How to Make Healthy Fried Bananas

Leah is a follower of the 21-Day Fix. She works in mental health.

Fried Bananas?

I love a wide variety of foods, despite being a very picky eater. I vividly remember being a teenager and visiting this incredible Spanish restaurant in South Florida called La Bamba. They served a fried plataño side dish that was absolutely incredible. Whenever I'm in Florida, we always stop in for a meal.

A few years later, I started working in a small chain Mexican restaurant near my house. They also had a fried plantain dish, but it was actually just deep fried bananas with a side of lime sour cream. Over the years, we'd order it every few months. Last year, I had a major craving for this, but when I drove past the restaurant, it had closed down. I was dismayed!

My craving has been resurrected when I noticed a bunch of bananas on the counter. I had a flash of inspiration. I took out a staple items I always have in the house, and figured I could give it a shot. Worst case scenario was that I'd waste a couple of bananas. Best case scenario was that they'd come out good. So I gave it my best effort and I wasn't sorry. I mean, they're not exactly the same as plantains, since they have a softer texture and sweeter flavor, but man were these good.

Fried Bananas

Only Four Ingredients

I wanted to keep this light and simple, and have it be a quick snack to prepare. Today was a hot day so I didn't really want to stand over the stove cooking. Not to mention cleaning up the oil that inevitably spatters when I try to fry. I took a peek in the pantry and grabbed the cinnamon, some honey, coconut oil, and bananas.

Those are some pretty simple ingredients that I would think most people have in their house. There's always a ton of bananas because I use them weekly for baking and making healthy ice cream (non-dairy of course). The grocery store lately only has one type of bananas - the totally green kind. I buy them and before I even notice they're yellow, suddenly they're completely brown. Which is fine for baking and ice cream, but for this recipe you'll need bananas that have turned yellow like a second before you use them. Soft bananas will get super mushy and make a mess. Green bananas won't be sweet enough. And the sweetness from the bananas means you can use a lot less sweetener than you'd expect. Trust me.

What Do You Think?

Cook Time

Ingredients

• 2 bananas, sliced in 1/2" pieces (see photo below)
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil
• 2 tablespoons honey, adjust to your taste
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Sliced Bananas

Instructions

1. Put coconut oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once the pan is hot, place the bananas in the pan in a single layer.
2. Drizzle honey over the bananas and sprinkle the cinnamon, making sure to get some on each slice of banana.
3. Let the bananas cook for about 2 minutes, then carefully flip them over. Cook for another 2 minutes and enjoy.

What to Eat These With

This recipe is pretty versatile. It can be enjoyed alone or on other foods. When I made them, they were a little softer than ideal, but it ended up making this gooey sauce that the bananas were swimming in.

Some ideas I came up with were:

• On top of a whole grain waffle with peanut butter.
• As a topping for pancakes.
• In a crepe.
• On top of a baked item, such as banana bread or angel food cake.
• As a topping for any type of ice cream.

The possibilities are endless! This could also work with other fruit, like slices of apple. Yum! I know what my next dessert adventure will be.

If you make this recipe, tag me by using #leahskosherfix. I'd love to see what you come up with.

Dietary Restrictions and Container Counts

Since this is such a simple recipe, there aren't many dietary restrictions for this. Unless you're allergic to honey, cinnamon, bananas, or coconut oil, or are a vegan. It's:

• Dairy free
• Gluten free
• Kosher
• Okay for 21 Day Fix, Autoimmune Protocol, Paleo, and Weight Watchers.

This recipe is 21 day fix approved, and the container counts are:

• Purple - 1
• Teaspoons - 2

Comments

Travel Chef from Manila on June 09, 2018:

Oh! This recipe is really healthy! The mix of cinnamon and honey is just perfect for the sweetness of banana. Tough I like banana wrapped in a spring roll wrapper. Thanks for sharing!