Being curious to know can you juice a banana? Yes! You can juice a banana easily as long as you are quite known with the right process of extracting juice from the ripe banana. Juicing bananas is a great way to reach your daily recommended vitamin intake. It is not only delicious in taste, but also an easier way to add more nutrients to your daily drinks.
But when it is about juicing a banana, many of us get puzzled about the overall process and think about whether it should be done on a juicer. No doubt to say, adding bananas to a juicer is not a good idea as it is a high-fiber fruit and contains lower water. So, what are the solutions? Let’s find out the right way through this comprehensive guide!
Plus, learn everything there is to know about banana juice, its potential benefits, side effects, preparations, and optimal uses.
What Is Banana Juice?
Banana juice is basically a flavorful combination of ripe banana along with honey, milk, apple, mango or any other fruit extracts. Though the ripe banana contains enough sugar, it will be more flavorful by adding a little bit of honey or any other sweetener into it. This delightful banana drink is enough to fulfil all of the nutrients that are provided by a solid banana even more than that!
Due to their rich flavor and aroma, Bananas are certainly one of the most likeable fruits throughout the world. It is considered one of the healthiest diets and even an aid to many major health issues.
Though it is popular to be eaten as only fruit, it can be used in various sweet dishes like desserts. Also when the term comes to processing a drink from this high nutrients fruit, it is a healthy drink for both kids and adults.
This is because banana juice contains more concentrations of vitamin B6, vitamin A, folate, vitamin C, fibers, magnesium, potassium and carbohydrates.
Can You Juice A Banana In A Juicer?
No! You can’t juice a banana using a juicer as it will end up getting stuck in the feeder chute. This happens due to less water and high fiber in the banana. When you are trying to juice the banana in juicers, it will leave a lot of pulp and you won’t be enough for you to drink. But the fact can be easier if you are using a high-speed blender instead of a juicer.
What Happens If You Juice a Banana?
If you are just juicing a banana without adding other watery ingredients, it will be nothing but ended up getting clogged up in the juicer. This is because bananas in the range of fruit, not having sufficient water content to turn into a complete liquid form. But in case you are adding milk or water in the blender, this may give the fine result as your expectation. Or, you can add the blended banana puree to a juice for a little extra texture and flavor.
If you’re new to juicing, certainly you’ll think that we can make juice from every range of fruit to make a healthy diet. But no! the truth is far behind this!
There are several fruits you can’t juice as they won’t yield enough liquid to make your juicing process easier. Let’s make the confusion clear.
Banana is basically in the range of unjuiceable fruits. Certainly, you will get little juice after squeezing it but it’s not enough juice to be worth it. It contains too high of fiber almost in the same ratio.
When you are juicing these types of fruits in a juicer, this will result in closer to a mash than juice. You will find the lumps are clogging up inside the juicer metals. In the case of banana juicing in a juicer, it will leftover the banana flavor in your juicer through clogs. No worry! The solution is just to process them in a blender and make any of your favourite banana juice recipes.
How Do You Juice A Banana? [Learn 3 Creative Methods!!]
Now that you know you can juice a banana and the overall processes are a bit tricky, we are disclosing the 3 easiest methods to juice bananas. Here you go!
Method #1: Juice The Banana In A Blender
It is a simple process of banana juicing and is more likely relatable to the banana smoothie. You just need to take all the ingredients in a blender jar and then add the sliced banana to it.
Turn on the blender and keep bending it until the juice mixture gets into a smooth form. As you are using a blender in this process instead of a juicer there is no chance of clogging the pulp in the inside metals. It may result in a thicker form. For this instance, simply strain it with a cheesecloth again.
Method #2: The Boil In A Bag Method
This is the most popular method to juice a banana though the process is tricky. No worry! We’ll explain clearly. The boiling method is basically extracting the juice from the banana pulp. To do so, we are just boiling the banana in different methods. Here is how you do so:
- First, peel the ripe bananas and mash them into a puree.
- Now, take a plastic bag and pour the puree into the bag. Ensure there is an option to seal the bag’s mouth. Before sealing, don’t miss to squeeze the air out of the bag.
