What if you’re set on a baking spree, only to discover that your fruit basket is short of bananas? This predicament is more frequent than we’d like to admit.
Bananas, with their versatile nature, naturally sweet flavor, and soft texture, are a preferred choice in desserts, beverages, and even savory dishes. Their absence, however, doesn’t mean your baking plans need to be shelved. Let’s explore the numerous banana substitutes that could save your day.
The Role of Bananas in Baking
Bananas serve crucial roles in baking recipes. Their sweet and mild flavor makes them an essential ingredient in many baked goods. Besides, bananas also act as binders, holding the recipe together, much like eggs. Without these binders, the recipe could lose its structure, turning out flat and unappetizing.
Choosing the Right Sub for Bananas
Picking a substitute for bananas in your baking recipe comes down to several factors. Pay heed to the texture as fruits contribute to fluffier and grainier bread texture. The flavor, too, is crucial because different substitutes will yield different tastes. Lastly, the overall recipe will dictate the best substitute.
With this guide at your fingertips, you are ready to embolden your culinary venture without any banana roadblocks. Happy baking!
15 Top Banana Substitutes to Remember
Ditching bananas in your baking experiment is not hard, but the change in ingredient might affect the end result. Here are some worthy contenders to take the place of bananas in your baking recipes.
Egg White or Egg
Egg whites make a good replacement for bananas in baking because they provide moisture and structure while not adding any flavor. Additionally, egg whites can act as a leavening agent to help give the baked goods volume and rise during baking. They are also good at binding the ingredients together, helping them hold their shape without crumbling or becoming too dense.
Pureed Fruit
Substituting bananas with pureed fruits can give you the same consistency of mashed bananas, thereby retaining your bread’s creamy and fluffy texture. Prunes, with their sweet taste, make one of the best options.
Plain Yogurt
Plain yogurt, with its soft and smooth texture, complements baked goods ideally. It helps to add texture, structure, and flavor to baked goods without overpowering other ingredients like bananas sometimes can. Additionally, plain yogurt is lower in sugar than many fruits and provides a healthier alternative when baking.
Greek Yogurt
Greek yogurt, with its high-fat content and thicker texture, can be an easy substitute for bananas when baking. It also adds a natural sweetness that can be used to cut down on added sugar. Greek yogurt can be used in place of bananas to make muffins, breads and cakes. Additionally, it works as a great alternative for making smoothies and puddings. In all these recipes, simply replace the banana with an equal amount of Greek yogurt.
Coconut Cream
Coconut cream, with its sweet taste and subtle nuttiness, can replace bananas, adding an intense coconut flavor to your baking. It’s an excellent addition to cakes, pies, crumbles and more. Coconut cream is also a great substitute for dairy milk in pancakes, adding a tropical flavor and creamy texture to the mix.
Plantains
Belonging to the same family as bananas, plantains carry the exact banana flavor you desire, making them perfect substitutes. Plantains are a starchy variety of banana that work especially well in baked goods like banana bread because they provide structure and sweetness. However, since plantains are starchier than bananas, you may need to increase the amount of liquid in your banana bread recipe when using plantains.
Pureed Fruit
Substituting bananas with pureed fruits can give you the same consistency of mashed bananas, thereby retaining your bread’s creamy and fluffy texture. Prunes, with their sweet taste, make one of the best options.
Pureed Beans
Pureed beans, while unconventional, imitate the smooth thick texture of bananas perfectly. You could opt for black beans, garbanzo beans, or white beans, giving your dish a mild nutty flavor.
Applesauce
Applesauce can be your best bet when replacing bananas in baking recipes. Its flavor, texture, and sweetness closely mimic those of bananas. It also works well for creamy or dense recipe textures. Applesauce is a great way to add moisture to any baked goods without added fat and it makes for a healthier alternative to using butter, oil, or other high-fat ingredients. Try adding applesauce when you’re baking cakes, muffins, breads, cookies, brownies or even pancakes.
Mashed Sweet Potato
Sweet potatoes, with their mild natural sweetness, prove excellent substitutes in recipes like cookies, smoothies, or casseroles. They are an excellent source of dietary fiber, vitamins C and B6, and potassium.
Preparing sweet potatoes can be as simple as slicing them into cubes or wedges and roasting in the oven until golden brown. Alternatively, boiling works well too; just cook for 8-10 minutes until tender when pierced with a fork.
Avocado
Avocados, reminiscent of bananas in their soft and creamy textures and slightly sweet taste, make excellent substitutes, particularly in smoothie recipes. When adding them to a smoothie, add the right size pieces for the perfect texture. For instance, when using one or two avocados, cut them into quarters and remove the pits. If using more than that, you can try slicing them to smaller slices or cubes before putting them in your blender. The key is to not overcrowd the blender so it runs efficiently.
Mango
Mango, with its creamy texture and sweet flavors similar to bananas, can be a surprising substitute, especially when baking. Rich in antioxidants and dietary fiber, mango is a great addition to any recipe. Whether it’s baked into goodies like cakes and muffins or blended into smoothies, adding mango can take your dish from ordinary to extraordinary! So don’t be afraid to give mango a try—it just might become your next favorite ingredient. Enjoy!
Silken Tofu
Silken tofu, with its texture similar to mashed bananas, can be the perfect vegan replacement for bananas. Silken tofu has a smooth texture that mimics the texture of mashed bananas often used in baking recipes. You can also add a bit of sweetener to give the batter a sweetness similar to what you’d get from using mashed bananas.
Soaked Cashews
Soaked cashews, with their nutty, flavorful, and rich taste, can be your top choice for additional creaminess. Cashew milk is a great substitution for dairy products and can be used in almost any recipe. It’s creamy, delicious, and very versatile. Plus, it’s a much healthier option than using cow’s milk!
Cashews are also an excellent source of essential vitamins and minerals such as vitamin B6, copper, zinc, magnesium, phosphorus and manganese.
Flaxseed or Flax egg
Flaxseed, a popular choice among vegans to replace egg whites, can also substitute for bananas. It’s packed with fiber, vitamins, and minerals. The flaxseed “egg” is made by combining one tablespoon of ground flaxseed meal with three tablespoons of warm water. Let it sit for 5 minutes until it thickens and resembles a runny egg white consistency. You can then use this mixture in place of eggs or bananas in recipes like
Oatmeal
Replacing bananas with oatmeal can help you achieve that grainy texture in your baked goods. This substitution works for cookies, cakes, and loafs. It can also give more flavor than bananas to your recipe. Plus it helps keep the moisture in! Give it a try next time you’re in the kitchen. You won’t be disappointed! Happy baking!
Frequently Asked Questions
What are some popular recipes that use banana substitutes?
Many recipes that call for bananas can use other ingredients instead. These include banana bread, oatmeal cookies, or breakfast smoothies.
Which ingredient can substitute bananas in smoothies? You can use avocado, cashews, Greek yogurt, or chia seeds as replacements for bananas in making smoothies.
How many bananas are there in a cup of mashed bananas? Around two average-sized bananas yield one full cup of mashed bananas.
Bananas are often favored for their sweet flavor and creamy texture which serve as binders in recipes. However, the best substitutes for bananas in baking recipes could be applesauce or plantains. Use these substitutes in a 1:1 ratio to maintain the flavors, texture, and creaminess of your recipe.
