Learn how to dehydrate bananas in the air fryer! These air fryer bananas need only 5 ingredients that you probably already have in the house. Get my easy banana chips air fryer recipe, nutrition information, cooking tips, and more! You’re going to love air fried bananas for a gluten-free, dairy-free, Paleo, plant-based, and vegan snack. They’re delicious crispy or chewy!
Sweet air fryer banana chips are one of my favorite easy snack recipes. They’re a great way to get the flavor of caramelized bananas without brown sugar.
And if you’re wondering what to make with bananas in the air fryer, no worries! Air fried banana chips are great by themselves as a snack, and there are so many other ways to use them.
You can use your air fryer cinnamon banana chips to top a bowl of Homemade Yogurt and Air Fryer Granola. Or enjoy them as a topping for peanut butter toast.
You could also try air frying bananas and then serving them with vanilla ice cream. You’ll get all the flavors of a bananas foster dessert, but with less sugar added.
As you’ll see, the sweetness is intensified in cooked banana, making them the perfect way to satisfy a sweet tooth. I think you’re going to be amazed at how delicious this simple air fryer recipe is.
And if you happen to be feeling a little more savory than sweet, don’t miss my post on Air Fryer Plantains. I’ll show you several ways to use starchy cooking bananas to make tasty chips in the air fryer!
Jump to:
- ⭐ Benefits
- 🥘 Air Fryer Bananas Ingredients
- 🍽 Equipment
- 🔪 How to Make Air Fryer Banana Chips
- ️⏲️ Cooking Time and Temperature
- 🌡️ How to Store Dried Bananas
- 📋 Calories, Net Carbs, Protein
- 💭 Expert Tips from a Dietitian
- FAQs
- 🍌 Other Banana Recipes
- 👩🏻🍳 More Air Fryer Snack Recipes
- The Disclaimer…
- 📖 Recipe
- 💬 Comments
⭐ Benefits
Why make Bananas in an Air Fryer? Here are some benefits of air frying banana chips:
- Healthy: We're making baked banana chips, not deep fried, so minimal added oil is needed. The result is a nutrient-dense, lower calorie treat than fried banana chips.
- No sugar added: Bananas contain natural sugars that make them sweet. Dehydrating banana chips in the air fryer concentrates this sweetness even more, so no added sugar is needed.
- Easy: Five simple ingredients and under 15 minutes air frying time is all you need to air fry bananas. It’s perfect for a low-effort, quick, and healthy snack.
- Inexpensive: The ingredients used in this recipe tend to be cheap in the U.S. You can probably make this recipe for less than buying banana chips from a store.
- Whole food: DIY air fryer banana chips count as a whole food, not ultra-processed food. Are you trying to improve the overall quality of your diet? Eating more whole food and less highly processed food is generally a good place to start.
- Plant based: This plant-based snack fits a variety of special diets including vegetarian, vegan, Paleo, and gluten free. It’s a fun way to squeeze a little more fruit into your diet.
- Snack or breakfast: Banana chips make a great after school snack, or serve them on game days, at BBQs, or potlucks. You can also add them to breakfast, or have them as a side at lunch.
- Delicious: Kids usually love homemade banana chips. It’s hard not to love this tasty banana snack that is sweet like candy, but with no added sugars!
🥘 Air Fryer Bananas Ingredients
What do you need to make bananas in an air fryer? All you need is a few simple ingredients:
- One slightly green banana
- Fresh lemon juice
- Cinnamon
- Salt
- Cooking oil spray (non-aerosol)
Feel free to use pumpkin spice or another favorite spice in place of the cinnamon. Slightly green raw banana is best here, as you can cut it into neat slices without being mushy.
🍽 Equipment
To make bananas in an air fryer, you need:
- Manual lemon squeezer
- Knife
- Dusting wand (optional)
- Air Fryer
Freshly squeezed lemon juice tends to be more flavorful than bottled. If you don’t have a citrus squeezer, you can simply squeeze a lemon by hand.
