Banana Fritters — Tea-Time Snack with Sugar-Free Option

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There are afternoons when you have three bananas sitting on the counter, going soft and spotty, and absolutely no plan for them. In my house, this is when fritters happen, because if they were left there any longer, our diabetic dad would make them disappear one by one. He loves eating bananas, especially the ripe ones that he’s not supposed to.

Anyway, these banana fritters are a straightforward East Indian tea-time snack; nothing elaborate or fussy. Ripe bananas, a little maida (all-purpose flour or baking flour minus the baking powder), one egg, a splash of milk, a pinch of sugar, and some ghee in the pan. That’s genuinely it. My mum made these the same way, and I’m fairly certain her mother made them before her.

The batter comes together in about five minutes, and the frying doesn’t take much longer. What you get is something thin and golden, with crisp edges and a soft, banana-sweet centre. They’re best eaten warm, with tea, while someone else is doing the washing up.

A small note on ripeness: these fritters are better the riper the banana. Overripe bananas — the ones with very dark skins that you might otherwise throw away — work brilliantly here. The natural sweetness means you barely need to add sugar at all. Sometimes we skip the sugar entirely. If your bananas are still quite firm and yellow, let them sit on the counter for another day or two. (And sometimes we turn them into kele ki barfi or banana bread.)

And the cinnamon? Completely optional, but it adds a warm background note that pairs very nicely with the banana. I usually add it. You can skip it if you’re not a fan.

What You Need for Banana Fritters

Nothing here requires a trip to a specialist shop. If you’ve made any kind of pancake or fritter before, you’ll have most of this at home already.

Bananas — Three ripe ones. Spotty and soft is ideal.

Egg — One, to bind the batter.

Maida (all-purpose flour) — 50 grams, which is about 6 tablespoons. Maida gives the fritters a smooth, light batter. Whole wheat flour also works, but is a bit more chewy.

Milk or water — 4 tablespoons. I mostly use milk, which makes the fritters slightly richer. Water is fine too when in a hurry.

Sugar — Just 1 tablespoon to start. Taste the batter; if your bananas are very ripe and sweet already, you may not need more. Or if you’re trying to eat a tad healthier, skip the sugar entirely.

Ghee or oil for frying — 4 tablespoons. Ghee gives better flavour and the fritters brown more evenly. A neutral oil like sunflower works if you don’t have ghee.

Cinnamon powder — ¼ teaspoon, optional. Adds warmth.

How to Make Banana Fritters

Step 1. Mash the bananas roughly in a large bowl. You don’t need them perfectly smooth — a few lumps are fine and add texture to the finished fritter.

Step 2. Add the egg, sugar, milk or water, and flour. Mix until just combined. Don’t overwork the batter. If you’re using cinnamon, add it now.

Step 3. If your bananas were very sweet, the one tablespoon of sugar is probably enough. Add a little more if you’d like them sweeter.

Ghee heating on a frying pan. — Add ghee to a frying pan

Step 4. Heat the ghee or oil in a wide, flat frying pan over medium heat. Once hot, drop a tablespoon or two of batter per fritter into the pan, leaving enough space between them so they don’t merge. They’ll flatten themselves out, so no need to worry about spreading them out into rounds or ovals.

Banana fritter batter added to a frying pan in bits of 2 tablespoons. — Add to a frying pan in batches of 2 tablespoons

Turn the fritters over and allow to fry on the other side. — Turn over and allow to fry

Banana fritters turned over in a frying pan. — They’re not always even but that doesn’t matter

Step 5. Fry for about 3 minutes on the first side until golden brown and set on top, then flip and fry for another 3 minutes on the second side. Repeat with remaining batter. When you flip them over, they might look a little lumpy depending on how roughly you mashed your bananas. Mashed ’em more, less lumpy look, mashed ’em less, lumpier look. But don’t worry about how they look. They taste yum!

Serve warm. We usually have them at tea time, and on rare occasions for breakfast too.

Hot banana fritters in a beige plate. — Serve the banana fritters hot

Six hot banana fritters in a beige plate. — Yummy banana fritters, ain’t they?

A Few Tips

Don’t make the fritters too thick. A tablespoon or two of batter per fritter gives the right thin result — thicker and they won’t cook through properly before the outside burns.

Medium heat is important. Too high and the outside browns before the inside is cooked. Too low and they absorb more oil. Aim for a steady sizzle.

Ghee over oil, if you have it. The nutty flavour difference is noticeable.

Eat them fresh. These fritters are best eaten straight from the pan while still warm. They soften as they cool and lose the lovely crisp edges. If you have leftover, you could reheat them briefly in a dry pan, but fresh is always better.

What to Serve With Banana Fritters

These are a tea-time snack in the classic East Indian tradition, which means they’re served with a strong cup of chai. That’s really all they need.

If you want to stretch them slightly further as a light breakfast or dessert, a drizzle of honey is very good.

Sugar-Free Banana Fritters with Wholewheat Flour

If you want a slightly more wholesome version — no sugar, no maida — this works well with wholewheat flour and very overripe bananas. The bananas in the photos below are almost completely black, which is exactly what you want here: that level of ripeness means you genuinely don’t need any added sugar.

Use 5 bananas, 2 eggs, 2 tablespoons of wholewheat flour, ½ teaspoon cinnamon, and the same milk and ghee as the main recipe. The batter is thicker and the fritters are denser — more filling, less delicate. Fry the same way, on medium heat, about 3 minutes per side. Serve with a drizzle of honey or maple syrup if you’d like a little sweetness.

Very ripe, almost black bananas and two eggs on a chopping board. — The riper the banana, the sweeter the fritter — no sugar needed at this stage

Sliced overripe bananas on a wooden chopping board. — Slice before mashing — easier to mash evenly

Sliced overripe bananas and two eggs in a steel mixing bowl. — Slice the bananas and crack in the eggs — no sugar needed if your bananas are very ripe

Sugar-free banana fritter batter in a steel bowl — thick and coarse. — Mash until you have a thick, coarse batter

Sugar-free banana fritters flipped in a frying pan, golden brown. — Flip when golden — the wholewheat version browns more deeply

Sugar-free banana fritters arranged on a dark plate with a small bowl of honey. — A little honey on the side is all they need

Other East Indian Snacks and Sweets You Might Like

If you enjoyed this, here are a few other recipes from our kitchen:

Chitaps — East Indian Rice Crepes — another thin, pan-fried East Indian bread that goes beautifully with curries or simply with butter and jam.
Kele Ki Barfi — Indian Ripe Banana Dessert — if you have even more ripe bananas to use up, this sets in the fridge and makes a lovely gift or after-dinner sweet.
East Indian Kulkuls — the crisp, deep-fried festive sweet that appears at every East Indian Christmas table, and sometimes randomly during the year for snacks.
Mass Pav or Marzipan — the almond paste sweet that’s central to East Indian celebrations.

This recipe is from Jevayla Ye: Everyday East Indian Recipes from Abby’s Hearth by Abigail Rebello & Sarah Rebello. Winner of the Gourmand World Cookbook Award for Best Indigenous People Cookbook in the World, 2025. Find out more about the cookbook here.