These crispy deep fried bananas just look like shinning golden ingots!
No wonder this dessert is so popular in China, especially during Spring Festival, when people keep eating all kinds of lucky foods all day long.
Chinese people believe that, if you eat more golden ingot shaped foods, such as dumplings, steamed buns, and banana fritters during Lunar New Year, you will be able to earn more golden ingots in the coming year.
My other traditional Chinese lucky foods recipes:
Vegan Version & Healthier Version
If you don’t like eggs, I also created a vegan version of this recipe. Simply substitute the egg with a oat milk and corn starch mixture (see more substitutes for eggs), in this way you can make some silver ingot shaped vegan banana fritters. They tasted the same as the ones made with eggs.
These fried banana chunks are crispy outside, creamy inside, and so sweet and smooth overall.
However, since they’re deep fried and drizzled with sweetened syrup, they are heavenly delicious but at the same time have such a high calorie density.
Good news is that, if you want to stick to a healthy diet, we can make crispy banana fritters air fried and even oil free!
But I’m not sure if these healthier banana ingots can still bring you wealth in the coming year. I will eat some traditional deep fried bananas, and have Mr He eat the low-calorie air fried ones.
Let’s see who’s luckier and richer in 2022!
How to make Crispy Fried Bananas
Ingredients:
– Vegan Fried Bananas (Silver ingots):
- 1/3 cup oat milk (or soymilk, almond milk, coconut milk)
- 3 tbsp. corn starch
- 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
- 1 banana
- 1 cup vegetable oil (Or add about 1 ½ inch oil into your milk pan.)
– Traditional Fried Bananas (Golden ingots)
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
- 1 banana
- 1 cup vegetable oil (Or add about 1 ½ inch oil into your milk pan.)
Instructions
1. Beat an egg in a small bowl, set aside. (If you want to substitute the egg, you can mix 3 tbsp. of corn starch and 1/3 cup of oat milk in a small bowl instead. Banana fritters made with eggs will look more golden. But the tastes are very similar.)
2. Pour 1/2 cup of breadcrumbs to a small bowl, set aside.
3. Peel a banana. Poke 5 toothpicks into the banana. Cut between each toothpick, so that we cut the banana into 5 (1 ½inch) chunks.
4. Dip a banana chunk into the egg (or oat milk mixture), then dredge the banana chuck in the breadcrumbs, coating well. Then dip in the egg again, then back in breadcrumbs. Set aide. Repeat until all 5 banana chucks are coated.
5. In a small milk pan, heat 1 cup of cooking oil until medium heat (about 350F). You can test the oil temperature by dropping some breadcrumbs into the oil. If it’s medium heat they will make fine bubbles and spread throughout.
6. Put banana chunks into the hot oil. Fry for about 3 minutes until they turn golden brown. If you use oat milk instead of eggs, the fried bananas will also be crispy outside, but not as golden brown as egg coated ones.
7. Put fried bananas on a serving plate. Drizzle with honey, sweetened condensed milk, chocolate syrup, or top with some ice cream or cinnamon powder. Be careful it’s very hot inside. Make sure you cool them down for at least 2 minutes before enjoying.
Air-fryer Oil-free Version:
If you think deep fried banana fritters could be too oily, you can try this air fryer version:
- Line air fryer tray with foil/parchment paper.
- After coating the banana chunks with egg/oat milk and breadcrumbs, place them on the air fryer tray, air fry them at 350 F for about 8 minutes.
Note: I didn’t spray any oil over my bananas before air frying. They turned out to be great, with a crispy coat and a creamy inside. But the the coat could taste a little bit too dry. If you want a smoother taste, you can optionally mist the bananas with avocado oil before air frying.
Crispy Fried Bananas – Banana Fritters
Equipment
- 5 Toothpicks optional
- 1 Air Fryer optional
- 1 Small milk pan The one I used was 5inch
Ingredients
Vegan Fried Bananas (Silver ingots)
- 1/3 cup oat milk or soymilk, almond milk, coconut milk
- 3 tbsp corn starch
- 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
- 1 banana
- 1 cup vegetable oil Or add about 1 ½ inch oil into your milk pan.
Traditional Fried Bananas (Golden ingots)
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
- 1 banana
- 1 cup vegetable oil Or add about 1 ½ inch oil into your milk pan.
Instructions
- Beat an egg in a small bowl, set aside. If you want to substitute the egg, you can mix 3 tbsp. of corn starch and 1/3 cup of oat milk in a small bowl instead. Banana fritters made with eggs will look more golden. But the tastes are very similar.
- Pour 1/2 cup of breadcrumbs to a small bowl, set aside.
- Peel a banana. Poke 5 toothpicks into the banana. Cut between each toothpick, so that we cut the banana into 5 (1 ½inch) chunks.
- Dip a banana chunk into the egg (or oat milk mixture), then dredge the banana chuck in the breadcrumbs, coating well. Then dip in the egg again, then back in breadcrumbs. Set aide. Repeat until all 5 banana chucks are coated.
- In a small milk pan, heat 1 cup of cooking oil until medium heat (about 350F). You can test the oil temperature by dropping some breadcrumbs into the oil. If it's medium heat they will make fine bubbles and spread throughout.
- Put banana chunks into the hot oil. Fry for about 3 minutes until they turn golden brown. If you use oat milk instead of eggs, the fried bananas will also be crispy outside, but not as golden brown as egg coated ones.
- Put fried bananas on a serving plate. Drizzle with honey, sweetened condensed milk, chocolate syrup, or top with some ice cream or cinnamon powder. Be careful it's very hot inside. Make sure you cool them down for at least 2 minutes before enjoying.
Video
Notes
- Line air fryer tray with foil/parchment paper.
- After coating the banana chunks with egg/oat milk and breadcrumbs, place them on the air fryer tray, air fry them at 350 F for about 8 minutes.
- I didn’t spray any oil over my bananas before air frying. They turned out to be great, with a crispy coat and a creamy inside. But the the coat could taste a little bit too dry. If you want a smoother taste, you can optionally mist the bananas with avocado oil before air frying.
Best recipe ever!
awww thanks!!
SO GOOD!!!!!!
So delicious! I love that there is a vegan option too!