These Air Fryer Caramelized Bananas make the perfect dessert in under 10 minutes! Soft yet crunchy, the whole family will adore them!
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I’ve said it before and will say it again, I am in love with my air fryer!
I’m finding so many different things to cook in it and these caramelised bananas blew my mind! They were crazily simple to make and tasted divine 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.
Looking for more things to cook in the air fryer? Check out these Air Fryer Chicken Skewers.
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❤️ Why You Will Love This Recipe..
- This air fryer banana dessert uses only 4 ingredients that you are bound to have at home in the cupboard.
- It is deliciously sweet and easy to make.
- Much healthier than fried banana desserts like fritters.
- Is ready to eat in under 10 minutes, so great for when you are short on time.
🥘 Ingredients & Notes
✋ Be sure to double check all packaging for allergens. ✋
- Bananas - You will need to use ripe bananas that are 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.
- 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 an extra dimension of flavour to the bananas. It’s totally optional but personally I think it's needed.
🤔 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 150˚C / 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 6 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 Air Fryer Caramelized Bananas
⬇️ For the full printable recipe, along with ingredient quantities, scroll to the recipe card at the end of the post ⬇️
Begin by preheating your air fryer to 200˚C / 390°F. While waiting for the air fryer to preheat, peel the bananas and slice them lengthways down the middle.
Next, melt the butter in a small bowl using either the microwave or a saucepan over a low heat.
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.
In another small bowl, mix the brown sugar and cinnamon together, then sprinkle the sugar-cinnamon mixture over the bananas.
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.
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 on top of vanilla ice cream.
💡 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 these air fryer liners.
- You can also slice the banana into rounds if you prefer. Just pour the melted butter in a bowl, add the bananas, then toss the bananas in the sugar and cinnamon mixture.
🔪 Equipment
All of my air fryer recipes are created with the Instant Pot Vortex Plus Clear Cook. I absolutely love this air fryer, it cooks everything really evenly and the best thing is the see through drawer with a light, so you can actually see how your food is cooking without having to keep opening the basket.
🍴 Serving Suggestions
These air fryer caramelised 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 pancakes or waffles for a filling and tasty brunch or breakfast.
Another great way to serve the bananas are sliced up in your morning porridge with some seeds and berries.
💬 FAQ
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..
Try these other delicious banana recipes
📖 Recipe
Air Fryer Caramelized 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.
- You can also slice the banana into rounds if you prefer. Just pour the melted butter in a bowl, add the bananas, then toss the bananas in the sugar and cinnamon mixture.
Let me know what you think of this recipe!