6 Ways to Make Your Bananas Last Longer

Kate EllsworthUpdated: Nov. 30, 2023

Many bunches of fresh yellow bananas fill the frame

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See ya, brown bananas! We scoured old cookbooks and interviewed experts to learn how to keep bananas fresh.

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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 you can keep your bananas from browning too quickly. (If you catch them too late, switch to Plan B: make more banana bread!)

1. Wrap Banana Stems in Plastic Wrap

Bananas start ripening as soon as they’re picked from trees because ethylene gas releases from the stems. But you can wrap those stems with plastic wrap or aluminum foil to slow down the ripening process. You may see grocery stores selling bunches of bananas with plastic wrap on the stems, but for best results, take your bananas apart and wrap their stems individually.

Oh, check here whether or not can you eat green bananas.

2. Hang Your Bananas

Turns out there’s a scientific reason you should be hanging your bananas from a hook. If you hang bananas from a hook, 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.

3. Buy Green Bananas

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.

Oh, check here whether or not can you eat green bananas.

4. Place Ripe 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!

5. Freeze Your 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, consider freezing peeled, individual bananas or banana slices in resealable airtight bags.

6. Buy a Banana Keeper

Bruising can wreak havoc on your bananas. It leads to squishy parts and faster ripening, which is where hard cases built specifically for bananas come in handy. This Banana Keeper can 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.

Recipes That Use Ripe Bananas

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Best Ever Banana Bread

Calls for: 2 ripe bananas Whenever I pass a display of bananas in the grocery store, I can almost smell the wonderful aroma of my best banana bread recipe. It really is that good! —Gert Kaiser, Kenosha, Wisconsin Go to Recipe

Taste of Home

Banana Bread Snack CakesCalls for: 1 ripe banana This cake doesn't need any frosting—just a dusting of powdered sugar. Guests are always amazed that I made this treat from scratch. —Denise Loewenthal, Hinckley, Ohio