We’re going, being honest, here, you cannot juice a banana despite how much you like to try. You may get a slight chance and end up with a tiny bit of juice from your banana, but trust us, there’s a hundred percent chance that you’ll end up with a mashed and wasted banana. But this should not stop you from getting all the healthy benefits of bananas, and we are here to show you some methods you could “juice” bananas.
Juicing and Bananas
The reason why you cannot juice a banana is that it has its own composition. It is packed with potassium, but it does not contain enough water to make it possible for juicing. It’s just like avocados that are undoubtedly dry.
Bananas have their own unique role when it comes to cool beverages or juice. Because of its natural sweetness, you can blend it with almost everything. This fruit is a popular alternative sweetener when making smoothies or juice, and it also gives it a creamy and smooth texture.
How to Make Banana Juice Using Amylase
Now that we know that bananas cannot be juiced alone, there’s an enzyme that can help us achieve just that, and it is called amylase. It is an enzyme that is naturally found in the banana, and it helps break down starch into sugar then turn them into glucose. Take note that this method takes a bit longer than the typical juicing process, but if you really want to get the taste of banana juice, here’s how to do it with amylase.
- Get two kilos of bananas, peel them and make a puree out of them. After it’s pureed, put it inside plastic bags, push gently until there’s no more air inside the bags, then seal it.
- Let the puree reach a warm temperature by putting it in a pot of hot water at 66°C for five hours. The amylase will start to work during those hours by breaking down the starch and releasing the liquid.
- Once the liquid is ready, you must strain it using a nut bag. You must massage and squeeze the juice through the bag then, voila! You got yourself a fresh banana juice.
The banana juice that you will produce using this method will have sweet and bright nectar that has the flavor and essence of the banana without the chalky texture.
Can You Juice a Banana Peel?
We cannot juice bananas the same way we juice other fruits, but can we juice a banana peel? The answer is yes if that’s something you really want to try. Banana peels contain a ton of fiber, even more than the part of the banana that we eat. Not only that, they have a lot of potassium, too. That is why if you want to juice a banana peel, we suggest that you use banana peels that are yellow because they will have a banana flavor that you would expect compared to a green one.
Before you juice your banana peels, ensure that you give them a good and thorough wash. For this, we suggest that you use organic bananas if it’s available so that it will have little to no pesticides or harmful chemicals on them. After you clean your banana peels, cut them to pieces and put them in your juicer, just like other regular fruits and juice away.
Can You Juice Frozen Bananas?
Yes, you can. Juicing frozen bananas is one good way to make banana soft serve. All you have to do is freeze the bananas and put them into your masticating juicer because they work more slowly and do not have much heat compared to centrifugal juicers. This will keep your banana cool and prevent them from defrosting too soon.
Once you put your frozen bananas in your blender, juice them precisely the same way as you would with any other fruits. The frozen banana pulp will be caught in the pulp container and will be the perfect banana soft serve. This will make the ideal low-calorie and tasty dessert healthier than ice cream.
What are the Benefits of Bananas?
Not only are they versatile, but bananas also contain a bunch of health benefits because they are packed with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants such as Vitamin C, Electrolytes, Magnesium, Vitamin B6, Potassium, and Dietary Fibers.
Magnesium and potassium are good for your heart health. These work well with the minerals that are in the bananas, which is why they are the excellent fruit of choice for athletes. Bananas can also help with muscle cramps and soreness. The fruit itself is yummy and healthy, but the banana peel also contains a lot of vitamins and nutrients.
Conclusion
We know now that we cannot technically juice a banana using a juicer because we’re going to get the banana pulp and not the banana juice. There are some ways to juice a banana, and if you really want to do it, you have to go through a time-consuming and tedious task.
That is why if you want to get the most out of bananas, the best thing that you can do is put them in your blender, mix in other ingredients such as almond milk, apples, peanut butter, raspberries, kale, carrots, and make healthy and tasty smoothies. There are a lot of smoothie recipes out there that involve bananas.