How To Peel Green Bananas For Cooking (3 Easy Ways)

You’ll hear all the hype about green bananas as a great replacement for gluten-rich breakfast options, but no one will tell you about how they can be challenging to peel, and the notorious sap they produce that’s the mother of all stains. One more thing that’s bothersome is how quickly they oxidize after peeling.

By the end of this article, you will have learned how to peel green bananas like an expert, and how to slow down the oxidizing process after peeling.

But before you get to the step-by-step guide, here are a few things to have in mind.

• Fresher green bananas are harder to peel. The peel is harder to separate from the fruit. You can ease the peeling process by cutting the peels along the ridges before using your hands to separate them from the fruit. Alternatively, use method two recommended in this guide.
• Fresher green bananas produce more sap. For this reason, I personally prefer to use my green bananas for a few days after harvesting. My other option is to buy a bunch that’s not fresh from the farm.

How to Peel Green Bananas

You can peel bananas in two ways and both methods work just fine. Wear a pair of disposable gloves to prevent banana peel sap from sticking and staining your hands. If you do not have gloves, apply cooking oil to your hands. You can also wash your hands with a mixture of cooking oil, water, and salt. Remember to prevent the sap from getting to your kitchen cloths and clothes because it causes permanent stains.  

Method 1: With Hands

What You Will Need

• A knife
• A pair of gloves/cooking oil
• A bowl of water
• A bunch of green bananas

Instructions

1. Oil your hands generously with cooking oil or wear a pair of disposable gloves.
2. Hold one banana with your left hand or on a cutting board and use a knife to cut off both ends. Keep in mind that the sap can stain a cutting board depending on the material it is made of.
3. Use the tip of the knife to cut the banana peel along the ridge. Make cuttings along all the ridges to make the peeling process even easier.
4. Use your thumb to push the skin off the fruit.
5. Place the banana in water in a bowl of water immediately to slow down oxidation.

Method 2: With Knife

What You Will Need

• A sharp knife
• A pair of gloves (optional)
• Cooking oil
• A bunch of bananas
• A bowl of water

Instructions

1. Oil your hands generously with cooking oil or wear a pair of disposable gloves.
2. Use a sharp knife to cut off both ends of the banana.
3. Hold the banana with one hand and use the other to peel it off with a knife.
4. Place the banana in a bowl of water to slow down oxidation.

Method 3: With Knife and Hands

You Need

• A sharp knife
• Cooking oil
• A bunch of bananas
• A bowl of water

Instructions

1. Oil your hands generously with cooking oil or wear a pair of disposable gloves.
2. Cut off the ends
3. Use the tip of the knife to slit the banana skin along the vertices
4. Remove the skin gently with your hands

Conclusion

There you have it!

Those are the three easy ways to peel green bananas. You can use your hands, a knife, or both the knife and hands. Do you have another way you peel green bananas? Please share it in the comment box or the video above.