5 Awesome Snacks You Can Make With Ripe Bananas

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Ripe bananas are a great problem to have on your hands. When you discover a bunch of extra ripe bananas, don’t toss them. The riper the better. For a perfectly ripe banana, you’ll want to make sure it’s almost all brown and even bordering on black to lend the sweetest flavor. Here are five awesome snacks you can make with ripe bananas.

1. Ice Cream

You’ll want to throw your hat in the ring with this dairy-free ice cream. You’ll need bananas, raw nut butter, cocoa powder, coconut oil, cinnamon, nutmeg and a pinch of salt. Banana ice cream is insanely easy to make. As long as you have a blender and access to a freezer, you can make this fruity frozen treat overnight. This three-ingredient recipe will take you 10 minutes to make and you’ll have a cool summer snack on your hands.

2. Oatmeal

When you want to make your oatmeal extra creamy and you don’t have any milk on your hands, bananas will come to the rescue. This sweet and creamy healthy oatmeal is made with old-fashioned oats, water and mashed ripe bananas. You’ll use the bananas like a puree and whisk them into the water before you add them into your oatmeal. This technique lets the oatmeal soak up all of those sweet banana flavors while it’s cooking. Try this peanut butter and jelly whipped banana oatmeal with chia seeds for another hearty breakfast.

3. Pancakes

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One of the best ways to use your ripe bananas is with pancakes. Try these two-ingredient pancakes. All you need is one ripe banana and two large eggs. While these pancakes are sweet enough on their own, you can always get creative by adding ingredients like cinnamon, berries, nutmeg or cocoa powder. Keep in mind that these easy banana-based pancakes will be on the thin side and more crêpe-like than you’re used to. This just means you’ll be able to eat more of them!

4. Cookies

Bananas are basically your best friend in the kitchen when you want to eliminate dairy. These two-ingredient breakfast cookies can be made with mashed bananas and gluten-free oats, alone. You can treat the oats like flour by blending them in the food processor or blender, and your mashed bananas will act as a binder in place of eggs. If peanut butter and banana are one of your favorite duos, try these vegan cookies with maple syrup, coconut oil, flaxseed and vanilla.

5. Peanut Butter Cups

This healthy-ish version of peanut butter cups will make the most out of your ripe bananas. You won’t have to worry about all kinds of added sugar either. As long as you have chocolate chips, bananas, peanut butter, coconut oil and baking cups, you’ll be all set to make these addicting snacks. These banana peanut butter cups are made with dark chocolate and a little bit of salt for a garnish.