Bananas for Bananas

A year ago, I presented the Serious Eats team with what I thought was a bizarre idea: an immersive collection of recipes and articles celebrating my love of bananas. I was so enthusiastic—practically exclaiming at the top of my lungs—that our editorial director Daniel Gritzer fell backwards off his chair with excitement. It turns out the rest of the Serious Eats team loves bananas just as much as I do (well, almost). 

A year later, I find myself here sharing this labor of love. For the past few months, I have immersed myself so deeply in the world of bananas that my husband has basically banned the fruit from our household after too many bowls of banana pudding, slices of banoffee pie, and buckets of banana smoothies as I worked on those recipes. My love of bananas, however, knows no bounds, and I won’t rest until you’re all as enthusiastic about bananas as I am.

It’s easy to take bananas for granted—the fruit is everywhere. Once though, before early 20th century advancements in shipping and agriculture made it possible to transport the fruit outside its native tropical zones, bananas were a luxury.

To me, bananas are still a luxury, and one I get excited about even though I eat them at least once a day. It’s an ingredient so versatile that you could, if you so desired, prepare a delicious meal with almost all of the plant. In the West, bananas are mostly prized for their fruit and reserved for the realm of desserts, where they star in classics like banana bread, banana pudding, and banana cream pie. In other parts of the world, though, the fruit, leaves, blossoms, and sometimes even the root are used in both sweet and savory dishes. 

In Myanmar, cooks incorporate banana stems into refreshing salads and mohinga, a fragrant fish soup. In the southwestern Indian state of Kerala, banana peels feature in thoran, a spiced stir-fry. Throughout Thailand, crisp banana blossoms are used as a base for dishes like this spicy chicken, banana blossom, and herb salad. And while not edible, banana leaves make an excellent cooking vessel: In the Philippines, they’re used to wrap a bibingka, a coconut-flavored rice cake; and in the Mexican state of Yucatan, cooks wrap pork tightly with the leaves to make cochinita pibil, tender barbecued pork. 

Below, you’ll find a slew of informative articles and pitch-perfect recipes that celebrate the banana as it deserves to be. 

We are, simply put, bananas for bananas—and hope you are, too.

The more you think about bananas, the stranger a concept they seem: Almost all bananas are grown in tropical climates, yet they feel as much a staple in North American grocery stores as our native apples. In the United States, most people only have access to the Cavendish, a slender, slightly curved banana with a cheerful shade of yellow. Around the world, however, there are thousands of varieties to know and love—here are a few.

Why do banana-flavored candies taste so odd? The fascinating answer involves a global plant plague and this fruity-smelling organic chemical.

The sad fact is, bananas don’t care one bit whether they fit into your personal snacking schedule. They’re either not ready to eat, suddenly ready to eat, and then too ripe to eat…but still great for baking. In our attempt to solve the banana dilemma, we tested numerous methods to both slow and speed ripening. Here are the best ones.

Relive your childhood summers with this retro banana split, complete with strawberry, chocolate, and fudge sauces, dollops of whipped cream, and maraschino cherries.

Banana Smoothie

This salty-sweet peanut–butter banana smoothie takes all of five minutes to whizz up and gets extra creaminess from whole milk, nut butter, and frozen bananas.

You can make our creamy banana ice cream with just one ingredient—but a couple of pantry ingredients make it so much better than any other “nice” cream.

Turon—a sweet, banana-filled rendition of lumpia—are delightful any way you serve them. Eat them all by themselves, dunked into caramel or chocolate sauce, or with a scoop of your favorite ice cream..

Banana Pudding

Made with a luscious vanilla pastry cream, ripe bananas, and vanilla wafers, this simple banana pudding is the very best version you can make at home.

Banana Foster

This classic flambéed banana-and-caramel dessert comes together in minutes in a single skillet, making it both impressive and easy.

Bananas have made prominent appearances in music, movies, and TV shows and might just be the most popular fruit ever—even beyond the grocery basket. Here’s our list of the top 10 most impactful banana-related pop culture moments.

For a striking loaf with a deep mahogany crust, tender crumb, and the most intense banana flavor, cram six bananas into the batter. Yes, six bananas.

Brown Butter Bananarama Cookies

These cookies get their rich banana and toffee flavor from caramelized bananas and brown butter.

5-Ingredient British Banoffee Pie

This low-effort dessert with gooey dulce de leche, sliced bananas, and whipped cream is a British classic—and one fitting for both dinner parties and casual gatherings.

Americans have cornbread and dinner rolls—Filipinos have puto, a fluffy savory cake covered and served with banana leaves.

Bánh Nậm (Vietnamese Steamed Rice Dumplings With Shrimp and Pork)

Studded with a seasoned mixture of ground pork and wood ear mushrooms, these tender rice cakes wrapped in banana leaves make a great snack.

Bibingka (Filipino Rice Cake)

Topped with caramelized coconut strips and scented with banana leaf, this coconut-flavored rice cake is associated with Christmas—but it’s delicious any time of the year, and best enjoyed warm with a steaming hot cup of coffee or tea.