Grilled bananas are a delicious side dish to accompany savory foods, and they make an excellent and easy dessert. Because of their thick and firm texture, bananas are a great fruit to grill when barely ripe, so for this recipe, choose firm yellow bananas and not too mature ones, as the heat will cook them to mush.
Caribbean cuisines rely on bananas to balance out the flavor in spicy dishes or in heavily seasoned meats or fish. These grilled bananas are a great accompaniment to jerk chicken, spicy pulled pork, or even firm white fishes like cod or halibut. Although not very common as a side dish in some parts of the world, don't miss out on these bananas and serve them with your favorite meats. The grilled bananas also make a great dessert, so use them to top vanilla ice cream and drizzle with a whiskey sauce.
For a successful recipe, make sure that you have a well-oiled grate before putting the banana pieces on. By leaving the bananas in the peel, they will hold up better on the grill.
“I actually had never considered grilling bananas, and I am pleasantly surprised with how magnificent they are. Using firm bananas, they held up to grilling and were not too sweet. Too bad I didn't know about this raising my children! I'm delighted to have leftovers for my morning oatmeal.” —Mary Jo Romano
Ingredients
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6 large, firm yellow bananas
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2 tablespoons lemon juice
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2 teaspoons cinnamon
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1 1/4 cups lightly packed brown sugar
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Canola oil, for the grill
Steps to Make It
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Gather the ingredients.
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Prepare a medium-low (300°F to 325°F) gas or charcoal grill fire. Without removing the peel, cut each banana in half lengthwise.
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Brush each half banana with lemon juice.
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Combine the cinnamon and brown sugar in a small bowl.
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Generously coat the cut side of the bananas in the sugar mixture.
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Oil the grill grates. Place the banana halves on the grill, peel side up. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes.
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Turn the bananas over and cook for another 3 minutes.
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Remove the bananas from the peels (or serve in the peel) with savory meals or serve them as dessert.
Other Grilled Banana Desserts
Bananas and ice cream is a classic combination, but these grilled bananas can offer so much more. Here are a few ideas to make the best out of your bananas:
- Fill a premade pie crust with grilled bananas, pour enough egg custard to cover the fruit, and bake until the crust is crispy and the custard has set. Let the pie cool off and decorate with meringue or whipped cream and fresh raspberries.
- Use the grilled bananas as a wonton filler. Fry the wontons until crispy and sprinkle with confectioners' sugar and drizzle with chocolate sauce.
- The grilled bananas will offer an extra layer of flavor to your favorite banana bread recipe. Simply use the cooked bananas instead of the raw ones in your recipe.
- Place the grilled bananas on a serving plate, drizzle them with dulce de leche, and top with crushed cashews or almonds.
- The grilled bananas can be processed into a sauce and further cooked with 1/4 cup of whiskey until the sauce has browned and reduced in volume, around 15 minutes on medium heat. Pour the sauce over pound cake or French toast.
What type of fruit is best to grill?
Fruit that you want to grill should be firm and not overripe; otherwise, they turn to mush. Some of the types of fruit that hold their shape best for grilling are pineapple, peaches, bananas, and pears.
Nutrition Facts (per serving) | |
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310 | Calories |
5g | Fat |
69g | Carbs |
2g | Protein |
Nutrition Facts | |
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Servings: 6 | |
Amount per serving | |
Calories | 310 |
% Daily Value* | |
Total Fat 5g | 7% |
Saturated Fat 1g | 3% |
Cholesterol 0mg | 0% |
Sodium 13mg | 1% |
Total Carbohydrate 69g | 25% |
Dietary Fiber 4g | 14% |
Total Sugars 54g | |
Protein 2g | |
Vitamin C 13mg | 63% |
Calcium 48mg | 4% |
Iron 1mg | 4% |
Potassium 547mg | 12% |
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice. |