- Then, put the plastic bag into a pot and start boiling it at around 150 Fahrenheit.
- Let it sit for about 4-5 hours. After that period you will see the banana extracts are separating from the pulp.
- If so, that’s all you have done! Strain the mixture through a cheesecloth and pour it into a jar. Your banana juice is ready. Let it cool & serve the juice your way!
Method #3: Make The Banana Soft Serve Through Microwave Method
In this process, you will need to use frozen bananas. Take out the frozen banana from the freezer and place it in a large bowl. Now, cover the bowl with plastic wrap. This time, you will have to microwave the bananas for a few minutes.
After the set time, you will see the bananas get much smoother, so far related to puree. In this step, strain the puree in a fine mesh strainer and strain it until you are getting sufficient banana juice at the end.
After that, when you have collected the banana extract or juice, let it sit to cool down. When done! Prepare the banana juice recipe as to your taste and preferences!
Can You Extract The Juice From A banana?
Yes! Unlike other fruits, you can extract the juice from the banana as it has higher water content. The process is quite straightforward. Simply, peel and cut the banana into slices. Blend the cut bananas well and then strain this puree through a sieve to extract to get fresh banana juice.
Don’t get puzzled just seeing the above preview. There are far more tricks and tips that you may apply to quickly make the juice from ripe bananas. Here you go!
Step #1: First off, take about 6 ripe bananas. Peel them out and cut them into small slices. Now take our blender and put all the cut fruit into it.
Step #2: You can add some water to it if your banana is filled and hard enough. Now add about 3.5 gm of amylase. It is a naturally occurring enzyme that helps to break down the starches into sugar, ensuring the juice is thinner, smoother and sweeter.
Step #3: Now start blending the banana until it turned to a smooth form. There should not be any lumps in the puree.
Step #4: When done! Now if you have to filter the juice. To do so, take a fine-mesh strainer and place it over a bowl or pitcher. Instead, you can use a piece of cheesecloth in the strainer. But make sure that the bowl or pitcher is large enough to hold all of the banana juice.
Step #5: Drain the puree through the strainer. Take a spoon and push down on the puree so that so more juice can drip into the bowl.
Step #6: Finally Leave the banana extract in the bowl to cool to room temperature. That’s all you have done!!
The Best Bananas To Make Banana Juice
Now, when you are ready for juicing a banana, you will find a few banana varieties that may get tricky for you. Usually, you need to use the yellow ripe bananas for juicing as they are fuller creamery inside and have sweeter than the unripe ones.
Nevertheless, it will be worth learning about some of the best bananas that you can use for juicing. Here you go!
Cavendish Bananas
This is the most popular banana that is highly available in the grocery store. It is that banana type that we mostly eat and even has great potential as fruit juice.
Pisang Awak
Pisang Awak is another widely known edible banana, belonging to the AABB banana cultivar group. Generally, they have reddish skin with sweetened white-filled flesh inside. Even it becomes sweet after when fully matured and ripened. Due to its high sugar content, it is mostly used to make various banana juice and smoothie recipes.
Baby Bananas
Baby Banana is one of the sweetest and smallest banana varieties. They are widely known as the Finger Banana, and Ladyfinger Banana as well. This type of banana is native to tropical and sub-tropical areas like Central and South America. It features a creamy texture with a sweeter flavor more likely relatable to honey. Thus baby bananas are great for making juice and many more desserts.
Plantains
Along with other varieties, you can use Plantains bananas for juice. Generally, they tend to be larger in size with thicker skin. They feature less sugar thus you will find different flavors on these types of bananas. You need to add honey, sugar or any of your favorite sweeteners to make a yummy juice with the Plantains bananas.
Can You Juice A Banana Peel?
Yes! Definitely, you can! Even juicing a banana peel increases the nutrients and ensures far more health benefits than the part of the banana. But it is recommended to take yellow peels in the juicer rather than little green ones.
