In Memory Of Karen Nicole Smith, 1972 - 2016

Banana Fritters A Caribbean Favourite.


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With  all the recent requests I’ve been getting for more dessert type recipes, I’ve decided to share a classic banana fritters recipes with you guys. In all honesty I don’t like banana as I once did as a child. I strongly believe I had too much growing up on the islands as it’s common to have trees around your home, so we always had various varieties of ripe bananas to snack on. I recall my mom making this treat for us when the bananas were going a bit discolored (at it’s ripest) and she wanted to use them before they got chucked into the rubbish bin. But back then there were no confectionery sugar topping!

You’ll Need…

3 ripe bananas
1 egg
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
1/2 cup of sugar
2 cups of all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon of baking powder
3 cups of vegetable oil for frying
confectioner sugar (optional, but nice finishing touch)

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In a fairly large bowl, peel and cut the ripe banana into chunks, then mash using a fork or potato masher into a smooth consistency. It will have the consistency of baby food … parents will know what I mean.

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Whip the egg, then add the sugar, vanilla and cinnamon.. then whip some more until the sugar breaks down. Now add that to the bowl with the mashed bananas. You can certainly use an electric mixer if you wish, but I much prefer a wire whisk (burn some calories before replacing them with tasty ones).

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The final step in preparing the batter is to slowly start adding in the flour and baking powder. Mix until you have a smooth batter, without any lumps. After that… all you have to do is heat the oil on a medium/high flame and add spoonfuls (tablespoon) of the batter into the hot oil. It will take about 1 minute to get golden brown, then flip and cook for another minute until that side is also golden brown. Once cooked you will notice that it will start floating in the oil. Remove and drain on paper towels. Final step before eating is to dust with the confectionery sugar. Serve warm… good with vanilla ice cream on the side as well.

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Before you go I invite you to leave me your comments below… even if it just to say hello. It’s always appreciated. And don’t forget to join us on facebook and do check out the cooking videos.

Happy Cooking

Chris….

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83 Comments

  1. Rosa
    May 17, 2022 / 7:36 pm

    Hi Chris I will try them later this week

  2. Caren
    May 1, 2020 / 4:57 pm

    Hi Chris! Can I substitute the banana and use plantain?

    • Lisa
      February 19, 2021 / 7:40 pm

      Simply Delicious.Do not change anything.You can enjoy less and absolutely be happy 😃 with the real flavour.

  3. Tom
    March 11, 2019 / 10:43 pm

    I will try this one for a fund raiser dinner and see what the guest will say.

  4. Phylicia
    December 17, 2018 / 4:58 am

    Very tasty but instead of frying them I baked them
    I’m trying to eat healthy it was still delicious es

  5. Robin
    December 30, 2017 / 8:52 pm

    Chris, I absolutely love this light, fluffy banana fritter recipe! Made them today, I’m finding it hard to not eat all of them! Thank you very much 🙂

  6. Patrizia
    December 27, 2017 / 7:22 am

    A simple recipe but very tasty. I made it without sugar and had to add some milk… I ate half of the fritters in 10 minutes ; )

  7. Ahilia Sankar
    July 15, 2017 / 6:07 pm

    Looks delicious! I had lots of plantains which all ripened at the same time. My family enjoyed immensely. Thanks for sharing!

  8. Betty
    February 28, 2017 / 5:58 pm

    Thank you for the cassava dumpling recipe. Have not tasted them in years. Will try some this week.

    Also the banana fritters. Will also try your way.

  9. August 24, 2016 / 8:30 pm

    Thanks for sharing this banana fritters. i remember when i was in Trinidad my mom prepare all the time for dinner and hot cup of tea with milk. so yummmmm.

  10. Diane
    July 25, 2016 / 9:14 am

    Thank you for your recipe it was so nice , I made it again , u look forward to your recipes

  11. Isa Raven
    May 27, 2016 / 9:50 pm

    Health issues have required major diet changes for me this past year: gluten-free, non-dairy, AND nightshade free eating! It’s been a challenge, but you’re still one of my go-to guys for some yummy dishes!

  12. Denise
    January 23, 2016 / 2:43 pm

    Tried it, what I had was moko bananas though but it came out fine. great recipes.

  13. May 31, 2015 / 7:26 am

    This is a fine dish. I am going to make this for my project.

  14. May 24, 2015 / 6:25 pm

    I made these today, halving the sugar as my husband is a diabetic. They were delicious, with the added cinnamon and frying like accra a nice touch over a recipe I’ve followed for years.

