Air Fryer Bananas

Make caramelized bananas quickly with your air fryer for the perfect treat to eat as a topping for ice cream or other sweets or on their own.

My recipe for Air Fryer Apples is very popular. They have a five-star rating and are kind of unintentionally a copycat of Cracker Barrel fried apples. If you love apples, you should check them out! My success with air frying apples made me wonder what other fruits I could put in my air fryer. When I was in Louisville recently for Bourbon and Beyond, I enjoyed an amazing french toast dish with a bananas foster style topping. With that in mind, I decided to try caramelizing banana slices in my air fryer.

Why this recipe works

The constant hot air circulation of the air fryer perfectly caramelizes banana slices, making them a real treat. I tossed mine with a little melted butter, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt. Since I wanted the sauce to stick to the bananas, I cooked mine in a paper liner. This way, the sauce doesn’t slip through to the bottom of the air fryer basket. This is a great recipe for bananas that are almost ripe, but not quite. Cooking or roasting the bananas in the air fryer really helps to bring out their natural sweetness.

Ingredients for air fryer bananas

• Bananas – My basket fits four medium bananas. The slices can be touching in the air fryer paper liner. But you don’t want to crowd them too much.
• Butter – I found two tablespoons of melted butter to be plenty to coat four bananas. If you want an even more decadent treat, you could use one more tablespoon of butter. You could substitute melted coconut oil for the butter instead to make this a vegan recipe.
• Brown Sugar – I used light brown sugar. I have not tested this recipe with dark brown sugar or coconut sugar.
• Cinnamon – If you don’t like cinnamon, simply omit it.
• Salt – I think the salt helps to blend all the sweet flavors together.

Instructions for how to make air fryer bananas

1. Peel and slice the bananas into about 1/2″ slices.
2. Melt butter and whisk in the brown sugar, cinnamon and salt.
3. Pour the butter mixture over the bananas. Toss lightly to coat.
4. Place a paper liner in the basket of your air fryer.
5. Pour the coated bananas into the paper liner.
6. Air fry the bananas at 400 degrees F for 10 – 12 minutes, stirring halfway through cooking.

Frequently asked questions

Can I ripen bananas in an air fryer?

It turns out that if you’d like very ripe bananas to bake banana bread (for example) that you can speed up the ripening process with your air fryer. Click HERE to learn how.

Can I dehydrate bananas in my air fryer?

You can make banana chips (dried bananas) in certain types of air fryers that have a dehydrate setting. Or an air fryer that will go as low as 130 F. Click HERE to learn how.

Does air frying take nutrients out of food?

Air frying is a dry method of cooking. Therefore, while there is some nutrient loss, it’s at a much lesser rate than steaming, grilling, roasting or baking your food.

How many calories are in a banana?

There are about 105 calories in one, medium-sized banana. Bananas are also a great source of potassium and fiber.

Serving suggestions

You can eat air fried bananas on their own, but I prefer to use them as a topping. There are so many possibilities!

• On a sundae with salted caramel (pictured) or as a topping for vanilla ice cream.
• As a decadent topping for pancakes, waffles or french toast.
• On top of yogurt with a sprinkle of granola.
• With peanut butter toast and chocolate chips.

Storage directions

You can store air fried bananas in an air tight container for up to three days in the refrigerator. Simply place them in another paper liner in the air fryer basket to warm them up before serving. Reheat at 350 degrees F for 3-5 minutes.

Kitchen tools

• For this and all of my air fryer recipes on Foodtastic Mom, I use a Philips XXL Air Fryer
• My favorite paring knife for slicing, and cutting up fruits and vegetables
• Air fryer paper basket liners

More easy air fryer recipes

• Air Fryer Apples
• Pigs in a Blanket
• Air Fryer Hashbrowns
• Cinnamon Rolls
• Frozen Biscuits

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