Generally, the banana peel contains more moisture than the actual body inside. Thus it will be easier for one to run it into a juicer. But before taking the banana peels into a juicer jar, make sure you have given them a good wash and remove the woody stalk. Then, make it into fine juice in a juicer. Add sugar, honey and enough milk or water to make the mixture light.
Now that, the juice is ready for you. The benefits it drinking this juice may really surprise you. Just go through the below few points:
- There have all types of macrominerals in the banana peel that make your body more functioning.
- It contains the complete profile of vitamin B and antioxidants. All that is enough to help you in the blood cell from breaking down, give a good motion in energy production, lower the risk of attacking stroke, strengthen heart health, keep cholesterol in control, and so on,
- Even it helps to improve eye health by protecting the cells of the eyes from harmful UV rays. The lutein will improve the retina cells’ growth, great for eye health.
- They are high in tryptophan, an essential amino acid which produces 5-HTP and all the needed sleep-regulating neurotransmitters.
Can You Juice A Frozen Banana?
Yes! There is no doubt that you can juice a frozen banana. Even it will give you better results while juicing than the non-frozen bananas. Generally, frozen bananas have a higher water content that makes the juicing process easier and allows you to make a smoother serving!
Frozen fruits are always excellent for juicing. But it might seem a bit tricky for someone while juicing in the juicer. Like when you are freezing the banana changes its cell structure which may be difficult for a juicer to process. For this instance, you can thaw the frozen bananas first. Thus it will be easier for the juicer to break down the fiber and extract the juice.
Also, don’t take out the frozen banana from the freezer and put it in the juicer jar. No!! let them defrost for about an hour at room temperature before juicing.
Banana Juice vs Banana Smoothie
Basically, the term banana juice and banana smoothie are quite the same. Most people prefer banana juice far different from the smoothie. But no! If you are blending the banana in a blender in order to make the juice, it will be ended up with a smoothie having small fibers in it. You just need to strain the smoothie or juice to turn it into a flavorful drink.
Banana is certainly in the range of nutritious and delicious fruits. Many of us always try to give a new form to increase the taste diversity of this fruit. Now when the term comes to banana recipes, the first word come “Smoothie”. It is not only great in taste but highly rich in nutrients that are quite beneficial for all.
The process of making banana juice is similar to the smoothie and carries the same health benefits. Both are simply fiber-breaking processes in a blender. That means, if you blend a banana, it will be a rich and creamy mixture, that you may call banana juice or smoothie. Even, unlike smoothies, it is a go-to drink for health-conscious ones.
But when you are comparing a banana with a smoothie, there will be certain differences starting from texture or containing nutrients. Let’s have a glimpse at the table below:
| Nutrients | Banana | Banana Smoothie |
| Potassium | 358 mg | 24 mg |
| Sugars | 12.23 mg | 7.35 mg |
| Vitamin C | 8.7 mg | 24.5 mg |
| Calcium | 5 mg | 41 mg |
| fiber | 2.6 mg | 0 mg |
| Sodium | 1 mg | 29 mg |
3 Delicious Banana Juice Recipes That You Can Try Now!
If you’re looking for the easiest banana juice recipes that will be perfect for your light breakfast or as a snack on a hot summer day, here are all for you.
Recipe 1: Fresh Banana Apple Juice
Ingredients:
| Bananas | 2 large |
| Fresh apples | 1 or ½ |
| Milk | 1 or 1½ cup |
| Water | As needed |
| Honey | 1-2 tablespoon |
Directions:
Step #1: First off, make sure you have washed off the bananas and apples very well. Then peel the banana and cut them into slices.
Step #2: Peel the apple as well. Cut into slices. You can use the half apple here as your preference.
Step #3: Take your blender jar and add the cut apple and bananas. Also, add milk (or water) or honey to your taste. You can use agave, or dates syrup instead of honey. But try to add the Sweetener in less amount as ripe bananas are already sweet.
Step #4: Now blend them all until it turns into a smooth and creamy juice. If the smoothie is thick, you can add more milk or water to make it light and blend again.
Step #5: Pour the juice into a glass and serve with ice cubes. Try to drink it immediately as it will change the taste and color after some time.