    I’ve been a longtime fan of Caribbeanpot, a wonderful site, and my “go to” for Trini recipes. I’m Canadian, married to a Trini, reside in the U.S. and am so grateful to be able to come here for a recipe and find perfect directions and flawless results. The instructions are foolproof.
    I admire your life story, Chris. Like you, i’ve tried to instill in our children the love of dishes from our combined heritages, everything from pelau to sweetbread to Quebec tourtière, etc. and it has worked.
    Your site is an obvious labour of love and is deserving of every award that has come your way. It’s just remarkably put together. Keep up the great work.

  15. SyTonya-Lyn Cartwright
    May 12, 2015 / 11:00 pm

    I bought some bananas to put in my shakes, but I much rather make these banana fritters. I remember when my mommy used to make these… St. Vincent Massive

    • Marva
      July 13, 2015 / 1:49 pm

      We make these in St.Vincent; however, we do not put egg in it as the banana is already a binding agent. Also we make them flat so no need for the baking powder although my sister sometimes put a teaspoon is hers. Otherwise ingredients are the same with the addition of nutmeg.

  16. Susan
    March 21, 2015 / 6:13 am

    hey Chris i have an excess of some good bananas so as i checked for a recipe yours came up first! its quite simple and your pictures are great. will try it 2day, thanks!

  17. Brenda
    March 7, 2015 / 5:41 pm

    Looks yummy and i no it taste good too,makes all the time

  18. Danielle
    December 26, 2014 / 12:13 am

    I’m looking to make these in a deep fryer. What should I set the temperature to in order to properly make them?

    • John-Christopher Ward
      February 7, 2015 / 6:04 pm

      350° is perfect. If your fryer is small, reach 375° before adding the fritters (the less oil in the fryer, the less heat is maintained when fritters are introduced).

  19. GINNY
    November 12, 2014 / 8:13 am

    Quick question, how long do the fritters keep before they get soggy? I have to make them for my children’s school luncheon.
    Is it advisable to store in Tupperware? Many thanks.

  20. November 2, 2014 / 11:56 pm

    I love banana fritters, so thought I’d try this recipe. Delicious! I always drizzle caramel sauce over mine. Sooooo good!!

  21. Kate
    September 29, 2014 / 10:15 pm

    Delicious! I had a couple of ripe bananas and was looking for something to use them in and came across this recipe, it was the first time I have ever made anything like this and they turned out wonderful! I did adjust the recipe a bit because I only had 2 bananas but it worked out really well. The only advice that I would give is to be careful not to get the oil too hot or they brown before the centers cook. Otherwise yum!

  22. David
    August 27, 2014 / 2:55 pm

    Had a trip with family so tripled everything. Had the batter ready 1-2 hours before trip and kept it in the cooler. Cooked the fritters on the outdoor burner. They were a hit!! They were taking them out of the basket before they were cool. Only problem is I was told every outing I have to make them. Also my wife loved them and all her friends that she told said when they come over I have to make these for them. I am not upset because I love them too. Cheap to make, easy to assemble, fast too make and taste amazing. My type of treat.

  23. jo
    August 7, 2014 / 9:22 am

    Hi I trying the banana fritters. I am using pumpkin instead of bananas.

    Will let you know how they turn out.

    Laters,
    Joan

  24. Tianna
    July 30, 2014 / 9:15 am

    I’m sorry but I’m Jamaican by birth growing up in Jamaica where ppl eat banana fritters very often n that is NOT how banana fritters look. It looks more like fried banana dumplings. Fritters r flat. ALL of them are. Look at saltfish fritters it doesn’t resemble fried dumplings like that. 1st of all u don’t use egg when making fritters n second the banana is already suppose 2 b sweet that’s y u use over ripe banana so u don’t need 2 add so much sugar. And lastly u most definitely don’t need baking powder. Fritters r FLAT dumplings r Round. Big difference. If u were really Caribbean u wouldn’t have made so much mistakes I making 1 simple dish as banana fritters. If u want 2 know how I came up on it is because my friend abroad was looking for this recipe n she saw this but I had 2 tell her all the mistakes in making it

    • admin
      July 30, 2014 / 5:19 pm

      Thanks for taking the time to comment. You do realize that these were NOT called Jamaican fritters right? Additionally, if you go from island to island you’ll notice that everyone has their unique way of doing their recipes. I hope this clarifies things with this banana fritter recipe.

    • August 31, 2014 / 1:24 pm

      My best friend was born and raised in the the US Virgin Islands and she makes them pretty much as described by Caribbean Pot. She does use riper bananas so not as much sugar is needed but if you don’t have perfectly ripe bananas, adding sugar is an easy fix! Isn’t sugar one of those ingredients that’s added to taste, anyway? I really love banana fritters and who cares if they are round or flat (I prefer round)? That’s the beauty of cooking. Anyone can experiment and put their own spin on it.

