Banana Fritters
Poppable and snackable, these fluffy Banana Fritters are an amazing breakfast treat that is almost impossible to stop eating!
Airy and perfectly sweet, these simple-to-make Banana Fritters have a surprising pop of banana in every bite! Ripe banana pieces coated in a sweetened flour batter, fried and glazed, make a delicious and unforgettable treat for the whole family.
Banana Brainstorm
I always have bananas on my countertop. Seriously. We’re pretty good about eating them all but you know how it is, sometimes those bananas just get away from you. When it happened recently I just wasn’t in the mood for banana bread. I know, crazy. I just wanted something a little different and I knew I hit the jackpot when I made this Banana Fritter recipe. My favorite part of these fritters is that the bananas aren’t blended in. Instead, there are chunks of banana that you bite into and it’s so delicious! Also, the glaze didn’t make the fritter too sweet or take over the flavor of the fritter so altogether, it was a perfect bite and a huge success in my house.
Other Recipes to Serve with Banana Fritters
- Do you have more ripe bananas on your counter than you’d like to admit? It’s ok, go ahead and make some Banana Nut Bread while you’re at it.
- It sure would be nice to have a refreshing smoothie to go with that Banana Fritter, so why not whip up a Pineapple Banana Smoothie too!
Ingredients
Pantry items: You will need flour, baking powder, brown sugar, salt, and cinnamon. Vegetable oil is also needed for frying the fritters.
Refrigerated Items: You will need room temperature milk and eggs, as well as melted butter.
Produce: Grab three ripe bananas from the counter.
Glaze: You will need milk, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and cinnamon.
How to Make Banana Fritters
STEP ONE: In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the milk, eggs, melted butter, and vanilla extract. In a large mixing bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Add the wet ingredients to the bowl of dry ingredients and stir until just mixed. Then fold in the chopped bananas with a rubber spatula.
STEP TWO: Heat the vegetable oil on medium-high heat in a large cast-iron skillet or a Dutch oven. Using a small cookie scoop or tablespoon, add a few spoonfuls of the batter to the oil and cook for 2 minutes on each side. When they are golden brown remove the fritters and place them on paper towels to cool.
STEP THREE: Mix together the ingredients for the glaze in a medium bowl. Once the fritters have cooled a little, dip the fritters in the glaze and serve warm.
Tips for Success
- Make sure the milk and eggs are room temperature so that the batter is light and will make fluffy fritters.
- Test the frying oil with a kitchen thermometer to ensure that it reaches 350 degrees F. If you add the batter before then you could end up with oil saturated fritters, which aren’t tasty, or if your oil is too hot, your fritters could burn.
- Chop your bananas into bite sized pieces for the best Banana Fritters and fold them into the batter rather than mixing them. You don’t want to incorporate the banana into the batter, you just want to coat the pieces so that there are delicious pops of banana in every fritter!
Where Do Banana Fritters Come From?
Banana Fritters are a favorite dish across the globe but especially in Southern Asia, India, Africa, where Banana Fritters originated, and the Caribbean. Depending on who is making them, they can range from savory to sweet and from donut-like to more of a patty. Some parts of the world use plantains instead of bananas, which would also make a wonderful substitution in this recipe too!
Why is it Called a Fritter?
A batter that is dropped into frying oil and cooked is generally called a fritter. These are usually sweet, but there are savory versions, such as corn fritters and sometimes hushpuppies get lumped into the definition as well. As a side note, because Banana Fritters are dolloped, fried batter, you can not use your air fryer for this recipe.
Grab More Bananas For These Recipes!
- Banana Nut Muffins
- Homemade Banana Pudding
- Easy Banana Fosters Topping
- Double Chocolate Banana Bread
- Strawberry Banana Smoothie
Banana Fritters
Ingredients
Fritters
- 2 eggs at room temperature
- ⅔ cup milk at room temperature
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter melted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 3 ripe bananas chopped
- Vegetable oil for frying
Glaze
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- ⅓ cup milk
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, melted butter, and vanilla. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
- Add the chopped bananas to the bowl and mix to combine.
- Place a large pot over medium-high heat. Add 2-inches of vegetable oil to the bottom of the pot and heat until the oil reaches 350 degrees F.
- Use a small cookie scoop or tablespoon to portion 3-4 scoops of the fritter dough into the hot oil. Cook for 4-5 minutes, flipping often until golden brown.
- Remove the fritters from the oil and place them onto a paper towel-lined tray to drain. Repeat with the remaining dough.
- Once the fritters have cooled make the glaze whisk whisking together the powdered sugar, milk, vanilla, and cinnamon in a medium mixing bowl. Dip the fritters into the glaze and then place on a wire rack over a baking sheet to let any excess glaze run off.
I remember my aunt making banana fritters. I would like to try this recipe, but am not very familiar with deep frying. Could you recommend what type of vegetable oil I should use. Thanks, Wendy
I was also looking for something different for a dessert today. Am I thrilled that I found this recipe! My husband started eating them before I got to the glaze! Love, love, love these. Can’t wait until I make them for our volunteers. Great different dessert.
These fritters came out sooo delicious. They are so moist and flavorful. They are like a donut/funnel cake. I will be making these again very soon since the Fall season is right around the corner.