Pan Fried Cinnamon Bananas is a quick and easy recipe to cook bananas, perfect for a special breakfast or an afternoon snack. How do you pan fry a banana? Use 3 ingredients, grab a skillet, and it's ready in 10 minutes.
This recipe was inspired by the age-old problem, how to use up overripe bananas. And now this is one of my favorite things to make with bananas.
No matter how hard I try to buy the right number of bananas for my family, I can never seem to get it right. If one week I don’t have enough, I try to buy a few more the next week, but then it seems I have too many!
Luckily there are lots of yummy things you can do with overripe bananas. Banana bread is really the first thing that comes to mind, but sometimes that is a little more trouble than I have the energy or time to tackle.
This recipe is so quick and easy, and it is perfect for a special breakfast or even an afternoon snack!
Bananas are important to my family. All the potassium in it is so good for heart and muscles. It also has so many natural vitamins and nutrients that are so good for everyone. I find myself sneaking in bananas in pancakes or smoothies, because they are so tasty and versatile!
Ingredients
- bananas - slightly overripe. If there are big brown patches on your bananas, they are too ripe and will just become mushy.
- sugar - you can also use a sugar substitute like granulated Splenda
- cinnamon - tastes great and contains antioxidents, too!
- nutmeg - optional
Instructions
- Slice the bananas into rounds
- Combine the cinnamon, sugar, and nutmeg in a small bowl and set aside.
- Spray a skillet with nonstick spray, heat over medium, then add the banana rounds.
- Sprinkle about ½ of the cinnamon mixture, then cook for 2-3 minutes until the rounds start to warm.
- Flip the rounds, sprinkle the rest of the cinnamon mixture, then cook for another 2 minutes or so until the bananas are warmed through.
This recipe can always be used as a quick and easy method for caramelized bananas. If that's more what you are going for, add a little butter into the pan while it is heating and let it melt before you add in the banana rounds.
TIPS FOR MAKING PAN FRIED CINNAMON BANANAS
- Use bananas that are slightly overripe. It's OK if there are a bunch of small brown spots, but if the surface of the bananas are mostly brown spots or big brown patches, they are too far gone and will just turn out mushy.
- When cooking a banana, do not overcook. If they start to get too soft, they are done. This might happen quickly if your heat is a little too high so pay attention to them as they cook.
- Use good quality nonstick oil spray, or skip the spray and use a good non-stick pan. Poor quality oil could affect the taste of your banana rounds.
- Sugar works best but you can also use granulated Splenda (or equivalent) if you prefer.
Pan Fried Cinnamon Bananas
Serve with cherry yogurt and some V8 Fusion juice for a nice breakfast that energizes the kids and gives them a great start to the day!
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Pan Fried Cinnamon Bananas
Ingredients
Instructions
- Slice the bananas into rounds, approximately ⅓ inch thick.2 bananas
- In a small bowl, combine the sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg (if desired). Set aside.2 tablespoons sugar, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- Lightly spray a large skillet with nonstick oil spray. Warm over medium heat.
- Add the banana rounds and sprinkle ½ of the cinnamon mixture on top.
- Cook for about 2-3 minutes.
- Flip the rounds, sprinkle with the remaining cinnamon mixture
- Cook for 2-3 more minutes until the bananas are soft and warmed through.
Notes
- Slightly overripe bananas work best. If your bananas are too overripe, they will still taste good but they will be mushy.
- If they start to get too soft, they are done. Be careful to not overcook them!
- The quality of the oil can affect how the banana rounds taste, so make sure yur oil is fresh and a good quality brand.
- You can substitute granulated Splenda (or equivalent), however white sugar works best.
- Note that this is not a actually a substitute recipe for the kind of bananas that are fried by immersing them in oil in a fryer. These are a just tasty way to do something a little different with your bananas by cooking them in a pan or skillet.
Video
Nutrition
Enjoy!
Taydra
Hey there Kristin, would a non stick pan work just as well as an oiled pan? or would the sugar risk burning?
Kristin
A non stick pan should work, I would think!
Faron Brindley
I can’t wait to try making tomorrow. I being able to try something “different” so appreciate the thought process behind these. I did have a stroke a couple of years ago so always 👀ing at ways to avoid hand movements. (I’ve made more messes than I can count but I’m alive and still going, so it’s a met win overall) Just wondering if the banana rounds could be pre-coated with the cinnamon sugar mix? Not a big deal but if I have one of my all-to-frequent muscle jerks I could easily spread the sugar ALL OVER the kitchen! LOL
Kristin
Yes, I think you could do that. Wishing you blessings and peace as you navigate life with the challenges left from your stroke. I hope the recipe works for you and you enjoy the results! 🙂
Ty at Two Healthy Kitchens
I made this recipe as a snack during my mid-day break. It was SOOO delicious! Great recipe, Kristin!
Kristin
So glad to hear that! 🙂 This is still one of my favorite snacks to this day. Thanks for stopping by!