Looking for a way to use up your overripe bananas? This Banana Fritters Recipe is perfect for a delicious dessert or even a fun breakfast! Use your bananas to make a batter which is then fried to perfection. These fritters are best served with powdered sugar, honey, or even eaten plain.
Why Make this Recipe
- “Travel” to Djibouti: Unfortunately, however strong our travel bugs might be, sometimes it’s just not possible to visit everywhere in the world that we want to go! This blog and this recipe are for those times. Want to visit Djibouti but can’t fit it into your schedule? This recipe is a great way to experience a classic Djiboutian food without ever leaving your home.
- Perfect for Breakfast or Dessert: Though banana fritters are typically eaten as a dessert in Djibouti, they remind me of banana pancakes and are something I would typically enjoy for breakfast! They’re not too sweet and are absolutely delicious served with powdered sugar, syrup, or plain!
- On-Hand Ingredients: There’s nothing worse than being so excited to make a recipe and realizing that you have absolutely none of the ingredients in your house. That’s why I love recipes that include pantry staples! You’re (almost) guaranteed to have everything you need to make this recipe in your pantry right now! Except maybe the yeast…. In that case, you can make a quick trip 😉
What is in This Recipe?
- Bananas: As is the case when making banana bread, you’re going to want your bananas to be a bit overripe when making this recipe. Bananas with dark brown spots are a better texture for this recipe and are easily able to be mashed without lumps. They also have a stronger flavor which will lead to a far more delicious banana fritter!
- Active Dry Yeast: Active Dry Yeast is the kind of yeast that most recipes typically call for. It is very important to test your Active Dry Yeast before adding it to a recipe to make sure that your yeast will allow the recipe to rise! To do so, follow the first steps of the instructions below.
How to Make this Recipe
Step 1: Activate the Yeast
Microwave your milk for about 7 seconds, so that it is room temperature or slightly warmer. You do not want your milk to be hot or it will kill the yeast!
Add 1 tsp of sugar to the milk, then add the yeast. Allow it to sit for about 10 minutes while preparing the other ingredients.
When you come back, the yeast should have “bloomed”. This means it has dissolved and started to bubble!
Step 2: Make the Dough
In a medium bowl, mash the bananas with a fork or potato masher. Add sugar, then salt. Crack an egg into the bowl and mix to combine. Then add the flour and mix.
Finally, add the yeast into the bowl and mix again to combine.
Allow the dough to sit for about 20 minutes.
Step 3: Cook
In a large pan, heat about 1” of oil. The oil should be hot enough that if a test of batter is sprinkled onto it, it begins to bubble within 2-3 seconds.
Use your hands or a spoon to scoop batter into the hot oil, flipping when the bottom is brown. When finished cooking, remove from the oil and lay on a paper towel-lined plate. Serve with powdered sugar, honey, syrup, or even plain!
Expert Tips
- If you want to make this recipe but don’t have ripe bananas, have no fear… we can make some! Preheat your oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Place your banana (still in its peel) on a cookie sheet lined with aluminum foil. Bake for about 15-20 minutes. They will be completely black when they are done! Allow the bananas to cool before using them, as you don’t want to accidentally cook the egg in the recipe with a hot banana!
- Test a few of the fritters as you take them out the oil. If the outside is brown but the inside is still raw, this means that your oil is too hot. In this case, reduce the heat, wait a few moments for the oil temperature to drop, and try again.
- I watched a video of someone from Djibouti making banana fritters, and they used their hands to scoop dough into the hot oil. This works, though it leaves room for some funnily-shaped fritters. You can also scoop the dough into the oil using a spoon or, for best results, a cookie dough scoop.
- There are many recipes that feature “Djiboutian Banana Fritters” that look like banana pancakes. From what I have read online (unfortunately I have never been to Djibouti myself and don’t know anyone from the country to ask), this is a more typical recipe.
Recipe FAQs
Where Do Banana Fritters Originate?
Banana Fritters are a popular recipe around the world, including the African continent and the Caribbean! It is believed that the first banana fritters were invented in Western Africa.
This recipe comes from Djibouti, a country on the horn of East Africa.
Can You Reheat Banana Fritters?
