The simple answer to this question is, YES. Bananas have the tendency to turn brown on exposure to the air. No matter how long it takes, eventually, your bananas will turn brown. They have several nutrients such as iron in them that will turn brown upon coming in contact with air and there is nothing you can do without it. If you are planning to freeze some bananas for smoothies or any other reason and want to know the perfect way to freeze them, here are a few things you need to know.
Do Frozen Bananas Turn Brown?
Unpeeled Bananas
While it might seem like the opposite to you, unpeeled bananas have more chances to get brown than peeled bananas while freezing. Since bananas have lots of moisture in them, if you try to freeze them unpeeled, you can expect half the time for them to turn brown than the peeled bananas would take. There is no way for you to stop the process, but there are certain things that you can do to slow down the process and store them for a longer period of time.
If you are looking to freeze unpeeled bananas, you will need to dip them in lemon water for a while. You will need to prepare the mixture of lemon and water with 1/4th ratio and dip your bananas into the mixture. Rest assured that this will not affect the taste of your bananas. Once you have soaked them enough, let them dry in the air and then you can freeze them in a sealed container. This way you can freeze your bananas for weeks and even for a month or so.
Peeled bananas
Peeled bananas have a longer time before they can turn brown if you have frozen them and that is a good thing to know. All you need to do is peel your bananas, it would be better for you if you cut them into small slices and that would make it easier for you to store as well. Now, once you have peeled and cut them properly, don’t let them sit out there in the air for long.
You will need to put them in some sealed containers and then you can freeze them according to your choice. If you are using a deep freezer to freeze your bananas, you might be able to keep them safe for months and they will not turn brown at all. However, if you are using a regular freezing compartment of a refrigerator, it would be wise to use them within a month as after that they will start getting brown and soft.
While they might not look good for garnishing, the fact is that brown bananas have more antioxidants and nutrients than younger or healthier-looking bananas. So, they are totally safe to be used for any sort of smoothies, cooking, or baking purposes unless you are seeing some apparent mold or ooze on them. So, buckle up your refrigerators and get ready to try some healthy snacks with frozen bananas.