4 Easy Banana Recipes

Bananas are one of my favorite fruits. Not only are they healthy for you, they are delicious and versatile. You can use bananas in a variety of recipes. Here are 4 of my favorite banana recipes for you to try.

Banana Bread

2 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

¼ tsp salt

1 stick butter

¾ cup brown sugar

2 eggs

2 ½ cups mashed bananas (about 6-7 medium bananas)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray. Combine flour, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Cream butter and brown sugar in another bowl. Stir in eggs and bananas into the butter and sugar mixture. Mix well, then add to the flour mixture. Stir together, then pour the mixture into the loaf pan. Bake for 1 hour. Insert a toothpick into the center of the bread to make sure it's done. Let the loaf cool for about 10 minutes before taking it out of the pan.

Banana Pudding

1 8 oz package cream cheese

1 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk

3 cups cold milk

1 package instant banana pudding mix

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 8 oz container Cool Whip

4 bananas, sliced into 1 inch slices

Vanilla wafers

Beat cream cheese in a bowl on medium speed until fluffy. Beat in condensed milk, cold milk, pudding mix and vanilla. Beat on medium speed until the ingredients are smooth. Stir in ½ of the container of Cool Whip. Next, arrange the vanilla wafers on the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish. Then, arrange the sliced bananas over the vanilla wafers. Top with the pudding, then top with the remaining Cool Whip. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Banana and Peanut Butter Smoothie

1 large banana

½ cup low fat milk

4 tbsp creamy peanut butter

2 tbsp honey (optional)

Combine the banana, milk and peanut butter in a blender. Blend until smooth, then serve in a tall glass. Honey can be used as garnish on the top.

Banana Pancakes

1 cup flour

1 tbsp sugar

2 tsp baking powder

¼ tsp salt

1 egg

1 cup milk

2 tbsp vegetable oil

3 medium ripe bananas, mashed

Preheat a griddle over medium heat. Spray with non-stick cooking spray. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, combine egg, milk, oil and bananas. Stir both mixtures together well. Pour about ¼ cup of the batter onto the griddle at a time. Once bubbles start to form on the top, flip the pancake. Serve with butter and syrup.