How to Dehydrate Bananas

Bananas are a delicious fruit that I have used a lot in cooking. One thing I am doing now is learning how to preserve fruit by dehydrating it. Learn how to dehydrate bananas which make lovely snacks.

Dehydrating Bananas

Bananas that have been dehydrated are a lovely, and convenient snack that can be snacked on as they are or added to cakes or muffins. Use them in trail mixes, cookies, cakes and bread. Powdered dried banana can be used as a topping for ice cream or as a flavouring for milkshakes.

One thing to remember is, the bigger the slices of banana are, the longer they will take to dehydrate.

How Ripe Should the Bananas Be?

Bananas that are firm and ripe enough to eat, but not over ripe. They should have no blemishes on them. If they are too over ripe, soft and mushy, they are better used in cakes, muffins and breads.

Pre-Treating Bananas

As you are probably aware, bananas tend to brown rather quickly when their flesh meets the air. By pre-treating the banana slices before dehydrating, the browning process is slowed. This is more necessary if you are planning on storing them for any length of time. If you are prepared to eat them straight away, and are not worried by a little browning, then you don’t need to pre-treat the bananas.

To pre-treat the banana slices, you can dip them in lemon water. 

• Lemon Water – Combine ¼ cup of lemon juice with 1 cup of water. Stir to mix and soak the apple slices for up to 10 minutes. Remove and place on your dehydrator drying racks.

Bananas Are Sticking

Sometimes you may find that your banana slices stick to the dehydrator trays. There are a few ways to help avoid this sticking.

The easiest way is to flip the bananas slices on a regular basis, like once an hour.

You could also lay baking paper on your dehydrator trays before placing the banana slices on them.

Conditioning Dried Bananas

Once these bananas have been full dehydrated, they will need to be conditioned to be kept without going off. Fill a jar about two-thirds full and seal the lid. Over the next week or so, shake the jar a couple of times a day. If you start to see mould, they will need to be thrown out. If you see moisture, they are not dried enough, and need to be placed back into the dehydrator. Once they have been conditioned, the jars can be fulled completely and stored in a cool, dark place. If they do start to have a strong smell or you can see moisture in the jars, it is time to dehydrate another batch of bananas.

Storing Dehydrated Bananas

Store dried bananas in sealed jars, or ziploc bags (if eating soon), or in mylar sealable bags for long term storage. Dried banana slices can also be vacuum sealed for longer storage.

How Long Do Dehydrated Bananas Last?

Fully dehydrated bananas should stay fresh for up to six to 12 months in jars or ziplock bags. You can keep them in the freezer to store longer or mylar bags.

Using Dried Bananas

Dried bananas are wonderful for snacks or for use in a variety of baked goods. Dried banana can be added to cakes, muffins, cookies and even added to trail mix or as a snack while camping. They can also be used in oatmeal, yoghurt and cereal.

Dehydrated bananas can be re-hydrated. To do this, let the bananas stand in just enough boiling water to cover them for around 7 minutes. Refrigerate to avoid spoiling.

How to Dehydrate Bananas

To dehydrate bananas, you will need: 

• Bananas – 2 per tray
• ¼ cup Lemon juice to 1 cup water
• 1/8 cup honey
• Dehydrator
• 2 Small bowls

Instructions

Prepare 2 small bowls, 1 with honey and the other with lemon juice. The honey is for crisper slices, while the Lemon is to retain colour.

Peel and slice bananas into 1/8” to 1/4” slices. Discard any bruises. Uniform slicing can make a big difference in how evenly the fruit dries. For banana “jerky” you can slice the bananas lengthwise into long, ¼” thick slices.

Dip the banana slices into either the honey or lemon juice, depending on what you are going to use the dried banana chips for.

Place on dehydrator tray in a single layer without touching.

Dry at 135° F or 57˚C, until hard and crispy, approximately 9 hours.  This may take longer depending on humidity in your area. Your banana chips will snap in half easily when they are done rather than bending.

Allow to cool on racks.  

Condition dry bananas.

Store in sealed jars, ziploc bags (if eating soon), or in mylar sealable bags for long term storage.

Dehydrate Bananas in Oven 

To dehydrate bananas in the oven, preheat the oven to 200˚F or 93˚C.

Prepare as you would for the dehydrator – slice, soak.

Lay the prepared banana slices on baking paper on a baking sheet.

Bake in the oven for around 1 to 1 ½ hours, checking halfway through and flipping the slices over.

Continue to bake until the bananas are dried.

More Banana Recipes

• Ways to Preserve Bananas
• Chocolate Covered Bananas
• Banana Muffins
• Banana, Mango and Raspberry Popsicles
• Chocolate Chip Banana Bars
• Banana Waffles
• Banana Bread Bars
• Cinnamon Ripple Banana Cake
• Ways to Use Bananas
• Peanut Butter Banana Chips for Dogs