Yes, you read that right, this is banana peel bacon. A vegan bacon recipe made from the banana peels that you would otherwise toss away. Am I crazy? Maybe a little. Does it taste good? Yes, it does. It really, really does!
There has been a recent trend of making a vegan pulled pork type sandwich using banana peels, but for the most part, people have had bad experiences with it, saying that it actually tasted awful. But I didn't let that get me down. I was more intrigued by the idea of making banana peel bacon than the pulled pork (but let me know if you want me to give the pulled pork a try too). It took several experiments, but then the magic happened. Let me tell you, the results are good. Like actually really good. Like addictively yummy good.
The banana peel bacon is crispy, chewy, and a bit greasy just like traditional bacon. A bit thinner than traditional bacon, the flavour is smoky, salty, slightly sweet, and has a subtle hint of banana taste which is actually quite delicious. I'm not the only crazy one who liked it, my partner Adam and my dog Chickpea were both crazy about it too!
Banana peel bacon would be delicious alongside a vegan fried egg, tofu scramble, on a sandwich, chopped and served on a salad, or to top a pasta dish!
To make banana peel bacon:
The number one most important step is to use bananas that are very ripe. Stay far away from green bananas, the bacon will taste terrible. The riper the banana the better the flavour so pick bananas that are yellow with lots of brown spots.
To prepare the banana peels, remove the peels from the bananas and tear into about 4 strips per banana. Use a spoon to lightly scrape off the white inside part of the banana peel leaving just the peel.
Make the marinade by mixing the soy sauce, maple syrup, smoked paprika, and garlic powder together in a dish that will fit your banana peels.
Add the banana peels and toss to coat. Let marinade for a minimum of 10 minutes, but as long as a few hours.
You will likely have leftover marinade. Feel free to make more banana peel bacon or to save the marinade for a few days in a container in the fridge to use again later.
When ready to cook the bacon, heat the oil in a large skillet or frying pan over medium heat. When hot add the peels and fry a couple of minutes per side until they are golden and bubble up a little. It may get a little smoky as the sugars will burn so make sure to turn on your hood fan. Remove from pan and drain on paper towel. They should get crispier as they cool.
Now if you want to use up those bananas you just peeled, try more of my vegan recipes such as my banana milk, banana nut muffins, banana bread oatmeal, healthy breakfast cookies, banana coconut French toast, or any of my dessert flavoured smoothies.
Bon appetegan!
Sam.
Banana Peel Bacon
Ingredients
- 2 very ripe banana peels, (from 2 bananas, see instructions)*
- 3 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon light oil (or more if needed)
Instructions
- The number one most important step is to use bananas that are very ripe. Stay far away from green bananas, the bacon will taste terrible. The riper the banana the better the flavour so pick bananas that are yellow with lots of brown spots. To prepare the banana peels: remove the peels from the bananas and tear into about 4 strips per banana. Use a spoon to lightly scrape off the white inside part of the banana peel leaving just the peel.
- Make the marinade by mixing the soy sauce, maple syrup, smoked paprika, and garlic powder together in a dish that will fit your banana peels. Add the banana peels and toss to coat. Let marinade for a minimum of 10 minutes, but as long as a few hours.
- When ready to cook the bacon, heat the oil in a large skillet or frying pan over medium heat. When hot add the peels and fry a couple of minutes per side, until they are golden and bubble up a little. It may get a little smoky as the sugars will burn so make sure to turn on your hood fan. Remove from pan and drain on paper towel. They should get crispier as they cool.
Notes
Nutrition
Sherrie says
This is delicious! I cut the recipe in half since I only make it with one banana peel. I use low sodium soy sauce. I don’t have smoked paprika , I use regular paprika and 2 drops of liquid smoke. Just live this!
Julia says
FABULOUS! Thank you for sharing your recipe with us. I gave up meat in 1992 but every now and then crave a BLT!!!
Chloe says
Sounds delicious but haven’t tried making it yet.
Do you think banana bacon be done in the oven?
Barb says
Would it turn out weird if I saved banana peels in the freezer and thawed them when I’m ready to use?
