Dried bananas are a favorite food for many people, especially during the end of the year. However, buying dried bananas from stores sometimes makes you feel skeptical of the added preservatives and the quality of the bananas. You can make dried bananas at home using this simple method. Dried bananas can be a safe and nutritious snack for young children. You can also make dried bananas as a special treat for guests at the end of the year.
This dish is easy to make using an air fryer or an oven.
Ingredients:
– 1 ripe banana (choose a medium-sized ripe banana, you can increase the quantity depending on the size of your air fryer or oven)
– Honey for glazing, if you don’t like honey, you can skip this step and have the original flavor of the dried bananas.
Instructions:
Step 1: Preparing and preventing browning of the bananas (pay attention to this step): Peel off the skin and any fibers attached to the bananas and put them in a bowl of water with lemon juice. The lemon juice helps prevent browning. In this preparation step, you can leave the bananas whole or cut them into slices or halves. If you leave them whole, the drying process will take longer than if you cut them.
Place the bananas in a bowl of water with lemon juice, then scoop them out and place them on a tray lined with absorbent paper to remove excess water.
To ensure delicious dried bananas, choose ripe but firm bananas. The texture of the dried bananas will be better compared to other types of bananas.
Step 2: Drying the bananas
Drying using an oven:
Arrange the bananas on a tray lined with parchment paper. Then set the oven to 150 degrees Celsius and put the bananas in to dry. You can check and flip the bananas to ensure both sides dry evenly. Then you can lower the oven temperature to 100 degrees Celsius. Drying the bananas at a lower temperature will take longer but the result will be more delicious and even.
If you want to add more flavor, you can brush some honey onto the bananas during the checking and flipping process.
If you left the bananas whole, you can flatten them after drying. If you have a garden, you can lay the bananas on a tray covered with thin cloth and bring them outside to dry. Alternatively, you can continue drying them in the oven until they reach your desired texture.
Drying using an air fryer:
Line the air fryer basket with parchment paper. Then arrange the bananas in the basket. Set the air fryer to 150 degrees Celsius. After about 15 minutes, open the air fryer, flip the bananas, and glaze them with honey if desired. Check the texture of the bananas and adjust the drying time to your preference.
Dried bananas are sweet and fragrant. You can store them in an airtight glass jar and enjoy them gradually.