My air fryer recipes are developed with a 10-Quart Kalorik Air Fryer Oven. You can use a Ninja Foodi, Philips, Nuwave, Pampered Chef, Actifry, Instant Pot Vortex, Cosori, Breville, or other brand for air frying banana chips. Keep in mind that cooking times may vary depending on the air fryer you’re using.
🔪 How to Make Air Fryer Banana Chips
Time to air fry banana chips! Begin by taking your banana and cutting it into ⅛-inch thick slices (0.3 cm).
It’s ok if they’re somewhere between ⅛-¼ inch thick, but try to make the slices as uniformly thick as possible. This will help them cook more evenly.
Juice a lemon. Put the banana slices in a single layer on a plate. Sprinkle them with half the lemon juice, then flip them over and sprinkle with the rest.
Mist your air fryer basket or tray with cooking spray. Place the banana slices in a single layer on the tray. (You may need to cook them in batches if they don’t fit in a single layer on one tray.)
Mist the banana slices with cooking spray. Sprinkle them with cinnamon and salt. I like to use a dusting wand for the cinnamon, but using your fingers works too.
If you’re using an air fryer oven, put the air fryer tray in the top rack position. Time to air fry!
️⏲️ Cooking Time and Temperature
How long to air fry bananas? What temperature to air fry banana chips? It takes a total of 10-12 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit (177C) to cook bananas in the air fryer. Add 2-4 minutes to the cooking time if you’d like more crispy banana chips.
You do not need to flip the banana chips during the first 10-12 minutes of cooking. If any are getting too brown during this time, feel free to remove them from the air fryer early. The chips on the edges of the tray tend to brown faster than the ones in the middle.
After they’ve cooked, let them cool completely before eating. They will continue to firm up more as they cool.
If they’re still too soft and chewy for you, flip them over and air fry for 2-4 more minutes at 350F (177C). Watch them closely! They go from chewy to crisp to burnt quickly!
🌡️ How to Store Dried Bananas
For the best texture, you should enjoy air fryer banana chips fresh. They make a small single person portion, so there should not be leftovers.
Air fryer banana chips don’t get as dried as they would in a dehydrator. Since they contain more moisture, they are not suitable for long-term storage or freezing.
📋 Calories, Net Carbs, Protein
One serving of this banana air fryer recipe has 107 calories, 24.3 grams net carbs, and 1 gram protein.
💭 Expert Tips from a Dietitian
This is a level 2 recipe (transition or weight maintenance). This low-calorie snack is compatible with Weight Watchers and some other weight loss plans. Eating a fresh banana instead would give you a little more volume for the calories. On the other hand, dried banana chips are far more nutritious than most 100-calorie snack packs.
Dried fruit isn’t my favorite option for weight loss diets because when you dry fruit, you remove the water. You end up with a smaller volume of food for the same number of calories (i.e., more energy dense). Fresh fruit and unsweetened frozen fruit tend to be better options than dried for losing weight.
That said, dried bananas and other fruits can be helpful for people who have trouble eating enough and gaining weight. Dried fruits are also more portable than fresh fruits for hiking, camping, and road trips. Fresh bananas bruise pretty easily when jostled, something that’s not an issue with dried banana chips.
FAQs
To make baked banana chips, slice bananas thin and sprinkle with lemon juice. Put the slices in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Dry in an oven set to the lowest setting (170F/77C) until done to your liking, flipping the chips after 2-3 hours. It will take several hours; the chips will continue to crisp as they cool.
To make dehydrator banana chips, thinly slice the bananas and sprinkle with lemon juice. Put them on a single layer on your dehydrator trays and dry at 155F (68C) until done to your liking. It will take several hours. Check on them every hour or two to flip them.
You can avoid the troubles with deep frying bananas when you air fry bananas instead! If you must deep fry banana chips, make sure to not overcrowd the deep fryer with bananas. Fry bananas in batches if needed. I’ve also heard that adding a little salt in the cooking oil can help prevent sticking.
In this recipe, we’re dehydrating bananas in the air fryer in about 10-15 minutes. You can experiment with using a lower air frying temperature, but the bananas might stay gooey and not crisp properly.
