How to Store Bananas in 3 Different Ways

Bananas are truly a gift sent from heaven!

Neither are they overly saccharine and juicy (read: messy) like some fruits, nor are they too bland to not taste good on their own (yes, I’m talking about, avocados!)

They are such a popular food item that everyone, from cute little toddlers to grumpy old grandpas, simply loves to devour them, and I’m no exception – I love this divine fruit. 

Perhaps, the best bit about bananas is just how versatile they are as a fruit – you can have them as is, throw them in shakes and smoothies, and even make delicious desserts with them such as the ever-popular banana bread (a favorite in my home), delectable banana pudding, and mouthwatering peanut butter banana brownies. 

However, the one thing that can get in the way of you enjoying this delicious fruit is that bananas tend to ripen and then rot a little too quickly, which makes them pretty perishable.

However, my love for bananas urged me to come up with the perfect solution to keep bananas fresh. 

So, if you are wondering how to store bananas, read on to find out.

How to Store Bananas 

To keep bananas fresh, you can store them in three different ways – on your countertop, in the fridge, and in the freezer.

Whichever method you choose, depends on the ripeness of your bananas.

So, let’s see how you can store both green and ripe bananas on the countertop.

On the Countertop 

If you bought green bananas that are yet to fully ripen, then the best way to store then is on your countertop. This is because if you refrigerate or freeze them, they won’t ripen.

Here’s how you can store green bananas on your countertop: 

Here’s how you can store green bananas on your countertop: 

Things You Will Need

• Green bananas
• A paper bag
• Ripened fruits such as an apple or a tomato

Instructions

1. Make sure to take the bananas out of their store packaging or plastic bag as soon as you reach home. If you keep them in the bag, it will cause moisture to build up, which will make your bananas rot.
2. Take a brown paper bag and put your green bananas in it. If you add a tomato or an apple in the bag as well, the bananas will ripen within a day!  

Alternatively, you can place your green bananas in your fruit basket next to an already ripened food or some ripe bananas.

However, if you have a large batch of green bananas, then it would be best if you invest in a banana tree.

They are free-standing and you can place them on your countertop to hang your bananas on them.

These trees allow air to circulate around the bananas, which prevents them from forming resting bruises. 

Here’s how you can store ripe bananas on your countertop:

Things You Will Need

• Ripe bananas
• A paper bag
• Unripe avocado or pear

Instructions

• Place your ripe bananas inside a paper bag and also throw in some unripe fruits, such as avocados or pears. This will slow down the ripening process of banana and also help the unripe fruit to ripen faster. 

In the Fridge

If you don’t care about the banana peels turning an unsightly blackish brown color, then make sure to put your ripened bananas in the fridge.

Refrigerating them will keep the bananas fresh and firm for a few days longer. Here’s how you can refrigerate bananas:

1. Take the ripe bananas out of the plastic wrap.
2. Place the bananas in the produce drawer of your fridge.

That’s pretty much it!

In the Freezer

If you want to store ripened and cut slices of bananas to use later in various dishes, then make sure to freeze them.

Here’s how you can freeze bananas:

Things You Will Need

• Ripe bananas
• A knife
• Freezer bags or plastic containers

Instructions

1. Peel the ripe bananas and use a knife to cut them into tiny slices or medium-sized chunks.
2. Put the slices in heavy-duty freezer bags or plastic containers.
3. Place the bags or containers in your freezer and enjoy frozen banana chunks for 2 to 3 months.

Pro Tip: When freezing banana chunks, make sure to freeze them in portions that you’ll use in your recipes. This makes things pretty convenient for you. 

You can thaw frozen banana slices or chunks and use them in delicious and refreshing breakfast smoothies! 

Can You Refrigerate Bananas? 

You can refrigerate bananas only when they have become fully ripe.

If you refrigerate unripe bananas, it will stem their ripening process and the refrigerated bananas won’t have the same soft texture and sweet flavor as ripened bananas.

However, if you put fully ripened bananas in your fridge and ensure that the cooling is optimal, it will keep the bananas fresh and tasty. 

How to Keep Bananas Fresh

If you want to keep bananas fresh, then as soon as you take a bunch of bananas out of its plastic bag, tightly wrap some plastic or cling wrap around the stems of the bunch.

Each time you take out a banana, make sure to rewrap the leftover banana stems in the plastic wrap. This method prevents premature ripening in bananas.

How Long Do Bananas Last

When kept at room temperature, bananas will become fully ripe and then proceed to over ripe within 2 to 5 days, depending on how ripe they were when you bought them.

If you want to extend the shelf life of ripe bananas, then it’s vital that you refrigerate them. Fully ripe bananas will easily last up to 5 to 7 days in the fridge.

During refrigeration, the skin of the banana will turn black, but the fruit itself will remain safe to eat. You can even freeze bananas to extend their life.

If stored properly, they will retain their taste and flavor for around 2 to 3 months. 

How to Keep Bananas Fresh Longer

If you want to keep bananas fresh for a longer time, then make sure to separate the ripe ones form the green ones.

Tightly wrap the stems of the ripe ones in plastic wrap and only remove the wrap when you’re ready to eat them.

Alternatively, you can separate all the bananas from the bunch and wrap the stem of each in cling wrap and keep them separately. This will prolong their life. 

How Do You Keep Bananas from Turning Brown?

The way to keep peeled bananas from turning brown is to simply add a bit of lime or lemon juice to them.

This will effectively keep them fresh. If you don’t have lime juice at hand, you can even use orange or pineapple juice to keep the sliced banana from turning brown.

Even though adding citrus will slightly alter the taste of your banana, making it taste a little tart, it will keep it fresh for long. 

You can even freeze whole bananas from turning brown by putting them in freezer bags and freezing them.

Even though the peel will turn brownish-black, the inside of the fruit will remain fresh. Just make sure that you don’t try to unpeel frozen bananas, as it’s a rather impossible task! 

The Bottom Line

I hope you enjoyed reading this article on how to store bananas and that you’ll try the three methods that I’ve mentioned above – storing them on the countertop, in the fridge, and in your freezer.

Make sure to devour the bananas before they become overripe and turn into mush. 

So, what are you waiting for? Start storing this delectable fruit the right way and go bananas!