  25. carol
    July 14, 2014 / 3:33 pm

    The banana fritters came out great. They were delicious.

  26. JanetM
    December 14, 2013 / 7:45 pm

    Chris, I just finished making the banana fritters, they tasted very delicious, if I must say so myself. I made 3 following your recipe, then I added some ginger and raisins to the mixed batch, everyone loved them. I made 2 dozens, everyone ate dinner of lentil soup Jamaica style and all 24 fritters are gone! I guess I have to make more.

    By the way, your Jerk Turkey recipe was divine. I seasoned the turkey on Monday using your green seasoning recipe. On Thursday (Thanksgiving Day) I added 1 cup of Red Stripe Beer to the sauce and turkey, let it marinate for an hour, then bake. Talk about a tender, tasty meal?! All who didn’t want turkey, ate turkey after tasting a slice.

    I also used your cranberry, pineapple, mango chutney. It was a sell off. The next day we spooned the chutney over ice cream with a dash of rum…mmmmmmm. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

    I am now researching our meal for Christmas.

  27. Monique
    November 25, 2013 / 12:05 pm

    Omg these things were amazing!!!!! My husband absolutely loved them and I’m not a fan of bananas and I too loved these things thanks for sharing

  28. November 12, 2013 / 10:48 am

    Hello! I ran across your site after googling “caribbean appetizers”. The first thing that popped up was your Coconut Curry Pumpkin Soup. It sounds scrumptious! I have all of the ingredients and Im going to stop by Ross today and grab a hand blender so I can try this recipe out. Seems like it would be perfect for the cold winter season. I am very much enjoying your site and I look forward to trying your recipes out. Thank you for sharing 🙂

  29. Shyama
    September 13, 2013 / 8:17 am

    WE ALSO REFER TO THIS AS GUL GULAH IT IS COMMONLY SERVED AS A SWEET MEAT AFTER PRAYERS IN THE MUSLIM COMMUNITY IN TRINIDAD

  30. Lizzie
    September 11, 2013 / 9:10 am

    Best fritters on earth, absolutely delectable!

  31. May 24, 2013 / 5:29 am

    Hi Chris, I use half of the amount of the baking powder, the consistency of pancake and less oil. They turned out flat the way my grandmother made fritters, thanks for the recipe.

  32. vanessa
    April 13, 2013 / 9:25 pm

    Can they be made with over ripe plantains also?

  33. AnnMarie
    April 3, 2013 / 7:40 pm

    OK… SO I TRIED IT. AND IT CAME OUT GREAT. let me repeat… it came out great. its not very very sweet but its so tasty and just so easy to make.

  34. Caroline
    April 2, 2013 / 5:28 pm

    Well explained recipe. I tried it before and it came out well. I will try this again soon.

  35. Alisha
    March 3, 2013 / 2:48 pm

    Gulgala!! one of my favourites!!! you can add raisins to them too but i like mine without:)

  36. Traditional Mama
    January 12, 2013 / 11:35 am

    The fritters were a bit on the bread type side. Was not as chewy as i hoprd. Maybe too much flo!ur. Other than that delicious

  37. Octavia
    January 5, 2013 / 4:30 pm

    I made it, It was delish 🙂

  38. Mark
    December 14, 2012 / 12:50 pm

    Made these for a dinner party recently – they went down so well we will definitely be doing them again! Thanks for the recipe.

  39. Andrianna
    November 20, 2012 / 5:24 pm

    I am making these right now, just waiting for the oil to heat up. Can't wait!

  40. mish
    November 17, 2012 / 9:59 am

    thanks for sharing Chris!!

  41. Kitte
    November 12, 2012 / 12:45 pm

    just made them,kids love it.Thank you

  42. Jourdan
    November 10, 2012 / 6:54 am

    Just made them, very yummy!

  43. Sam
    September 30, 2012 / 7:59 pm

    is batter supposed to cook all the way through or is it supposed to be slightly gooey on the inside?

  44. September 11, 2012 / 8:22 am

    going to make these after school tonight for my monkeys. Well, after we get back from the necessity that is food shopping for dinner!

  45. Lynda
    September 7, 2012 / 4:18 am

    I used to love these as a child, looks like I shall have to make them again !

  46. kim
    August 27, 2012 / 11:32 am

    looks yummmmmy!!! going to go try these now

  47. Ashley
    August 22, 2012 / 7:12 pm

    made these turned out wonderful!!

  48. Mala
    July 14, 2012 / 3:21 pm

    I made these and they were yummy!
    Thanks for the recipe Chris 🙂

  49. Christine
    July 6, 2012 / 4:35 pm

    I have some bananas that are ripe, so I am about to try this recipe. Looking forward to it!