Dried banana chips are not the best snack choice for everyone, including those following low carb and keto diets. In terms of general nutrition, baked banana chips offer fiber, potassium, and other nutrients found in bananas. Look for dried banana chips that were baked (not fried) with no sugar added if you want a healthier option.
🍌 Other Banana Recipes
Want more recipes using bananas? Try these next:
- Kodiak Cakes Banana Bread
- Vegan Banana Cookies
- Banana Cinnamon Overnight Oats
- Banana Split Fruit and Yogurt Bowls
👩🏻🍳 More Air Fryer Snack Recipes
Looking for recipes for air fryer snacks? Here are some other air fryer recipes you may enjoy the next time you have the munchies:
Also, have you checked out our other Air Fryer Recipes?
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The Disclaimer…
All recipes on this website may or may not be appropriate for you, depending on your medical needs and personal preferences. Consult with a registered dietitian or your physician if you need help determining the dietary pattern that may be best for you.
The nutrition information is an estimate provided as a courtesy. It will differ depending on the specific brands and ingredients that you use. Calorie information on food labels may be wildly inaccurate, so please don't sweat the numbers too much.
For more information on how the three recipe levels may help with a weight management goal, refer to my overnight oats no sugar post. Let's get cooking!
📖 Recipe
Air Fryer Bananas (Sweet Banana Chips Recipe)
Ingredients
- 1 medium banana (slightly green)
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice, fresh squeezed
- ⅛ teaspoon cinnamon
- pinch of salt
- cooking oil spray (non-aerosol)
Instructions
- Cut the banana into ⅛-¼-inch thick slices (0.3-0.6 cm). Try to make them uniformly thick.
- Juice a lemon to get a teaspoon of juice, if you haven't. Put the banana slices in a single layer on a plate. Sprinkle them with half the lemon juice, then flip them over and sprinkle with the rest.
- Mist an air fryer tray with cooking spray. Place the banana slices in a single layer on the tray.
- Spray the banana slices with cooking spray. Sprinkle them with cinnamon and salt. I like to use a dusting wand for the cinnamon, but using your fingers works too.
- Air fry bananas for 10-12 minutes at 350°F (177°C). (Use the top rack position for air fryer ovens.) The chips on the edges of the tray tend to brown faster than the ones in the middle, so take them out early if needed.
- After they’ve cooked, let cool completely before eating. They will continue to firm up more as they cool. Flip them over and air fry for 2-4 more minutes at 350°F (177°C) if they aren't crispy enough for you. Enjoy!
Wanda says
11/18/21 - Hi, I have been using the Instant Pot for dehydrating different fruits but wanted to use the air fryer for a change. So I followed the directions you gave, the only difference was that I used my silver metal stacking trays (plenty of airflow around them) after coating them with a non-stick spray.
Results: I checked after 10 minutes & as you noted the outer rim was getting very brown, the inside was hardly cooked. I tried flipping and they were so stuck I decided to just continue the cooking process for another 4 min. at the same temp. After checking again, they're still not cooked! Sooooo, another 4 min. at 350 degrees and now, not only are they not cooked all the way, they're stuck to all my trays :0(. This is the 2nd time I've tried doing bananas, the 1st was a gentleman who I thought was giving directions for dehydrating (I was pretty new & still learning) so didn't think much about it when he said a temp. of 380 degrees for 18 min. then to do it again for another 18 min. needless to say my Instant Pot was smoking! because it was suppose to be for air frying NOT dehydrating. Live and learn right :0) - so any suggestions? - Wanda
Summer Yule says
Hi Wanda, thanks for visiting! The bananas should go directly on sprayed nonstick air fryer racks as I've indicated in the recipe. Other trays may not provide for even cooking of the banana slices, as you've experienced. They banana slices need the air flow to be able to hit them from the bottom of the perforated air fryer tray as well as the sides. Plus, the bananas are more likely to stick to the tray if it is not nonstick, even with oil spray. Also, I'm unclear whether you used an Instant Pot with an air fryer lid or an actual air fryer. Unfortunately, there can be differences in cooking times between different air fryer brands. I hope that helps! 🙂