Can You Freeze Mashed Bananas?: If you have mashed bananas, making a delicious overnight oats recipe, or baking banana bread is an extremely convenient option. But mashing bananas one by one can make it monotonous for you.
Moreover, you need to have the foresight to know whether you will be eating it on a given day or not! Therefore, a logical question that might pop up in your mind is, “can you freeze mashed bananas?”
In this article, we will explore whether or not you can freeze mashed bananas or not. Moreover, we will also tell you all about the perfect way to store mashed bananas, and how you can finally use them when you want to eat them! What are you waiting for? Let’s get mashing!
- Can You Freeze Mashed Bananas?
- How to Freeze Mashed Bananas?
- How Long Can You Freeze Mashed Bananas?
- How to Prevent Frozen Mashed Bananas From Browning?
- How to Thaw Frozen Mashed Bananas?
- Tips and Tricks on Freezing Mashed Bananas
- Can You Refreeze Thawed Mashed Bananas?
- Do Mashed Bananas Freeze Well?
- How to Tell If Your Mashed Bananas Have Gone Bad?
- FAQs on Can I Freeze Mashed Bananas?
Can You Freeze Mashed Bananas?
The short answer to this question is a definitive yes. Freezing mashed bananas is a fantastic way to reduce your preparation time before you start baking your delicious loaf of banana muffins! And if you do it right, your mashed bananas will last in your freezer for a good 3 months.
There is a bonus advantage of freezing bananas after mashing them up. You can even freeze the ones that have dents or dark spots on them because of ripening. As long as the bananas are edible, you can use them in any dish you want, as long as you mash them up really well!
In the next section, we will tell you the exact process you need to follow in order to freeze mashed bananas for the foreseeable future. So move on to read about how to freeze mashed bananas!
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How to Freeze Mashed Bananas?
Here is your detailed step-by-step guide on how to freeze mashed bananas –
- The first step is obviously to mash the bananas. Our advice would be to pick the ones that are already over-ripe or have dark spots in them. Use a spoon or a mashing utensil and begin blending the bananas in a bowl. You could also simply give them a whirl in the blender to get rid of any chunky texture.
- Next, use an ice cream scoop or simply a large spoon to transfer portions into freezer-safe baggies. Alternatively, you can also use an ice-cube tray if you want smaller portion sizes.
- If you are using an ice-cube tray to freeze your mashed bananas, you will first have to flash-freeze them for an hour till they solidify. Then you need to transfer the frozen portions into a freezer-safe baggie.
- Finally, you must note down the date and time of freezing the mashed bananas and simply place the baggies in your freezer. You must remember that your baggie must sit in the middle of your freezer and on a flat surface. Otherwise, your mashed bananas may get crushed by the other food in your freezer!
How Long Can You Freeze Mashed Bananas?
Since the point of discussion here is the duration of freezing mashed bananas, you can practically expect your mashed bananas to last for about 3 months in your freezer. However, if you decide to freeze the bananas with their peel on, your banana will likely last for 3 months longer. That said, we would advise you to keep checking on the bananas to ensure that they have not begun to spoil.
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How to Prevent Frozen Mashed Bananas From Browning?
The natural consequence of removing the peel of the bananas before mashing and freezing them means that they are out of their airtight covering. Therefore, this means that your bananas could be prone to browning and over-ripening.
To prevent that, we have found that the best thing to do is to make sure that the baggie you store it in is completely airtight. The presence of a vacuum in the storage baggie will at least delay the browning process in your mashed bananas.
How to Thaw Frozen Mashed Bananas?
As with most other foods, the best way to thaw frozen mashed bananas is to transfer them from the freezer to your refrigerator in a bowl and leave them there overnight. The gradual reduction in their temperature means that you can enjoy a uniformly thawed banana that is free of random chunks of frozen banana.
However, if you are in a hurry, you can try two other ways of thawing mashed bananas. The first is to microwave the bananas for a few seconds till it thaws completely. Otherwise, you can simply place the bag of mashed bananas in a bowl of water and leave it on your kitchen counter.
You should, however, avoid leaving your frozen mashed bananas in the open for any longer than a couple of hours to prevent them from going bad!
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Tips and Tricks on Freezing Mashed Bananas
Below, we have listed the best tips and tricks for you to use when you want to freeze your mashed bananas. Give them a shot and see how they work out for you!
- Instead of going through the hassle of mashing the bananas first and then freezing them in separate containers, you could simply freeze the whole banana with the peel. When you want to finally use it in its mashed form, simply take it out of the freezer and squeeze the flesh of the banana out of the peel. It will emerge in a naturally mashed-up form!
- If you have bananas that have gone soft, do not throw them away. Instead, you can actually mash them up and freeze them because soft bananas typically contain more nutrients than firm bananas!
- Do not leave your mashed bananas in the freezer for longer than 3 months. The chances of your banana mush spoiling increase substantially after 3 months in the freezer.
Can You Refreeze Thawed Mashed Bananas?
Even according to the USDA, you can refreeze mashed bananas that have been thawed once. In fact, it is probably best to mash up even whole bananas that have been thawed once before you refreeze them.
That said, one round of this process will probably mean that you can no longer use it for any baking purposes because the consistency might become more liquid. However, it is still something you can do to avoid wasting your precious bananas!
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Do Mashed Bananas Freeze Well?
Yes! Mashed bananas, or bananas in any shape and form freeze really well. When you use good quality vacuum-sealed baggies, your mashed bananas will remain fresh and edible for nearly 3 months after you have popped them into your refrigerator.
Moreover, thawing them is an extremely easy process. And at the end of all of that, you are left with a delicious mush of an extremely nutritious fruit!
How to Tell If Your Mashed Bananas Have Gone Bad?
The best way to tell if your mashed bananas have gone bad or are beginning to go bad is to smell them. If you smell them and something feels off, or unnatural, that means that your mashed bananas are beginning to go bad or have already gone bad.
In such a situation, you should just dispose of them in your dustbin responsibly. If you have a garden, you can also use it as compost!
FAQs on Can I Freeze Mashed Bananas?
1. Can you freeze chunks of bananas?
Yes, you can freeze chunks of bananas. You just have to make sure that they sit undisturbed in your freezer or you will end up with a bunch of broken frozen banana chunks!
2. How long do frozen bananas in their peel last?
The peel of a banana is a natural barrier to spoilage and external elements. Therefore, a whole banana in its peel will last for almost half a year if you freeze it properly.
3. Can you use frozen mashed bananas to bake?
Yes, you can use frozen mashed bananas to bake anything you want. In fact, most recipes will require you to mash the bananas up before you bake them into a cake or a loaf of bread anyway!