Sam Turnbull says
I haven't tried it, but your banana peels would be black. I'm not sure how they will taste.
S says
I just made this in a BLT for lunch, and it was great! It was crispy and slightly smokey. I will definitely make it again!
Sam Turnbull says
Wonderful! So happy you enjoyed!!
S says
I just made a BLT with this instead of the bacon, and it was amazing! It added a great crispness and a slightly smokey flavor. I will definitely make this again!
Shaz says
Must give this a try. We grow our own bananas.
Doug Buis says
I tried the banana peel bacon recipe on mango peels. It worked perfectly. I didn't scrape out the mango which added some sweetness, and it needs to fry a bit longer. Very tasty.
Sam Turnbull says
So cool! I will have to try it 🙂
Becky says
I've made the pulled banana peel "pork" and it was actually very good. My family did not even know and was shocked when I told them they just ate a dinner of banana peels!
Sam Turnbull says
So fun! I have to post a recipe for that soon as well 🙂
Hania says
can these be cooked in the air fryer?
Sam Turnbull says
I imagine they can but keep a close eye as they burn very quickly
Thomas Kotalik says
I have done this twice before and I am in love with them. I was wondering if after frying can they be stored in fridge or freezer. I want to add them to a collard green recipe. They will replace bacon Thanks
Linda says
I would try freezing a little bit of it. Can't hurt to give it a try!
E.L. Francis says
Thanks for sharing, seen this one a few tiktoks also.
Sam Turnbull says
Yes, there are many of my recipes that are circulating Tiktok! 🙂
Alexis says
Incredible! So quick, cheap, and tasty. I'm saving the leftover marinade in the fridge to add peels until there are enough to cook a batch.
Also had no problem with unripe peels' texture as they spent enough time marinating.
Rachel says
Please try the pulled pork!
Melinda says
I was watching a Sri Lankan chef who talked about her lifelong use of banana peels as a food source. She said to first fry them up after chopping into maybe 4cm pieces, then after cooking putting it in a container in the fridge with BBQ sauce.
Sam Turnbull says
Sounds great!!
Joyce says
I LOVE these! I don't miss much after giving up meat, except bacon. These peels satisfied my desire! Unlike others who didn't feel they were crispy, mine were. You have to get the pan hot, add the oil & cook quickly. As Sam said, they will smoke & they burn quickly, so you need to watch. I love using the whole fruit. I followed the recipe as written. Thanks for sharing.
Sam Turnbull says
So happy you love it Joyce!!
Patricia G. says
Tried it using the air fryer, as we fry very little, and used low-salt soy, and Braggs amino’s. So it wasn’t too bad for me, my spouse thought it was too salty. Another idea is to try using Ponzu soy sauce - lower salt.
Hard to know temp and time for air fryer- first time, did 180 C, and 10 minutes, were under done, second time did it longer they were burnt.
Will continue. Also, is it possible to have the new comments “box” at the beginning of the comments for a person to fill-in? Had to scroll through many, many, many comments before I found the empty box for mine. Would be nice if we could be switched around.
StaceyN says
I was excited to try this but was disappointed. It was SO salty that I couldn't even stand more than a small bite. 🙁
DONNA NEUMANN says
Perhaps if you used Low Sodium Soya sauce it would cut the too salty taste.
StaceyN says
Maybe! I don't have any but maybe I'll buy it one day and try again. 🙂
Melinda says
Or just use less soy sauce? I used less by accident and amped up the sweetener, and I found that good.
Horsea says
You need a certain amount of liquid, so just use less soy sauce and dilute it.
Ida says
Was surprisingly good! I burnt a few pieces (they weren't bubbling/browning nicely, and then they burnt!) so I just threw those out. A medium heat is probably best. I added mine to a vegetarian spaghetti carbonara (along with the mushroom bacon also on this website) and my Dad, who is a bacon lover who was INCREDIBLY dubious of the whole banana peel thing, was actually impressed. Though, I was hoping the banana bacon would stay a bit crispy but it definitely did not. Quite tasty though. Would probably prefer the mushroom bacon in future though, as it requires less effort, has a meatier texture and the flavour was just really nice.
(Also, I used organic bananas and washed the skins well)