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How to Dry Banana Peels (and why you’ll want to)!

How to Dry Banana Peels (and why you’ll want to)!

This article provides tips on how to dry banana peels, as well as the shortcuts we’ve discovered along the way. We also cover tips on best ways to prepare the banana peel for drying, depending on our intended use.

What to Do With Dried Banana Peels

First, if you’re wondering what you’d do with dried banana peels, we cover that completely in this article on banana peels benefits and uses but here’s a brief summary of forms and uses:

  • Grind into flour or powder for:
    • baking
    • nutritional supplements
    • smoothies
    • animal feed
  • Chopped small or crushed for:
    • fertilizer
    • mulch
    • tea
      • for drinking
      • for watering plants

See more about banana peels benefits and uses.

Dried Banana Peels Uses
There are many uses for banana peels!

So How Do You Dry Banana Peels?

Dried banana peels will be shrunken, black, and hard but crushable and easy to snap to break. Whether you dry them whole, or chop them before drying — and then to what approximate size — depends on your intended end use.

Here are the steps for prepping banana peels for drying. If you’re going to use the banana peels for flour or powder, you can dry them whole, then break in half or into large chunks and place into your grinder.

We use the Vitamix grain grinder pitcher for larger quantities or this little blender and spice mill for smaller amounts.

Whole banana peels drying on food dehydrator
Whole banana peels drying on food dehydrator

Steps for Preparing Banana Peels for Dehydration

  1. WASH and dry bananas gently, (consider using organic bananas for healthier skins).
  2. PEEL the ripe bananas
  3. FRUIT – set banana fruit (pulp) aside for other use, or freeze in freezer bags for later snacking, smoothies, ice cream or baking, such as this favorite easy banana French toast casserole.
  4. CUT off top stem piece and bottom blossom end.
  5. STRIP banana peels into 3 or more horizontal strips. For smaller pieces, it’s each to strip peels vertically into thin ribbons.
    NOTE: If drying whole peels, skip the next two steps.

    IF CHOPPING PEELS FOR PLANT MULCH OR TEA:
    NOTE: Some people prefer to chop with scissors; I use a knife. So if using a knife:
  6. LAY peels out flat, outer skin side down. The skin can be tough, so easier to cut with the softer inside of the skin facing up. You can stack one on top of the other to cut multiple ribbons at once, although it may not save much time as you will still need to separate the pieces to lay out to dry.
  7. CHOP the stack of peels into thin slices or pieces. OR, use scissors and cut up one whole banana peel at a time.
  8. PLACE, skin side down on your drying surface (e.g., cookie sheet, microwave plate, sieve or food dehydrator tray, depending on which drying method you plan to use).
Chopped Banana Peels Prepped for Drying

Drying Banana Peels, Chopped or Whole

If you’re going to end up using your dried banana peels for tea or fertilizer, we find that it’s easier to chop them to size first before dehydrating.

However, sometimes you just need to go ahead and toss the whole or stripped peel/s directly onto the dehydrator to save time in the moment. In that case there are several ways to crush the whole dried banana skins, which we cover next.

Learn more of the many banana peels benefits and uses here.

Drying Whole Banana Peels

4 Ways to Crush Dried Banana Peels

  1. CRUSH: Place dried peels into a freezer zipper bag and crush between your hands and pound with your fists or a heavy wooden spoon
  2. POUND: Place dried peels or chunks on a plastic or silicone cutting mat and crush with fist or a large hard spoon
  3. PULSE: Break whole dried banana peels into a couple smaller pieces and drop into a food processor and pulse until reduced to the desired size.
  4. STOMP: For breaking up to use in or on the soil around your plants, you can even place them in a bag on the floor and stomp on them. Probably not for use for tea for people in case little punctures in the bag allow in debris.

If using this aggressive hand-crushing approach, just be aware that the dried banana peels can have sharp edges, so be careful not to puncture your hands. Chances are that the plastic freezer bag will be compromised with tiny punctures or cuts, so you may not be able to use it for storage afterwards.

Banana Peels in Bag for Crushing
Crush dried banana peels in bag or food processor
Crush dried banana peels in bag or food processor

How to Powder Dried Banana Peels

If you prefer to powder your dried banana peels, break up the whole peels or chunks into a coffee or spice grinder, or into a Vitamix flour mill, or other flour mill grain grinder. Grind until powdered.

Add powdered banana peels to banana recipes like this Banana French toast casserole or egg banana pancakes. You can easily add 1/4 cup powdered banana peel to most recipes calling for bananas for greater nutritional benefit and added fiber.

Banana Peel Powder or Flour
Dried banana peel powder or flour
Dried banana peel powder or flour

Different Ways to Dry Banana Peels

Drying Banana Peels in a Dehydrator – The Simplest Way to Dry Banana Peels

We use our Nesco electric dehydrator year round, and it’s often going constantly summer through fall. We enjoy making good use of all kinds of herbs, edible leaves of fruits and vegetables, and even edible tree leaves!

To dry banana peels in a dehydrator is simple and carefree. You don’t have to worry about wind or pest as with sun drying, or constantly checking and resetting the timer as with oven drying.

It’s also super easy to toss in a few whole banana peels as you have them. Put them in your dehydrator on your fruit setting and they should be dried in just a few hours.

It’s Easy to Dry Banana Peels in a Dehydrator