How can I speed up banana ripening?

How can I speed up banana ripening? - Crop woman with organic banana in hands standing in kitchen

I need to make banana bread tomorrow, and the bananas I recently purchased with this in mind to not appear to be ripening fast enough. Is there anyway to speed the ripening without spoiling the bananas altogether?

(I have looked at this answer and it refers to how the fridge will speed up "blackening". @Sarge_Smith describes it as a different process chemically, so I am unsure that blackening == ripening for the purpose of making banana bread.)



Best Answer

Bananas are imported unripe and then ripened in the country of sale. This ripening is achieved by forcing ethylene gas through the bananas in special pressurised rooms.

Bananas naturally produce ethylene as they ripen, so you could just put them in a sealable plastic bag to contain that gas. Tomatoes also produce ethylene, so you could pop a couple of those in as well, but be aware that they'll also ripen faster too.




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Quick Answer about "How can I speed up banana ripening?"

Paper Bag: To speed the ripening process, put the bananas in a paper bag and loosely fold down the top. Add an apple or a couple of already very ripe bananas to the bag to increase the amount of ethylene gas circulating around the green fruit. The bananas should ripen in just a day or two using this method.

How do I make bananas ripe faster?

They'll ripen even faster. Use a paper bag: Place bananas in a brown paper bag and loosely fold over the top. If you have other ripe fruit, like apples or avocados, place them in the bag as well. The ethylene gas will circulate and ripen your fruit within 24 to 36 hours.

How do you ripen bananas in 20 minutes?

How to ripen bananas in the oven:
  • First, preheat the oven to 300 degrees.
  • Place the unpeeled bananas on a foil-lined baking sheet and bake them for 15 to 20 minutes.
  • When ready, they'll turn completely black.
  • Let the baked bananas cool, then scoop out the flesh with a spoon and mash.


  • How do you ripen bananas in 5 minutes?

    Well, have we got the solution for you! Simply preheat your oven to 400 degrees F, place your bananas on a baking sheet, and bake them for about five minutes, until they're browned. That's it! You're only minutes away from perfectly ripe bananas.



    How To Ripen Bananas




    More answers regarding how can I speed up banana ripening?

    Answer 2

    When bananas are sealed inside plastic bag, the skin turns black and aesthetically it does not look good. Also, some times black banana may be not fully ripe. As ElendilTheTall says, its better to use ethylene so that banana can be ripened at a faster rate.

    There are couple of ways wherein banana can be ripened on a domestic scale.

    1. As Aaronut says, cover in paper bag and keep it in warm place, thereby self produced ethylene can be trapped whcih makes banana to ripe.
    2. Coat the tip of the banana with some calcium salt, like slaked lime or quick lime, and keep it warm place.
    3. Expose the banana to fumes (by burning some dry biodegradable material, like dry leaf, dry stem or such things) and cover the exposed banana tightly.

    Answer 3

    I know that this is a bit after the fact, but here is a trick I learned from the Produce Manager at the supermarket I used to work at...

    Put the banana in a paper bag with an orange. Close the paper bag (roll it up). Leave it over night, and the banana will be ripe in the morning.

    The paper bag was mentioned before, as was using an apple, but citrus works even better.

    Answer 4

    There is also another method, that only takes 20 minutes. Heat it up in a oven.

    Ripe bananas super fast in the oven:

    Prepare the fruit with a few puncture holes and enclose them

    150°C (302°F ; 130°C Fan, 266°F Fan)

    • mashed for Banana bread

    80°C (176°F ; 60°C Fan, 140°F Fan)

    • soft but chunky

    Put in the oven for a good 20 minutes, until the peel of the banana turns brown.
    The heating of the fruit will make it soft and very sweet.


    The images show middle ripe, slightly spotty, bananas.
    Adjust time, when needed (less ripe / more ripe)

    Ripe bananas super fast in the oven
    20 minutes
    Goal: small, soft chunks

    213g
    punch holes with fork

    after 20 minutes heating with
    80°C (176°F ; 60°C Umluft, 140°F Fan)

    138g
    slice into small,soft chunks

    Ripe bananas super fast in the oven
    20 minutes
    Goal: very soft for mashing

    225g
    punch holes with fork

    after 20 minutes heating with
    150°C (302°F ; 130°C Fan, 266°F Fan)

    135g
    slit opened and spoon out
    or squize out

    135g
    after a minimal amount of stirring

    Result after using the mashed banana as Jogart replacement
    and the chunks of the banana replaced the apples

    Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

    Images: SHVETS production, icon0.com, Erik Mclean, Mike B