Name: How to Ripen Bananas in the oven
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 3
Ingredients: 3 Yellow Bananas

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Today we are going to teach you how to ripen bananas quickly in the oven to use in recipes and baking. Ripening bananas in the oven is a great kitchen hack to know. No more waiting days and days for your bananas to ripen naturally, just use this hack and you will have all the perfectly ripened bananas you need!

Use ripened bananas to make my peanut butter banana chocolate chip cookies, my banana oat blender muffins, or my easy one bowl banana bread!

a ripened banana peeled down the side laying on a blackened banana skin

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How do Bananas Ripen Naturally?
Is there a difference between baking a yellow banana and a naturally ripened banana?
How to quickly ripen bananas in the oven (for baking)
How to Ripen Bananas in the oven

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How do Bananas Ripen Naturally?

Naturally bananas and other fruits ripen by releasing a natural plant hormone called ethylene in the form of gas.

This gas surges when the fruit is ready to ripen and the surge stimulates the fruit to change from a hard dull, not so yummy tasting fruit into a sugary soft delicious fruit.

The release of ethylene converts the starches to sugars making the ripened fruit sweet and tasty.

a bunch of yellow bananas sitting on a table

Is there a difference between baking a yellow banana and a naturally ripened banana?

Yes.

As bananas ripen (turn brown) naturally on your counter they develop more sugars and a sweeter taste.

Baking a yellow banana that has only begun to produce its sugars tends to produce a less sweet ripened banana.

Although, you will likely never be able to tell the difference between a naturally sweetened banana and an oven ripened banana in a recipe.

How to quickly ripen bananas in the oven (for baking)

What is the fastest way to ripen a banana? The oven. Hands down.

Using the oven to ripen your bananas is the fastest way to a ripe banana. It is a great "hack" to quickly ripen bananas for banana bread or any other recipe that calls for ripe bananas.

All you have to do is place your yellow bananas on a baking sheet with some parchment paper and pop it into the oven and the bananas will be fully ripened in about 30 minutes!

black ripened bananas on a baking sheet after cooking

Note: This method for ripening bananas should only be used when you are using the bananas for baking or using in a recipe. They are safe to eat but baking them makes them kind of slimy, just like when you take a frozen banana from the freezer and let it thaw. Still delicious, just not a delicious texture eaten by it self.

Using this method also allows you to bake the exact amount of bananas you need for a recipe.

Instead of letting a bunch of 6 bananas go ripe on the counter, just pop a couple of your perfectly yellow bananas into the oven and you'll be enjoying that banana bread in no time!

how long do you put bananas in the oven to ripen?

Baking bananas in the oven will have them fully ripened with in about 30 minutes!

Tip: You will need to let the bananas cool to room temperature before using them in a recipe. They come out of the oven VERY hot and usually with some of the sugar juices on the outside of the peel. They can very easily burn you.

After they are cool, remove the peel, place them into a bowl, mash them up and they are ready to use!