These Air Fryer Bananas make the perfect dessert in under 10 minutes! Soft on the inside yet crunchy and caramelised on the outside, they are delicious served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!
I’ve said it before and will say it again, I am in love with my air fryer!
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I’m finding so many different things to cook in it and these caramelised air fryer bananas blew my mind! They were so simple to make and tasted amazing with a dollop of vanilla ice-cream.
When you cook bananas in an air fryer, their natural sugars start to caramelise, resulting in a rich and gooey texture. Add in some brown sugar and they become sweet & soft on the inside, yet crunchy on the outside.
Served on their own, they are also naturally gluten and egg-free and even dairy-free too if you use a vegan butter.
This is the perfect dessert for that impromptu playdate or when you have unexpected guests and want to serve something quick yet impressive. My kids adore them, as they do these gluten-free rocky roads & gluten-free apple turnovers!
Looking for more things to cook in the air fryer? Check out these Air Fryer Chicken Skewers & Air Fryer Garlic Smashed Potatoes.
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❤️ Why You Will Love This Recipe..
- ✔️ Only Uses A Few Ingredients: To make these fried bananas you will only need 4 ingredients that you are all store cupboard staples.
- ✔️ Great Way To Use Up Old Bananas: A great way to turn leftover bananas into a delicious treat.
- ✔️ Healthy: They are much healthier than fried banana desserts like fritters.
- ✔️ Ready In Under 10 Minutes: These baked bananas make a great dessert for when you are short on time.
🥘 Ingredients You Will Need
✋ Double check all packaging for allergens ✋
- Bananas - You will need to use ripe bananas that are still yellow. If you use over-ripe bananas that have lots of black spots, you will find the bananas turn mushy in the air fryer. If they are not ripe enough and are still a bit green, you will find they will not caramelise in the air fryer as they don’t have enough natural sugar in them.
- Butter - I have used vegan butter to keep this recipe dairy-free, but you can use regular butter if you don’t need the recipe to be milk-free. Coconut oil will also work well.
- Sugar - I love dark brown sugar in this recipe as I find it gives the best caramelisation. You can experiment with different sugars and use a caster, granulated or light brown sugar - whatever you have in the cupboard!
- Cinnamon - This is used to give the bananas an extra dimension of flavour. It’s totally optional but personally I think it's needed. If you're a fan of cinnamon, check out these Biscoff overnight oats!
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
🤔 How Do You Ripen Bananas?
If you've got some green bananas that you want to ripen up, here are a few easy ways to speed up the process:
- Leave them on the counter: The easiest way to ripen bananas is to simply leave them on your kitchen counter at room temperature. The bananas will naturally ripen as the enzymes inside break down the starches and turn them into sugar. This should take around 3-5 days
- Put them in a paper bag: If you want to speed up the ripening process even more, you can put your bananas in a paper bag. This will trap the ethylene gas that the bananas naturally produce and speed up the ripening process. This should take around 1-2 days.
- Add an apple or avocado: If you really want to kick things into high gear, you can add an apple or avocado to the paper bag with your bananas. Both of these fruits also produce ethylene gas, which will help the bananas ripen faster.
- Use a ripening bowl: If you don't have a paper bag handy, you can also use a ripening bowl. Simply put your bananas in a bowl and cover the top with cling film. This will trap the ethylene gas and speed up the ripening process.
- Bake them: If you're in a hurry and want ripe bananas right now, you can also bake them in the oven. Simply place your unpeeled bananas on a baking sheet and bake them at 300°F for about 15-20 minutes. The heat will speed up the ripening process and make the bananas softer and sweeter.
I wouldn’t recommend number 5 for this recipe as you don’t want the bananas to be over-ripe and black. Yellow with no spots is what you need!
✏️ How To Make- Step-By-Step Instructions
⬇️ Here you will find an overview of how to make the recipe. For full information on ingredients and quantities please see the recipe card at the bottom of the page ⬇️
Step 1: Begin by preheating your air fryer to 200˚C / 390°F.
Step 2: While waiting for the air fryer to preheat, peel the bananas and slice them lengthways down the middle.
