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    BLANK » Recipe Index » Caribbean Dishes

    Jamaican Banana Fritters (Gluten Free + Vegan)

    Last Updated January 9, 2023. Published March 26, 2020 By Charla 22 Comments

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    These fritters are naturally sweet, island style that take less than 30 minutes to whip up a batch

    If you are looking for a hassle free gluten free Caribbean appetizer then look no further because these Jamaican Banana Fritters are so delicious, addictive and take less than 30 minutes to whip up a whole batch ready to eat.

    fritters on a plate

    jamaican banana fritters

    Fritters aka Flittaz are an all time favourite on mine. I like them because they are a no fuss, quick, tasty and filling appetiser. In a sense, you get all of this goodness in one serving.

    They are so nice and simple you can even go on and be daring by tripling or quadrupling the batch.

    Fritters on a gray placemat

    What is a fritter?

    In short, a fritter is fried batter that consists of a sweet or savoury filling. In the case these are made with bananas with a light and fluffy texture, a cross between a donut and a pancake.

    It's loaded with those potassium enriched bananas and some spices because you know Caribbean people love to include nutmeg and cinnamon at the party.

    Growing up I would watch my grandmother and mother make banana fritters. We would often treat ourselves to some fritters for breakfast.

    Sometimes our breakfast consisted of copious amounts of banana fritters with some Jamaican Hot Chocolate (Chocolate tea).

    Alternatively, we would have the fritters with Saltfish and Callaloo and/or scrambled eggs on the side or we would go all out with our national dish called Ackee and Saltfish.

    Gluten free adaptation

    Mom and grandma made fritters with self rising flour, which is all purpose flour to the wider audience. Of course being a gluten free blogger the recipe has been adapted to accommodate those changes.

    It's not a relatively HUGE adjustment if I do say so myself.

    Rather the only minor change to the original recipe is using gluten flour in place of self rising flour.

    There's isn't much room for error with this recipe, you can't really go wrong it's such an easy recipe to follow and definitely achievable just like I did with my Jamaican Saltfish Fritters along with my Pumpkin Fritters recipe.

    Ingredients you will need

    • Gluten free flour: I like to use my homemade gluten free flour blend. It's a recommended light and fluffy flour that seemingly works quite well.
    • Overripe bananas: The more ripe the banana the better, it makes a difference to the overall sweetness of the fritters.
    • Spices: In true Caribbean style I like to use Cinnamon/Nutmeg and vanilla extract.
    • Coconut sugar (optional): If you want your fritters to be uber sweet then a small amount of coconut sugar will do the trick.
    • Oil: any oil with a high smoke point i.e avocado, coconut or olive oil works.

    How to make Jamaican banana fritters

    jamaican banana fritters steps 1-2

    • Peel each of the bananas, slice and add them to a bowl.

    • Use a potato masher or blender to breakdown the bananas until they become a pureed consistency.

    • Then add the spices, gluten free flour, pink salt, vanilla and coconut sugar/cane sugar

    • Mix into a smooth consistency with a whisk
    • Melt a ¼ cup of coconut oil in a non stick frying pan on medium heat.
    • Spoon some of the batter into the frying pan and fill the pan with spoons of batter (don't overcrowd).
    • Cook each side until golden and turn over and cook the other side.
    • Repeat with the rest of the batter, add more oil if needed

    I don't have over ripe bananas to hand, can I still make the fritters?

    Yes, you can BUT.... you will probably need to increase the amount of coconut sugar to compensate for the lack of sweetness in the bananas.

    That is why I do recommend using very ripe bananas, but it is still doable.

    Can I make fritters that are grainfree/paleo friendly?

    I haven't managed to try this myself...yet but...

    I should think that coconut flour (although eggs might be needed) or almond flour (not almond meal) should work just fine.

    It is necessary to add sugar to the fritters?

    If the bananas are overly ripe then you may want to exclude additional sweetener. I like to add a small amount of sugar regardless of how ripe the bananas are simply to enhance the taste.

    Notes and tips

    • Alternatively to banana. Feel free to use plantains if you don't have any bananas to hand.
    • Overripe bananas.  Ideally you want to use bananas that are overripe for this recipe. Bananas where the skin is more black than yellow. This is because overripe bananas are naturally sweet so this lessens the chance of having to add too much sweetener.
    • You can omit using any sweetener if you want to focus getting natural occurring sugars.
    • Mash the bananas. Use either a potato masher or blender to breakdown the bananas into a more pureed consistency. This will form the foundation for the banana fritter batter.
    • Oil usage. In order to use as little oil as possible use a very durable non stick skillet.
    • As the batter cooks it will spread slightly before it turns golden. Use a egg lifter to flip the fritter over the other side and repeat.

    Using a fork to cut the fritters

    More Caribbean breakfast recipes to try

    • Jamaican Cornmeal Porridge
    • Jamaican Oats Porridge
    • Oven Baked Plantains
    • Vegan Sweet Potato Waffles
    • Trinidadian Tomato Choka
    • Dominican Mangu

    **Don't forget to comment below and star rate if you have tried my recipes. Let's be friends and engage on Facebook and Instagram I also like to pin on Pinterest, where you can find more amazing recipes.**

    6 fritters on a white plate

    Jamaican Banana Fritters

    These island style fritters are so fluffy and crispy. They make the perfect Caribbean appetizer!!
    5 from 10 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Breakfast
    Cuisine: Jamaican
    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Cook Time: 10 minutes
    Total Time: 20 minutes
    Servings: 6 servings
    Calories: 259kcal
    Author: Charla

    Ingredients

    • 3 large overripe bananas or 5 medium bananas
    • 1 ½ cups of gluten free flour
    • ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
    • ¼ teaspoon of nutmeg
    • 1 teaspoon of vanilla
    • ⅓ cup of coconut sugar or raw organic cane sugar (the amount will depend on the ripenes) optional
    • ¼ teaspoon himalayan pink salt
    • ** ¼ cup of coconut oil

    Instructions

    • Peel each of the bananas, slice and add them to a bowl.
    • Use a potato masher or blender to breakdown the bananas until they become a pureed consistency.
    • Then add the spices, gluten free flour, pink salt, vanilla and coconut sugar/cane
    • Mix into a smooth consistency with a whisk
    • Melt a ¼ cup of coconut oil in a non stick frying pan on medium heat.
    • Spoon some of the batter into the frying pan and fill the pan with spoons of batter (don't overcrowd)
    • Cook each side until golden and turn over and cook the other side.
    • Repeat with the rest of the batter, add more oil if needed
    • Serve accordingly.

