These air fryer banana fritters are crispy on the outside, soft and warm on the inside, and ready in about 15 minutes. They make a great snack, dessert, or even a fun weekend breakfast.
If you have a couple of ripe bananas sitting on your counter, this is one of the best ways to use them up. Way better than just letting them go to waste.
The batter comes together really fast with basic ingredients you probably already have in your kitchen. Nothing fancy, nothing hard to find.
And because we are making these in the air fryer, you skip all the mess and hassle of deep frying. You still get that golden, crispy outside without all the oil.
A little dusting of powdered sugar and a drizzle of honey at the end takes them to another level. Trust me, these won’t last long once they hit the plate.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Crispy Outside and Soft Inside – The air fryer gives these fritters a perfectly golden crust while keeping the inside warm and pillowy soft.
Way Less Oil Than Deep Frying – You get that classic fried fritter taste and crunch with just a few sprays of cooking oil instead of cups of it.
Sweet Banana Flavor in Every Bite – The warm diced banana chunks get extra sweet and caramelized in the air fryer which makes each bite taste incredible.
Ingredients
- 2 large Ripe Bananas, Diced
- 1 cup All-Purpose Flour
- 2 tbsp Granulated Sugar
- 1 tsp Baking Powder
- 1/2 tsp Ground Cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 1 large Egg
- 1/4 cup Milk
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- Cooking Spray
- 2 tbsp Powdered Sugar, for Dusting
- Honey, for Drizzling
How To Make
Step 1
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. In a separate small bowl, beat the egg, then stir in the milk and vanilla extract.
Step 2
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. The batter should be thick and slightly lumpy. Gently fold in the diced bananas, being careful not to crush them too much so you get nice chunks throughout.
Step 3
Preheat the air fryer to 375 degrees F. Line the air fryer basket with parchment paper and lightly spray it with cooking spray.
Step 4
Using a tablespoon or small cookie scoop, drop rounded mounds of batter onto the parchment, spacing them about an inch apart. Flatten them slightly with the back of the spoon. Spray the tops generously with cooking spray.
Step 5
Cook for 6 minutes, then carefully flip each fritter using a spatula. Spray the tops again with cooking spray and cook for another 4 to 5 minutes until golden brown and cooked through.
Step 6
Transfer the fritters to a serving plate. Dust with powdered sugar and drizzle with honey while they are still warm. Serve immediately for the best texture.
Tips
Use Really Ripe Bananas
You want bananas that have a lot of brown spots on the skin. These are sweeter and softer, which gives the fritters way more banana flavor without needing extra sugar.
If your bananas are still mostly yellow and firm, the chunks won’t soften properly during cooking and the fritters will taste bland. Ripe bananas also hold together better in the batter because they’re naturally stickier.
That said, don’t use bananas that are completely black and mushy. Those will turn into paste when you fold them in and you’ll lose the nice chunky texture you want.
Don’t Skip the Cooking Spray on Top
Air fryers work by circulating hot air around the food, but unlike deep frying, there’s no oil surrounding the batter. Without that spray on top, the surface of the fritters will dry out and look pale instead of golden.
Give them a good, generous coat before they go in and again after you flip them. This is what gets you that crispy, golden outside that makes these actually look and taste like real fritters.
Keep the Batter Thick
The batter should be thick enough to hold its shape when you scoop it onto the parchment. If it spreads out flat on its own, it’s too thin and your fritters will come out like flat, crispy pancakes instead of puffy fritters.
If your batter seems runny, add a tablespoon of flour at a time until it holds a mound. This can happen if your bananas were extra juicy or if you used a bit too much milk.
Related Recipes
- Air Fryer Apple Fritters
- Air Fryer Banana
- Air Fryer Banana Bread
- Air Fryer Beignets
- Air Fryer Nutella Banana Pastry Rolls
Frequently Asked Questions
How ripe should the bananas be for this recipe?
You want bananas that are nicely ripe with yellow skin and some brown spots. These are sweeter and softer, which gives the fritters that rich banana flavor without needing extra sugar.
Avoid using bananas that are mostly brown and mushy, because they’ll fall apart too much in the batter and make it watery. On the other hand, firm green bananas won’t have enough sweetness or flavor.
Air Fryer Banana Fritters
- air fryer
- cookie scoop
- 2 large Ripe Bananas, Diced
- 1 cup All-Purpose Flour
- 2 tbsp Granulated Sugar
- 1 tsp Baking Powder
- 1/2 tsp Ground Cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 1 large Egg
- 1/4 cup Milk
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- Cooking Spray
- 2 tbsp Powdered Sugar, for Dusting
- Honey, for Drizzling
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. In a separate small bowl, beat the egg, then stir in the milk and vanilla extract.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. The batter should be thick and slightly lumpy. Gently fold in the diced bananas, being careful not to crush them too much so you get nice chunks throughout.
- Preheat the air fryer to 375 degrees F. Line the air fryer basket with parchment paper and lightly spray it with cooking spray.
- Using a tablespoon or small cookie scoop, drop rounded mounds of batter onto the parchment, spacing them about an inch apart. Flatten them slightly with the back of the spoon. Spray the tops generously with cooking spray.
- Cook for 6 minutes, then carefully flip each fritter using a spatula. Spray the tops again with cooking spray and cook for another 4 to 5 minutes until golden brown and cooked through.
- Transfer the fritters to a serving plate. Dust with powdered sugar and drizzle with honey while they are still warm. Serve immediately for the best texture.