Why You Should Be Freezing Your Leftover Banana Peels

Bananas are seriously multifaceted fruits. Not only can you use them as a faux phone, or as a weapon of minor destruction in Mario Kart, but as a healthy snack on the go, the tastiest addition to your morning granola, and the best thing to happen to your bread recipe since, well, sliced bread. You might even delight in all of the ways you can use overripe bananas — from pancakes and ice cream to banana ketchup. But have you ever stopped to consider all of the wonderful things you can do with their peels? Though most folks just toss their banana peels (hopefully not where someone can slip on them), we're here to make the case that you should be storing them in your freezer instead.

Some people aren't accustomed to using banana peels for anything but storing their bananas, but they are an incredible source of vitamins, minerals, and fiber. By freezing them, you preserve that impressive nutritional profile until you're ready to use them. If you've got a green thumb, you may already be employing them in the most common way — as plant food. Once you've got a substantial enough amount of banana peels stored up, take them out, chop them up, and toss them in with your potted plants or directly into garden beds. Alternatively, you can blend them with some water to make a slurry or steep them in hot water to make a tea. This can be used alone to supply plants with necessary nutrients, or combined with used coffee grinds and egg shells for a more all-encompassing natural fertilizer that includes nitrogen, calcium, phosphorus, and potassium. 

Though your plants would surely appreciate the nutritive boost they get from your famous banana peel tea, you might want to try some of it as well. Made by simply steeping or simmering (washed and preferably organic) banana peels in hot water for 30 minutes, banana peel tea is loaded with all the water-soluble nutrients in bananas — like B6, potassium, and magnesium, as well as antioxidants and electrolytes. The tryptophan content in banana peels might also make the tea an excellent sleep aid.

If you're down to get a little more adventurous, try tossing some banana peels into your favorite smooth and creamy banana smoothie recipe. Not only does it up the ante in terms of the nutritional content, but with banana peels being up to 83% fiber, it lends loads of fiber to your drink — which can help with digestion, weight management, and heart health. You might consider stepping out of your comfort zone a little further and including banana peels in a delicious curry or chutney. Common in South India, banana peel chutney is often made with ingredients like turmeric, mustard seeds, tamarind, ginger, chilis, and coconut, and can be served with roti, rice, or savory meat dishes.