    Notes

    • Alternatively to banana. Feel free to use plantains if you don't have any bananas to hand.
    • Overripe bananas.  Ideally you want to use bananas that are overripe for this recipe. Bananas where the skin is more black than yellow. This is because overripe bananas are naturally sweet so this lessens the chance of having to add too much sweetener.
    • You can omit using any sweetener if you want to focus getting natural occurring sugars.
    • Mash the bananas. Use either a potato masher or blender to breakdown the bananas into a more pureed consistency. This will form the foundation for the banana fritter batter.
    • Oil usage. In order to use as little oil as possible use a very durable non stick skillet.
    • As the batter cooks it will spread slightly before it turns golden. Use a egg lifter to flip the fritter over the other side and repeat.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 259kcal | Carbohydrates: 43g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Sodium: 115mg | Potassium: 211mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 38IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 23mg | Iron: 1mg
    Tried this Recipe? Tag me Today!Mention @ThatGirlCooksHealthy or tag #ThatGirlCooksHealthy!

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    About Charla

    I'm Charla. Caribbean foodie & Certified Health Coach. Welcome to the heaven of gluten and dairy free recipes as well as modernised healthier alternatives to some of your favourite Caribbean recipes.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Maru

      October 31, 2022 at 7:36 pm

      5 stars
      I made them mixing over ripped bananas and plantains plus I added cloves and mixed with coconut flour because it’s what I had on hand, they where delicious! Thanks

      Reply
      • Charla

        October 31, 2022 at 7:38 pm

        Loving the combination of banana and plantain. I'm definitely going to try that! Thank you for commenting and sharing your feedback too.

        Reply
    2. Shanese

      March 14, 2022 at 10:46 pm

      5 stars
      I just made this and let me say it was delicious ! I added some milk (just b/c) the gluten free flour I used made the batter thick, also added some dashes of ground clove and it literally taste like my childhood, did not miss the gluten or cane sugar at all - thank you !

      Reply
      • Charla

        March 15, 2022 at 5:52 am

        Hi Shanese, You are welcome and I'm so glad you were able to re-create your childhood memories by tweaking the recipe to suit.

        Reply
    3. Natalie

      July 29, 2020 at 2:45 pm

      5 stars
      I haven’t had these in such a long time but went to bed feeling for some. I tweaked it a bit but they came out perfect. I would have taken a picture but I started eating them before the batch was finished 😂

      Reply
      • Charla

        July 29, 2020 at 3:34 pm

        I'm so glad to hear that Natalie. I would love to see a picture next time you make them!!

        Reply
    4. Cathleen @ A Taste of Madness

      March 27, 2020 at 12:34 am

      5 stars
      These fritters are perfect!! I used to order it all the time at this Jamaican restaurant near my house, but since I can't go there now, I am so glad I can make it at home!!

      Reply
      • Charla

        March 27, 2020 at 7:05 am

        Thanks Cathleen. Glad to hear that you like Jamaican Banana Fritters too.

        Reply
    5. Krissy Allori

      March 27, 2020 at 12:17 am

      These look so amazing. I love everything that's in them. I'm going to give them a shot this weekend.

      Reply
      • Charla

        March 27, 2020 at 7:02 am

        Thanks Krissy

        Reply
    6. Haley D Williams

      March 26, 2020 at 10:14 pm

      5 stars
      What a great idea! I cannot wait to try these! I have to try this asap!

      Reply
      • Charla

        March 26, 2020 at 10:15 pm

        Thanks Haley

        Reply
    7. Roxana

      March 26, 2020 at 9:53 pm

      5 stars
      I love these fritters. All the flavors come together so well. Reminds me of an Indian fritter.

      Reply
      • Charla

        March 26, 2020 at 10:01 pm

        Thank you Roxana

        Reply
    8. Katie

      March 26, 2020 at 9:50 pm

      5 stars
      Looks amazing! Can't wait to try it.

      Reply
      • Charla

        March 26, 2020 at 10:01 pm

        Enjoy!!

        Reply
    9. Ruby

      March 26, 2020 at 9:06 pm

      Do you think i can use oat flour or rice flour?

      Reply
      • Charla

        March 26, 2020 at 9:07 pm

        I'm not familiar with the use of oat flour but I have used brown rice flour with no problems.

        Reply
    10. suzanne spence

      July 14, 2019 at 4:09 pm

      havn't try as yet. But I think you could put them in a AF. when I do I'll let you know. tys.

      Reply
      • Charla

        July 14, 2019 at 4:12 pm

        Hi Suzanne. I haven't tried an airfryer version of the fritters just yet but would love to know if it works out for you.

        Reply
    11. Leanne

      January 13, 2019 at 12:38 am

      Great flavour! Super easy to make. I substituted and used buckwheat flour...thank you so much for sharing this wonderful recipe!

      Reply
      • Charla

        January 14, 2019 at 3:26 pm

        You are very welcome Leanne

        Reply

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