Step 3: Next, melt the butter in a small bowl using either the microwave or a saucepan over a low heat.
Step 4: Arrange the bananas on a piece of foil that fits the air fryer's size and shape. Poke a few holes in the foil then use a pastry brush to coat the bananas with the melted butter. (Using foil makes cleaning up a lot easier!)
Step 5: In another small bowl, mix the brown sugar and cinnamon, then sprinkle the sugar-cinnamon mixture over the bananas.
Step 6: Carefully lift the foil with the bananas on and place it in the air fryer basket. Cook for 7-9 minutes without flipping. If the bananas are not caramelized enough, cook them for an additional 2-3 minutes.
Step 7: Once the bananas are caramelized to your liking, remove them from the air fryer basket and allow them to cool for a minute or two. Serve the air-fried bananas as they are or with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top!
💡 Tips & Tricks
- ✔️ Using foil helps to keep the mess to a minimum, just remember to poke a few holes in it to let the air circulate. Alternatively, you can use an air fryer liner.
- ✔️ Use ripe bananas that are yellow in colour. If they are over-ripe & covered in black spots they will become mushy when cooked. If the bananas are green you will find they won’t be as sweet or soften as well,
- ✔️ You can also slice the banana into rounds if you prefer. Just pour the melted butter into a bowl, add the bananas, then toss the banana circles in the sugar and cinnamon mixture.
- ✔️ All air fryers cook at a different speed, so keep an eye on them and take them out when they are crunchy and golden in colour.
🍴 Serving Suggestions
These air-fried bananas are delicious just served as they are on their own, but the kids love them with a big dollop of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream on top.
They are also great served with eggless pancakes or waffles for a filling and tasty brunch or breakfast.
Another great way to serve these bananas is sliced up in your morning porridge with some seeds and berries scattered over the top.
💬 Recipe FAQs
You could, but they're definitely best served fresh. If you do reheat them, they might lose some of their crispiness.
Sure, you could try using honey, maple syrup, or even white sugar if you prefer. Just keep in mind that the cooking time might vary depending on the type of sweetener you use.
Do I have to use foil to cook the bananas in the air fryer?
Nope, you don't have to use foil, but it does make it easier to transfer the bananas in and out of the air fryer. You could also use parchment paper instead.
🍌 More Banana Recipes..
Why not try some of these other delicious banana recipes!
If you loved this recipe, please leave me a 5🌟 rating or comment below. I really do appreciate it. 😊
📖 Recipe
Air Fryer Bananas
Equipment
- Air fryer liners optional
Ingredients
- 2 medium bananas ripe (yellow with no black spots)
- 2 teaspoon dairy free butter or regular butter if you don't need dairy free
- 1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Start by preheating your air fryer to 200˚C / 390°F.
- While your air fryer is preheating, peel your bananas and slice them lengthways down the middle.
- Melt the butter in a small bowl in the microwave or over the hob in a saucepan on a low heat.
- In a small bowl, mix together the brown sugar and cinnamon.
- Place the bananas on some foil with a few holes poked in it, in a shape that will fit in your air fryer.
- Using a pastry brush, coat the bananas with the melted butter.
- Sprinkle the sugar and cinnamon over the bananas.
- Lift the foil with the bananas on it and place in the air fryer basket.
- Cook for 7-9 minutes, you don’t need to flip them. If your bananas are not yet caramelized enough, you can cook them for another 2-3 minutes.
- Once your bananas are caramelized to your liking, remove them from the air fryer basket and let them cool for a minute or two.
- Serve your air fryer caramelized bananas as is or on top of some vanilla ice cream.
Notes
- Using foil helps to keep the mess to a minimum, just remember to poke a few holes in it to let the air circulate. Alternatively, you can use these air fryer liners.
- Use ripe bananas that are yellow in colour. If they are over-ripe & covered in black spots they will become mushy when cooked. If the bananas are green you will find they won’t be as sweet or soften as well,
- You can also slice the banana into rounds if you prefer. Just pour the melted butter into a bowl, add the bananas, then toss the banana circles in the sugar and cinnamon mixture.
- All air fryers cook at a different speed, so keep an eye on them and take them out when they are crunchy and golden in colour.
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