Recipe 2: Strawberry Banana Juice Recipe
Ingredients:
| Ripe Strawberry | ½ Cup |
| Banana | 1 or 2 large ones |
| Apple | 1 or ½ fresh ones |
| Orange juice | ¼ cup |
| Honey/sugar (additional) | 1 tablespoon |
| Ice cubes | 4-5 |
Directions:
Step #1: Peel the bananas and cut them into slices. Also, peel the apple and cut them into diced shapes.
Step #2: Cut each strawberry into two halves.
Step #3: Now take your blender jar and pour ¼ cup orange juice. Add the sliced fruits to the jar.
Step #4: Then add the ice cubes and 1 tablespoon of honey if you want.
Step #5: Start blending until it turns into a smooth puree. Make sure there are no lumps of fruits. Instead of strawberries, you can use cherries and juice this way.
Step #6: Finally pour the strawberry banana juice into a serving glass. You can add some more orange juice to dilute the juice.
Recipe 3: Banana Pistachios Juice
Ingredients:
| Banana | 2 large ripe ones |
| Milk | 2 cups |
| Slivered shelled pistachios | 2 tablespoons |
| Honey or sugar | 1 tablespoon |
Directions:
Step #1: Peel the bananas and cut them into slices
Step #2: Now take your blender and add all the ingredients to it.
Step #3: Add milk and sugar or honey. Then start blending until it turns into a smooth form.
Step #4: When done, pour the juice into a serving glass and serve them with the ice cubes.
Nutritional Benefits of Juicing a Banana
Here is the nutritional breakdown of banana juice:
Serving Size: 1 Cup
| Cholesterol | 0mg |
| Sodium | 2mg |
| Total Carbohydrate | 55.96g |
| Dietary Fiber | 6.4g |
| Sugars | 29.96g |
| Protein | 2.67g |
| Calcium | 12mg |
| Iron | 0.64mg |
| Potassium | 877mg |
| Vitamin A | 7mcg |
| Vitamin C | 21.3mg |
| Saturated Fat | 0.274g |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 0.179g |
| Monounsaturated Fat | 0.078g |
| Total Fat | 0.81g |
10 Impressive Health and Medicinal Benefits of Banana Juice
Banana is a storehouse of nutrients thus it is definitely a great choice to ensure the highest health benefits. You can take it alone or even combine it with other food items. If you are eating bananas in a juice form, they will only be delightful in taste but also will be incredibly beneficial for your body as well
Let’s have a glimpse of the best health advantages of banana juice:
1# Control Blood Pressure
Bananas are highly rich in potassium. In banana juice, there is about 848mg whereas the solid banana contains 358 mg of potassium. Thus it is clear that you are getting more potassium in the juice form. Potassium is highly effective in managing hypertension.
According to the American Heart Association (AHA), it reduces the effects of sodium and controls blood pressure by alleviating the blood vessel walls.
2# Effective For Heart Health
Like bananas, the juice of this fruit contains high values of fiber, potassium, folate, and antioxidants like vitamin C. all of the ones are highly effective for health. Basically, the fiber of the banana reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease and helps to keep the heart health fitter. Thus doctors highly suggest drinking banana juice daily to all cardiovascular patients.
3# Reduce Stress & Anxiety
The term may wonder you but it’s worth mentioning that banana juice works as a stress regulator as well. The B vitamins in bananas, especially vitamin b6 are the key to the production of dopamine and serotonin that helps reduce anxiety.
Even when you are adding peanuts, milk or any other ingredients in banana juice to increase the taste, it will combinedly help to improve your mood, reduce all the stress inside you, and generally make you feel happier.
4# Control The Cholesterol Level
Banana juice is especially a good source of potassium and soluble fiber that reduces the level of cholesterol and blood pressure. Basically, the fiber comes in contact with fluids and becomes viscous.
This is a gel substance which attracts LDL cholesterol and carries it out of the body. But it doesn’t affect the HDL cholesterol, the good cholesterol.
