Easy Banana Fritters (Buñuelos de Banana)

Why you’ll love it

• Uses up ripe bananas: the spottier they are, the sweeter the fritters.
• Pantry ingredients: flour, eggs, milk, sugar and baking powder.
• Fast: ready in about 30 minutes, perfect for an afternoon snack (merienda).

Quick facts

Ingredients

For the batter

• 3 large very ripe bananas (about 12 oz / 350 g peeled)
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup (120 ml) whole milk
• 3 tbsp (40 g) sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups (190 g) all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 pinch salt

For frying and coating

• About 4 cups (1 liter) neutral oil (sunflower or canola), for frying
• 1/4 cup (50 g) sugar
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon

Step-by-step method

1. Mash the bananas. Peel the bananas. Mash 2 of them with a fork until almost smooth and cut the third into small cubes.

2. Mix the wet ingredients. In a bowl, whisk the eggs with the sugar, milk and vanilla. Stir in the mashed banana.

3. Add the dry ingredients. Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt, then add them to the banana mixture and stir just until there are no dry spots. Fold in the diced banana. The batter should be thick and drop slowly from a spoon.

4. Heat the oil. Heat the oil in a heavy pot (about 2 inches / 5 cm deep) to 350°F (175°C). Without a thermometer, drop in a little batter: it should rise and bubble steadily, not violently.

5. Fry in batches. Drop heaping tablespoons of batter into the oil, 5 or 6 at a time so they don’t crowd. Fry 2–3 minutes per side, until deep golden and puffed.

6. Drain. Lift them out with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels for a minute.

7. Coat and serve. Mix the sugar and cinnamon and roll the warm fritters in it. Serve right away.

Tips for the best result

• Use bananas with lots of brown spots: they are sweeter and more fragrant.
• Don’t overmix the batter, or the fritters turn out dense instead of fluffy.
• Keep the oil at 350°F (175°C). If it is too hot they brown outside and stay raw inside; too cold and they soak up oil.
• Fry one test fritter first and cut it open to check that the center is cooked.

Storage

They are best freshly fried. Leftovers keep in an airtight container at room temperature for 1 day; warm them in a 350°F (175°C) oven for 5 minutes and coat again with cinnamon sugar.