Smart Pantry · Guides
Can you eat brown bananas?
A plain UK guide to overripe fruit: what's still fine, how to store it, and how to freeze it before it's too late.
The short answer
Brown, wrinkly or a bit soft? Yes, eat it, as long as there's no mould. Brown bananas, wrinkly apples and slightly mushy strawberries are all fine.
Any mould? Throw it away. Don't cut the mould off.
Can't eat it in time? Freeze it. Peeled bananas and apple slices both keep for up to 3 months.
Is overripe fruit safe to eat?
Yes. The Food Standards Agency says fruit that's a bit overripe can be eaten normally, as long as it doesn't have any mould. A brown banana or a wrinkly apple isn't off. It's just softer, and that makes it ideal for:
- Baking: banana bread, muffins, apple cake, crumble.
- Smoothies: soft bananas and apples blend perfectly.
- Cooking: stew soft apples into apple sauce, or add them to chutney or a curry.
Wash fruit before you eat it, under a running tap or in a bowl of fresh water, rubbing the skin as you go. There's no need to peel apples.
What about mouldy fruit?
Throw it away. Food with mould shouldn't be eaten, and cutting the mouldy part off, even with plenty of the fruit around it, can't guarantee every unseen toxin has gone. This matters most for children, pregnant people, people over 65 and anyone with a weakened immune system.
Bananas: keep them out of the fridge
Keep bananas somewhere cool, in a cupboard or on the worktop. They go black in the fridge.
To freeze them: as soon as the skins start to go speckled, peel them and freeze them in a sealed bag or container. They'll keep for up to 3 months.
To use them: defrost them in the fridge and use within 24 hours, or use the defrost setting on a microwave. Don't defrost them on the worktop at room temperature.
Cooked banana keeps for up to 2 days in an airtight container in the fridge.
Apples: put them in the fridge
Apples are the opposite of bananas. They last longer in the fridge than in a fruit bowl.
To freeze them: slice them and cook the slices quickly in boiling water. Freeze them in a single layer, then pack them into bags once they're frozen. They keep for up to 3 months and are perfect for apple cake or apple sauce.
Cooked apple keeps for up to 2 days in an airtight container in the fridge.
Why fruit gets binned anyway
Fruit is bought with good intentions and then forgotten in the bowl or the bottom drawer. By the time you notice the bananas, they're past smoothie stage. Catching it a day or two earlier, when it's speckled but not black, is what saves it.
Smart Pantry tells you what to eat first
Snap your supermarket receipt and your fruit goes in with a date, along with the rest of the shop. Your kitchen is sorted by what needs eating first, and one reminder at 8am tells you when something is close, while there's still time to bake with it or freeze it.
Get Smart Pantry on the App Store. Free to try, no account needed. iPhone and iPad.
More guides: Is tinned food OK after the date? · Is milk OK after the date? · How long do potatoes last? · How long does bread last? · How long does cooked rice last? · Eggs after the best before date · Best before vs use-by
Sources: Food Standards Agency, Home food fact checker (Fruit section); WRAP Love Food Hate Waste, Bananas and Apples. If you're unsure whether food is safe, don't eat it.