BBQ Burger Made from Banana Peels

Are you ready to question everything you’ve believed in so far? Then check out this wicked banana-peel BBQ Burger! With banana skins I always thought about organic waste or maybe some fertilizer for my plants. But food?!  I couldn’t believe it either when I first read about it on the internet on the blog The Stingy Vegan. All my life I have considered banana peels as a waste product. How wrong I was with that!

Well, I tried this unusual recipe. And what can I say? It tasted damn good! And looking at the end result, no one would suspect that this BBQ Burger was made from banana peels. Banana peels are therefore an excellent and inexpensive alternative to Jackfruit, which has been widely used as a Pulled Pork substitute in recent years.   

I was super skeptical at the beginning about the whole thing with banana peels. But I was brave enough to try it. And what can I say, I really liked it. It worked great and had a great consistency and a delicious BBQ taste.

The right degree of ripeness of the bananas

You are probably as skeptical now as I was at the beginning. I can reassure you: The pulled pork made of banana peels does not taste bitter and it does not taste like banana. The trick is to choose bananas that are yellow on the outside and not too ripe. With these bananas, the skins are firmer and thicker and do not yet taste intensely of bananas. In addition, the white stuff on the inside is easier to scrape out. When the bananas are riper, you can of course still use the skin, but the banana taste may come out more. Please do not use completely green bananas (green tones around the stem are ok). They taste a bit bitter.

Only use organic bananas

Make sure you use organic bananas, as the conventional ones are often sprayed with pesticides. You should also wash the bananas thoroughly before peeling. If you want to be especially thorough, you can soak the bananas in a water vinegar solution before peeling them.

Planains or normal bananas are possible

By the way, you can use plantain peels as well as normal banana peels for this BBQ Burger. I prefer the normal banana peels because they are softer, easier to process and cook faster. I also eat significantly more normal bananas than plantains. But feel free to try both varieties and decide for yourself which one tastes better.

Banana skins are edible and even very healthy

For all those who have wondered so far whether banana peels are even edible: Yes, they are and they are even very healthy. Because similarly as with apples, peaches or other kinds of fruit also the banana skin contains many healthy and important vitamins such as Vitamin A, B6 and C, magnesium and potassium. In addition, banana skins contain carotenoids, which are said to protect against cancer.

Therefore you should rather eat the banana peel than just throw it away. Otherwise 40 percent of the banana would simply go into the trash. 

To eat the banana peel with a good conscience, you should always buy only organic bananas, as they are not treated with harmful pesticides and other chemicals. 

Fun fact on the side: conventional bananas are often treated with a substance extracted from the shell of shrimp. Strictly speaking, they are therefore not even vegetarian. So the best thing to do is always to use organic bananas. 

What do you do with the rest of the bananas?

For this dish you need about 2 banana skins per person. Of course you can eat the bananas just like that, but if that’s too much for you, you can freeze them and make Nicecream later. Alternatively, you can bake a banana bread or make a dessert out of bananas fried in a pan with agave syrup and vegan vanilla ice cream. 

Or you can collect the banana skins over a longer period of time. Whenever you eat a banana, pick up the peel, shred it into shreds with a fork and then freeze the banana skins. Then you will always have the ingredients for this delicious BBQ burger at hand. 

The Idea Comes from Venezuela

The inhabitants of Venezuela came up with the idea of using banana skins as a meat substitute. They have been using banana skins for years to veganize regional meat recipes such as Carne Mechada. I suspect that they came up with the idea because of the food shortage that has existed in Venezuela for years

Brazilians have been eating banana peels for years

Banana peels have also been used as a meat substitute in Brazil for years. There, for example, there is a sandwich filled with meat called Carne Louca (“Crazy Meat”), which vegans have turned into Casca Louca (“Crazy Peels”) with the banana-peel meat substitute.  

In Brazil they do all kinds of crazy things with banana skins. Like banana-peel meatballs, banana-peel burgers, or banana-peel steak.

Preparation of BBQ Burger Made from Banana Peels

The preparation is very easy. You have to scrape out the banana skins and tear them into shreds with a fork. Then you fry the peels together with the spices in a pan. The smoked paprika powder* gives the dish a smoky, hearty note and the chili powder gives a nice kick. Of course, you can adapt the spice mixture to your wishes and preferences.

Then add the BBQ sauce and some water and simmer until the skins are tender and the desired consistency is achieved.

The banana peels do not take too long to cook, but the cooking time depends on how ripe the bananas are. The riper they are, the faster they cook. If they are not yet cooked, they will not bite through properly and are tough. If you cook them too long, they become mushy. So you should try them every few minutes. They usually take about five to ten minutes.

As another topping for the BBQ burgers made from banana peels, I also made a vegan cabbage salad that harmonizes perfectly with the BBQ flavour.

Who would have thought that something we normally throw away could be made so delicious?

A small warning at the end: People with a latex allergy can also react to bananas. So be careful when allergies are known.

More delicious recipes from all over the world can be found in our recipe overview.