These Banana Fritters are a delicious way to use up your ripe bananas. Fried to golden perfection, they are full of flavor and perfect for any meal.
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Full Recipe/Instructions are available in the
recipe card at the bottom of the post.
You can find important tips/tricks in the
blog post.
Growing up in a Jamaican household has its perks. Every Saturday morning there was Beres Hammond or Bob Marley playing in the house as we cleaned and if we children were good, mom made us these delicious fritters.
Move over banana bread, you’ve got some competition. I’ve been told I have a pretty amazing banana bread recipe (took lots of trying out recipes to get that one perfect) but I can’t believe I haven’t written about these banana fritters before.
They were a huge yummy part of my childhood and I’m excited to share them with you today. They are the perfect way to use those ripe bananas before they go bad.
How to make Banana Fritters
First, grab three ripe bananas and smash them together with a fork until they are mashed and a little watery.
Then add your vanilla extract, cinnamon, nutmeg, brown sugar, and salt to bananas. Next, add your all purpose flour. I use a sifter to add my flour. If you don’t have one, no worries, you can still make the recipe. I just find the sifter allows my flour mixture to incorporate into my mashed bananas easier.
Stir with a spoon until your mixture is fully combined. Your batter should not be too thick or thin but should flow easily off a spoon.
Pour about ¼ cup oil in a 10 inch skillet and heat it over medium-high heat. Once your oil is hot, pour the fritters in pan by the spoonful.
Once bubbles appear in the top of the fritter and the bottom is golden brown, flip the fritters and cook until the other side is brown as well. Mine take about 2 minutes per side to brown.
Remove fritters from skillet and drain on paper towel. Ya mon 🙂
Looking for more Jamaican recipes? Try these out:
- Saltfish fritters
- Ackee and Saltfish
- Jamaican Carrot Juice
- Cornmeal Porridge (Stovetop)
- Pressure Cooker Jamaican Cornmeal Porridge
- Callaloo and Saltfish
- Sweet Potato Pudding
Watch this video tutorial and see how I make these fritters from start to finish.
Easy Jamaican Banana Fritters
Ingredients
- 3 ripe bananas medium size
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- 3 Tablespoon brown sugar
- Pinch of salt
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- Oil for frying.
Instructions
- Mash bananas with fork in bowl.
- Add brown sugar, vanilla, extract, cinnamon, nutmeg and a pinch of salt. Sift in flour and stir with spoon until fully combined.
- Add oil to a 10 inch skillet over medium-high heat. Once oil is hot, drop banana fritter batter in oil by the spoonful. Once one side is golden and bubbles appear on the top, flip fritter and cook until the other side is browned as well.
- Remove fritters and drain on paper towels. Enjoy 🙂
Video
Notes
- The riper your bananas are, the sweeter your fritters will be. Modify sugar amount to your preference.
- The fritters are not meant to be fluffy like pancakes or bread. They are to be thinner and moist.
- If using a cast iron skillet, reduce heat to medium rather than medium high.
Vicki Conklin says
I added 1 more banana, substituted 1/4 cup of corn flour for 1/4 cup of the all purpose flour. (So 1/4 corn flour and 3/4 cup all purpose flour) I Added 1 to 2 tablespoons of milk. It was thick because of the extra banana So it needed the milk. They came out fantastic. A little crunchy on the edges, I imagine because of the corn flour. Delicious we! I will make them again and again.
Tanya says
Thank you for the feedback, Vicki! So happy you liked the recipe.
Carolynes says
Hello! Thanks for the recipe. My grandma shared with me the link and I've done it perfectly. But next time I'm going to try using oats instead of the flour
Tanya says
Thank you Carolynes! Love the idea of trying it with oats.
Mj says
I've made this but just less brown sugar and less flour. I think I used 1/2 cup of flour into 1 big banana and they came out goey and soft. I left the banana slightly chunky. My 18mo old and I loved it. I skipped nutmeg as I don't have any.
Carla Chin says
This was way too much flour for three bananas and I use a kitchen scale, a half cup was more accurate for me and my bananas were huge. Thankfully I have made these all my life so was happy I didn't add the cup to the mixture. I also sprinkle mine with powdered sugar and use less sugar in the mixture. Appreciate the recipe someone asked me for one and as you stated in one of your responses, we (Jamaicans) as a whole tend to just cook without measurements. So I will pass this one on with just 1/2 cup of flour
Tanya says
Thanks for the feedback Carla. Yep, eyeballing it the best way. My bananas are usually on the larger side as well.
aisha says
I found these tough. It seemed like a lot of flour when i was mixing it. I think I’ll try 1/2 cup flour next time. My mom used to make banana fritters and they were softer. I think she used less flour. Or maybe she added canned milk? I’m glad i have this recipe, though, because mom is gone now.
Tanya says
Hey Aisha, yes, you can adjust the flour for next time. The consistency should be how mine are in the photos/video. The kind of flour, or even brand name of flour, can have an affect on your fritters. If you find that your batter is too thick next time, you can always add a little milk or water to thin it out a little.
Tiandra says
Is it 231 calories per fritter?
Tanya says
Hi, it's per serving. We usually each eat 2-3 fritters.
Pat says
Can these be done in an air fryer. I have a large cavity CUISINART air fryer / convection oven.
Tanya says
Hi Pat, I haven't made these in the air fryer. However, I'm sure it can be done but it won't be exactly the same. If I were to make these in the air fryer, I'dd a little more flour to make them thicker, then air fryer them on 360 for about 10-12 minutes.
Kat says
@Pat, I do mines in AF only for a healthier choice. Just spray it with oil.
Dee says
I really love this recipe. Thank you for making it easy to follow and simple.
Tanya says
Thanks Dee! So happy you like the recipe 🙂
Calvin H. Sydnor III says
Absolutely delicious! I love this recipe!
Danielle says
Didn't seem like a Jamaican fritter...it was a pancake BUT my 6 year old loved it nonetheless
Tanya says
Thanks, I'm glad your 6-year-old loved them. It shouldn't turn out like a pancake, as there aren't any rising ingredients in the batter.
Quinn says
Loved, loved, loved this recipe, Tanya! So delicious 😋
Tanya says
Thanks Quinn! So happy you liked the recipe 🙂
Juja says
Absolutely delicious! Please change servings to 1 and half people. Cos my husband devoured everything and left maybe four for me before I even finished frying it.
Tanya says
lol, Now this happens to me from time to time as well.
Matt says
These just stuck to the pan and burned for me. Tried two different pans, including a pancake pan. Never had this issue before with pancakes etc, very frustrating. Wonder what I'mdoing wrong!?
Tanya says
Hey Matt, have you tried a non-stick pan or cast iron? Those work best if you're having sticking issues.
Jaylon says
@Matt, It’s not a pancake it’s a fritter but I suggest you try a cast iron or non stick.
Goki says
@ Matt
Just reduce the temperature.also add more oil to the pan this is not a recipe for people on a diet
Kayla says
@Matt, Maybe it's the amount of oil you're using? The first few times ive attepmted this, I had WAY to little oil, and they burned similarly to your case. Once I put enough oil suitable for frying, it came out wonderful! I also never used a cast iron skillet, so I'm sure it would help, but I dont personally think that you need it.
TL;DR: Add more oil!!
Kaylee says
Absolutely amazing recipe! My new go 2 it tastes amazing <3
Dee says
I love this recipe. Simple and delicious. Thank you