As is the case with most fried food, our banana fritter recipe is best enjoyed right when they come out of the oil.
If you must reheat the banana fritters, there are ways to do so while still retaining the yummy texture of the recipe!
Heat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Lay the fritters on an aluminum foil-lined baking tray. Bake until the fritters are just warmed through. This will achieve a crispier surface texture than microwaving them would
What is a Fritter?
The category “fritter” is an incredibly broad and generic category with plenty of room to experiment.
Typically, fritters are dough, seafood, vegetables, or fruit that have been battered or fried. In this case, we have made a batter with bananas that we then fry to make a fritter!
Did you enjoy this recipe? If so, make sure to check out the other recipes I’ve picked out just for you:
- Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
- Caramelized Bananas
- Snickerdoodle Cookie Bars with Banana Filling
If you make this recipe at home, leave a review/comment on this post letting us know what you thought!
And don’t forget to share a photo of your finished product on Facebook and Instagram and tag @TheForeignFork and hashtag #TheForeignFork.
Banana Fritter Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 bananas
- 3/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1 egg
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ tsp active dry yeast
- ¼ cup milk
- 1 tsp granulated sugar
- Vegetable Oil for frying
Instructions
- Add ¼ cup of milk to the microwave for about 7 seconds, until it is warm but not hot. Add 1 tsp sugar to the milk, then sprinkle the yeast on top. Set aside and allow to sit for about 10 minutes until the yeast starts to rise a bit.
- Mash bananas. Add sugar and salt, then crack egg into the mixture and combine. Add flour and mix again. Finally, add in the yeast, and mash until everything is smooth. Let the mixture sit for about 20 minutes.
- In a large pot or pan, heat about 1 inch of oil. The oil should be hot enough that if you sprinkle in some batter, it begins to bubble after a few seconds.
- Use your hands or a spoon to scoop about 1 tbsp of batter into the hot oil, flipping when the fritters turn brown, then cooking on the other side. Test some of the fritters as you take them out of the oil… If the center is still raw, your oil is too hot.
- Sprinkle with powder sugar or honey and enjoy!
Notes
- Bananas: As is the case when making banana bread, you’re going to want your bananas to be a bit overripe when making this recipe. Bananas with dark brown spots are a better texture for this recipe and are easily able to be mashed without lumps. They also have a stronger flavor which will lead to a far more delicious banana fritter!
- Active Dry Yeast: Active Dry Yeast is the kind of yeast that most recipes typically call for. It is very important to test your Active Dry Yeast before adding it to a recipe to make sure that your yeast will allow the recipe to rise! To do so, follow the first steps of the instructions below.
- If you want to make this recipe but don’t have ripe bananas, have no fear… we can make some! Preheat your oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Place your banana (still in its peel) on a cookie sheet lined with aluminum foil. Bake for about 15-20 minutes. They will be completely black when they are done! Allow the bananas to cool before using them, as you don’t want to accidentally cook the egg in the recipe with a hot banana!
- Test a few of the fritters as you take them out the oil. If the outside is brown but the inside is still raw, this means that your oil is too hot. In this case, reduce the heat, wait a few moments for the oil temperature to drop, and try again.
- I watched a video of someone from Djibouti making banana fritters, and they used their hands to scoop dough into the hot oil. This works, though it leaves room for some funnily-shaped fritters. You can also scoop the dough into the oil using a spoon or, for best results, a cookie dough scoop.
- There are many recipes that feature “Djiboutian Banana Fritters” that look like banana pancakes. From what I have read online (unfortunately I have never been to Djibouti myself and don’t know anyone from the country to ask), this is a more typical recipe.
Chandra says
I came to your site through google looking for the salmaon recipe when I saw this recipe. I am from eastern part of India and we make a smiliar banana fritter known as kolar (kola is banana) bora (fritter) however we do not add yeast or egg. We do add bit of dessicated coconut and fennel seed into it. Dont know how, where or when the recipe originated. This is however so amazing. Such a small wonderful world we live in.
The Foreign Fork says
It is such a beautiful world, Chandra! I love hearing about your experience with a similar food. Dessicated coconut sounds like a delicious addition!