It’s no secret that an overwhelming majority of people love banana-flavored things. Think about it: how rare is it that you’ve heard someone say they don’t like banana bread? Or that banana-flavored candy is gross?
The banana flavor is sought by many people, in basically any type of food and beverage that you can imagine. It’s a flavor that brings out some interesting characteristics, and can be a wonderful addition to different bakes!
But, bananas aren’t cheap, and sometimes not very convenient…
That’s where banana extract comes in – it can add that delicious banana flavor to basically anything with just a few drops! The concentrated flavor is natural (at least from the extracts we like most), giving you an effective way to substitute bananas or just to add some extra flare to your beverage/dish.
However, it’s only good if you have a high-quality and good banana extract, which is exactly what we’re going to talk about in this article. We’ll discuss everything you need to know, and give you our favorite and most high-quality banana extracts that you can buy!
Let’s dive in!
What is banana extract?
Banana extract is simply a very concentrated liquid that contains a strong and powerful banana flavor. It’s made by steeping bananas in alcohol over a long period of time. You’ll often see that some brands mash the bananas up while others slice them – the important thing is that the alcohol extracts the essential oils and delicious characteristics of the banana.
This mixture is then strained, getting rid of the bigger banana chunks to get the final product: banana extract! The alcohol is often unflavored vodka, which also makes the banana extract have a much longer shelf-life than your regular bananas would!
Banana extract has a strong flavor, and you usually only have to add a couple drops for it to be effective – a little goes a long way!
How to use banana extract in recipes
You can use banana extract in basically any way you want! For example, you can try using it in recipes that call for bananas as a replacement or flavor enhancement, add it to your smoothies, mix it into your salads, drop it into your bakes for a twist of flavors, and more!
Banana extract is much more potent than fresh bananas, so you need much less here. The general guideline is to use ½ to 1 teaspoon of banana extract for every 1 ripe banana that a recipe calls for. Dolce Folgia, which is a brand that we’ll talk more about later, recommends using 2 teaspoons of banana extract for a standard batch of batter, and then adding more as desired.
You’ll see that we mention banana emulsions later in this article, which is almost the same thing as banana extract – extracts are alcohol-based, while emulsions are water-based. Emulsions don’t evaporate in bakes as quickly due to the higher boiling point, which gives them a more intense flavor in baked goods. This can be good or bad, as you generally want that flavor to evaporate in your bakes a bit since it’s so strong and concentrated!
However, you can definitely use them interchangeably at a 1:1 ratio – just be aware of the more intense flavor with emulsions in bakes and adjust accordingly if needed!
2 great recipes to use your banana extract
I recommend using banana extract as a way of enhancing the banana taste in things like banana bread by adding just a bit, or substituting something like vanilla extract for it as a way of changing the flavors of a dish! You can also use it to add a banana flavor to different cocktails and drinks. Get creative, and also try these out:
- Almond flour banana bread: This wonderful recipe is a delicious twist on a classic – you use almond flour to create an extra nutty flavor! It also calls for 3 bananas, which I recommend you keep since they add to the overall texture. However, you can add a couple drops of banana extract to enhance the flavor if you don’t have overly ripe bananas (having a little black and a lot of brown on the peel ensures a stronger banana flavor), making the recipe a whole lot more convenient – sometimes you don’t want to wait for your bananas to become overripe before making banana bread!
- Homemade banana milk: This is a simple but super tasty recipe that you can use as a stand alone drink or even as an addition to your morning coffee! It calls for one overripe banana that you blend together with milk, but you can substitute that out for approximately 1 teaspoon of banana extract per cup of milk. Or, if you only have medium ripe bananas that don’t yet have a ton of flavor, you can enhance it by adding a couple drops of banana extract into the blender as well!
How to choose the best banana extract
There are so many great banana extracts, but also so many bad ones. That’s why we’ve created this list of criteria that every product needs to go through, which ensures that we’re finding the best banana extracts for you:
- Ingredients: We don’t like artificial flavors or colors added, and we don’t want added sugar. We also value transparency when it comes to ingredient lists so that we can see what the purest and high-quality banana extracts are! Just a note, it seems that a lot of banana emulsions and other flavoring agents outside of pure extracts use some sort of artificial flavoring as a way of making up for lost flavors in their processes!
- Consumer feedback: We’re bakers that love to hear from other bakers. Listening to the experiences that people have had with products really gives us a deeper insight on how good or bad a product actually is.
- Track record: Reputation is everything these days, so we do some detective work to ensure that each brand we review has the highest standards while respecting their customers!
- Price: You could spend a ton on anything these days, which is why we’ve included budget-friendly options to pricier banana extracts that you can splurge on!
Now, let’s get into the actual rankings!
#1 Best Overall: McCormick
We’re not surprised to see McCormick at the number 1 spot here!
McCormick is basically a synonym with “flavoring agents,” and is a brand that’s been making amazing products consistently for a very long time!
