Updated: Mar. 12, 2024
See ya, brown bananas! We don't want you just yet. We scoured old cookbooks and interviewed experts to learn how to store bananas so they stay fresh.
Is there anything more delicious than fresh fruit? Not really—especially if you put it in a delicious fruit salad. And when it comes to fruit, it’s hard to beat the taste of a perfectly ripe banana. If you’re like us, you’re always trying to keep bananas fresh, especially if you’ve bought a bunch but only want to eat one at a time.
Here are some of the most effective ways to keep bananas from browning too quickly. (If you catch them too late, switch to Plan B: make more banana bread!)
Psst! Check these banana bread recipes that you need to try.
How to Store Bananas
Wrap banana stems in plastic wrap
Bananas start ripening as soon as they’re picked from trees because ethylene gas releases from the stems. Wrapping those stems with plastic wrap or aluminum foil slows down the ripening process. Some grocery stores sell bunches of bananas with plastic wrap already on the stems. For best results, take your bananas apart when you get home and wrap the stems individually.
For a more stylish alternative, try a Nana Hat banana preserver!
Hang bananas
Turns out there’s a scientific reason you should be hanging your bananas from a hook. When you hang bananas, the ethylene gas works more slowly. Hanging bananas also prevents them from bruising on the counter, which they’re more prone to do as they continue ripening.
You can pick up a fruit basket with a built-in hook or a small under-cabinet hook made specifically for bananas. Either way, keep your bananas at room temperature while they ripen on the hook.
Editor’s Tip: A Banana Keeper can also hold one banana at a time and acts as a great solution for keeping individual fruits ripe and ready for lunch (or for your afternoon snack). You may want more than one if you’re looking to protect a bunch, but if you have one overripe banana, this is a great solution.
Buy green bananas
drflet/Getty Images
The easiest way to prolong your bananas’ shelf life is to buy the greenest bananas you can find. They’re picked while still green, then slowly ripen over time to reach that bright yellow we love. Instead of grabbing perfectly ripened bananas you’re eyeing for banana muffins, grab a green bunch you can hang from your hook and watch ripen.
How to Store Bananas in the Fridge
One of the cardinal rules of banana storage is to never store them in the fridge. But rules are meant to be broken, especially when it comes to bananas. You should keep green bananas far away from the fridge, but once your bananas have completely ripened, you can move them to the fridge where the cool temperatures will keep them from ripening further (for a few days at least). That’s a couple more days of fresh banana parfaits for you!
How to Store Sliced Bananas
Once bananas are sliced, it’s not long before they start to turn brown. This is because, as is with most produce, once a banana interacts with oxygen it oxidizes. In other words, brown mushy fruit quickly ensues.
To help prevent bananas from browning, try this trick. Add drops of lemon or lime juice to banana slices to slow down oxidation. Then store them in an airtight container. This hack works to keep guacamole from browning, too! The slices can last up to four days and are wonderful additions to some of our favorite smoothie recipes and healthy cereals.
How to Freeze Bananas
Freezing bananas is one of the easiest ways to keep them preserved for future use. But how you freeze bananas could have a big impact on how well they thaw. Freezing the entire bunch will darken the peels, and they’ll thaw poorly. Instead, freeze peeled bananas or banana slices in resealable airtight bags.
