Bananas, you either love them or hate them. I personally love bananas and in fact, they’re one of my all-time favorite fruit. They have large amounts of potassium as well as large amounts of vitamin E. I use bananas daily in my smoothies, for my favorite banana bread recipes, banana pudding, for its binding properties, and various other recipes.
Now, as I said, you either love bananas or you can’t stand them. This article is for the people who just need to replace the dominant banana flavor or just simply can’t run out to the store to buy some.
Substitutes for bananas are
- Plain Greek Yogurt
- Apple Sauce
- Egg whites
- Pureed Fruit
- Coconut Cream
- Sour Cream
- Canned Pumpkin
- Maple Syrup
- Sweet Potatoes
- Chia Seeds
- Avocado
If you want to find out more about these unusual substitutes for bananas then keep on reading this article.
Substitutes For Bananas
Greek Yogurt
Adding plain yogurt to your smoothies is an effective way to get that creamy texture without adding bananas to them. Sometimes, the banana taste can be pretty strong and can dominate over all the other flavors.
Greek yogurt does the exact opposite of bananas. It has a neutral, milky flavor that gives your smoothies a thicker texture and more protein without interfering with all the other flavors.
Apple Sauce
Apple sauce is made from pureed apples and granulated sugar but sometimes it can contain spices like cinnamon. This is a great banana substitute for when you want to get a thicker texture on something or to use it as a binding agent instead of eggs.
You can use apple sauce in bread recipes, in cakes to add some natural sweetness, muffin recipes, and salad dressings.
Eggs Or Egg Whites
Egg whites mixed with chia seeds or flax seeds can work great as a binding agent in recipes. Banana has that mushy texture and is used as an egg substitute. Mixing flax seeds with your egg whites or eggs, in general, is a great way to add some volume to your recipes as well as big amounts of Omega 3 fatty acids.
Pureed Fruit
Every fruit that has been pureed or mushed, has these binding properties as bananas do. I mean, most of these fruits that have a solid texture can be used as binders in pancake recipes, smoothies, and bread recipes. You can substitute bananas for mashed frozen fruits, mashed apples, apricots, peaches, and even some pineapple.
Coconut Cream
Coconut cream is a great way to give your recipes a smoother texture and a sweet but mild flavor at the same time. It’s made from coconut meat, water, and some type of additional sweetener.
You can add it to your favorite smoothie recipes for some extra fats and nutrients, as a natural sweetener in cocktails, non-alcoholic beverages, chocolate bars, protein bars for extra protein content, and even in some baking recipes. If you can’t find coconut cream in the store, you can substitute it with some canned coconut milk. If the coconut milk isn’t as thick as the coconut cream, you can add some starch, almond flour, coconut flour, or all-purpose flour to make it a little thicker.
Sour Cream
Sour cream basically is very similar to regular yogurt except it is sourer and creamier. You can use sour cream instead of bananas in savory dishes to add some sour flavor and a creamier texture. I love adding sour cream in soups for a thicker, stew-like texture.
Canned Pumpkin Puree
Canned pumpkin puree is perfect for every type of dish no matter if it’s sweet or savory. You can also use fresh pureed pumpkin as well. Pumpkin puree is used in soups, baked food, sweet recipes like muffins, and cocktail or beverage recipes. Since pumpkin is less sweet than bananas, you might want to add some extra sugar(white or brown sugar) in your recipes.
Maple Syrup
We all know that bananas are an excellent way to sweeten up your desserts or smoothies. So, in a time of need when you don’t have any bananas to add to your smoothie recipe, you can add maple syrup to sweeten it up. Plus, maple syrup has a thick texture and can easily contribute to the thickness like the bananas in smoothies.
Sweet Potatoes
Sweet potatoes are a healthy substitute for bananas. Now, I’m not claiming that these two share the same flavor palate but they do share some health benefits like minerals, and vitamins.
You can prepare sweet potatoes in various ways. You can bake them, fry them, put them in salads, make desserts with them, and mash them. To substitute bananas with sweet potatoes simply just boil some sweet potatoes until they have a soft texture and mash them up until you get a smooth product.
This way this substitute can be a great binding agent instead of eggs in baking, in pancake recipes, sauces, and soups. This alternative for bananas is a little bit icky but it really does work and the sweetness of the potatoes really make an excellent addition to any type of dish. Sweet potatoes are also a good substitute for meat.
Chia Seeds
Chia seeds are a classical healthy breakfast food for many people, especially vegans and vegetarians. They are seeds with a nutty flavor and a high amount of omega 3 fatty acids(healthy fats), large content of vitamins, minerals, and fiber.
The crunchy texture of these seeds will make any smoothie slightly more enjoyable and with a thicker texture. The thing about chia seeds is that they can easily absorb any liquid and double their size in the process.
The thickening abilities are great for pudding and smoothies if you want to add a little volume to them. To substitute bananas with chia seeds you need to add some additional ingredients to mimic the sweet taste from the bananas.
Chia seeds have a very mild, almost neutral taste. Also, be careful with how many chia seeds you’re adding to your recipe, you don’t want to get an overly thick texture.
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Avocado
Aside from the fact that both bananas and avocados have a similar smooth texture when being mashed, avocados are also very high in potassium as well. Avocados are not just a vegetable that you add to salads, they are very versatile and can be an addition to smoothies, baking recipes, and you can even add them to your favorite brownie recipes. Avocados are rich in healthy fats, vitamins, and minerals.
