Top 10 Recipes to Celebrate Banana Lovers’ Day

What does August 27th mean to you? Is it someone special’s birthday? Is it your first day at a new job? Is it the day you’re finally getting the haircut you’ve always wanted? In a foodie’s world, August 27th only means one thing: Banana Lovers’ Day!

For all you banana newbies out there, your world is about to be rocked. There are endless delicious recipes that involve bananas. We use them in breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert, and they always add their own personal flare to every dish.

We just have one rule: NEVER throw away your bananas. Yes, we know they tend to grow brown and spotty after a few days of sitting on the countertop. This is okay! You may not want to unpeel one and eat it on its own, but there are so many different ways we can put ripe bananas to use! So as long as we promise each other to never throw away our bananas, all will be okay in the banana lovers’ world.

When you think of bananas, you may not think of delicious, hearty breads, moist muffins, and decadent desserts. That’s okay, because we’ve compiled a list of the top 10 recipes to try to celebrate one of the greatest days of the year, Banana Lovers’ Day!

10. Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie

Who doesn’t love a good smoothie? They’re quick, simple, and totally refreshing. They’re great for busy mornings, and they’re a bulletproof way to satisfy anyone with a sweet tooth. Not to mention, it’s very easy to load ‘em up with nutritional goodness!

This peanut butter banana smoothie is so simple, yet so decadent. The combination of peanut butter and banana is timeless, and brings us all back to childhood. And this smoothie has some extra add-ins for a nutritional boost! The best part is, all the ingredients are basic ones that we all have on hand!

All you need is two frozen bananas, milk, yogurt, oats, and peanut butter. Throw everything in a blender, blend it up, and BAM! You’ve got a deliciously healthy smoothie that can pass for a dessert! If you want to add some superfood power, add in a couple of tablespoons of chia seeds and a handful of kale. The taste will remain the same, but now it’ll be loaded with healthy omega-3 fatty acids, antioxidants, and fiber.

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9. Strawberry Banana Ice Cream

I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream! Is there a more perfect way to end the day then with a big bowl of ice cream? After a long, tiring day at work, what could be more tasty and rewarding? Ice cream is a timeless comfort food. It comes in all flavors, colors, shapes and sizes. You can name just about any flavor combination in the world, and there has been some sort of ice cream rendition of it.

We all love going to the local ice cream parlor with the family, but why not stay in and make your own? It’s easy, affordable, and is sure to please a crowd!

What’ the best part about this strawberry banana ice cream? It only has four ingredients! All you need is frozen bananas, frozen strawberries, vanilla extract, and whipping cream. If you’d like, you can substitute or add in any other frozen fruits along with the bananas. Also, you can make it in advance, and just pop it in the freezer. That way, there’s no planning involved. It’s ready whenever you are!

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8. Banana Cream Pie Bites

Banana cream pie is a classic. The combination of a flaky pie crust, a sweet banana filling, and a fluffy whipped cream topping is to die for. The velvety banana custard inside is just dreamy!

While banana cream pie may seem like a daunting recipe to attempt, there are many variations of it that anyone can try! This particular recipe ups the cuteness factor of banana cream pie, making it into bite-sized treats.

The ingredients could not be simpler! All you need is pie crust (store-bought pie crust works just fine), banana cream pudding mix, whipped cream, and bananas. You can make these in a regular size muffin pan, or a mini one for bite-sized cuties.

To form mini pies, the trick is to roll your dough into little balls. Then, just place them in a mini muffin pan, and press the dough into the pan, to form little pie crusts. While the crusts are baking, make your banana cream pudding following the instructions on the box, and slice your bananas into circular coins. Once the crusts are done baking, fill ‘em up with the pudding. You must give them some time to allow the pudding to set. Once it sets, drop a banana coin on top of each one, and top with some fluffy whipped cream!

These treats are easy, personal, and absolutely scrumptious!

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7. Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins

Do you know the muffin man? Well, he lives on Drury Lane, and he’s whipping up a batch of these amazing chocolate chip banana muffins! Muffins come in a whole mess of varieties. There’s sweet muffins, savory muffins, breakfast muffins, dessert muffins, even protein muffins!

These muffins are special. They’re moist, decadent, and oozing with melty chocolate chips. Sounds heavenly, right?

They’re also a no-brainer! These muffins are made with simple ingredients that most of us always have hanging out in the pantry. They require flour, sugar, baking soda, vanilla, sour cream, eggs, butter, chocolate chips, and bananas. All you have to do is combine all the ingredients, pop ‘em into a muffin pan, and wait for the smell of the chocolate-y banana goodness to fill your home.

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6. Monkey Butter

Monkey butter? What the heck is that? The name may sound a bit strange, but this spread is a sweet treat perfect for any time of the day!

