense sweetness. Because flavours are dulled down in baking by all of the other ingredients that make up your batter/dough, this intensity of ‘bananariness’ will give you the most delicious, moist, flavourful results.

Note: Don’t go too far over to the dark side and use questionable, fermented, vintage bananas. When your bananas have crossed the point where you start to turn your nose up at eating them, then they’re good to go.

How to ripen your bananas in your oven

It’s very easy to mimic the effects of overripe bananas by roasting them. Here’s what to do:

1. PREHEAT your oven to 180°C.
2. LINE a baking tray with baking paper and place your nice whole, unpeeled bananas on top. Greeny-yellow to yellow bananas are perfect.
3. BAKE for 15-20 minutes until the bananas are softened and the skins are dark brown all over.
4. COOL completely, then peel and scoop out the banana to use in your recipe.

That’s it! This method gives you INSTANT results. If you want to bake banana bread in a few days only and suspect your bananas need just a slight nudge, you can close them up in brown paper bag on your counter.

Put it into practice

Try out some of these delicious banana-based bakes using our MiniMakes Small Batch Baking mixes:

Coconut & Banana Snacking Cake

This moreish banana cake is made with NOMU Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Greek yoghurt for a superior flavour. Topped with a fluffy whipped coconut & yoghurt frosting, it’s a light and ‘healthier’ choice of sweet treat for snacking on hot summer days.

Chocolate Banana Muffins

The love-child of tender banana bread and fluffy chocolate muffins, with some chocolate chips thrown in for good measure.

Spiced Banana and Pecan Loaf

A classic! Slice and serve while still warm with a shmear of butter for a scrumptious tea-time treat.

Enjoyed this post? Follow us on Instagram for delicious recipe inspiration, baking tips and more.