5# Good For Bones & Joints
Bananas as well as banana juice are likely a complete package of all nutritional values that are helpful for bone density and strength. It contains a prebiotic named- Fructooligosaccharides that enhance the ability of the body to absorb calcium. Consequently this prebiotic is far more effective in improving the bone health of your body.
6# Prevents Stomach Ulcers
Banana juice is a good source of antibacterial compounds that reduce the growth of H. pylori bacteria which is responsible for causing stomach ulcers. Even it clears out the acidity of gastric juices and strengthens the stomach lining. Thus doctors recommend eating bananas or drinking banana juice to get relief from an ulcer.
7# Prevent Stroke
Drinking banana juice daily is far more helpful for preventing strokes as well. The induced potassium of bananas stops fatal blockages from occurring and reduces the arteries from narrowing. Thus who are regular in keeping bananas in their diet are at 24% lower risk of stroke.
8# Improve The Brain Power
Bananas are a good source of an amino acid named tryptophan. After eating bananas, the tryptophan turns into serotonin in your body which works as the brain neurotransmitter. Hence, it helps in improving your brain power and makes you stressed out.
9# Detoxifies the Body
The combination of dietary fiber and vitamin b6 in banana juice help to manage the toxicity levels. The fiber promotes healthy gut flora and helps to improve in detoxify our body by sweeping the intestines clean.
10# Boosts Immunity
The presence of vitamin C and various B in banana juice works as an immune system booster. The prebiotic compound of the banana helps to maintain a healthy balance of beneficial bacteria in your gut that boosts the immune system.
Does Blending A Banana Make It Unhealthier? [Potential Drawbacks Of Drinking Banana Juice!]
Along with the great diversity of the advantages of banana juice, there are some potential drawbacks when you are consuming an excessive amount of banana juice. All that should come to your knowledge. Have a glimpse at the below assigned side effects of banana juice:
- Banana is definitely a good source of fiber. But the amount increase so far when you are breaking it through the blending. A proper amount of fiber is certainly good for health but it turns into serious drawbacks when you are consuming too much fiber.
Basically, this allows the natural bacteria to expand their populations which affects the digestive system. Even It alters the nutritional niches in the intestinal gas and leads to abdominal bloating and cramping.
- Banana or banana juice is not typically a high-calorie fruit. But too much banana can put more calories in your body than needed. Consequently, it will lead to unhealthy weight gain.
- If you are drinking too much banana juice, that will definitely be a good source of dietary fiber in your body. Thus it may affect absorbing other essential minerals like calcium and iron. All that process will impair the bone density of your body.
- Too much banana juice means too much potassium consumption in your body. A proper amount of potassium is beneficial for overall our health. But an excessive amount of potassium greatly affects the muscles’ function and even leads to serious heart problems as well.
FAQs
Is juicing a banana different from eating it?
Yes of course! When you are juicing a banana, it will be easier for you to break down the fiber content from the banana. Also, it will be convenient for you to consume and digest a larger amount of nutrients just by absorbing a small amount of juice.
Can you put the whole banana in a juicer?
First of all, it is not a good idea to juice a banana in a juice. You need to use a blender instead of it. Secondly, there is no recommendation that you can’t put the whole banana for juicing. But it will be better to cut them into slices to get quick smoothness.
What are some tips for juicing a banana?
Always try to use yellow, fuller ripe bananas for juicing. Also, it is important to peel the banana before juicing it. Lastly, you can add milk or any other fruits and vegetables extract to add more flavour to the mixture.
Is juicing a banana safe?
Yes! Definitely! You can juice bananas without any safety concerns. Even it will ensure you more nutrition than eating solid fruits. But make sure you have washed the blender first before using it. must peel the fruit and it may contain toxins that can be harmful to the body.
In Closing!
Still puzzling can you juice a banana? I bet not! Our comprehensive discussion is enough to rectify all your confusion regarding banana juice, the making process and the nutritional and health benefits.
Thinking about the great diversity of health benefits, you must keep banana juice in your daily drinks. It will be a great addition to your diet. By this, you can reduce the risk of stroke and heart disease so far. Also, it will help you to maintain a balanced and healthy body with far fewer issues!