This recipe is fool proof, and requires just five ingredients. You need 5 ripe bananas, a can of crushed pineapple, ¼ cup of coconut, sugar, and lemon juice. That’s it! All you have to do is combine all ingredients in a pot on the stovetop. Bring the mixture to a boil, then down to a simmer, and stir it constantly. As it simmers, it will thicken into a jam-like consistency.

Once the jam thickens, just transfer it into sterilized glass jars. It makes the perfect spread for toast in the morning, or on top of your nightly bowl of ice cream! It even makes for a perfect gift for a friend.

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5. Chocolate Dipped Frozen Banana Pops

Bananas, chocolate, and yummy toppings. What could be better? These banana pops are a delicious and refreshing treat for kids and adults alike! Not only are they delicious to eat, but they’re also a blast to make. They can be made differently for every person as well.

All you need are bananas, popsicle sticks, chocolate, and whatever toppings you like! Peel and cut the bananas in half. Then stick a popsicle stick in each half, to make banana pops. Lay the pops on a tray on some parchment paper, and let them sit in the freezer for about an hour. Then, melt your chocolate. You can do this on the stovetop or in the microwave, whichever you prefer. Dip the frozen banana pops in the chocolate, and roll those bad boys in whatever toppings you like. You can use nuts, sprinkles, crushed cereals, crushed cookies, candy, or all of the above!

Once you have dipped all the bananas and added all your toppings, lay them back on the parchment paper, and toss ‘em back in the freezer until you’re ready to devour them!

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4. 3 Ingredient Pancakes

Most of us can agree that pancakes are the king of all breakfast foods. Who doesn’t love a tall stack of fluffy pancakes with a dollop of butter and syrup dripping down from every angle? They’re sweet, satisfying, and beyond delicious.

Sure, we all love pancakes. But do we all love making them? Now that’s a different story. While they are totally scrumptious, they can be a bit of a tedious task. When it’s early in the morning and we’re hungry, we may not be up for making the batter, cooking them, and dealing with all the dishes. Well here’s a groundbreaking solution: 3 ingredient pancakes!

All you need for these delicious pancakes are one large banana, 2 eggs, and some cinnamon. Mash the banana with a fork, whisk with the two eggs, and add a pinch of cinnamon. Spray a skillet with cooking spray, and cook those bad boys up! The pancakes keep their shape, and are moist and flavorful. Not only are these pancakes a no brainer to make and delicious to eat, but they’re also very nutritious! Most pancake recipes involve batter with who-knows-what in it and loads of sugar. These pancakes pack a hearty punch, with a serving of fruit and lots of protein. You’ll never strike out with this grand slam breakfast!

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3. Pan-Fried Honey Bananas

We all love bananas. They’re convenient, delicious, and nutritional powerhouses. But every once in a while, we all get sick of plain bananas right? We’re bored with our usual routines of unpeeling them and chomping away. We want to try something new, something to really jazz up these versatile fruits.

Pan-fried honey bananas is a perfect way to do so! The bananas become caramelized with the sweet honey in the most decadent way. And they could not be easier to make.

All you need are some bananas, honey, butter, cinnamon, and salt. Slice up your bananas. Then, in a nonstick skillet, add some honey, cinnamon, butter, and salt. Heat that mixture up and add your banana slices. Cook the banana slices for about five minutes on each side. As the mixture caramelizes them, they’ll become golden and sticky. Voila! You’re all done!

These delicious little bites are scrumptious on their own, or as a topping. They make a delicious ice cream topping. You could even throw ‘em between two slices of bread with some peanut butter and marshmallow fluff and make an incredible sandwich! Whatever way you have them, these bananas are a sure fire sweet tooth satisfier!

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2. Blueberry Banana Bread

Get your baking apron out! This blueberry banana bread gives a new twist to traditional banana bread, and is made of healthy, wholesome ingredients that the whole family will love.

This delicious treat requires a prep time of only 15 minutes. The cook time is 50 minutes, so your oven will do most of the work for you! This recipe calls for simple, everyday ingredients, including flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, honey, greek yogurt, almond milk, vanilla extract, eggs, cinnamon, bananas and blueberries.

Substituting Greek yogurt for butter, and honey for sugar really ups the nutrition factor of this loaf! The blueberries not only add nutritional benefits, but they add a delectable sweetness, sure to put a smile on anyone’s face.

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1. Grilled Banana Splits

We all remember going to the ice cream parlor as kids, and ordering banana splits. We wanted the largest size they had, with as many scoops that would fit in the bowl, and infinite amounts of toppings. Who doesn’t love a good banana split?

These grilled banana splits add a new element to the classic banana split: the grill! Grilling the bananas really brings out their sweetness. They begin to soften, and caramelize along the edges. This literally adds a banana flavored sweet syrup to the banana split, and it is divine.

The process is very simple. Just slice your bananas long ways, down the middle. Place them cut side up on the grill for about 5 minutes. And that’s it! Transfer them to bowls, and top them with ice cream, chocolate sauce, and all the bells and whistles of a tasty banana split!