Their banana extract is a great flavoring agent that’s once again put them on one of our “bests” lists, and claimed the number 1 spot for being a wonderful extract that has a great balance of flavors. It’s gluten-free, non-GMO, and has no artificial flavors or colors in it. It’s been reviewed nearly 3000 times with overwhelmingly positive notes, and comes in at the modest price of $2.21 per fluid ounce.
You’ll definitely love this banana extract!
Ingredients: Alcohol, Water, Natural Flavor, & Extractives of Banana.
#2 Best Value: LorAnn
Our pick for the banana extract that has the best value is LorAnn.
Now, this is technically not an extract, but an emulsion. Still, it serves basically the same function – and that at an amazing price!
You’ll enjoy a delicious banana flavoring agent for just $1.75 per fluid ounce, with the most positive reviews out of any product on this list – there are over 15,000 reviews stating how great this one is! I do want to mention that it contains some artificial flavoring, which is something to keep in mind!
Give this emulsion a try and see how high-quality a product can be even at an affordable price!
Ingredients: Water, propylene glycol, natural and artificial flavors, gum acacia, xantham gum.
#3 Trusted Brand: Watkins
Watkins is one of our most trusted brands for many of our extracts – and for good reason! They’ve been around making high-quality products for over 150 years all while treating their customers right! That’s some serious dedication and shows how passionate they are about this stuff!
You’ll find no artificial colors or flavors in Watkins’ banana extract, providing a natural tasting product with simple ingredients. The flavor profile is well balanced and strong, ensuring that you not only get a natural tasting banana extract, but also the best bang-for-your-buck at $2.76 per fluid ounce!
Check out Watkins’ banana extract, and you’ll see why they’re one of our most trusted brands!
Ingredients: Water, Alcohol, Natural flavors, Extractive of banana.
#4 Trusted Brand: OliveNation
Another one of our most trusted brands is OliveNation, which is quickly becoming a reputable and high-quality brand!
Now, this is technically an emulsion as well, so that’s just something to keep in mind. However, it provides an awesome taste that blends all the great things about the banana flavor really well.
On top of that, it comes in at $1.73 per fluid ounce, making it one of our more budget-friendly options on this list!
Give this one a go!
Ingredients: Water, propylene glycol, natural and artificial flavors, gum acacia, and xanthan gum.
#5 Baker’s Favorite: Happy Belly
Happy Belly is an Amazon brand, and while I’m usually wary of those types of brands, this one does a really great job!
Their banana extract is delicious while only using natural flavors. It’s also got amazing testimonials, boasting 4.6 out of 5 stars with nearly 1000 reviews! That’s a sign that Happy Belly is definitely doing something right!
My only gripe with this banana extract is the price. You’ll be handing out $5.91 per fluid ounce, which is only cheaper than #7 on this list. Now, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed with this banana extract if you do decide to pay the premium, as it’s delicious and an overall great option!
Ingredients: Water, Alcohol, Natural flavors, Extractive of banana.
#6 Best Kosher: Vanilla Bean Kings
Vanilla Bean Kings are frequent flyers on our “bests” lists, and they’ve secured the spot as the best kosher banana extract on this list!
They’re a great brand that consistently puts out solid flavoring agents, with their banana extract providing a wonderful blend of flavors while being non-GMO and gluten-free. It’s also crafted in the USA, which is always something we like to support! And of course, it’s Kosher certified!
The price clocks in at $3.75 per fluid ounce, which is right in the middle of the pack here. It’ll definitely meet your needs, and I bet you’ll be reaching for this banana extract over and over again!
Ingredients: Alcohol, Water, and Natural Flavors.
#7 Best Keto: Dolce Foglia
Rounding out this list at number 7 is Dolce Foglia.
Their banana extract is actually an imitation banana extract, which uses some artificial flavoring to recreate what banana extract does so well. However, there are no added sugars or sweeteners in this product, which is something I appreciate Dolce Foglia for!
You will be shelling out a decent amount here, as it comes out to $6.73 per fluid ounce. However, you get a paleo and keto friendly product, which might be very important to you!
Now, I think this definitely does what it needs to, but you may want to consider checking out some of the other pure banana extracts we’ve listed.
Ingredients: Mct Oil, natural and artificial flavoring
Others we reviewed
There are so many banana flavoring products out there, which means that not every one is cut-out to make this list.
One of these brands is Happy Home, which we generally like – check out their strawberry extract for a wonderful kosher option!
However, their product isn’t technically an extract, but a banana flavoring. That’s not a bad thing, but it does mean there will be differences in how it reacts to heat and mixing of ingredients – plus, banana extract is stronger in flavor.
And again – those things aren’t inherently wrong, but Happy Home’s banana flavoring includes artificial colors, which is something we don’t like here at Coconut Mama. We recognize that adding artificial ingredients doesn’t often add anything valuable to the product, as natural ingredients always bring out the best of the product when done right. That’s why we can not recommend this banana flavoring agent, and encourage you to look at the all-natural options we have in the list above!
Links on this page may be affiliate links, for which the site earns a small commission, but the price for you is the same
Leave a Comment