This Is What Happens When You Air Fry Bananas

If you're a fan of caramelized bananas served warm with ice cream, it's time to ditch the frying pan for a handy, versatile alternative: an air fryer. While it might seem counterintuitive to use an appliance with "fryer" in its name to roast such a delicate fruit, an air fryer employs dry, circulating air (much like a convection oven) to cook and crisp food, resulting in caramelized bananas that are evenly browned with less chance of drying out or burning on the surface.   

Like baking banana bread, cooking or roasting bananas releases the fruit's natural sweetness by breaking down its sugars in what's known as the Maillard Reaction. What occurs during this flavor and aroma-enhancing process involves a fine balance of heat and moisture over the cooking time, creating a delectable browned crust on the exterior of the food. You want the cooking temperature to be high enough that exterior browning can occur, but not too high that the interior of the fruit dries out. An air-fryer's relatively gentle, circulation application of heat is perfect for the job. Simply set your air fryer between 375 and 400 degrees Fahrenheit and caramelize bananas in the air fryer for about seven to 10 minutes.

Due to its relatively gentle and consistent browning mechanism, an air fryer is perfect for making perfectly sweet, roasted bananas ideal for dessert with peanut butter, dulce de leche, or maple syrup, or as an accompaniment to up your breakfast yogurt bowl. To roast bananas in the air fryer, first remove the peel, then slice them in half lengthwise. Unlike crunchy air fryer banana chips, you'll want to keep the cut of roasted bananas relatively thick. 

Some people like to air fry bananas with the peels on. If you're removing the peel first, though, brush the bananas with melted butter or coconut oil. Though air fryers require less fat when cooking than other methods, a bit of butter or oil will help develop a soft browned exterior and also adds an undeniably rich flavor to the fruit. 

Speaking of flavor, you can also add brown sugar and warm spices — think cardamom, cinnamon, and nutmeg — to the bananas before placing them in the air fryer for a nice complement. After cooking bananas in the air fryer, checking for doneness (bananas should be golden brown and shiny on the exterior, with a soft, tender interior), you can enjoy the dish as-is. Or use air fried bananas as a deliciously sweet topping, along with bourbon barrel-aged maple syrup for a breakfast akin to Bananas Foster French toast.