  50. daedul
    June 24, 2012 / 7:01 am

    Cant wait to try this out!!! I will have to wait until tomorrow though, since i'm out of eggs 🙁
    Much love from Sweden

  51. JDJ
    June 15, 2012 / 8:56 pm

    Thank you so much for this! My niece and nephew couldn’t stop raving about it. My dad even grunted (high praise by all accounts) in approval.

  52. Ebony
    June 7, 2012 / 10:15 pm

    is it possible to make this fritter with mango when i was stationed in guam they had a mango one that looked like this one

  53. Carlos
    April 20, 2012 / 5:52 pm

    I'm only 12 years old and i gave this a shot it was easy and they came out delicious

  54. SweetDocta
    April 15, 2012 / 5:39 pm

    Hi Chris,
    I just stumbled onto your site. It's fantastic!!! I'll definitely be trying a lot of your recipes, ESP the channa. Keep up the good work. 🙂

    Sweet docta from Cayman

  55. AdrienneMD
    April 5, 2012 / 3:40 pm

    Hi Chris, what a nice quick easy recipe. I usually use the ripe bananas for banana nut bread. I'll try this next time.

  56. patrina
    March 20, 2012 / 7:54 pm

    Hi Chris this is Patrina, one of your fans. just wanted to say thanks for this great recipe. Will try it this weekend. Looks tasty.

  57. donna
    February 23, 2012 / 10:10 pm

    OK I have no problem with these dishes but i am trying to lose weight here so help me out here with some low fat/weight food/desert chris

  58. Tanya
    February 2, 2012 / 9:38 am

    I'm going to do some for my daughter this weekend thanks 🙂 I grew up on that.

  59. November 24, 2011 / 4:38 pm

    Off to buy the ingredients tomorrow. Need warming up here in cold, gloomy Holland.

  60. Starkks
    November 19, 2011 / 2:34 pm

    thanks sir for sharing your recipe with the world. Much appreciated,keep up the good work.

  61. myrna
    November 15, 2011 / 9:51 pm

    looks good

  62. nelson v richardson
    November 10, 2011 / 6:31 pm

    hi their i enjoy your recipe

  63. Sally-ann Barrow
    October 31, 2011 / 5:04 pm

    These are really delicious the next day.

  64. Oshane
    October 30, 2011 / 10:07 pm

    Is the baking powder a must in this recipe Chris?…cause i know fritters to be flat.

  65. Sarah Hagan
    September 19, 2011 / 3:27 am

    Thank you Madam, I will try the banana fritters this weekend. Can we have a recipe for Jerk Chicken.
    Many thanks,

    Sarah Hagan

  66. Ebony3
    August 22, 2011 / 3:28 pm

    These were really good! I ended up having to add about 1/2 to 3/4 cup of milk in order to get the batter to have the same consistency shown in your photo above.

  67. momaskitchen
    August 20, 2011 / 5:56 am

    Lawd, this looks yummy, I'm gonna give it a try in the near future!

  68. maire-ann
    August 18, 2011 / 1:46 pm

    wow Chris, just finished eating the banana fritters and all i can think of to say is yummy, yummy, yummy I am addicted now!!!
    Maire-Ann(Ireland)

  69. Hannah
    August 18, 2011 / 5:51 am

    Loved this recipe… thank you so much!! Greetings from Holland

  70. ceecee
    August 17, 2011 / 9:04 am

    i cant get enough of your recipes chris. after i make ur steamed fish i wll have this for dessert. ty so much

  71. alex
    August 12, 2011 / 9:04 am

    I'm about to make me sum fritter..eating these since I was a kid…now I'm making them for my kids.

  72. August 11, 2011 / 9:19 am

    We eat these with cinnamon sugar on top in South Africa- double deliciousness!!!

  73. Shirvonne
    August 9, 2011 / 7:23 pm

    I'll surely be trying this one soon ………… thank hon you have some great recipes.

  74. La Chelle Patricia
    August 9, 2011 / 6:38 pm

    Hello! Thanks for sharing! Looks so delicious! Now I don't have to throw all my overly ripened bananas into the trash.

  75. Desertflower
    August 9, 2011 / 2:00 pm

    I've made this and it's delish!

  76. Eva Smith
    August 9, 2011 / 1:32 pm

    Looks yummy! and remind me of oliebollen, a Dutch fritter the size of a small apple eaten mostly around the holidays and at fairs. On the Dutch Islands in the Caribbean they are also eaten a lot in December. usually plain or with raisins!

  77. kevin vallieres
    August 9, 2011 / 12:43 pm

    thank you, sir! I'm gonna give this a go!! 🙂

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