TRASH SANDWICH. Ok ok ok. I have been making fun of the banana peel trend for weeks on end now. Basically laughing at any and every vegan who is dumb enough to eat banana peels. Then my friend Amanda posted a BBQ banana peel sandwich on Instagram that pushed me over the edge, cause that girl def don’t mess around with gross food. Drum roll: I HATE that I love it. It’s incredibly weird and incredibly good. I don’t know what else to say. So I made this blog post. Try it if you dare.
Edit: I do not recommend whatever recipes are floating around with a million views. Banana peels def need more than just a quick jaunt in a skillet with some seasonings. Otherwise, IMHO they will be disgusting and bitter and have a super nasty texture.
Instant Pot Banana Peel BBQ Sandwiches
- 4-6 slightly spotty banana peels, washed thoroughly, stems removed, the rest shredded finely (like pulled pork) with the tines of a small fork. No need to remove the pithy interior. Make sure to use the innards in a smoothie or in banana bread!
- 1 finely sliced sweet onion
- 1 finely sliced red bell pepper
- 8 oz very finely sliced mushrooms
- 2 tablespoons molasses
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce, Bragg’s Liquid Aminos or tamari
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
- 1 clove minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon fresh minced ginger
- 1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon liquid smoke
- 1 tablespoon hot sauce (I used Frank’s Red Hot)
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup organic ketchup (reserve!)
- Vegan butter (optional, 2-4 tablespoons)
Add everything except the ketchup and the optional vegan butter to the instant pot. Pressure cook on high for 30 minutes instant release. After releasing pressure, add the ketchup and if desired (for a more realistic mouthfeel, add the vegan butter). Turn the instant pot sauté function on. Allow to cook with for another 5-10 minutes, or until most of the liquid is absorbed stirring often so the bottom doesn’t burn. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serves 4.
I served mine on toasted French bread with banana peppers and vegan mayo.
Vedged Out 
I don’t know what these taste like but would make sure the bananas are organic because of spray otherwise.
Whatever floats your boat. ❤️ Not everyone can afford organic produce, but everyone should def be washing the peels first.
Somer, This intrigues me, lol! How would you describe the flavor of the banana peels? I’ve heard they are bitter.
I imagine if you didn’t cook the heck out of them, they would be bitter, but much like many other “meat analogues” the peel just takes on the flavor of what it’s cooked in, so having a good sauce like this one is probably imperative.
Thank you. I think I’m going to have to give it a try. They look amazing and I trust your judgment. 🙂
I am still…. just… so amused and confused.
When I heard someone mentioned banana peels about a month ago, I thought they were confusing them with banana blossoms. Now I see that I was the one who was confused.
Still, if anyone can lead me through this weird world we now live in, I trust you.
Though no Instapot, so do you think a long, slow saute or some time in the slow cooker would be best?
I know! I swear I was totally grossed out and vowed to never try it! For stove top, I would cook in a lidded pot over medium heat. You might beed to add water occasionally to get to the right texture. Then remove the lid and follow the rest of the directions. For a crockpot, follow the same directions as an IP, but cook maybe 4 hours? It really needs the caramelization at the end to give it really good flavor, so I would do that on the stove after cooking in the crockpot. Best of luck! Let me know if you try it.
Haha this has been a funny trend to watch. Your creation looks quite yummy though. All those marinade ingredients sound like a delicious combination!
It’s very common for us to cook with banana stems and banana flowers, so I suppose peel shouldn’t be all *that* weird. Just a bit of getting used to.
I never ever thought I’d be eating banana peel, let alone slathered in BBQ sauce on a sandwich!!! It’s definitely weird.
all I want to know is the nutritional value of banana peels. is there any?
No clue. Articles I’ve read said they contain plenty of vitamins and minerals, but I haven’t seen caloric value, etc.
This is super weird. But I think I might try it 😆
But banana peels aren’t actually bitter. I saw Julien’s video where he bit into it and said it was bitter, but he was just faking it for the cameras (he didn’t follow the recipe on purpose and he’s over the top with everything he does). I made the recipe from The Stingy Vegan and it was really good! I think I cooked it for about 10 minutes just in a pan. Not bitter at all! But I like that you make your own sauce and it all sort of stews together. Sounds delicious and I love these sorts of zero waste recipes!
I’m not sure which video you’re referring to. If I even get a tiny bit of the stringy banana peel left on a banana, I want to gag. I find it to be VERY bitter. Incidentally the blog you’re referring to wasn’t the first or only one to make bbq banana peels, but I’m glad you had success making that particular recipe, I personally couldn’t see how the texture/taste would work, but that’s probably personal preference.
I honesty had not heard about eating banana peels. I hadn’t had a chance to look at the post until today – and then I went back to see if it was posted on April Fool’s Day. lol It certainly didn’t SEEM like it could actually be a real thing. I think I will just take you at your word and leave the peels to my compost pile. 🙂
We sliced 2 inch strips of the peels in a food processor instead of shredding with a fork, and used a pressure cooker to prepare and are thoroughly thrilled with the outstanding taste and texture of this barbecue filling. I told my family the peels in the filling were eggplant and they loved it too! We topped our barbecue sandwich with vegan coleslaw, and found no need for the optional vegan butter!
I’m always freezing organic bananas for banana whip ice cream and happy to find an excellent use for the peels! THANK YOU!
So cool! What a good idea with the food processor!
So no marinading like the instagram post you referred to? Just cook in the pressure cooker? I may have to not share the ingredients with my family. I’m game to try!
Yes, it doesn’t need to marinate. The pressure cooker solves that issue.
I made these and they were fantastic. Shared a small taste with my neighbors had them trying to guess what the main ingredient was. They were floored when they found out. Going to try a Barbacoa spicing next time. Did have to reduce the sauce to get it to the consistency I wanted (15-20 min +/- more)
Bravo, AJ
This banana peel sauce was amazing! We didn’t have the mushrooms so went without and even then it turned out perfect. Can’t wait to try the full recipe next time! Thanks for sharing it 🙂
Wonderful!