can you juice a banana

Can You Juice A Banana

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The truth is that there is no real way you can juice a banana, but you still can use bananas with a juicer. Sound confusing, don’t worry I’ll explain it all below.

First, the main thing to think about is why you would want to juice a banana. Why not simply blend a banana or simply eat it? There are reasons, namely that you might want the taste and flavor of the banana without the fiber. If you’re making a fruit juice with your cold press juicer, for instance, and you would like to have the flavor or banana, then you’re probably stuck wondering what to do? Well, it turns out you can extract the juice from a banana, but you can’t juice a banana. Sound confusing, don’t worry it’s not.

This article will cover a few things. First, why you can’t juice a banana in a juicer. Second, what you can do with a banana in a juicer. And lastly, how to get the juice out of a banana. So, let’s take a look at those various questions.

 

Can You Juice A Banana-If Not, Why Not?

Simple question: Can you take a banana and peel it and then juice it in your omega juicer or any other auger juicer? The quick and simple answer is that you can’t. The reason being is that the texture of the banana is such that it will simply end up a mushy puree. The juice isn’t easily extracted in the same way that you can juice other fruits such as pineapple or apples.

The bananas are simply too pulpy and soft to be juiced. If you were to take a banana and try to run it through a juicer, then what you’d end up with is soft mushy pulpy banana. It would clog up the juicer if you were to try it raw. They are the exact opposite of something like celery, which is tough and fibrous. When you are looking to juice celery, there are plenty of good juicers to use.

So, if you are looking to add banana flavor to a juice, I suggest that you either accept that the banana will come out a bit pulpy and soft and mushy, or else take your juice and add it to a blender with a banana to make a smoothie.

In fact, a really great way to make a “juice” style smoothie is to make your regular juice and then add a banana to it in a blender. That way, you get the concentrated juice from the apples or pineapples or other fruits and then make the smoothie in the blender it has a concentrated banana flavor with the fresh juice from your juicer. It takes a bit of time, but it’s the easiest way to get a banana “juice”.

Using The Natural Enzyme Amylase To Juice Bananas

This method of juicing a banana is a bit of a science experiment. Essentially what you are doing is using the natural enzymes in the banana  (amylase) to separate the pulp from the liquid.  I’m not a fan of this, but if you are looking to get a clear liquid (not really a banana juice) then you can do something using the enzymes. The process involves blending up the bananas and then letting the puree reach a warm temperature. Most guides to using the natural amylase enzymes in the bananas states that you should let it reach at least 150 degrees (not to much hotter, but also not too much cooler).

After several hours the banana juice will begin to appear. This is liquid that has begun to separate from the banana pulp. So, you can strain this out using a strainer, but most people say to use cheese cloth or some other system that will let you get a perfectly clear output.

However, most people who are going to make banana juice with enzymes actually add the amylase enzymes in a powder form. The process for making banana juice this way is actually quite involved. It requires you to use a sous vide (to get the temperature of the bannasas up) and then it also requires you to have a serious of separating pans and cheese cloth. Here’s a quick video.

 

What To Do With A Banana and a Juicer?

If you don’t feel like fermenting a banana, which is basically what you’re doing when you let it get to room temperature and higher and separate… you can use a juicer to make other things. So, if you do own a juicer, especially a nice auger juicer, and you’re wondering if you can use it to make anything with bananas, then the answer’s yes you can. In fact, an auger juice can do some really fun stuff. In particular, I like to make banana ice cream. Or more accurately it’s “mock ice cream”. This is perfect for anyone who is lactose intolerant and looking for something that tastes creamy and sweet, but is healthier than the normal soy and sugar filled milk free ice cream.

It’s actually really simple. All you have to do is take the banana and freeze it. I suggest that you make sure to peel the banana before freezing it, because it’s very hard to peel a banana after it’s been frozen. So, peel a banana and let it freeze. The simplest way to do this is to put it into the freezer and let it cool  overnight.

If you’re planning on using a juicer with your bananas, then I suggest you get a horizontal auger style juicer. They are the easiest to operate.